2025 Fantasy Football Creeper Preview

by Michael Nazarek (RELEASED - 6/24/2026)

Editor's Note: Below you will find a portion of our Fantasy Football Creepers for 2026. If you'd like to read about all 18 creepers, please click HERE to order our 2026 Pre-Season Draft Guide.

Were you one of those fantasy owners who drafted QB Lamar Jackson, RB Alvin Kamara, WR Brian Thomas Jr., or TE Mark Andrews last year? Unfortunately, these players were some of the many disappointments due to injuries or other unfortunate circumstances. Just because they didn't perform last year, doesn't mean they will fail again in 2026, but I want to make sure to point out some of the warning signs which may cause certain players to produce poor fantasy numbers this year. I remind everyone that the players on the forthcoming list may produce good fantasy numbers this coming season, but I recommend you think twice before drafting them for your team this year. Let the buyer beware!

 

Note: The ADP mentioned below for all players applies to 12-team PPR leagues.

 

TIGHT ENDS

 

Oronde Gadsden (Los Angeles Chargers) - Don't get me wrong. I love Gadsden's talent. In fact, I own him in dynasty, so the problem is not him per say. Unfortunately, the Chargers just signed veteran TE David Njoku. And his greatest ability is to make plays for scores in the red zone. New Chargers OC Mike McDaniel likes to use two-TE sets in his offense, so the team signed Njoku to do just that. In other words, you can expect to see Njoku playing at the same time as Gadsden, and in the red zone, Njoku could quickly become a favorite target for QB Justin Herbert. Bottom Line: Njoku's presence in this offense will significantly negatively impact the target share and scoring chances for Gadsden, making him more of a solid TE2 for fantasy than a TE1. ADP: Round 11-12.

 

Juwan Johnson (New Orleans) - He is another talented TE, but one who is unlikely to see the target share and scoring chances he saw as a Saint in 2025. Why? Well, the team drafted WR Jordyn Tyson, WR Bryce Lance, WR Barion Brown, and TE Oscar Delp in April's NFL draft. Johnson is also coming off a career season, so he is due for some regression in production. Bottom Line: There are many more options for the Saints to use in the passing game in 2026, which likely means Johnson's target share and scoring chances will drop significantly. ADP: Round 12-13.

 

A.J. Barner (Seattle) - Barner had a career year in 2025, but could be pushed much harder for the starting job by TE Elijah Arroyo. In addition, the Seahawks extended WR Rashid Shaheed with significant money, meaning he is likely to become the new WR2 for the team. WR Cooper Kupp also returns, while second-year WR Tory Horton should be healthy by September. All this likely means that a repeat of the 52-519-6 stat line from 2025 is not expected to happen. Yes, his ADP is quite low, but smart fantasy owners should look elsewhere for more potential from their fantasy backup TE in 2026! ADP: Round 17-18.

 

The Deep-Creeper

 

Evan Engram (Denver) - Engram caught 50 passes in 2025, but only one went for a score. In addition, he is entering his age-31 season, and was considered a potential offseason release or trade candidate due to his hefty $14 million cap hit. Worst of all, the Broncos acquired WR Jaylen Waddle, who is likely to soak up 100+ targets in 2026, making Engram's target share shrink even more. Finally, he failed to become a reliable threat near the goal line in Denver, which makes it hard to rely on him for consistent weekly fantasy scoring (he scored more than 10 PPR points in only two games in 2025). All in all, do not believe it when HC Sean Payton says he loves Engram as his "joker." All that means is that Engram's fantasy value is a JOKE. ADP: Round 19-20.

 

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