Ranking top fantasy football breakout candidates for 2026
· Yahoo Sports
Every year, a handful of NFL players enjoy star turns that allow them to become some of the most productive and dangerous players at their respective positions.
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Fantasy football managers who can correctly prognosticate these breakout candidates often reap the rewards and ride their newfound stars to fantasy championships.
Breakout candidates can manifest themselves in a variety of ways. Some are classic sleeper picks who can be added late in drafts but become key pieces of a winning lineup. Others are more of the value pick variety, where they may end up being early-round fantasy draft selections but can still outperform their draft slots.
Who are the best fantasy breakout candidates to target in 2026? Here's a looks at six who should be on the radar of fantasy managers as draft season draws near.
Fantasy football breakout candidates for 2026
Malik Willis, QB, Miami Dolphins
Willis is going to get a chance to prove himself as a full-time starter with the Dolphins. If his three-start sample size with the Green Bay Packers is any indication, Willis could emerge as a solid fantasy streamer or low-end QB1.
In his three starts for the Packers, Willis threw for 612 yards and three touchdowns while adding 174 yards and three scores on the ground. Extrapolated over a 17-game season, that would put Willis on track to throw for 3,468 yards and 17 touchdowns while running for 986 yards and an additional 17 scores.
Perhaps Willis will take a step back playing for Miami's offense. The unit doesn't have the same skill-position weaponry as the Packers, so at the very least, his efficiency – and ability to avoid turnovers – could wane.
Nonetheless, Willis' rushing floor should remain high, which will raise his overall fantasy value. He's worth taking a flier on late in fantasy drafts as a potential streaming quarterback who could develop into a safe, week-to-week starter.
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Love isn't getting as much love as Ashton Jeanty did ahead of his rookie season. Part of that is due to Jeanty's struggles with the Las Vegas Raiders and an expectation that Love, who is playing for a rebuilding Cardinals team, could endure similar issues during his first NFL campaign.
That said, Love is going to a better situation than Jeanty last season. Though the Cardinals lack a proven, high-quality quarterback, they have the infrastructure needed to boast a solid running game.
Last season, Cardinals running backs combined to average 2.4 yards before contact, which ranked about league average. The additions of veteran free agent Isaac Seumalo and second-round pick Chase Bisontis should only improve the team's interior blocking and give Love more space in which to operate.
Further helping Love will be his abilities as a receiver. He is polished in that regard after posting 55 catches over his final two seasons at Notre Dame. That will make him a reliable checkdown for Jacoby Brissett and Carson Beck while also boosting his PPR season.
All that's to say it wouldn't be surprising to see Love eclipse 1,000 rushing yards as a rookie, provided he can stay healthy. If he can post quality numbers as a receiver in addition to that, it may be enough for him to become a fantasy RB1 early in his NFL career.
Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns
No qualified running back was hurt more by his offensive line last season than Judkins. The rookie averaged just 1.4 yards before contact last season, which ranked last among 49 qualified running backs.
The good news for Judkins? The Browns have completely revamped their offensive line for 2026. Teven Jenkins, who made just four starts last season, is the lone returning starter, as Cleveland invested in a trio of veterans – left guard Zion Johnson, center Elgton Jenkins and right tackle Tytus Howard – to improve its blocking along with rookie first-round pick Spencer Fano.
It may take time for the Browns' offensive line to jell, but its hard to imagine the current unit being worse than the one Judkins played behind last season. That should give the second-year back a chance to improve his efficiency while his lack of competition for carries – Dylan Sampson averaged just 2.7 yards per carry in 2025 – should make him a high-volume RB.
Luther Burden III, WR, Chicago Bears
Burden made four of his five rookie-year starts over the final five weeks of the regular season. The 2025 second-round pick generated 25 catches for 357 yards and one touchdown over that span, which extrapolates to 85 catches for 1,214 yards and 3.4 touchdowns over a 17-game season.
That stretch alone is encouraging enough. Even more encouraging is that Burden posted solid rookie-season numbers despite ranking just fifth on the Bears in targets. He only saw 60 across his 15 contests, which ranked behind Rome Odunze (90), DJ Moore (85), Colston Loveland (82) and Olamide Zaccheaus (65).
Both Moore and Zaccheaus are no longer with the Bears, which creates a target void in Chicago's offense. Kalif Raymond and third-round rookie Zavion Thomas could absorb some of those targets, but a larger portion of them figure to go to Burden, who could challenge Odunze and Loveland for the team's target lead in 2026.
An uptick in targets could go a long way toward making Burden a top-20 fantasy receiver, and perhaps even better if Caleb Williams demonstrates better accuracy during his second season in Ben Johnson's offense.
Makai Lemon, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Speaking of target voids, the Eagles have a big one with A.J. Brown exiting the team. The three-time Pro Bowler hoovered up 121 in his final season in Philadelphia and only once failed to eclipse 100 targets during his four years with the Eagles.
The departures of Brown and Jahan Dotson will create 157 vacated targets in Philadelphia's offense. Lemon, a first-round rookie out of USC, figures to absorb a majority of those, as the slot maven should quickly emerge as the preferred, No. 2 option across from DeVonta Smith.
Lemon has excellent hands and showed an ability to rapidly create space with his route-running and quickness in college. That will make him a reliable option in PPR leagues, but his ability to create with the ball in his hands after the catch should boost his overall value.
The only questions surrounding Lemon is whether he will be able to create a sufficiency of touchdowns, as he sports just a 5-11, 192-pound frame. While he won't be a big-time contested-catch threat in the red-zone, he should still score some on quick routes thanks to his separation skills, which is enough to give him WR2 upside in fantasy circles.
Isaiah Likely, TE, New York Giants
Likely appeared in 63 games across his four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He made just 26 starts, as he often played second fiddle to Mark Andrews in Baltimore's run-heavy offensive attack.
While the Giants may skew similarly run-heavy with Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, Likely won't face as much competition for playing time. Sure, Theo Johnson could challenge him for targets, but New York's decision to ink Likely to a three-year, $40 million contract should lock him in as the starter.
Likely has averaged 11.6 yards per reception across his career while tight ends were targeted 6.4 times per game across 12 contests started by Dart. Receiving that kind of volume could allow the 26-year-old to turn in a career year and emerge as a true TE1 in fantasy.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ranking top fantasy football breakout candidates for 2026