Aidin Ebrahimi's 5 Fantasy Football Bold Predictions: Early NFL Analysis

May 25, 2026

Aidin Ebrahimi's bold predictions for the 2026 NFL and fantasy football season. His player outlooks and bold calls for Tyler Shough, J.J. McCarthy, and more.

Now that the dust has (mostly) settled from the 2026 NFL offseason, it's time to get bold. And what better way to get bold than to write my third annual preseason bold predictions article?

Much like my 2024 article, the 2025 edition featured an almost identical number of hits and misses. I called the Chiefs' downfall and the Broncos' rise, as well as Jake Ferguson's return to fantasy stardom. Rome Odunze and Sam LaPorta really let me down last year (though they both dealt with injuries), and while Breece Hall and Jared Goff failed to meet my lofty expectations, they still had objectively good fantasy seasons. Let's have some fun again this time and aim for a better hit rate while also getting bolder!

Without further ado, let's look at my boldest predictions for the 2026 NFL and fantasy football season. Once again, these will likely be wrong, but we're just here to have fun.

Tyler Shough Will Finish as a Top-5 Fantasy QB…

And Jordyn Tyson Will Be One of the Best Fantasy Football Rookies

Many people laughed at the Saints for drafting the 25-year-old Tyler Shough in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but they aren't laughing now. The Saints needed a savior following Derek Carr's shock retirement, and while Spencer Rattler showed some promise early on, he flamed out and was replaced by Shough in the third quarter of a Week 8 outing against the Buccaneers.

QB1 sharing his thoughts on @tyson_jordyn 🔊🔊 pic.twitter.com/tqQH487ciK

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 19, 2026

Shough's first career drive couldn't have gone any worse, as he was picked off by superstar safety Antoine Winfield Jr. right as he was moving past midfield. The game essentially ended right there, and I remember thinking the Saints would go back to Rattler in no time.

Following another tough game in his first career start against the juggernaut Rams, Shough went on to complete 69.7% of his 271 throws for 2,080 yards, nine touchdowns, four interceptions, and a great 97.1 passer rating to end the season.

He led the Saints to a shocking 5-3 run and showed off his ability as a runner, scoring three rushing touchdowns, including two in the rain in his revenge game against the Bucs.

With Shough fully established as "the guy," the Saints decided to get him as much help as possible, and they achieved this by having a tremendous offseason. The addition of Travis Etienne Jr. and 2026 NFL Draft pickups Jordyn Tyson, Oscar Delp, Bryce Lance, and Barion Brown will help Shough tremendously, as well as new offensive line arrivals David Edwards and rookie Jeremiah Wright.

These additions will join an already impressive offense with many talented players. Left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. looked very promising as a rookie and will protect Shough for years to come. Chris Olave is an All-Pro, and Devin Neal showed his great potential once Alvin Kamara went down last year.

And of course, we can't forget about their Super Bowl-winning play-caller, HC Kellen Moore. Moore and Shough are super excited to have a full offseason together with Shough as the undisputed starter, which has led Moore to name him the team's leader.

"Tyler's doing great," Moore told Saints.com reporter John DeShazier. "He leads in a really powerful way, and it's been a lot of fun to see him lead."

Moore also added that Shough had been helping him "tweak" the playbook, which shows his high football IQ despite his lack of pro experience. With a relatively easy 2026 schedule in the putrid NFC South, expect Shough to do big things in 2026.

He finished as the overall QB4 from Week 13 to the end of the season, and could very well replicate that production this year. Also, with Tyson being his clear second target behind Olave, he has a chance to compete for the 2026 Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.

De'Von Achane Will Lead the NFL in Yards From Scrimmage...

And the Dolphins Will Be a Respectable Team

In 2008, after watching their divisional rival, the New England Patriots, reach the Super Bowl, the Miami Dolphins decided to blow things up following an abysmal season.

They acquired a new quarterback (Chad Pennington), a rookie GM who was a scout (Jeff Ireland), a new head coach whose hiring surprised many (the late Tony Sparano), and drafted an offensive lineman in the first round of the NFL Draft (Jake Long). They went on to win the AFC East that year.

Now, in 2026, after watching their divisional rival, the New England Patriots, reach the Super Bowl, the Miami Dolphins decided to blow things up following an abysmal season.

They acquired a new quarterback (Malik Willis), a rookie GM who was a scout (Jon-Eric Sullivan), a new head coach whose hiring surprised many (Jeff Hafley), and drafted an offensive lineman in the first round of the NFL Draft (Kadyn Proctor).

Now, do I expect the 2026 Dolphins to achieve the same level of success as their 2008 counterparts? Absolutely not. But they will be better than people think. And just as "wildcat" Ronnie Brown was crucial to their success in '08, De'Von Achane will have to be on top of his game if the team wants to have a fighting chance this year.

Achane is by far and away the team's main offensive weapon, and although he isn't built like a typical bell cow, he faces virtually no competition in the running back room. RB2 Jaylen Wright will have to rise from the ashes if he wants to be a threat to Achane's touches.

Achane signed a massive four-year, $68 million extension with the team in May and is ready to help this team shock the world. Achane had his best year on the ground in 2025, averaging a league-high yards per attempt (5.7) while rushing for 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns. He has also averaged 540.0 receiving yards and five touchdown catches per season over the last two years.

He put up 114.9 yards from scrimmage per game in 2025, which was the fourth-highest mark in the league. Bijan Robinson will be the man to beat if Achane wants to pull this feat off, and this year will be his best shot, considering the current Dolphins roster and their lack of standout offensive weapons.

The Chiefs Will Finish as the AFC's First Seed…

And Kenneth Walker III Will Dominate

After seven consecutive seasons of making the AFC Championship Game, Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs crashed and burned in 2025. Mahomes had next to no running support, while OC Matt Nagy's offense was as stagnant as ever.

More proof that Mahomes is superhuman 🗣️ (via @PatrickMahomes) pic.twitter.com/kP85QhwnoW

— NFL (@NFL) March 25, 2026

But now, things have changed. Former OC Eric Bieniemy is back, and new addition Kenneth Walker III will revitalize the team's rushing attack.

HC Andy Reid knows better than anyone that the team's terrible rushing attack last year failed to open up the passing game for Mahomes.

"We're not getting enough reaction out of [the defense]," Reid said when asked about the Chiefs' play-action passes.

Bieniemy helped the Bears have the league's third-ranked rushing attack in 2025, and now that he's armed with the reigning Super Bowl MVP, he can open things up for Mahomes in the passing game.

Mahomes is also looking increasingly likely to play in the team's season opener. With their revitalized offense and new additions to their great defense through the draft, the big bad wolf of the NFL will be back on top in 2026.

J.J. McCarthy Will Finish as the Vikings' Undisputed QB1…

And Will Finally Establish a Good Connection With Justin Jefferson

Ages ago, QBs were given multiple years to develop, and teams were extremely patient with their development. We don't live in those times anymore, which has led to situations such as the one J.J. McCarthy currently finds himself in.

It seems like the whole world has given up on McCarthy after his disappointing 2025 season, and many think his upcoming QB battle with Kyler Murray is a forgone conclusion.

However, they all conveniently forget just how awful Murray looked last season. He averaged just 6.0 yards per attempt and looked like a shell of his former self.

Kevin O'Connell was praised endlessly for how he revived Sam Darnold's career, but Darnold averaged 8.0 yards per attempt and looked very impressive (particularly in 2022) in his last eight starts before joining Minnesota.

Justin Jefferson has been vocal about McCarthy's struggles, but is also yearning for a connection with whoever becomes the eventual starter. Murray isn't really the guy for that, as only 2020 DeAndre Hopkins has ever put up over 1,000 yards in a full season with Murray under center.

McCarthy led the team to a 4-0 record while posting a sparkling 100.4 passer rating in his last four games of the year, while also helping Jefferson rack up 186 yards in his final two starts (though 53 of those yards came with Max Brosmer as the QB).

McCarthy might not start the year as the team's QB1, but once they figure out Murray isn't the "high-floor" option everyone makes him out to be, the Vikings will choose McCarthy to lead their franchise moving forward.

Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow Will Underachieve Once Again…

Allowing the Steelers to Repeat as AFC North Champions

Mike Tomlin's departure from the Steelers signaled the end of an era, and while the hiring of Mike McCarthy was uninspiring to most, he and GM Omar Khan have put together a solid roster and coaching staff for the final season of Aaron Rodgers' legendary career.

"This is it."

Aaron Rodgers says he will retire after the 2026 season. pic.twitter.com/mjPADJdRLY

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 20, 2026

Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard will give Rodgers more options than he had last year, and Rico Dowdle will be a great rotation option for the underrated Jaylen Warren. New DC Patrick Graham also earned rave reviews for his time in Las Vegas despite the lack of defensive depth on the roster.

Despite their great outlook, many still believe the Steelers won't repeat as AFC North champions. The Ravens are still favored, even though Trey Hendrickson was their only major addition.

Jackson was woeful to end the 2025 season following his hamstring injury, as he had eight total touchdowns to eight turnovers with an 82.6 passer rating in his last eight games.

He is 29, which is quite old for a scrambling quarterback, and his injuries have been piling up for a while now. It feels like we may never see prime Lamar again.

As for Joe Burrow's Bengals, they spent big on their defense, adding Dexter Lawrence II, Jonathan Allen, and Boye Mafe. Burrow's game will obviously age better than Jackson's; however, he has missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons and has missed over 31% of the team's games in that span due to injuries.

All fantasy managers who drafted Jackson and Burrow in 2025 were burned, same with those who drafted Burrow in 2023 and Jackson in 2021 and 2022.

They're not the sexiest choice, but the Steelers have the most stable team in the division, and will win the division as their rival star QBs will underachieve once again.

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