Fantasy Football Outlook: Dalton Kincaid, Isaiah Likely, Colston Loveland

Every fantasy football season delivers a few players who go from “interesting sleeper” to “why didn’t I draft this guy everywhere?” Identifying those breakouts before the rest of your league catches on is one of the easiest ways to gain an edge on draft day.

We asked our Featured Pros to highlight early breakout candidates for 2026. Some of their answers are trendy names already climbing draft boards. Others might still be flying under the radar… for now.

Here are the players our experts believe could be this year’s “I swear I meant to draft him” stars.

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• NFL Team Needs: 2026 NFL Draft & Free Agency Targets

Early Fantasy Football Breakout Candidates

Dalton Kincaid (TE – BUF)

“Bills TE Dalton Kincaid has frustrated fantasy owners more often than not over the past two seasons. But he remains a tantalizing talent with elite per-route metrics. In fact, Kincaid led all 41 qualifying TEs in both targets per route and yards per route last year. His 2.79 yards per route were the best from a TE with 40+ targets since George Kittle‘s 2.84 in 2020. Durability remains a concern here. But I’ll gladly take the injury discount on a guy with top-5 upside.”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks)

Isaiah Likely (TE – NYG)

“Isaiah Likely just signed a deal with the New York Giants that puts him in the top 6 for highest-paid tight ends in the NFL. Based on that alone, it would suggest his usage will be increased. Now add in the fact that his old head coach, John Harbaugh, decided to bring Likely with him from his days in Baltimore, and there is a recipe for a huge year from Likely. While Malik Nabers is, and will remain, the number one option for Jaxson Dart, Likely has the opportunity to quickly become the number two, depending on what the Giants do with that 5th overall pick in April’s draft. For right now, Likely is a great target for drafters who are looking for a breakout at the position.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)

“Last year was a massive disappointment for Isaiah Likely, who broke a bone in his foot during training camp and struggled to find a footing in the Ravens offense when he returned. That, however, didn’t stop him from being rewarded with the highest tight end contract in free agency. John Harbaugh reunited with Likely because he knows how good he can be off-script, how good he can be helping the quarterback when plays break down. That’s a handy recipe to have when Jaxson Dart is your quarterback.”
– Tom Strachan (NFL Best Ball)

“Isaiah Likely has had flashes, but he has been stuck behind Mark Andrews for the majority of his career. He finally gets his shot as a starting tight end and lands in a great spot with the New York Giants. We want our fantasy football tight ends to be No. 1 or No. 2 in targets on their teams. Malik Nabers will obviously be the No. 1, and Isaiah Likely is a strong candidate to be the No. 2 target in New York.”
– David Heilman (Dynasty Trade Calculator)

“Isaiah Likely is another player who could break out in 2026, joining his former head coach, John Harbaugh, in New York. Likely should have a strong chance to earn the starting role over Theo Johnson, and could see around 350 routes this season. He’s the more athletic tight end, and with limited weapons outside of Malik Nabers, there should be plenty of opportunity. If Likely plays all 17 games, he has a real shot at a breakout season.”
– Steven Pintado (QB List)

Colston Loveland (TE – CHI)

“Colston Loveland is the low-hanging fruit for the tight end with the best shot of having a breakout year, but he’s also the correct answer. Loveland was a monster to close out his rookie campaign. In Chicago’s final four games (Week 17 through the Divisional Round) of last season, Loveland had a 75.4% route participation rate, 35.5% air yards share, 28.5% target share, 0.35 TPRR, 47 targets (11.8 per game), 35.8% first-read rate, 28 receptions (7.0 per game), 378 receiving yards (94.5 per game), 2.80 Y/RR, 0.126 first downs per route run, two touchdowns, 16.5 half-PPR points per game and 19.5 expected half-PPR points per game. No one is sleeping on Loveland. Still, he’s the most likely player to breakout at tight end and a viable draft target as early as the end of the third round in 12-team leagues.”
– Josh Shepardson (FantasyPros)