SportsLine model flags top 2026 fantasy football breakouts — SkimNews
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- SportsLine's model correctly predicted Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan would outperform his WR28 ADP last year; McMillan finished with 70 catches, 1,014 yards and 7 touchdowns, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year and WR17 in CBS Sports PPR leagues
- Omarion Hampton is the model's top 2026 running back breakout despite a No. 18 ADP; the model slots him ahead of Kyren Williams and Javonte Williams, who are drafted earlier on average
- Hampton's projection is fueled by the returns of Pro Bowl Chargers tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater (who combined for just six games last year) plus the addition of former Pro Bowl center Tyler Biadasz
- Hampton played only nine games as a rookie with 737 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns, but was a durable workhorse at UNC, leading the ACC in carries in both his final two seasons
- Malik Willis, signed by the Dolphins on a three-year, $67.5 million deal after stints as a backup in Tennessee and Green Bay, is flagged as a breakout at a No. 154 ADP, with the model ranking him above Sam Darnold, Kyler Murray and Bo Nix
- The model also has a young tight end ranked as a top-8 option ahead of established stars Travis Kelce and George Kittle, with the identity locked behind SportsLine's paywall
- The rankings are backed by 10,000 full-season simulations, and the model's track record extends to calling A.J. Brown as a 2020 sleeper, Jonathan Taylor's 2021 explosion, Derrick Henry's 2019 breakout and Daniel Jones' 2025 season
Why it matters: For Fantasy drafters in the final days before the September 10 opener, the model is making three concrete, ADP-defying calls: Hampton ranked above backs drafted ahead of him, Willis as a viable QB2 at No. 154, and a TE it slots inside the top eight — each representing a specific late-draft leverage point if the model's 2025 McMillan hit repeats.
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