5 Studs Who Will Become Duds (2026 Fantasy Football)

Every year, we see several studs from the prior season become fantasy football duds. Injuries play a role at times, but others don’t live up to expectations. Jerry Jeudy is a prime example. He had an outlier season in 2024 after being traded to the Cleveland Browns, finishing as the WR13 in PPR scoring. He then fell back to earth as the WR51 the following year.

Fantasy Football Studs Who Will Become Duds

The five players below all outperformed last season, but each carries serious concerns that could disappoint fantasy managers in 2026.

De’Von Achane (RB – MIA)

I was high on De’Von Achane last season, and I still expect him to get a ton of usage. Repeating his 2025 season, however, feels a bit lofty.

The massive season came under Mike McDaniel’s offense, which featured one of the league’s most creative rushing attacks. McDaniel is now in Los Angeles as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator.

Miami went in a whole new direction. They hired a defensive-minded head coach in Jeff Hafley, signed Malik Willis and traded Jaylen Waddle, leaving the wide receiver room with unproven talent.

Although the sample size is small, Willis averaged only 18 pass attempts per game in his three starts for the Packers. He has also never attempted more than 23 passes in a single game throughout his career.

Achane is certainly talented enough to overcome these obstacles, but the concerns around him aren’t factored into his early second-round average draft position (ADP). I’m not projecting him to fall into RB3 territory, but an RB2 finish is certainly plausible, which would be a major disappointment.

Davante Adams (WR – LAR)

I typically don’t like to predict the age cliff for potential Hall of Famers, but Davante Adams is 33, and the warning signs are posted.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), he posted a 1.92 yards per route run rate last season, his lowest mark since 2017. He also put up a career low in yards after the catch per reception (2.0).

Despite seeing 111 targets, Adams ranked just 29th in receptions (60) and 31st in receiving yards per game (56.4), per the Fantasy Points Data Suite.

A lot of Adams’ fantasy scoring came from touchdowns, finishing with a league-high 14. Adams has been consistently at the top in end-zone targets, but his fantasy scoring is becoming increasingly dependent on them.

It doesn’t help that Adams plays alongside Puka Nacua, who led the league in receptions and receiving yards per game.

The Rams made a blockbuster trade to acquire Myles Garrett, giving them a stronger pass rush that could allow the offense to play from more leads.

Adams can still be useful, but if the end-zone targets come down, his fantasy value goes down with them.

From must-have players to players to avoid, and everything in between, our Fantasy Football Draft Guide delivers the insight you need to build a championship roster.

Jameson Williams (WR – DET)

Despite finishing as the WR12 in PPR scoring, Jameson Williams’ season was a tale of two halves.

Before Sam LaPorta suffered a season-ending back injury in Week 10, Williams was the WR40 in PPR points per game. From Week 11 onward, he surged to WR14 in points per game.

The Lions also hired Drew Petzing as the offensive coordinator after he spent the last three seasons in Arizona. This could create another hurdle for consistency, especially when the offense already features Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and LaPorta.

Under Petzing, the Cardinals’ top two running backs accounted for nearly 20% of the team’s targets over the last two seasons, per the Fantasy Points Data Suite. Gibbs has averaged a 13.5% target share over the same span.

The Lions’ offense should remain one of the league’s best, but someone has to be left out. Unfortunately, it’s likely Williams.

Jaylen Warren (RB – PIT)

You can take your pick of this backfield between Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, who both finished as fantasy studs last season. My money is on Warren turning into a dud.

Dowdle brings more competition for early-down work than Kenneth Gainwell did. He also has experience playing for Mike McCarthy in Dallas, which could give him an edge in earning more meaningful touches.

Warren is coming off a career year, but Dowdle handled 236 carries last season and was similarly effective, making this backfield harder to predict.

Part of Warren’s fantasy appeal is his receiving skill, but Dowdle is no slouch in that department. He caught 39 passes in back-to-back seasons while also rushing for over 1,000 yards, something Warren hasn’t done.

Michael Wilson (WR – ARI)

Despite finishing last season as the WR10 in PPR scoring, Michael Wilson has fallen to WR3 territory in FantasyPros’ expert consensus rankings (ECR). The drop makes sense.

The breakout was heavily influenced by Marvin Harrison Jr.‘s absence. As the third option behind Trey McBride and Harrison, Wilson inherited a part-time No. 1 WR role and flourished, putting up monster numbers.

I don’t think it’s sustainable because when both receivers were on the field together, Wilson was a weekly nightmare. He averaged just 7.6 PPR points, 4.8 targets and 34 receiving yards per game.

Even if Wilson lands somewhere in between those splits, the path to Dudsville is very real.