With week one of the preseason officially under our belts and the calendar spiraling towards draft season, it is time to share my official list of fantasy football breakout candidates for the upcoming 2026 season.
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Fantasy Football Breakout Players
I’ve made this caveat/preamble in the past, but I think that it is important for me to reiterate it here, just to provide context:
This is my list. You don’t have to agree with it. Some of these players will be shared with other analysts on our site and elsewhere, and other inclusions may run counter to their line of thinking. I’ve done my best to provide rationale and statistics for their inclusion whenever possible. I consider a “breakout” candidate someone who has the opportunity to dramatically exceed their projections if the chips fall in their favor.
Quarterbacks
Justin Herbert (QB – LAC)
It speaks volumes that Justin Herbert was somehow able to finish 2025 as the QB10 in fantasy, despite sitting out Week 18 and playing the majority of his season without All-Pro bookend tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt.
Constantly running for his life from defenders, Herbert set a new career-high in rushing attempts (83) and rushing yards (498), all while playing through a broken hand sustained in Week 13. The healthy return of Alt and Slater will allow pass plays to actually develop in 2026, and hopefully Herbert can avoid being the second-most-sacked quarterback in the league again.
Herbert has a terrific trio of wideouts to utilize all over the field, and a bevy of viable pass-catching running backs at his disposal. If the Chargers stay healthy this season, he will threaten to finish within the top five at the position.
Jared Goff (QB – DET)
Can someone please explain to me how Jared Goff is so disrespected in fantasy circles every single season? You’d think we would have learned by now. Goff threw for the second-most passing yards in the league last season (4,564), marking the fourth consecutive year that he has surpassed the 4,400-yard mark, and the third consecutive year with more than 30 touchdown passes.
Finishing as the QB8, QB6 and QB7 since 2023, what else does Goff need to do to be ranked higher? His detractors can point out that he adds little value with his legs, but starting under center for one of the most prolific offenses in the game should count for more than this. Currently ranked as the QB16 in both average draft position (ADP) and expert consensus rankings (ECR), I have little hesitation that Goff will have any issue surpassing that mark in short order.
Running Backs
Cam Skattebo (RB – NYG)
It feels like I’ve spent most of the offseason sitting in the conductor’s seat aboard the Cam Skattebo express hype train. So be it, all aboard. Fantasy managers got a taste of Skattebo’s upside last season from Weeks 3-7, when he finished as a top-11 option three times over a five-week stretch.
A gruesome leg injury sustained in Week 8 against Philadelphia cut his rookie season short, but he is now back to full strength after a lengthy rehab process. Make all the jokes that you want about Skattebo’s propensity to dive headfirst into defenders to pick up additional yardage, or his eclectic personality; everyone can agree that he is an excellent running back who is highly productive on the field.
An underrated pass-catcher who also happens to be best friends with quarterback Jaxson Dart, Skattebo brings additional value in PPR formats that some may not realize. He will enter this season behind a much improved offensive line, thanks to Big Blue re-signing Jermaine Eluemunor and drafting starting right guard Francis Mauigoa with the 10th overall pick in March. If Skattebo can remain healthy, he will be an unquestioned No. 1 RB for a team that wants to establish a physical presence by running the ball.
Jadarian Price (RB – SEA)
Believe it or not, Jeremiyah Love isn’t the only highly-touted rookie running back drafted from Notre Dame this offseason. Selected with the final pick in the first round, Seattle brought in Jadarian Price to immediately slide into the vacancy that Kenneth Walker III left behind. With Zach Charbonnet‘s return timeline uncertain, Price seems set to dominate touches for the Seahawks early in the season.
Emanuel Wilson and George Holani will round out the active roster and occasionally spell Price for a breather, but neither alternative has close to his upside. At Notre Dame, Price proved to be a bruising back who was extremely difficult to tackle, running through defenders at will. He doesn’t have the same breakaway speed or hurdling ability as Love, but his ability to run inside or outside the tackles is reminiscent of the running back he’s replacing.
Though he wasn’t used frequently as a receiver for the Fighting Irish, Price does have good enough hands to be used in passing situations when necessary. A strong projected workload and uncertainty behind him on the depth chart scream value. For some reason, Price is ranked as the RB26 in ECR, behind committee/rotational backs like Quinshon Judkins, Bhayshul Tuten and TreVeyon Henderson. I’ll invest in Price wherever possible.
Wide Receivers
Emeka Egbuka (WR – TB)
I’m hardly alone in expressing my optimism for a breakout campaign from Emeka Egbuka. After exploding out of the gate in 2025 with four touchdowns in his first five games and multiple 100-yard finishes, Egbuka’s season was derailed due to his hamstring injury and quarterback Baker Mayfield dealing with a myriad of maladies. Mayfield returns fully healthy, and veteran wideout Mike Evans has departed for San Francisco, leaving Chris Godwin as Egbuka’s main competition for targets.
Egbuka’s chemistry with Mayfield is evident: Even when both players were hurt, Egbuka remained Mayfield’s first read, despite their struggles to rekindle their earlier success. The Buccaneers have a favorable schedule for wide receivers to put up points. Provided that Egbuka can stay healthy, he can produce WR1 numbers.
A recent toe injury will throw cold water on Egbuka’s season for some, but I’m optimistic the team will play it safe and keep him off the field for the entire preseason, allowing him to recuperate. Our current projections have him finishing with 192 fantasy points amid a 73/1,097/8 split — I’m more bullish on his ability to surpass those totals.
DJ Moore (WR – BUF)
Fantasy owners could be gun-shy about drafting DJ Moore after his disappointing 2025 campaign, when he finished with just 145 fantasy points as the WR32. I’ll go completely against the grain and be perfectly happy with it.
Leaving a crowded receiver room in Chicago for Buffalo in the offseason, Moore becomes the de facto first read for Josh Allen on all passing plays. When asked about Moore’s role during offseason training camp, Allen said they “brought in Moore to be that guy.” Bills beat reporters have been effusive in their praise of the growing chemistry between Moore and Allen, and the connection has been nearly unstoppable.
Featured on Buffalo’s first two possessions during their Week 1 preseason game, fantasy managers caught a glimpse of what this connection can produce. The clear-cut deep threat opposite Khalil Shakir, Moore should feast against defenders, and I expect him to post the best totals of his career since 2023, when he finished as the WR6 amidst a 96/1,364/8 split.
Tight Ends
Isaiah Likely (TE – NYG)
Isaiah Likely was Big Blue’s major free-agent signing this offseason, inking a three-year, $40 million deal with the team to reunite him with head coach John Harbaugh. All reports stemming from writers at practice have noted that Likely is currently the perpetual second-read for quarterback Jaxson Dart, behind receiver Malik Nabers.
Thanks to an overwhelming number of targets being vacated after Wan’Dale Robinson left, Likely is a lock to see the most looks in his career, after playing the perpetual backup role behind Mark Andrews with the Ravens. This is an example of a situation where it makes little sense to refer to his past statistics to project what I envision moving forward, since it is an entirely different role and situation.
Likely is a freak athlete and “move” tight end, capable of feasting in the seam against smaller defensive backs and safeties. Expect him to also be a focal point in the red zone, thanks to his huge catch radius.
Dallas Goedert (TE – PHI)
Dallas Goedert is coming off a career season in Philadelphia, finishing as the TE4 in fantasy with a 60/591/11 split. Finally able to stay healthy for the majority of the season, fantasy managers can check off the “what if” box on their bingo cards. When Goedert is healthy, he produces. A lot.
Touchdown regression is almost certain (his former high was five, back in 2019), but I expect a dramatic rise in targets, thanks to the departure of A.J. Brown to New England, coupled with first-round rookie Makai Lemon nursing a hamstring injury in training camp. Goedert already has excellent rapport with quarterback Jalen Hurts, and Philadelphia should enter a much heavier, pass-heavy offense under new coordinator Sean Mannion, who brings a modern Matt LaFleur/Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan-style offense.
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