The best time of the year is quickly approaching: dynasty startup drafts. There's no better feeling than assembling your roster for both the present and the future as you assume the ultimate roles of both General Manager and Head Coach. Before you enter the draft lobby, here are some undervalued targets to keep in mind.

RELATED: Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings

Sleepers To Target In 2026 Dynasty Fantasy Football Startup Drafts

Tyler Shough, QB - Saints

He might be the oldest soon-to-be Year 2 QB we've ever had, but there's no mistaking how productive Tyler Shough was over the final half of his rookie campaign. From Weeks 10-18, he averaged:

• 22.9 PPG
• 9 total TDs
• 4 total INTs
• 3 total rushing TDs

The Saints are locking in Shough as their QB heading for next season, and they just added Travis Etienne as another viable playmaker for this offense.

Chris Allen and Jake Trowbridge recently debated Shough, and here's some pro-Shough propaganda for you:

However, with just over a half-season of starts, Shough's metrics stack up with his first-year brethren.

• EPA per Dropback: 0.05, 6th (out of 38 qualifiers—first season with min. 225 dropbacks)
• Passing Success Rate: 46.3%, 9th
• Rushing Rate (Scrambles + Des. Rush): 10.4%, 13th

With the team's other roster needs, Shough has multi-year starter potential on his current deal.

I'm certainly in agreement with that last point—the Saints have too many other holes to fill on that roster to spend any sort of meaningful capital (draft or financial) on the QB position. A young QB punching well above his weight on a cheap contract is still a valuable asset.

I would be targeting Shough as my strong QB2. The market currently views him as a low-end QB2, and that's more due to the strength of some of the guys ahead of him than it is a knock on Shough. Don't get too caught up in his age; when a player shows that he can play, he's going to get opportunities.

Chase Brown, RB - Bengals

Whenever an RB checks the following five boxes (courtesy of our legend Ian Hartitz), they should immediately garner your attention:

• Big-play ability
• Pass-catching goodness
• Good offensive environment
• Offensive line
• Talent

Enter, Chase Brown. He might not be as flashy as some of the other premier options at the RB position, but he scores points with the best of them.

Valued as a mid-RB2 by consensus, Brown offers RB1 upside and consistently weekly usage at a discount. Certainly, the key to making all of this work is the health of Joe Burrow. As someone who doesn't like to project injuries, I'm operating under the assumption that the Bengals will have their QB1 for the entirety of the season.

Despite having just turned 26-years old, Brown is the ideal trade target for any type of dynasty startup draft. Looking to go Hero-RB at a discount or load up on ball carriers? Brown fits the bill either way.

Jayden Higgins, WR - Texans

As a rookie, Jayden Higgins finished with a solid first season:

• 68 targets
• 41 receptions
• 525 receiving yards
• 6 TDs

Despite playing alongside one of the top-end talents at the position (Nico Collins), Higgins functioned well as the No. 2 wideout. However, veteran TE Dalton Schultz outpaced Higgins in targets (106), receptions (82), and receiving yards (777).

I fully expect the 34th overall pick to have a much stronger sophomore season. The Texans have already let Christian Kirk leave in free agency, which really just opens things up for Jaylin Noel, but Higgins has all the attributes to be a solid secondary option.

He's currently valued as a low-end WR4. That should be his floor both in 2026 and in the seasons to come. Despite a tough third-season that saw C.J. Stroud post career-low marks in passing attempts, passing completions, passing yards, and passing TDs, I'm viewing him as a bounce-back candidate (and a sneaky dynasty trade target in SF formats) who can elevate this offense.

Ricky Pearsall, WR - 49ers

One of the best parts of working with Fantasy Life is being surrounded by people who are vastly smarter than me. I learn a ton and (hopefully) become a better fantasy football manager each year.

So, when someone like Ian Hartitz makes a bullish claim on Ricky Pearsall, I pay attention. Here's what he had to say before free agency began:

Is having Pearsall as a top-24 receiver in the first edition of my 2026 ranks aggressive? Yes, but we're also talking fantasy ranks in … February … so let's have a little bit of an open mind here!

Injuries have unfortunately robbed us as a society of seeing Pearsall operate at full health for any level of extended stretch during his short two-year career. And yet, one quick look at the #film reveals that we are truly looking at one of the league's top-tier route tacticians here.

The 49ers made a semi-splashy move when they signed Mike Evans to a three-year contract worth north of $42 million. However, if anything, this makes drafting Pearsall in dynasty startups even more intriguing.

Currently, Pearsall carries a dynasty value of WR40. Even with both Evans and the newly signed Christian Kirk coming to town, WR40 should be Pearsall's floor both this season and moving forward.

Luther Burden, WR - Bears

Here's a spicy one to leave you with—despite carrying an ADP of WR17, Luther Burden is undervalued in dynasty formats.

To be fair, you'd have to make some serious choices about who to rank behind Burden, but the stars are aligning for a massive sophomore season.

Chicago is deep at every offensive skill position, but Burden rapidly surfaced as the go-to option in the receiver room over the final weeks of the season. Despite his slow start, he averaged six targets per game over his final seven contests.

With DJ Moore now in Buffalo, even the presence of Rome Odunze shouldn't prevent Burden from becoming the alpha of the room.

Dwain McFarland recently said this about Burden:

Burden's underlying data points toward a player with a high ceiling.

His 2.36 YPRR ranks 10th out of 163 rookie WRs with at least 250 routes since 2011. Below is the list of part-time rookie players who posted a YPRR of 2.25 or higher:

• Tyreek Hill (2.28)
• Rashee Rice (2.39)
• Christian Watson (2.26)

All of those players earned more playing time in their second seasons, with Hill and Rice erupting into fantasy stars.

When Dwain says something (anything, really), I pay attention. The consensus still has Odunze ranked ahead of Burden in dynasty formats, but it's only a matter of time before Burden becomes one of the next fantasy superstars.

Join Our Newsletter

Trusted by 400,000+ fantasy football players. Get access to Fantasy Life's free award winning newsletter and tools, all in one step.

Email Address

Subscribe

By registering or logging in, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.