4 Fantasy Football Breakouts to Target (2026)

With the 2025 fantasy football season in the books, now is the time to reflect on what went well and whether it can translate into 2026. Breakout performances often are hugely influential in the way fantasy seasons turn out.

Still, if those players are then drafted at a higher cost and fail to capitalize, their influence can turn negative in the long term. Below are four players whose breakouts will sustain in 2026.

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4 Fantasy Football Breakouts to Target 

Drake Maye (QB – NE)

Perhaps this one is slightly cheating, as Drake Maye had shown all the signs of a breakout in his rookie campaign, but there’s no denying he took it to the next level in his MVP-worthy sophomore campaign. Despite a group of wide receivers headlined by a 32-year-old wide receiver coming off an ACL injury in Stefon Diggs, Maye thrived under competent coaching for the first time in his career.

Maye finished fourth in passing yards (4,203), first in completion rate (71%), two percent higher than any other quarterback and first in yards per attempt. Among quarterbacks with 300+ dropbacks, Maye had the second-lowest rate of off-target throws. The Patriots have the 10th-most cap space heading into this offseason. Adding a big-ticket wide receiver or offensive lineman in free agency or through a trade could help Maye ascend to an even higher level. That would be quite something for a player who was the QB2 in fantasy points per game, only behind AFC East rival Josh Allen.

Jaxson Dart (QB – NYG)

There are always strong opinions on when rookie quarterbacks should start in their first season. Routinely, we hear people state that rookies should be sitting for longer than they do. We heard it with Drake Maye not too long ago, with many stating he should sit for the entirety of his rookie season, only for him to take the field and be far more impressive than anything the Patriots had seen during the early stages of the 2024 season.

The drumbeat for Jaxson Dart started early in training camp, with many New York reporters saying it sounded more like a case of when Dart would start rather than if he would start any games. A big piece of this was that Russell Wilson was the starter, and we’ve seen enough from him in recent years to know that’s not the solution for any team. While you might get a certain level of play from him, if you’re a team that needs to show signs of development, starting the rookie is a decision you’ll arrive at swiftly enough.

Dart had seven games with 45+ rushing yards. He finished as the QB13 in points per game, which is all the more impressive given he spent much of the season without Cam Skattebo and was without Malik Nabers for all but one game of his rookie year. With Nabers back for 2026, as well as the astronomical upgrades to the coaching staff with John Harbaugh at head coach and potentially Todd Monken at offensive coordinator, it’s hard to imagine Dart doesn’t take another step forward and solidify his fantasy worth.

George Pickens (WR – DAL)

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a miserable offense for years now, devoid of creativity and good quarterback play, dating back to even before George Pickens was drafted by them. Getting free from that passing game almost locks in an improvement in stats and performance, and that was what we saw from Pickens.

In his first season with the Cowboys, Pickens put up career highs in targets, receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns and catch rate. Pickens was boosted by CeeDee Lamb missing some time and experiencing a down season by his lofty standards, but we shouldn’t downplay Pickens’ role in the breakout either. His talent shone week in and week out. Pickens tied Ja’Marr Chase for the fourth-most fantasy points among wide receivers. While his 2026 outlook might depend on what happens during free agency, there’s no denying that Pickens is a top wide receiver and deserves to be drafted as one.

Colston Loveland (TE – CHI)

It was incredibly easy to see the success coming for Colston Loveland. He was an excellent prospect with excellent film and analytics coming out of college. He secured elite draft capital with the 10th overall pick as the first tight end selected, and he went to a team whose play-caller helped Sam LaPorta turn in one of the best rookie tight end seasons we’ve ever seen.

The only slight negative for Loveland was that he missed time during the offseason due to shoulder surgery, which held him out of organized team activities and the early stages of training camp. With a new regime, though, they were unlikely to let their 10th overall pick go to waste in their first season, and Loveland was steadily built into the offense. From Week 9 onwards, Loveland had four top-three finishes among tight ends, went over 40 receiving yards on seven occasions and scored six touchdowns.

Loveland was the TE2 from Week 9 onwards in receiving yards and touchdowns, and ranked fourth in fantasy points per game. Cole Kmet has no more guaranteed money on his contract and the Bears could elect to move on from him easily. Even if they don’t, the future seems very bright for Loveland and it will be surprising if he has an average draft position (ADP) lower than TE5 next season.