- Are Caleb Williams and Colston Loveland next up at their positions? Williams is this writer’s pick to be the 2026 QB1, while Loveland is a wild-card selection after what’s been a quiet but increasingly productive rookie campaign.
- This year’s rookie class has high expectations in 2026: Running back Quinshon Judkins, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and tight end Tyler Warren could all pace their positions next fantasy season.
- Get PFF+ for 30% off: Use promo code HOLIDAY30 to unlock the PFF Player Prop Tool, Premium Stats, fantasy dashboards, the PFF Mock Draft Simulator, industry-leading fantasy rankings and much more — everything you need to win your season.
Estimated Reading Time: 16 minutes
Using an entire season of games and data to predict fantasy football finishes for the year ahead is usually an offseason thing. But what if the format is year-round, like dynasty? As this writer has constantly said, dynasty involves a week-to-week analysis of your roster.
Are you peaking in time for the playoffs but the long-term viability of your roster is shaky? It might be time to assess some things. Are you amid a total teardown or competitive rebuild, with the stopwatch in one hand and your PFF 2026 NFL Draft Big Board in the other? Well, you need to use those picks on somebody, be it a veteran or a rookie.
But what about the stars, the ones with the “1” next to their ranking come season’s end? Finding one of those is how you can start a retooling of your roster, regardless of your squad’s roadmap. And in dynasty formats, you want to be getting ahead of that curve so you’re paying less now.
Some terms and conditions first: We’re going to try and be different.
Picking Justin Jefferson to bounce back from what’s turning into a disappointing fantasy season (relative to the insane expectations, of course) is not fun and could be predicted without this article existing.
Some of the players here may not even be top-10 assets in fantasy rankings at their position but have huge opportunities ahead of them in the shape of touches, new situations or general improvement.
Secondly, we’ll also be picking a wild-card top-10 finish at each position. We’re not talking about somebody going from QB15 to QB10 — we’ll be flagging players who could potentially upend fantasy seasons and make you reassess everything you think you know.
Let’s get rolling.
Quarterback: Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
The past three seasons have featured three different overall QB1s. The problem for this exercise is that it’s been rotated between Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.
Unseating those three is going to be difficult. Even Jalen Hurts‘ rushing upside and Joe Burrow‘s pass-happy nature haven’t been enough for them to claim a top spot.
For a new player to claim the QB1 crown, they need a unique blend of passing ability, weapons to throw to and rushing ability. When distilling all of that, there is one standout candidate to make the leap: Caleb Williams.
Williams’ second NFL season started out patchy while he and new head coach Ben Johnson found their rhythm. But the pair have the Chicago Bears singing heading into a critical part of their season, in which they find themselves vying for their first NFC North crown since 2018.
The sophomore signal-caller is the current QB10 in regular-scoring PPR formats, but he sits almost 60 points behind current QB1 Josh Allen. However, Allen has seven more rushing scores than Williams — basically the difference in their fantasy scoring output.
Since the Bears’ last loss (Week 8 to the Baltimore Ravens), Williams has tossed seven touchdown passes (tied for third most) and made just three turnover-worthy plays (fifth fewest). He’s keeping company with MVP front-runner Matthew Stafford, and it’s nothing to scoff at.
Williams is also displaying improved chemistry with wide receiver Rome Odunze. The former first-round wide receiver leads the Bears in targets (81), yards (653) and touchdowns (six). Odunze also paces the NFL in average depth of target among qualifying receivers (14.9 yards).
With Ben Johnson at the controls, Williams has every opportunity to not just be a QB1 in 2026, but the QB1 for 2026.
Wild Card: Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
Baker Mayfield, Geno Smith, Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones have all been tremendous wild cards in the past five years. Each one has a story of being a former high draft pick, overcoming adversity and early-year struggles, looking like a career backup and then roaring back to fantasy relevance.
The wild card here is Ward. Very little has gone right for the Tennessee Titans this season, but Ward continues to show signs of promise amid the large swaths of inexperience he also displays.
The Titans are probably going to be behind a lot next season, too, which means Ward will likely have to air it out again. He has 470 passing dropbacks, second only to Mahomes this season. And for all of those dropbacks, the Titans’ leading receiver is tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo with 377 yards.
Tennessee also has 229 rushing attempts on the season so far, above only the Cincinnati Bengals. Those two numbers alone point to a team that is playing from behind and being forced to throw the ball to get back into games.
The difference in 2026, hopefully, will be Ward’s offensive line and supporting cast — and we know he’s going to have an offensive-minded head coach. Garbage time fantasy points still count, and if the Titans can put at least a competent situation around Ward, he could surprise many in the fantasy community.
The 2025 No. 1 overall pick has shown signs of improvement, with no interceptions thrown in his past three games and just two turnover-worthy plays in that span. His performance in the Titans’ 30-24 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12 was the best of his young career (76.8 PFF overall grade), and he even showcased his running ability (six rushes for 37 yards and a score).
His 13 big-time throws in 2025 aren’t eye-popping, but they’re more than Justin Herbert, Aaron Rodgers and Jared Goff have amassed so far. It’s also not helped that Ward has taken a league-high 46 sacks behind a Tennessee offensive line with a 30th-ranked 81.1 pass-blocking efficiency rate.
All of this is to say that Ward has done little with even less. The Titans currently hold the 2026 first overall pick, and with so many holes on the roster to fill, they could trade down to acquire more draft capital and perhaps a player or two. Perhaps Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is an option, giving Ward a go-to target.
If the Titans‘ front office can build something respectable around their recent No. 1 overall pick, fantasy managers will reap the rewards.
Running Back: Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns
Judkins has been one of the few bright spots of the Cleveland Browns’ offense. Brought in to replace Browns icon Nick Chubb, he could very well pick up where his predecessor left off when it comes to powering the unit.
The 36th overall pick’s numbers aren’t overwhelmingly positive: 667 rushing yards (17th most) at 3.9 yards per carry (tied for 22nd). But volume is in his favor.
The Browns have handed their rookie runner the ball 173 times, the 10th most in the league. He also has 28 red-zone carries across just 97 offensive snaps inside the opposition’s 20-yard line.
Cleveland’s offensive line has also not helped matters. Judkins is averaging a meager 0.7 yards before contact per rush, 32nd among 35 qualifying backs in the NFL.
And even with all that working against him, he is the current RB20 in fantasy football (RB2 territory in almost every format). The Browns have a lot to sort through before the 2026 season starts, but Judkins is in line to be the figurehead of an offense that will need to shorten games if they’re to stay in them, meaning more volume, more red-zone opportunities and more fantasy points.
Wild Card: Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Rookie running backs rarely finish as the No. 1 overall fantasy player at the position. But as outlined in the “What to expect from first-round running backs” breakdown, there is a good chance for highly drafted runners to be an RB1 right out of the gate for fantasy managers.
So, is it really that much of a stretch to envision Notre Dame‘s Love as the overall RB1 when he enters the league? The competition will be stiff — Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffrey are just five elite backs who could finish as the RB1 in any given year — but Love has a chance.
Among backs with at least 125 rushing attempts, Love leads college football in PFF rushing grade (93.9) and is tied for first with UTSA‘s Robert Henry Jr. in yards per attempt (7.1). His 17 rushing scores are also the second most in all of college football.
His 185 carries (average of 16 a game) indicate he isn’t a high-volume back, but his 21 runs of 15 or more yards (second most in college football) and 51 missed tackles forced (12th most) mean he’s a threat to take any touch the distance.
Wide Receiver: Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers
The eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft ranks tied for seventh in the NFL in targets (94). He is also tied for 11th in yards per catch (14.0). The volume and the chain-moving presence are there.
He has snagged all 17 of his targets on third down and converted 14 of them into first downs. In fact, McMillan has accounted for 45 first downs so far this season, tied for the third most in the NFL among receivers.
All of this signals that McMillan has quickly developed into one of the most dependable receivers in the NFL, despite his five drops through 12 games. That 8.2% ranks 11th highest among qualifying receivers.
McMillan’s 17-game pace is 132 targets and 78 catches for 1,109 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. It’s a healthy pace that would result in 230.9 PPR points, enough for the WR17 in 2024.
The first-rounder is also proving himself to be one of the premier red-zone threats in the league. McMillan has seen 26 red-zone targets, fourth in the NFL, and all five of his scores have come from inside the opposition’s 20.
Perhaps the one knock on him from a fantasy standpoint is a lack of big-time explosive plays. McMillan has just one catch that has gone for more than 40 yards. But then again, with him entrenched as the Panthers’ WR1, he’ll have enough volume and red-zone looks for that not to matter.
The Carolina Panthers still need more consistent play from quarterback Bryce Young, who owns a 60.6 PFF passing grade with 13 big-time throws and 14 turnover-worthy plays this season. It shakes out to Young performing at an average level across the season, but the peaks and troughs are still too wide. If head coach Dave Canales can coax out more consistent play from his quarterback, then McMillan’s production could skyrocket.
Wild Card: Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
We said these would be wild. The son of the Hall-of-Fame pass catcher by the same name hasn’t been close to a carbon copy of his namesake, but there is hope.
Even in a Cardinals offense where tight end Trey McBride is the primary passing option, Harrison saw 114 targets as a rookie. And his 17-game pace this season is exactly the same. Like McMillan, Harrison won’t have an issue with volume.
Of Harrison’s 61 targets this season, 52 have come with him as the first read on the play. The problem is that there still aren’t enough easy pitch-and-catches for him.
The former top-five pick has 15 targets of 20-plus yards and 22 targets in tight coverage. His 1.63 yards per route run points to him being as much of the problem as his signal-caller is, but it also shows that the Cardinals’ offensive coaching staff has to find a better way of getting the ball into the hands of a player with high expectations attached to him.
If head coach Jonathan Gannon and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing can figure that out, then year three may finally be what fantasy managers have been dreaming of from Harrison.
Tight End: Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
It’s not exactly outside-of-the-box thinking to say that the current TE3 in PPR scoring, Tyler Warren, could be the overall TE1 in 2026. He could still be the overall TE1 in his rookie season, although the 56-point gap between him and the current leader in the clubhouse, Trey McBride, is a sizable margin.
Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen has done a masterful job of making Warren a key figure in a potent offense. Warren ranks second, behind Michael Pittman Jr., in team targets (71) but leads the Colts in receiving yards (662).
He has been involved at all levels of the field for the Colts, but his main role has been as a safety blanket for quarterback Daniel Jones. His 10 screens are the second most among tight ends, behind only McBride (12), and 41 of his 71 targets have come at a depth of 1-9 yards (not including screens) — the seventh most among tight ends.
If there is an area where Warren’s fantasy production is being hurt, it’s in the red zone. Only the Jacksonville Jaguars have run the ball more (81 attempts) inside the opposition’s 20 than Indianapolis (79). However, the team also ranks eighth in the league in passing dropbacks in the red zone (73). Warren is a victim of being part of a stacked Colts pass-catching group, as well as sharing an offense with an elite runner. The first-round pick is one of three Colts with at least 10 red-zone targets (Pittman with 13 and Josh Downs with 10), limiting his opportunities when the field gets tight.
However, there’s every chance that in year two that the Colts will build their passing attack around Warren’s bruising, versatile skill set.
Wild Card: Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
If we’re predicting Caleb Williams as the overall QB1 in 2026, then one of his pass catchers has to be an elite fantasy producer. It was tempting to go with Rome Odunze, but Loveland is more true to the “wild card” definition.
The former Michigan Wolverine has produced modest numbers during his rookie campaign, logging 28 catches for 378 yards and three touchdowns. Volume has been hard to come by with Odunze, D.J. Moore, Luther Burden III and others to feed in the passing offense. Even Olamide Zaccheaus has more targets (49) than Loveland. But the rookie remains a dynamic receiving threat with the ball in his hands.
It’s also hard to imagine the Bears handcuffing the 10th overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft to an average of just under four targets per game.
Loveland has posted an above-average PFF receiving grade (76.3), which the limited target share has helped with, and he also has the third-highest average depth of target among qualifying tight ends (9.4 yards). Interestingly, tight end teammate Cole Kmet leads the position with a 10.2-yard average depth of target.
The current TE19 in standard-scoring PPR leagues, Loveland is nothing more than a matchup-based play or weekly streamer at this point. But fantasy managers just have to squint a touch and dream of a world where Loveland is to Ben Johnson’s Bears what Sam LaPorta was to Ben Johnson’s Detroit Lions.
