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Andrew's breakout players and potential league-winning picks for 2026. His top league-winners include Chris Olave, Javonte Williams, and more.
Let's start this article with an immediate peek behind the curtain.
My must-draft, my guys, league-winners, whatever vernacular you use, have changed again and again. Rough draft after rough draft. And it's not because of indecisiveness. The rash of preseason injuries -- from Emeka Egbuka's toe to Luther Burden III's groin to Tucker Kraft's snap count to Jeremiyah Love's ankle and everything in between -- has made it difficult to whittle the list down.
Ultimately, I landed on four names. Here are the reasons why I'm selecting Chris Olave, Javonte Williams, Parker Washington, and Dalton Kincaid wherever I can in 2026 fantasy football drafts.
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Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints were the fastest offense in football last season. It's a staple of a Kellen Moore offense. He's been a play-caller at the NFL level for seven seasons. His teams finished atop the list three times, inside the top four three other occasions, and the one anomaly is the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia season.
A fast-paced offense is only beneficial if the talent on the field is actually, you know, good. Between Spencer Rattler, Audric Estime, Devaughn Vele, and more, there were plenty of replacement-level players taking snaps and getting touches. That's why the team ultimately finished as a bottom-5 scoring offense. Now entering his second season with the Saints, Moore has the right pieces in place.
Tyler Shough, who became a starter halfway through the season, averaged 260 passing yards and completed over 70 percent of his attempts from Week 10 through the end of the year. There were some hiccups in the red zone, but that's to be expected from a rookie starter whose third-string-running-back rushing attack wasn't intimidating opposing defenses near the goal line.
New Orleans added Travis Etienne Jr. to the backfield. He'll handle the majority of touches, letting the aging Alvin Kamara (when he's healthy) play a complementary role.
Outside of Chris Olave (who I promise we'll talk about in just a minute), New Orleans' next-leading wide receiver was Rashid Shaheed at 499 yards. He was traded to Seattle in the first week of November. The one after Shaheed? Vele at 293 yards.
That's why the front office handpicked Jordyn Tyson with the eighth overall pick in April's NFL Draft; a perfect prospect opposite Olave and a threatening second option through the air (and this is coming from a fan of Juwan Johnson, but he's not drawing defensive attention away).
But what makes you laugh also makes you cry. Tyson, who battled hamstring issues at Arizona State, suffered another one and is expected to miss two months. It's the Olave show once again.
Shough to Olave AGAIN. Third completion for them already.
Back-shoulder ball for a huge gain. https://t.co/X3wploioJV pic.twitter.com/jiD8Afv8fS
— NOF (@nofnetwork) August 18, 2026
The former Ohio State Buckeye was a respectable WR17 (14.9 PPR points) in games Rattler started. From Weeks 9 through 17 (Shough's starts), Olave racked up 18.8 PPR points, good for the WR3 behind only Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Olave's ADP has ticked up ever so slightly with the Tyson news, but he's still undervalued -- coming off the board alongside Malik Nabers and DeVonta Smith. Olave is my WR9, just behind A.J. Brown and ahead of George Pickens. Draft him at the 2/3 turn.
Javonte Williams, RB, Dallas Cowboys
What year is it?
Once upon a time (aka the early 2000s), running backs dominated the fantasy football landscape. There would often be eight, maybe nine teams leaving the draft room with two runners in the first two rounds. It's not quite that extreme in 2026, with four wideouts locked in as first-rounders and a couple more on the fringes, but there is a groundswell for a two-RB approach.
What if you zag while everyone else is zigging, taking a wide receiver like Amon-Ra St. Brown or Smith-Njigba instead of Jonathan Taylor or Christian McCaffrey? Instead of selecting a running back from a bucket that includes De'Von Achane, Omarion Hampton, and nearly a half dozen other names, you opt for the positional advantage and draft Brock Bowers.
That's a specifically situational draft board, but numerous scenarios wind up with you rostering one running back and one wide receiver, or no running backs at all after two rounds. Now, the clock is ticking in the third round.
Javonte Williams was already my preferred target in the third-round crowd (Jeremiyah Love, Kyren Williams, Josh Jacobs, Breece Hall, and Williams). Three of those names -- Love, Jacobs, and Hall -- have or are currently battling training-camp injuries.
Kyren Williams has a running back behind him who he'll share time with. Once healthy, Hall and Love are pieces of projected bottom-tier offenses. Javonte Williams doesn't have any of those problems.
Williams accounted for 65.7% of Dallas' running back attempts last year (including the 16 from fullback Hunter Luepke). He was on the field for over 75% of the team's offensive snaps for nine of the first 13 games (more on that in a second). He finished fifth in red-zone touches and 11th in running back targets.
The Cowboys made zero changes to the depth chart. The backups are Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah, and Malik Davis in whichever order you prefer. Those guys aren't carving out a regular role in the rotation. It's spot carries at best. In the era of running back committees, Williams is a workhorse and one of the last names off fantasy draft boards.
As part of the high-powered Dallas offense that ranked second in total yards and seventh in scoring last season, Williams chipped in a career-best 4.8 yards per carry average, topped 1,200 rushing yards, and found paydirt 13 times. Akin to its running back room, there were no changes to the starting 11.
The weak points are the offensive tackles. The interior of the line scored above-average to great PFF run-blocking grades. Even though the tackles didn't score as well, they were graded higher for ground blocking than pass protection. That correlates with Williams' rushing averages. When hitting the hole directly to the left or right of the center, the 26-year-old upped his average to 5.5 and 6.5 yards, respectively.
Williams suffered a shoulder injury in Week 15 against the Vikings. In his final three contests, Williams played 28.6%, 56.9%, and 27.2% -- far off his season-long average. The late-season fade can be blamed away.
Barring injury, Williams' floor is both high and safe. In a round littered with positional question marks, Williams will be on plenty of my rosters when the season kicks off.
Parker Washington, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
This spot initially belonged to Emeka Egbuka, who may be an honorary member of my "must-draft" team if his sprained toe is not an issue by Week 1. But that doesn't exempt my Parker Washington infatuation this season. Play your cards right, and it's easy to walk away with both in your draft.
Washington is the fantasy talk of the town, the belle of the ball, all the rage, and most importantly, the main character of the Jaguars' training camp. All the reports out of Jacksonville call the slot receiver the best player in camp and Trevor Lawrence's favorite target.
The talk certainly doesn't hurt his stock, but the numbers back up what could be a WR1 or WR2 campaign.
From Week 9, following Jacksonville's bye week, through the end of the season, Washington averaged 6.6 targets, 4.5 receptions, 71.1 yards, and 0.44 touchdowns. Solid numbers, which get even better when you remove Week 13, when he suffered a hip injury and played fewer than 40% of the snaps. Omit that game, and he's the WR6 in PPR points per game (18.1) over that stretch.
We've seen the late-season flash-in-the-pan receivers before who don't live up to expectations when the new season kicks off. So, why do we believe that Washington has staying power?
Washington's emergence coincides with an increase in snaps as an inside receiver. An interior passing attack has been a staple of Liam Coen's offenses throughout his career, and the primary slot receivers have excelled in our game of fake football.
Back in 2021 at Kentucky, Wan'Dale Robinson caught 104 balls for 1,334 yards with 64% of his snaps from the slot. Cooper Kupp was pacing for 1,500+ yards before his injury in 2022. 2023? Similar story for Chris Godwin Jr., who was the WR2 before his season-ending injury.
| Parker Washington Snaps | Outside | Slot |
| Weeks 1-7 | 172 | 76 |
| Weeks 9-18 | 198 | 220 |
Some slot receivers (e.g., Jayden Reed and Josh Downs) are efficient fantasy assets, but their ceilings are capped because they're often only on the field in three-receiver sets. But here's the kicker. Washington was just as dominant on the outside! In the same late-season window, Washington trailed only Nacua and Burden in yards per route run out wide (3.58).
I understand the concerns. Jacksonville has a very crowded offense, specifically in the wide receiver room. Brian Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers will command snaps. Travis Hunter will have offensive packages, although he's reportedly going to be more involved defensively this season. Brenton Strange caught nearly four passes per game.
However, the Jaguars were already a pass-happy offense. Now, they have an unproven backfield, which could lead to more dropbacks for Lawrence. The offense can easily support three receivers, but I believe Washington is the one who shines above them all.
Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills
The first three names have proven production to point to. This last one, well, not so much.
The argument for Dalton Kincaid is more theoretical than practical. He hasn't logged over 700 yards in any of his three seasons, and he hasn't secured more than 45 catches since his rookie year. There was once a time when Kincaid was viewed as the next great tight end prospect. It hasn't worked out that way.
It's not entirely his fault. A PCL injury in 2024 lingered into the 2025 season. The 26-year-old played just over a third of Buffalo's offensive snaps last season. His season-high mark was 55%.
From training-camp participants to reporters to the front office, the underlying message is the same: Kincaid is healthy and figures to be a vital piece of the Buffalo offense.
Connection between Josh Allen and Dalton Kincaid continues to flourish during team drills
Good to see Cole Bishop participating pic.twitter.com/A0ZtXhwDT8
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) August 18, 2026
Dawson Knox has always been a deterrent to Kincaid receiving a full allotment of snaps. He's still around, so Kincaid may never get to the 80% we prefer. All I'm asking for is 65-70%, numbers close to his rookie season.
Couple an increased route participation with his efficiency, and a TE1 season is in Kincaid's future. Kincaid was first among qualified tight ends in yards per route run (3.19), targets per route run (0.27), fantasy points per route run (0.70), and yards per target (11.65). He also set a career-high in touchdowns. A 12.8% touchdown rate won't happen again, but it's notable for Kincaid's red-zone usage.
There will be ample opportunities, though. The Bills were fourth in yards and points per game a season ago. As long as Josh Allen is under center, you can expect 3-4 touchdowns a week from the Buffalo offense.
Kincaid's upside is too enticing. If you've been burned by him before (I am also in that camp) and can't stomach another season with him as your starter, there are safer workarounds.
Steady veterans, like Juwan Johnson and Dallas Goedert, are on offenses without pieces of their passing attack (Tyson and Makai Lemon). If you so please, pair one with Kincaid and confirm that Buffalo utilizes him differently this fall.
I predict you'll like what you see. He is, after all, in a contract year.
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