FantasyPros Staff | Thu, Sep 4th 2025, 3:07am EDT

Fantasy Football Predictions: Top-5 Draft Picks in 2026

Who will define the 2025 fantasy football season? To answer that question, we turned to our Featured Pros, who revealed their expert predictions for the players most likely to appear on championship-winning rosters this year. These insights highlight which breakout stars, draft values, and league-winners our experts believe will be the backbone of title teams in 2025. We then take it a step further, offering our early predictions on which players are most likely to headline top-five fantasy teams in 2026. Whether you’re looking to confirm the breakout stars that will carry managers to glory in 2025 or get a head start on next year’s draft prep, this list of expert-curated insights highlights the players you can’t afford to overlook.

Fantasy Football League Winners: Predicting 2026 First-Round Picks

Name a player being drafted outside the top-12 in ADP that will be a fantasy football consensus top-5 pick in 2026

Drake London (WR – ATL)

“This is cheating a little because he’s only barely outside of the top-12, but it’s Drake London. London was WR5 in 2024 despite playing 90% of the year with noodle-armed, well, noodle-legged, QB Kirk Cousins. Now he gets top-10 drafted Michael Penix with his howitzer of an arm, and by all reports throughout the pre-season, they’re locked in together. A 120/1500/12 season is well within reach for London in ’25, and wouldn’t even be much of an increase over his ’24 performance.”
– Lou Brunson (Optimus Fantasy Football)

“This one is clear as day for me. It’s Drake London. We all want a heavy-volume earner to anchor our fantasy squads. Check. We all need an elite talent to thrive against tougher matchups. Check. We want our guy to be on a good NFL offense that can score regularly and sometimes at will. Check again. And we want that volume-laden stud on a great offense to have a bad defense, so the O has to carry them. It’s getting better in Atlanta, but they’re not there yet. The Falcons have big aspirations in 2025 with Michael Penix at the helm. And London is set to feast. A dark-horse, overall WR1 candidate, London will be a 1st rounder in 2026. Book it.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)

“Wide receiver Drake London of the Atlanta Falcons is currently drafted outside the top-12 ADP (around 18th overall) but is poised to become a consensus top-5 pick in 2026 due to his immense upside. His 2024 season yielded 100 receptions for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns, despite inconsistent quarterback play from Kirk Cousins. With Michael Penix Jr. now entrenched as the Falcons’ QB and Bijan Robinson anchoring the backfield, London’s role as the primary WR1 in a pass-heavy offense should lead to a significant target share. His elite metrics, including 2.4 yards per route run and a knack for contested catches, make him a matchup nightmare. London’s youth (24) and improving offensive ecosystem position him for a breakout 2025 season. If he stays healthy and capitalizes on these favorable conditions, his production could catapult him into the elite fantasy tier by 2026.”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Sports Advice Network)

“If anyone outside of the top-12 is going to be consensus top-5 in 2026, it will be Drake London. He is the clear WR1 on his team, and part of an up-and-coming offense alongside a young and talented QB, RB, and TE. Furthermore, he was a clear focus for his team in the end zone in 2024, and that should not change in 2025. If Michael Penix Jr. can perform at even a league-average level, London should have a good chance to post career bests in yardage, receptions, and touchdowns, locking him in as a high-end WR1.”
– Jacob Piccolo (TrueRGM)

“Drake London is one of a handful of WRs with a clear path to finishing as the overall WR1 in 2025. Last year, he was 3rd in the NFL in both targets (153) and target share (29.3%) – he also led the NFL in Red Zone target percentage (65.7%). He was the WR8 before QB Michael Penix Jr. took the helm in Week 16, after which he was the WR1 on the back of an other-worldly 37.9% target share. Although that number is bound to regress, with no significant additions to the offense, London will be the clear-cut alpha for the Falcons. His combination of volume and touchdown upside gives London a chance to break fantasy should things break right this season.”
– Charlie Sisian (The Fantasy DC)

“Drake London is going to have a coming-out party in 2025, rocketing him to the top 5 of 2026 draft boards. He is a young receiver, only 24 years old, and has only scratched the surface of his potential. The most telling wide receiver stat is targets. He ended last year with 158 targets, with 39 of them coming in the last three weeks when Michael Penix was installed as the starting quarterback! Give London a whole season with Penix, and he is going to end 2025 as a league winner and enter 2026 as a household name on fantasy teams!”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)

“Drake London’s ADP of 18 overall is going to look silly this time next year. London stepped up his production by roughly six PPG from 2023 to 2024. He’s always been a target hog, reaching 29% target shares in two of his three pro seasons. Though the sample size was small, Michael Penix unlocked London’s true upside with London averaging over 20 PPG in Penix’s starts, and in 2025, Penix is starting from Week 1.”
– Shane Manila (Dynasty Football Factory)

“Drake London. He was WR5 last season. If he and QB Michael Penix Jr. leap in Year 2, the sky is the limit on how London will be ranked/drafted in 2026 if he posts monster TD/yardage totals.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

Chase Brown (RB – CIN)

“CMC 2.0 – Chase Brown is going to be that guy: lead back, explosive offense, and no competition to eat into his workload. Brown is going to explode this season and catapult up the rankings for next year’s drafts. Screenshot it, bookmark it, it’s happening.”
– Luke Renton (The Franchise Tag UK)

TreVeyon Henderson (RB – NE)

“It feels like TreVeyon Henderson is just going to be that guy who explodes in his rookie season and will become the next big thing in fantasy for 2026. How many times have we seen this over the years, a rookie running back comes onto the scene and blows away his ADP to then become a consensus first rounder the following season? It happens all the time, and while there are other rookie candidates to take this mantle, Henderson is the most logical. He stands to contribute on offense for the Patriots immediately, and even in a committee of sorts with Rhamondre Stevenson, Henderson will showcase his talents and prove he is the guy for the Patriots, and fantasy managers for that matter, now and in the future.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)

“TreVeyon Henderson will be a top-5 pick in 2026. Ascending talent with a Jahmyr Gibbs and Alvin Kamara type of skillset. At the same time, we have a lot of older running backs that will be trending in the opposite direction in 2026. His pass-catching skill set and big play ability will bring massive upside immediately.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)

Omarion Hampton (RB – LAC)

“Well, these two questions are correlated, so my answer is the same, Omarion Hampton. Omarion has the ability to be one of the few workhorse backs in the league with his build and his prowess to catch passes. And bell-cow RBs are very rare in fantasy football. Jim Harbaugh called Hampton a four-down RB. Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman want to impose their will at the line of scrimmage by running the ball. Remember, the Chargers drafted Omarion Hampton in the first round, and you don’t take an RB with your first round pick unless you plan on using him a lot. Ringo’s comp- Hampton reminds me of former Steelers’ all-pro RB Barry Foster.”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)

“Los Angeles Chargers Running Back Omarion Hampton would be RB1 in 99% of most rookie classes; this one just happened to have Ashton Jeanty. With that being said, Hampton is set to take off this season. At 6’0″/221 he ran the 4.46 / 40 with the 38″ vertical, he’s an explosive player with a dual skill set. Najee Harris is on a one-year contract, and we know Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman’s run rate is always one of the league’s highest, so the opportunity share will be there, and all signs are pointing to a year one breakout with a rapid ascension for Hampton.”
– Justin Jaksa (Dr. Roto)

De’Von Achane (RB – MIA)

“De’Von Achane. His calf issue definitely throws a wrench into plans a bit, but if healthy, he is a smash in the 2nd round. He already flirted with 1st round production when Tua was healthy last year, and if he proves it again this year, his stock will only rise. The question will be more about whether he’s worthy of being the RB1 overall, potentially.”
– Kevin Roberts (The DFS Build)

“I’m drinking the De’Von Achane Kool-Aid. He’ll be ready for Week 1 and is primed to take over Miami’s backfield in a big way. Jaylen Wright will miss some time, and Ollie Gordon will see some touches as a promising rookie, but Achane needs to see 15-20 touches a game. If he does and plays a full season, I’m confident we’ll be taking him consistently in the Top 5 next season.”
– Zach Greubel (Gridiron Experts)

Malik Nabers (WR – NYG)

“Malik Nabers will be a consensus top-5 pick in 2026. Nabers has already snuck into the latter half of the first round heading into his sophomore season, and 2025 will continue his fantasy ascent. The Giants’ offense is being slept on as a whole, and I expect Russell Wilson to be more than capable of feeding Nabers this season. And whether or not Wilson still has it, Jaxson Dart is waiting in the wings as the Giants’ next franchise quarterback.”
– Chew Russell (Going For 2)

Bucky Irving (RB – TB)

“I could answer “Drake London” again, but instead I’ll go with Bucky Irving. As a rookie, Irving had 1,514 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns despite playing only about one-third of the Buccaneers’ offensive snaps over the first month of the season, when Rachaad White was still Tampa’s lead RB. In the seven games last season in which Irving played more than half of the Buccaneers’ offensive snaps (including their one playoff game), Irving averaged 127.3 yards from scrimmage per game and scored six touchdowns. He averaged 3.93 yards after contact per attempt, which ranked first among all RBs who had 60 or more carries. Irving also ranked seventh in PFF rushing grade, ninth in breakaway percentage, and fourth in yards per route run (1.62) among RBs with at least 20 catches. Bucky is an ascendant star.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)

Brian Thomas Jr. (WR – JAC)

“Brian Thomas Jr. is just another LSU WR destined to be a consensus top 5 pick in 2026, joining the ranks alongside Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Liam Coen is going to weaponize BTJ and build on his record-breaking rookie season. Only four NFL rookies have ever recorded 1200 yards and 10 receiving TDs: Brian Thomas Jr. Ja’Marr Chase, Odell Beckham Jr. and Randy Moss. That is elite company for the 2nd year WR! Please draft some Brian Thomas Jr. this year.”
– Brady Auer (BA Sports Podcast)

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