Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Is it cliché? Of course it is, but that doesn’t make it wrong.
I don’t think you have to have your 2026 fantasy football rankings flushed out right now, but being generally aware of where things stand will give you an edge on your competition: having a frame of reference is critical and allows you to tweak things as the offseason progresses as opposed to playing catch up in the days leading into your draft.
So let’s get started with some way-too-early Top 50 in PPR scoring formats for the upcoming season!
Players Ranked 1-21
1) Bijan Robinson, RB | Atlanta Falcons
2) Ja’Marr Chase, WR | Cincinnati Bengals
3) Jahmyr Gibbs, RB | Detroit Lions
4) Puka Nacua, WR | Los Angeles Rams
5) De’Von Achane, RB | Miami Dolphins
6) Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR | Seattle Seahawks
7) CeeDee Lamb, WR | Dallas Cowboys
8) Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR | Detroit Lions
9) Rashee Rice, WR | Kansas City Chiefs
10) Christian McCaffrey, RB | San Francisco 49ers
11) Drake London, WR | Atlanta Falcons
12) Jonathan Taylor, RB | Indianapolis Colts
13) James Cook III, RB | Buffalo Bills
14) Justin Jefferson, WR | Minnesota Vikings
15) Bucky Irving, RB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16) Ashton Jeanty, RB | Las Vegas Raiders
17) Trey McBride, TE | Arizona Cardinals
18) Nico Collins, WR | Houston Texans
19) Malik Nabers, WR | New York Giants
20) Saquon Barkley, RB | Philadelphia Eagles
21) Brock Bowers, TE | Las Vegas Raiders
The Case for Brock Bowers’ Redemption
I get it. There’s some scar tissue to work through here, and that’s perfectly fine.
Brock Bowers was drafted last summer with the hope that he’d lap the field in production, that he’d build on his historic rookie campaign, take the NFL by storm, and provide league-altering production that would overwhelm your competition at a tough position to fill.
Basically, he was drafted to be what Trey McBride ended up being, and that stings. You had the right idea, wrong player.
You were wrong. I was wrong. Anyone who ranked Bowers as a tier of his own at the position was wrong. But the narrative has jumped the shark a bit: we weren’t nearly as wrong as is being portrayed.
- 2024: 84.8% snaps, 13.1% deep target rate, 3.9% end zone target rate
- 2025: 85% snaps, 12.8% deep target rate, 15.1% end zone target rate
Blindly, would you not take that second profile?
We thought the Raiders were at rock bottom in 2024. I don’t think that was a crazy assumption to make: they had three below-average QBs throw 85-plus passes for them and didn’t have a running back touch 450 yards on the ground.
We weren’t sure they’d be “good,” but “better” felt like a safe step to take.
Nope. They fell from 29th in our PFSN NFL Offense Impact grading to 31st despite bringing in an experienced coach who brought his QB with him and elected to spend the sixth overall pick on a player most of us believe has rare potential.
STAY UPDATED: PFSN’s Free Fantasy News Tracker
That’s hard to do. Despite all of that (did I mention an early season injury and a trade deadline move that took the only other viable target earner on this roster and put him on a playoff team?), Bowers was less than a PPR PPG behind what he gave us in 2024.
The massive McBride season made the Bowers miss feel catastrophic because of opportunity cost, and I get that, but that was a 2025 problem. In 2026, with adjusted price tags, I have zero problem with reinvesting at a reasonably high level.
Yes, I’m again going to use the “rock bottom” excuse, but I think we are in a better spot process-wise this time around. Yes, it’s another season with a new coach and likely a new QB, but it’s a blank slate situation as opposed to a blatant bet against Father Time.
If this is the 24th-ranked offense in 2026, I think they give us two top-50 assets without much of an issue.
Why Chris Olave Is a Breakout Candidate
22) Chris Olave, WR | New Orleans Saints
Not all 100-1,100-9 seasons are created equal, and the fact that Chris Olave was able to get there in 2025 is proof positive of that. Both his quarterback and offensive line graded out as bottom-10 options per our Impact metrics, the running game is a work in progress at best, and his WR2 was shipped to Seattle at the deadline.
None of us like excuses, but if Olave had a down season given those circumstances, would we have blinked?
TRADE NOW: PFSN’s Free Dynasty Trade Calculator
I wouldn’t have, and the fact that he put forth the stat line he did gives us a nice baseline when it comes to projecting his floor. We saw his target earning spike last season, and if he can marry that with his career yards per catch (12.8, up from 11.6 last year), a top-eight finish at the position and top-15 overall season is well within the range of possible outcomes.
Omarion Hampton and Chase Brown Round Out the Top 25
23) Omarion Hampton, RB | Los Angeles Chargers
24) Chase Brown, RB | Cincinnati Bengals
There are seven flex players over the past 1.5 seasons with more games of 18-plus PPR points than Chase Brown, and they all reside inside the top 10 of these lookahead rankings for 2026.
The peak has come late in each of those seasons, and while that can be frustrating, patience has been served when it comes to the former fourth-round pick out of Illinois.
START PREPARING: PFSN’s Free Fantasy Mock Draft Simulator
His stock naturally is tied to the health of Joe Burrow, but who isn’t going to be more productive when a Top 5 QB is under center? Many things change year-over-year, but we will always have death, taxes, and Cincinnati needing to score to keep up.
Brown has finished each of the past two seasons with over 225 carries, 50 catches, and 10 touchdowns. That’ll work for a player who didn’t have 50 rushing yards in a game until the middle of October last season.
Rankings 25–50: The Rest of the Top 50
25) Josh Allen, QB | Buffalo Bills
26) George Pickens, WR | Dallas Cowboys
27) A.J. Brown, WR | Philadelphia Eagles
28) Derrick Henry, RB | Baltimore Ravens
29) Tetairoa McMillan, WR | Carolina Panthers
30) Tee Higgins, WR | Cincinnati Bengals
31) Drake Maye, QB | New England Patriots
32) Josh Jacobs, RB | Green Bay Packers
33) Breece Hall, RB | New York Jets
34) Garrett Wilson, WR | New York Jets
35) Joe Burrow, QB | Cincinnati Bengals
36) Colston Loveland, TE | Chicago Bears
37) Jameson Williams, WR | Detroit Lions
38) Ladd McConkey, WR | Los Angeles Chargers
39) TreVeyon Henderson, RB | New England Patriots
40) Terry McLaurin, WR | Washington Commanders
41) Lamar Jackson, QB | Baltimore Ravens
42) RJ Harvey, RB | Denver Broncos
43) Zay Flowers, WR | Baltimore Ravens
44) Davante Adams, WR | Los Angeles Rams
45) Travis Etienne Jr., RB | Jacksonville Jaguars
46) Luther Burden III, WR | Chicago Bears
47) DeVonta Smith, WR | Philadelphia Eagles
48) Courtland Sutton, WR | Denver Broncos
49) Kyren Williams, RB | Los Angeles Rams
50) Kenneth Walker III, RB | Seattle Seahawks
