3 High-Upside Dynasty Rookie Sleepers to Stash Now

We’re past the consensus tier. Jeremiah Love, the big-name wide receivers, and first-round quarterbacks are long gone, and your draft board is starting to look like a ghost town. But just because you’ve reached the final round doesn’t mean it’s time to stop looking for dynasty rookie sleepers. Whether you are looking for the perfect “Mr. Irrelevant” to close out your draft or scanning the post-draft waiver wire for taxi squad depth, value is still out there.

Let’s be realistic: at this point in the draft, we are dealing with lottery tickets. None of these players are guaranteed to hit, but they don’t need to be. By focusing on late-round prospects with either decent draft capital, standout combine performances, or wide-open depth charts, we can maximize our upside.

If you have an open taxi squad spot and a willingness to wait and see, these three rookies are worth taking a shot on.

3 Rookie Sleepers to Stash for 2026 Dynasty Football Leagues

Deion Burks, WR, Indianapolis Colts

If you looked at the consensus mock drafts leading up to the NFL Draft, Oklahoma wide receiver Deion Burks—a high-profile transfer from Purdue—was widely projected as a Day 2 pick. He had the hype, the tape flashes, and a blistering combine performance. Yet, when draft weekend wrapped up, Burks didn’t hear his name called until pick No. 254 (out of 257 picks) in the seventh round by the Indianapolis Colts.

So, what happened?

Draft expert Todd McShay shed some light on the shocking slide, noting that Burks was firmly a top-100 player on his board before a quiet back injury threw a wrench into his draft stock. At 5’9¾” and 185 pounds, teams likely overemphasized on his smaller frame and the injury risk, letting a premier athletic talent fall right into Indy’s lap.

The Context: Circumstantial Production

If you look purely at the box scores, you might wonder why draft analysts were high on him in the first place. Burks never topped 1,000 yards in a college season. But let’s be real about why: he simply didn’t have a quarterback who could accurately push the ball vertically.

When he did get functional quarterback play or a scheme that let him loose, he absolutely dominated top-tier competition. Look no further than his performances against two of the best defenses in college football in his final season:

• vs. Michigan: 7 catches, 101 yards, 1 TD

• vs. Alabama: 7 catches, 107 yards, 1 TD

When the lights were brightest and the competition was elite, Burks went off. He is lightning in a bottle, and the Colts just stole him in the final round.

The Profile: A “Cheetah” Blueprint?

The athletic profile is where things get genuinely exciting for fantasy managers. Burks lit up the NFL Combine with a 4.30-second 40-yard dash (5th fastest among WRs) and an explosive 42.5-inch vertical jump.

If those metrics feel familiar, it’s because they bear a striking resemblance to another undersized vertical weapon who entered the league with significant non-football question marks: Tyreek Hill.

No one is saying Burks is guaranteed to be the next Tyreek Hill—let’s keep our expectations in check. But from a pure size, speed, and explosion standpoint, the blueprint is there.

The Dynasty Verdict

In my latest dynasty startup, Burks actually fell entirely out of the draft. I didn’t even have to use a “Mr. Irrelevant” pick on him; I scooped him up for free off the waiver wire the second the draft ended and immediately slid him into my taxi squad.

You need to do the same. The Colts didn’t draft another wide receiver, meaning Burks has a clear path to compete for a vertical slot role in an ascending offense. He costs you absolutely nothing right now, but the athletic upside is massive. Stash him and wait.

Matthew Hibner, TE, Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens didn’t just select SMU tight end Matthew Hibner in the fourth round; they traded pick No. 154 and a 2027 sixth-rounder to the San Francisco 49ers to move up 21 spots for him at No. 133. The move reunites Hibner with Ravens defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who coached him during their time together at Michigan. After losing Isaiah Likely in free agency, the Ravens wanted to secure an eventual replacement to Mark Andrews, and they traded up to secure the former Southern Methodist Mustang.

The Ravens were looking for a pass-catching tight end who was a big, fluid athlete who could line up in-line or flex out in the slot—Hibner fits that bill perfectly. After transferring from Michigan to SMU, he blossomed over his last two seasons, racking up 55 catches for 804 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Profile: Better Testing Than Mark Andrews?

The Ravens clearly have a type. If you look at Hibner’s raw physical and athletic traits coming out of his pro day, they look nearly identical to Baltimore’s cornerstone tight end, Mark Andrews, when he entered the league in 2018.

But here’s the kicker: Hibner actually tests out as the superior athlete.

While Hibner is a tad shorter than Andrews, he runs a full tenth of a second faster in the 40-yard dash and boasts a vertical jump that is six inches higher. We are talking about elite, upper-tier athleticism for the position.

The Dynasty Verdict

Let’s keep it real: Mark Andrews isn’t getting replaced tomorrow. However, the Ravens’ tight end room has always been a heavy rotation, and team insiders are already reporting that Baltimore envisions an immediate, pass-catching role for Hibner in their scheme.

In a typical dynasty rookie draft, tight ends without second-round capital fall entirely through the cracks. Hibner is likely sitting on your league’s waiver wire right now, or available with the literal last pick of your draft. He has a massive catch radius, high-end vertical speed, and an organization that traded up to get him. Slide him right into your taxi squad and let him cook.

Adam Randall, RB, Baltimore Ravens

I’ll admit it: I am a sucker for a running back who converted from wide receiver. There is something about that natural pass-catching fluidness paired with backfield vision that creates fantasy gold, especially in PPPR leagues. In his final season at Clemson, Adam Randall made the full-time switch to the backfield and didn’t look back. Once nicknamed ‘Baby Julio’ as a recruit, Randall proved his versatility when he stepped in as an emergency RB during the 2024 postseason against Texas, ripping off a 41-yard run on his first career carry.

He rushed for 814 yards on 168 carries (a solid 4.8 yards per attempt) and notched 10 rushing touchdowns. But because of his receiving roots, he added 254 receiving yards and another 3 touchdowns through the air. That brings his season total to 1,068 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Ravens saw that “jackknife” versatility and pulled the trigger on him in the fifth round of the 2026 draft.

The Profile: A Powerhouse Frame

When you look at Randall’s measurables, he doesn’t look like your typical “scat-back” receiver convert. He is a massive human being who actually looks more like the man he’ll be backing up in Baltimore.

The Dynasty Verdict

The opportunity in Baltimore is intriguing, but let’s be realistic: Randall isn’t walking into a starting role. With electric back Keaton Mitchell moving on to the Chargers in free agency, there is a “home run” vacancy in this backfield, but veterans Justice Hill and Rasheen Ali are firmly ahead of him on the depth chart for now.

However, Randall offers a unique “big-back” profile that the others lack. He is only 21 years old and possesses the powerhouse frame (232 lbs) to eventually handle the heavy-duty touches that usually go to Derrick Henry. While he may start as a special teams contributor or a situational “Swiss Army Knife,” an injury to the aging Henry would at least open the door for Randall to showcase his receiving skills and power-back potential. He is a classic “stash and see” prospect—someone you grab for the physical upside and hold until the depth chart naturally shifts.

Conclusion: Don’t Let Value Sit on the Wire

At the end of the day, dynasty fantasy football isn’t just won by hitting on your first-round picks—it’s won by maximizing the end of your bench. Whether it’s Deion Burks’ elite vertical speed, Matthew Hibner’s freakish athleticism in the Ravens’ tight-end-friendly scheme, or Adam Randall’s massive frame and pass-catching versatility, these are the types of bets that define a successful “wait-and-see” strategy.

None of these players is a “sure thing,” and that’s exactly why they are cheap. But by targeting rookies with high-end measurables and specific paths to playing time, you are playing the probability game the right way.

So, before you head into the final round of your rookie draft or start scouring the post-draft waivers, keep these names in mind. Use that “Mr. Irrelevant” pick on a high-upside profile, slide them into your taxi squad, and let the process play out. In a year or two, you might just find yourself with a starting-caliber asset that your league-mates let slide for absolutely nothing.

Now go get your guys.