Chad Workman | Mon, Jun 29th 2026, 7:07am EDT

4 Duds Who Will Become Studs (2026 Fantasy Football)

Every year, we see several underwhelming duds from the prior season turn into fantasy football studs the next season. We discuss four such players below.

Fantasy Football Duds Who Will Become Studs

Ladd McConkey (WR – LAC)

Will the real Ladd McConkey please stand up? McConkey burst on the scene in his rookie year, posting 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns on 82 receptions.

After finishing as the WR16 with 15.1 fantasy points per game (PPG), McConkey was drafted as WR11 ahead of last season, according to average draft position (ADP). He failed to build on his momentum, however, falling back to 11.3 PPG and finishing as the WR34. Which version of McConkey can we expect going forward?

The improved health along the Chargers’ offensive line is a primary reason for optimism, as is the departure of Keenan Allen. The biggest boost for McConkey, however, is the arrival of Mike McDaniel as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator.

Last season, McConkey ran 90% of his routes with three receivers on the field, while just 10% came in 1-WR or 2-WR sets. Compare that to Jaylen Waddle last season under McDaniel, a similar player stylistically, who ran 54% of his routes in 3-WR sets and 46% in 1-WR or 2-WR sets.

The additions of Charlie Kolar and David Njoku crystallize the Bolts’ intentions to play heavy personnel packages, and it’s extremely beneficial for a receiver to face target competition from more tight ends and fewer receivers.

Keenan Allen wasn’t the same player in his second stop with the team, but Justin Herbert was still feeding him. Allen generated a 22.6% target rate and a 27% target share, both of which topped McConkey’s 21.3% target rate and 20% target share.

The way things stand today, the Chargers are primarily going to operate with multiple tight ends on the field with McConkey and Quentin Johnston as the mainstays at receiver.

Last year was as close to a throwaway for the Chargers’ offense as you can get, but let’s not forget how electric McConkey was in his rookie season. He finished that season sixth in yards per route run (2.56), eighth in yards per target (10.3) and 11th in first downs per route run (0.116), while tallying the ninth-most receiving yards (1,149).

Assuming the offensive line can keep Herbert upright this season, McConkey and McDaniel will become the most iconic “Mc” duo of all time.

Rome Odunze (WR – CHI)

Last season was supposed to be a breakout for Rome Odunze with the arrival of Ben Johnson and another leap from Caleb Williams. Instead, Odunze finished with just 661 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. Still, he finished as the WR24 with 12.2 PPG and was trending towards a major breakout prior to a stress fracture that limited him the rest of the season.

After grabbing seven passes for 114 yards in Week 8, Odunze landed on the injury report and was never the same. Through the first eight weeks, the former Huskie was the fantasy WR10, but following his foot injury, he was the WR55 in Weeks 9-13. The Bears shut him down for the remainder of the regular season as he was clearly playing through injury.

While Luther Burden III has become a trendy breakout pick, and for good reason, his ascension lines up with Odunze’s injury. Prior to the injury, Odunze was the clear No. 1 WR in the offense. With DJ Moore out the door, the passing offense will run through Odunze, Burden and Colston Loveland, with Odunze operating as the downfield target.

Burden posted an average depth of target (aDOT) of 7.7 last season, good for 87th among all receivers, while drawing just seven deep targets. Odunze, on the other hand, hit an ADOT of 13.9, good for the 12th-highest mark in the league. His 23 deep targets ranked eighth.

Burden is terrific with the ball in his hands, but he’s going to have to work to create big plays on short targets, while Odunze will be fed downfield and in the intermediate areas.

Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN)

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine what was holding Justin Jefferson back last season. While Kyler Murray is a flawed quarterback, he has proven an ability to generate big fantasy seasons for his wide receivers and should be a big improvement upon what J.J. McCarthy showed last season.

In his six-year NFL career, Jefferson has finished in the top 10 in fantasy PPG in every season except for one, which came last year attached to a rookie quarterback. He still managed to clear 1,000 yards, but his 1,048 total was the lowest of his career, including when he played just 10 games in 2023.

The ability to post 1,048 receiving yards in that version of the Vikings’ offense is an accomplishment, while his two touchdowns were a product of the offense’s overall dysfunction. Jefferson did a lot of the work on his own, registering the 11th-most yards after the catch with 451, but his 841 unrealized air yards were the fifth-most among receivers.

Murray aided a monster season from DeAndre Hopkins in 2020 when the receiver tallied 1,407 yards and six touchdowns. With Kevin O’Connell on his side, Murray has an opportunity to resurrect his career, and the best way to do it is by feeding Jefferson.

Breece Hall (RB – NYJ)

Yes, Breece Hall still plays for the Jets. It’s not ideal, but the 25-year-old is still a tremendous football player, and the Jets’ offense can’t be as bad as it was last year. Right?

Nobody is expecting Geno Smith to be the savior the way they were when he was drafted in 2013, but I anticipate an improvement in quarterback play over Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook. It’s also likely that Frank Reich is an improvement over the previous offensive coordinators the Jets have let put the headset on.

Even in an inept offense, Hall tallied 1,065 rushing yards, but his receiving total dipped to 36 receptions and 350 yards, while he found the end zone just five times. He was one of just six running backs to score five touchdowns or fewer on 200+ touches.

Hall has always had a knack for the end zone, dating back to college, but he was allowed just two touches inside the opponent’s 5-yard line last season. There’s obvious positive regression in that area alone, but Jets coaches aren’t committed to giving Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis as much work as they did a year ago, either.

Hall is also due for some positive regression in the passing game. After catching 76 passes in 2023 and 57 in 2024, he was held to just 36 last season. Much of this has to do with the way the offense functioned and the running quarterbacks the Jets deployed last season, but Hall still posted the third-best yards per reception among running backs last season.

Smith, however, targeted Ashton Jeanty 73 times last season. If the offense improves even a little bit, combined with a much larger target total and positive regression in the touchdown department, Hall will be in for a big bounce-back season.

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