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Dave's five breakout fantasy football players and potential league-winning picks for 2026 drafts. His top league-winning candidates include Bhayshul Tuten, Jaylen Waddle, and more.
August has arrived. Training camp is officially underway. That means fantasy football drafts aren’t far behind. For some people, simply joining a league and experiencing the camaraderie that comes with it is enough to satisfy them. However, if you’re a serious fantasy gamer, then you know that it’s undeniably more fun to win your league and dunk on your pals for the next 12 months while you reign as league champion.
If that is your ultimate goal, then the first step is to nail your fantasy draft. Sometimes that means avoiding the wrong players who could tank your season. But it also means targeting players who could single-handedly win your league. Predicting one breakout player correctly could be all that’s needed to give you a huge advantage over your league mates. If that’s what you’re hoping to do, you’re in luck today. Below, we’ll discuss several players who could emerge as league winners and propel your fantasy team to ultimate glory.
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Kenneth Walker III - RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Walker broke the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in his career in 2025. Unfortunately, it didn’t translate to much fantasy production as he only finished as the year's RB21 in PPR formats. That was largely because the Seattle Seahawks deployed a committee approach and split carries between Walker and Zach Charbonnet in an attempt to keep Walker fresh for later in the year.
Seeing as Seattle won the Super Bowl and Walker was named Super Bowl MVP, it’s hard to argue with that plan. However, it greatly hurt Walker’s fantasy production.
While that was disappointing, it’s worth pointing out that Walker, once again, crushed it in various advanced metrics and looked like one of the best running backs in the league. Among 49 RBs with 100+ attempts in 2025, Walker ranked:
- Second in explosive run rate per Fantasy Points Data Suite
- Third in missed tackles forced per Fantasy Points Data Suite
- First in missed tackles forced per attempt per Fantasy Points Data Suite
- Seventh in explosive rushing yards per Fantasy Points Data Suite
- First in PFF rushing grade
- Fifth in PFF elusive rating
- Ninth in yards after contact per PFF
Anyone else who enjoys combing through the data knows that Walker has long thrived in these metrics. That’s important because scoring well in the above metrics means it’s highly likely a player is capable of delivering a monster fantasy season.
The one thing that stood in Walker’s way last year was Seattle’s insistence on splitting touches with Charbonnet. That won’t be an issue this year as the Kansas City Chiefs gave Walker a three-year, $43.05 million contract to be the team’s new RB1.
Playing alongside Patrick Mahomes means Walker should see plenty of light boxes in 2026. A player of Walker’s skill level can do some real damage when facing +EV situations like these.
Kenneth Walker III 55-YARD TD RUN 🚨
LARvsSEA on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/4ezXS8hbok— NFL (@NFL) December 19, 2025
The other thing that has held Walker back from becoming an elite fantasy contributor has been a lack of consistent usage as a receiver. Many gamers incorrectly believe this has been due to his supposed inability to act as a viable pass catcher out of the backfield.
This has long been a ridiculous narrative. Truth be told, Walker is not a Christian McCaffrey-type receiving threat, but there have been countless instances on film where we’ve seen Walker work as a competent receiver. He just hasn’t been asked to shoulder a heavy load in this area.
Andy Reid’s offenses have arguably been at their best when they’ve had a highly effective screen game led by running backs. Based on early feedback, it sounds like Kansas City plans to deploy plenty of screen plays.
With Mahomes also coming off a significant knee injury, it sure sounds like he’s ready and willing to utilize Walker as often as needed.
#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes admits he ran too much last year and likely needs to be better about that this season.
“If all else fails, I’ll just hand it off to K9 (Kenneth Walker) and let him go to work.” https://t.co/DmORdw91GA pic.twitter.com/xh5FvjsHWw
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 24, 2026
For whatever reason, Walker continues to have doubters in the fantasy community. However, there’s not much to think about here.
The Chiefs recognized that their running game has been woefully inadequate for the last few years. They responded by signing Walker to a big contract. The team's only other major addition to the running back room this offseason was drafting fifth-round rookie Emmett Johnson.
Don’t overthink this one. As long as Walker stays healthy, look for him to have a monster season. Playing in the Chiefs offense, it’s not hyperbole to say an overall RB1 finish is an attainable outcome. When you consider that, it makes Walker look like a huge steal at his current second-round ADP.
Malik Nabers - WR, New York Giants
Nabers' sophomore season was derailed when he tore his ACL in a Week 4 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. The timing was unfortunate because Jaxson Dart had just been named the Giants starting quarterback, and we never got to see this duo play together.
However, that won’t be the case to start 2026. While there were some concerns about Nabers’ recovery from his injury, all of that was put to rest when it was announced he would not begin training camp on the PUP List. It looks as though Nabers is set to rock for the upcoming season, and that’s good news for fantasy managers.
While there’s been a lot of concern about Nabers' knee and the Giants' offensive plans for the upcoming season, advancements in sports science and rehabilitation in recent years should alleviate those concerns. It also seems many gamers have forgotten how talented Nabers is.
Let’s take a look and revisit some of his advanced data (Courtesy of Fantasy Points Data Suite) from his 2024 rookie season:
- 2.30 yards per route run
- 32% targets per route run
- 32.2% target share
- 42.8% first read percentage
- 46.1 air yardage share
This set of data points to a fantasy star. He also clearly passes the eye test and is a special playmaker.
This Malik Nabers route 😮💨
NYGvsWAS on FOXhttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/3Fe0yIeKRG
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
Malik Nabers takes it 31 yards to the house!
📺: #INDvsNYG on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/dNnvHpxsFL— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2024
Critics also point to the presence of offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and run game coordinator Greg Roman as reasons to fade Nabers. This is because Nagy is seen as a weak play-caller, and Roman is known for his run-heavy offenses.
While it’s true that this duo, as well as head coach John Harbaugh, want to deploy a run-heavy offense, there's no guarantee the Giants will be a good enough team to do so. Per Sharp Football, New York is scheduled to face the ninth-toughest schedule this year, so the Giants may be playing from behind in many games. That would be great news for Nabers' outlook.
While Nagy has his flaws as a play-caller, it’s also worth pointing out that he has had zero issues hyper-targeting his WR1. During Nagy’s stint as the Chicago Bears head coach, Allen Robinson posted two straight 150-target seasons in 2019 and 2020. Darnell Mooney then followed that up with a 140-target season in 2021.
Nabers is by far more talented than both of those players. So, despite Nagy's shortcomings, we should still see Nabers peppered with plenty of targets this year.
One of the best ways to gain an advantage over your league mates is to target players who are likely to be drafted significantly higher the following year. This is a strategy many successful high-stakes fantasy players adhere to, and it often works quite well.
We have already seen Nabers deliver like an elite fantasy receiver with his PPR WR6 finish in 2024. Now that he appears to be fully healthy and is playing with the best quarterback of his career, we could very likely see Nabers blow past his current ADP.
The bottom line is this is a supremely talented player who doesn’t face a ton of target competition. We’ve already seen him overcome a poor offensive environment in 2024, and he could totally do the same again this year. And if Dart makes a Year 2 leap, then Nabers could have a monster year.
Jaylen Waddle - WR, Denver Broncos
Denver acquired Waddle in a trade with the Miami Dolphins this offseason. It was a splash move that saw the Broncos part with their 2026 first-round pick to acquire him. While Waddle has become more of an afterthought in some fantasy circles, he remains one of the better route runners in the NFL.
Per Fantasy Points Data Suite, among 275 players with 100+ routes run, Waddle ranked 15th in average separation score. His overall route win rate of 15.4% was also the 12th-best mark in the NFL.
These stats basically mean Waddle was getting open at an extremely high rate. Miami’s offense was just such a mess that the team couldn't consistently take advantage of Waddle’s superb play.
Tua finds Jaylen Waddle for six!
NEvsMIA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/Mbvz4RbAU4
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
Coverage type didn’t matter either. Per Fantasy Points Data Suite, Waddle ranked 12th in win rate against both man and zone coverage. To put that into context, there were only five players who ranked in the top 12 in both last year. The full list is Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall, Davante Adams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Waddle.
Waddle’s presence will be a huge boost to a Denver passing attack that lacked consistent separators outside of Courtland Sutton last year. Pairing him with a strong offensive coach like Sean Payton is also a huge plus.
However, Payton has come under fire from some fantasy analysts in recent years for being too bland and spreading the ball around too much. Well, things could be different in that regard this year as Payton is handing off play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Davis Webb.
Webb was a highly coveted candidate for some head coaching gigs this offseason, but Denver gave him a raise, and Payton ceded play-calling duties to keep Webb with the team.
This is a huge development. Payton has been one of the best offensive minds in the NFL for two decades. If he is willing to cede play-calling duties to a first-time play-caller, then we have to assume Payton sees something special in Webb.
We’ll have to see if that’s the case, but this development should assuage any fears gamers had about Waddle joining an “outdated system.”
Despite any concerns, the reality here is that Denver did not trade a first-round pick for Waddle to be a rotational player. The Broncos have made it clear they have a specific vision for how he’ll be utilized in the offense. Waddle’s ability as a route runner should mean the Denver passing game runs through him. That should lead to a big season for Waddle, and don’t be surprised if he has a career year.
Target him in the early rounds of traditional redraft leagues and consider him a great buy in auction formats too.
Bhayshul Tuten - RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Tuten was stuck behind Travis Etienne Jr. for all of 2025. However, Etienne departed in free agency, and the only notable addition Jacksonville made to the running back room this offseason was to sign Chris Rodriguez Jr.
While Rodriguez does carry some appeal as a late-round sleeper, he has missed a lot of the offseason rehabbing an injury. That has allowed Tuten to see plenty of work with the first-team offense and puts him in the driver's seat to operate as the team’s RB1.
The drumbeat for Tuten has gotten louder as the summer has gone on, and it sure sounds like the Jaguars are expecting big things from him this year.
Bhayshul Tuten Continuing to Make Noise at Jaguars Camp https://t.co/6BfHFBCYi2
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) August 1, 2026
There’s a lot to like about Tuten’s game. He has breakaway speed, can run through defenders, and proved last year he can contribute in the passing game, too.
Bhayshul Tuten scores his first NFL TD!
JAXvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/B4EmYon3L8
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
He also fared well in some advanced metrics last year. Among 65 running backs with 80+ attempts, Tuten ranked:
- Fifth in rushing success rate per Fantasy Points Data Suite
- 13th in missed tackles forced per attempt per Fantasy Points Data Suite
- 14th in PFF elusive rating
- 19th in yards after contact per attempt per Fantasy Points Data Suite
Put all of these things in Liam Coen’s rushing scheme, and we could be looking at a special season.
If Tuten can land the majority of work in this offense, then the sky is the limit. That’s ultimately the bet gamers will be making if they select Tuten.
You don’t win fantasy football leagues by being passive. If you want to win your league, sometimes you’ve got to go ahead and take your draft by the throat. That includes being aggressive and reaching on a player whom you have strong convictions.
Tuten is a risky pick, but there is league-winning upside here. I, for one, don’t want to be left out, so I’ll make sure I leave a handful of my drafts/auctions with Tuten as an RB2 or RB3. You should do the same.
Bo Nix - QB, Denver Broncos
Another Denver Bronco rounds out our list. Nix is entering his third season in the NFL. He’s finished as a QB1 the last two years, but for some reason, the fantasy community refuses to put any respect on his name.
While Nix has yet to post a 4,000-yard passing season, he’s fared quite well in other areas. His 786 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns are the eighth and fourth-most among all quarterbacks over the last two years. This has helped insulate his fantasy value despite posting mediocre passing numbers.
Part of that can be attributed to Nix’s play. However, some of it is also due to the Broncos' lack of playmakers behind Sutton. With the team acquiring the aforementioned Waddle this offseason, Nix now has a wide receiver who’s capable of winning routes at all three levels of the field and will further open up things for this offense.
New play-caller Webb should also help the passing game. Early indications from Broncos training camp sound like the offense is already humming.
Jaylen Waddle showing off the hops 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/e86vywVJRi
— DNVR Broncos (@DNVR_Broncos) August 1, 2026
All of this should lead to better passing output from Nix. When you combine that with his legs, Nix becomes a highly intriguing late-round quarterback target.
Some gamers have been scared off from Nix since he suffered a broken ankle in last year's AFC Championship game. However, this would be a mistake, as Nix has been declared fully healthy, and there are no reports that he’s still suffering from any effects of the injury. With Nix being the current QB15 in FFPC drafts, gamers are getting a good price on a player who’s finished as the QB7 in each of the last two years.
Take advantage of this discount in 2026. Nix remains in one of the better offenses in the league, and his situation appears even better than last year. With a shiny new toy in Waddle and a fresh play-caller in Webb, Nix is poised for his best pro season to date.
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2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Kenneth Walker III, Malik Nabers, Jaylen Waddle, Bhayshul Tuten, Bo Nix. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football drafts.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
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Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
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