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Four Playoff Sleepers To Snatch Up

Four Playoff Sleepers To Snatch Up

Shh, don't tell anyone...

Peter Overzet
January 07, 2026

Now that the action is flying in our Guilloteenie leagues, I wanted to share my four favorite sleepers in the contest.

ICYMI yesterday: Here is a primer on the format and a full strategy guide.

To qualify for my sleepers, I’m looking at players going outside of the top 20 picks. This means they are readily available in Rounds 5 and later …

QB: Matthew Stafford (Rank 33)—Stafford is currently QB7 in ADP despite carrying the third-highest projection in the Wild Card round behind only Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts. The Rams are projected to score 28.25 points vs. the Panthers and have the second-best Super Bowl odds. He’s by far the best QB pick on the board right now.

WR: Christian Watson (Rank 24)—Watson has been the clear top option for the Packers down the stretch, and the Bears give up the third-biggest fantasy boost to opposing WRs. Watson can put up a solid score in either a win or a loss, making him a solid value. If you are worried about a loss, though, feel free to go with Luther Burden instead (Rank 31), who is also a value.

RB: Kenneth Gainwell (Rank 36)—This format is all about floor. You just need to survive and advance. Since Week 11, Gainwell has had only two games under 16 PPR points. He can thrive in any game environment, which makes him the perfect pick at the end of drafts.

TE: Dalton Schultz (Rank 51) - The last time Schultz had fewer than four targets in a game was back in October. This is a gross playoff slate for TEs, so banking targets is critical at a low-floor position. If you get boxed out of George Kittle early, I prefer to be patient for a guy like Schultz. It doesn’t hurt that the Steelers give up the fifth-biggest boost to opposing TEs.

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Fantasy

Editors’ Picks

Welcome to the NFL postseason! We know that fantasy football doesn’t stop with those fantasy championships you’re still celebrating. We hope you try Guilloteenies to enjoy a playoff sweat like never before. Our Xfinity Best Projections and DFS Projections give you a snapshot of what to expect this weekend. And here’s some more great content:

Fantasy

Matthew Freedman’s 2026 NFL Mock Draft

The NFL regular season is officially over, the postseason will kick off soon, and the College Football Playoff has reached the semifinals stage.

On top of that, Jan. 5 was the draft declaration deadline for all underclassmen not in the CFP (for playoff participants, the deadline is Friday, Jan. 23).

That can mean only one thing: It's time to release an updated version of my 2026 NFL mock draft. (If you're a real sicko, check out my way-too-early May 2025 edition).

I'm not one to brag, but …

I was No. 1 in big board accuracy and No. 3 in mock accuracy for last year's draft. I'm the No. 1 mocker overall since 2020.

The 2026 NFL draft order is set for the top 18 picks.

For the remaining 14, I'm using a combination of postseason seeding, consensus odds to win the Super Bowl, and my own personal postseason projections … let’s dive in.

1.01 (LV) - Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
1.02 (NYJ) - Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
1.03 (ARI) - Arvell Reese, EDGE, Ohio State
1.04 (TEN) - Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami
1.05 (NYG) - Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
1.06 (CLE) - Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
1.07 (WAS) - Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
1.08 (NO) - David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
1.09 (KC) - Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
1.10 (CIN) - Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

Fantasy

TRIVIA IS BACK, PEOPLE!! Test your mettle as Matt LaMarca brings you a daily question — where you face either certain death (imagine the old knight from Indiana Jones saying you chose poorly) or celebrate a feel-good win.

You get 24 hours to think this through, as answers will always be “in tomorrow’s newsletter!” Honor system, please. And good luck!

We’re kicking it off with three questions today, to celebrate the return of trivia!

Q1: Trey McBride has officially become the fifth tight end in NFL history to crack 300 PPR points in a single season. Which of these stud fantasy tight ends has NOT accomplished that feat?

Jimmy Graham
Tony Gonzalez
Travis Kelce
Mark Andrews

Q2: If Drake Maye takes home the MVP award this season, he will be the fifth QB in NFL history to win the award as a sophomore. The other four players to do it include Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Dan Marino, and this Hall of Famer:

Kurt Warner
Brett Favre
Peyton Manning
Joe Montana

Q3: Chimere Dike has set a new record for NFL rookies, racking up 2,371 all-purpose yards through his first 16 games. He edged out this player, who would go on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Raiders: