Nabers, Cook Flagged As 2026 Fantasy Football Busts
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- SportsLine simulated the 2026 NFL season 10,000 times and released updated Fantasy football rankings flagging busts, sleepers, and breakouts as training camps open ahead of the Sept. 9 kickoff.
- Malik Nabers is named a bust despite an ADP around pick No. 32; the model ranks him outside the top 15 receivers, citing his ACL tear recovery and the Giants' expected run-heavy offense under coordinator Matt Nagy.
- James Cook is also flagged — his ADP sits around No. 12 overall, but the model ranks him RB10 behind Derrick Henry and Chase Brown, pointing to an elevated fumble rate and limited receiving role in Buffalo.
- The model is fading one of the first five receivers drafted in early 2026 leagues, ranking him barely inside the top 10 and calling him "one of the biggest busts in the league" (identity gated to SportsLine subscribers).
- The model's track record includes correctly predicting Terry McLaurin's 2025 collapse (career-low 582 yards and 3 TDs), plus past calls on A.J. Brown (2020 sleeper), Jonathan Taylor (2021), C.J. Stroud (2024 regression), Derrick Henry (2019), and McCaffrey/Kamara (2018).
- Top 2026 CBS PPR ADP: Jahmyr Gibbs (1.46), Bijan Robinson (1.92), Ja'Marr Chase (3.46), Puka Nacua (4.23), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (5.00), with Cook next at 12.15.
Why it matters: The source frames avoiding busts as essential to fantasy success, and the model's calls diverge from market ADP by 5 to 17+ slots for these two players (Cook at pick-12 ADP vs. RB10 model rank; Nabers at pick 32 vs. outside top-15 receivers). Drafters who follow Yahoo/CBS ADP blindly will pay premium pick value for players the model ranks closer to replacement level, shrinking their early-round edge before Week 1.
