SportsLine Model Tags Nabers, Cook as 2026 Fantasy Busts
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- SportsLine's model flagged Malik Nabers as a 2026 fantasy football bust, ranking him outside the top 15 wide receivers even though he's going off draft boards around pick No. 35, with DeVonta Smith, Nico Collins, and Zay Flowers all rated higher.
- Malik Nabers is not a lock for Week 1 after tearing his ACL last season and undergoing a follow-up spring procedure, and the Giants are expected to lean on the run game under new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
- James Cook is the model's other headline bust call, going at ADP ~13 as the fifth running back off the board but ranked only RB10 — behind Derrick Henry and Chase Brown — and tagged as a late-second or third-round value.
- The model cites Cook's elevated fumble rate last season and Josh Allen's goal-line presence as factors pushing him down the board.
- Terry McLaurin is the model's most prominent 2025 success story, falling from ~1,100 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns to career lows of 582 yards and 3 receiving TDs after the model predicted he would miss his top-50 ADP.
- The 2026 NFL season kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 9, with training camps already underway; CBS PPR ADP is led by Jahmyr Gibbs (1.53), Bijan Robinson (1.93), and Ja'Marr Chase (3.53).
- SportsLine is also fading one of the first five receivers off draft boards, ranking him barely inside the top 10 — though his identity, and the model's full rankings, are locked behind the site's subscription wall.
Why it matters: Fantasy drafters following consensus 2026 ADPs could pay early-second-round prices for Malik Nabers (ADP ~35) and first-round prices for James Cook (ADP ~13) while the model rates both well below market, with the McLaurin precedent showing its bust calls can swing season-long outcomes by steering managers away from players headed for career-low production.
