The 2025 fantasy football season is firmly behind us. The 2026 fantasy season is very far away.
Before we officially say goodbye to football for eight months, why not do an early preview of what the first four-ish rounds of 2026 fantasy drafts might look like? Here are my way-too-early top 50 rankings for the 2026 season (no rookies at this time).
Note: Players with an asterisk* are impending free agents.
Top 10 Fantasy Football Players
Omarion Hampton’s Breakout Potential in 2026
1) Bijan Robinson, RB | Atlanta Falcons
2) Puka Nacua, WR | Los Angeles Rams
3) Ja’Marr Chase, WR | Cincinnati Bengals
4) Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR | Seattle Seahawks
5) Jahmyr Gibbs, RB | Detroit Lions
6) De’Von Achane, RB | Miami Dolphins
7) Christian McCaffrey, RB | San Francisco 49ers
8) James Cook, RB | Buffalo Bills
9) Jonathan Taylor, RB | Indianapolis Colts
10) Omarion Hampton, RB | Los Angeles Chargers
It was essentially a lost rookie season for Omarion Hampton. Injuries limited him to nine games. In three of them, he scored no more than 8.1 fantasy points.
Fantasy managers likely started Hampton right out the gate, as we often do with highly drafted rookie running backs. After a disastrous first two weeks, we sent Hampton to the bench for his 24.9-point Week 3 effort. Then, after enjoying two more strong showings in Weeks 4 and 5, Hampton fractured his ankle and missed the next eight weeks.
By the time Hampton got going, it was already the fantasy playoffs, which he probably played a role in your team not making it.
Despite all of that, Hampton actually averaged 15.1 fantasy points per game in the nine games he played. He was the overall RB12 by PPG.
We have no idea if Najee Harris will be back, or if the Chargers will sign a similar complementary-type back. But I’m not sure it matters.
Hampton is an ascending sophomore running back playing with Justin Herbert in an offense that just hired Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator. Obviously, Hampton’s skill set is very different from De’Von Achane’s.
But I have every confidence in the world that McDaniel will figure out how to adjust the way he uses his running backs to suit Hampton’s strengths. The presence of McDaniel is going to inflate Hampton’s ADP. But there’s only so high he can go. I am all in.
Fantasy Players Ranked 11-18
Why Ashton Jeanty Is Poised for an RB1 Finish
11) CeeDee Lamb, WR | Dallas Cowboys
12) Drake London, WR | Atlanta Falcons
13) Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR | Detroit Lions
14) Chase Brown, RB | Cincinnati Bengals
15) Josh Jacobs, RB | Green Bay Packers
16) Saquon Barkley, RB | Philadelphia Eagles
17) Chris Olave, WR | New Orleans Saints
18) Ashton Jeanty, RB | Las Vegas Raiders
The thing with it being “way too early” for this stuff is I have no idea how I feel about Ashton Jeanty yet. Here is what I’m quite certain of: Jeanty is very talented.
The notion that Jeanty was a bust last year is not supported by the numbers. Everyone victory lapping their horrendous, league-losing attitude of “don’t draft rookies early” seems to be ignoring the fact that Jeanty actually wasn’t terrible (and years of data on rookies being league winners).
Jeanty was going around the 1-2 turn last season. We expected somewhere around 16 PPG. We got 14.4 PPG. We expected a low RB1-ish finish. We got overall RB15. Did he disappoint? Absolutely. Was he a bust? Absolutely not. He mildly underperformed.
The reason Jeanty underperformed had very little to do with his abilities. He walked into an elite volume situation, leading the league with an 84.3% opportunity share. He saw an excellent 14.8% target share. Jeanty was top five in evaded tackles per touch and 15th in yards created per touch. He did all he could. He just couldn’t overcome his historically bad circumstances.
The 2025 Raiders legitimately had one of the worst offensive lines in NFL history. Jeanty averaged 0.7 yards before contact. Among backs with at least 50 rush attempts, that ranked 77th in the league. The Raiders’ offensive line earned an F grade in PFSN’s Impact Score.
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Jeanty also had to deal with one of the least competent coaching staffs in NFL history. Think about how bad OC Chip Kelly had to be at his job to be given the most lucrative contract of all time and get fired midseason. Head coach Pete Carroll was also one and done.
This year, Jeanty will be a year older and more experienced. The coaching staff will be better. Offensive line play tends to not be very sticky year-to-year. Even if it improves to merely below average, that should be enough to propel Jeanty into RB1 territory.
Fantasy Players Ranked 19-29
Tetairoa McMillan’s Elite Rookie Season Sets Up Sophomore Surge
19) Breece Hall, RB | New York Jets*
20) Rashee Rice, WR | Kansas City Chiefs
21) Justin Jefferson, WR | Minnesota Vikings
22) Trey McBride, TE | Arizona Cardinals
23) Nico Collins, WR | Houston Texans
24) George Pickens, WR | Dallas Cowboys*
25) Brock Bowers, TE | Las Vegas Raiders
26) A.J. Brown, WR | Philadelphia Eagles
27) Josh Allen, QB | Buffalo Bills
28) Kenneth Walker III, RB | Seattle Seahawks*
29) Tetairoa McMillan, WR | Carolina Panthers
It feels like fantasy managers don’t truly appreciate how good Tetairoa McMillan was as a rookie. He didn’t burst onto the scene like rookie year Justin Jefferson or Brian Thomas Jr. Most seasons, his 12.4 PPG would put him in high WR4 territory. Instead, he was the overall WR20. Technically, he underperformed relative to his ADP. But he’s really good at football.
Playing with Bryce Young on a team that was seventh in neutral game script run rate and bottom 10 in plays per game, McMillan still managed to catch 70 passes for 1,014 yards. He saw a 25.4% target share, which, somehow, still feels low considering he was only targeted on 22.7% of his routes run. There is room for so much more.
Most importantly, we know the track record of wide receivers who surpass 1,000 yards as rookies. There have been 18 of them since 2011. Ten of them have been or currently are surefire superstars.
An additional four of them look very good. For three more, it’s too soon, but their outlooks are more optimistic than not. The only true bust wound up being another Panther, coincidentally, Kelvin Benjamin. McMillan is in a class of WRs with an elite hit rate.
Fantasy Players Ranked 30-39
RJ Harvey’s Role Remains Murky in Denver
30) Derrick Henry, RB | Baltimore Ravens
31) Tee Higgins, WR | Cincinnati Bengals
32) Malik Nabers, WR | New York Giants
33) Drake Maye, QB | New England Patriots
34) Lamar Jackson, QB | Baltimore Ravens
35) Kyren Williams, RB | Los Angeles Rams
36) Jaylen Waddle, WR | Miami Dolphins
37) Joe Burrow, QB | Cincinnati Bengals
38) Jameson Williams, WR | Detroit Lions
39) RJ Harvey, RB | Denver Broncos
It’s hard to have a strong opinion on RJ Harvey this early in the process. He couldn’t really get on the field over J.K. Dobbins but did see lead back snap shares after Dobbins injured his foot. Dobbins says he wants to return to Denver. Will they bring him back? And if they do, can he regain his form after yet another devastating lower body injury?
There are a lot of questions surrounding Harvey, both pertaining to his ability and his role. His snap share and opportunity share both were 45% or lower. He only saw a 10.1% target share, but his 1.61 yards per route run ranked sixth. Harvey is a good receiver, which typically bodes well for a running back’s fantasy value.
Ultimately, whether Harvey is someone to target, avoid, or take at par value will depend on what the Broncos do with Dobbins and in free agency, as well as what we hear during training camp. For now, it’s wait and see.
Fantasy Players Ranked 40-44
Luther Burden III: Betting on the Outlier
40) Bucky Irving, RB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
41) Ladd McConkey, WR | Los Angeles Chargers
42) Zay Flowers, WR | Baltimore Ravens
43) Davante Adams, WR | Los Angeles Rams
44) Luther Burden III, WR | Chicago Bears
Remember that whole discussion above about 1,000-yard rookie receivers and what it means for their long-term outlook? Luther Burden III only had 652 yards.
We need wide receivers to surpass 525 yards as rookies to take them out of the “no chance” bucket. Burden did that. But the 600-700 yard bucket is more miss than hit. Chasing Burden based on his rookie year production is betting on an outlier. That’s not something I typically do, but I’m making an exception for Burden.
For reasons that we will likely never know, Burden was playing behind Olamide Zaccheaus for more than half the season. There’s nothing anyone can say to make that make sense.
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Once Burden got his opportunity, he started showing his potential. Unfortunately, the usage still never got to where it needs to be. Burden did not hit a 70% route participation rate in a single game.
With that said, the jury is very much still out on Rome Odunze. DJ Moore looks to be as good as gone. The second year in Ben Johnson’s offense should be even better. We are likely looking at a receiving duo of Burden and Odunze with a very consolidated target distribution amongst them and Colston Loveland.
Sophomore wide receivers are historically great bets in fantasy (although that certainly didn’t pan out last season). I am willing to bet on Burden.
Fantasy Players Ranked 45-50
Colston Loveland Could Be an Elite TE1
45) Colston Loveland, TE | Chicago Bears
46) Jayden Daniels, QB | Washington Commanders
47) Jalen Hurts, QB | Philadelphia Eagles
48) Terry McLaurin, WR | Washington Commanders
49) DeVonta Smith, WR | Philadelphia Eagles
50) Mike Evans, WR | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The final sophomore in our way-too-early top 50 is Loveland. He may very well be the real No. 1 “receiver” on the Bears.
Similar to Burden, Loveland was also trapped behind a vastly inferior player for much of the season, sharing time with Cole Kmet. Why? If Kmet was that good, the Bears would not have felt compelled to spend an early first round pick on Loveland.
Eventually, Loveland’s talent won out. By Week 16, he was the clear feature tight end. He finally saw his route participation rate surpass 80%.
Only one of these games counted for fantasy, but Loveland posted games of 21.4, 25.1, and 23.7 fantasy points in Weeks 17, 18, and 19.
In his second season, Loveland will see his target share grow from 16.4%. He will undoubtedly run a route on more than 65% of Caleb Williams’ dropbacks. There’s so much room for improvement from a player who displayed a ceiling of elite TE1, which is exactly what I think Loveland can be in year two.
