Pierce, Tuten, Walker: 2026 Fantasy football calls
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- SportsLine's model simulated the NFL season 10,000 times to produce 2026 Fantasy football rankings for PPR and non-PPR leagues, with a track record that includes calling Daniel Jones' 2025 breakout, Jonathan Taylor's 2021 monster season, Rachaad White's 2023 breakout, and Isiah Pacheco as a 2025 bust.
- Alec Pierce (Colts WR) is flagged as a top sleeper after posting a 47-1003-6 line and 21.3 yards per reception (2nd in NFL) in 2025; his ADP sits around No. 67 due to an ankle injury, and the model ranks him above Maik Nabers and Justin Jefferson.
- Bhayshul Tuten (Jaguars RB) is the model's breakout pick after 386 yards and 7 touchdowns as a rookie, with the fastest 40-yard dash among RBs in the 2025 draft class; Travis Etienne's departure to New Orleans leaves Tuten atop the depth chart.
- Kenneth Walker III is flagged as a bust at his pick No. 23 ADP, with the model noting no Kansas City back has cleared 1,000 rushing yards since 2017 and Walker missing at least one game in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
- The 2026 Fantasy ADP (PPR, via CBS) lists Jahmyr Gibbs (1.46), Bijan Robinson (1.90), Ja'Marr Chase (4.00), Puka Nacua (4.60), Jonathan Taylor (5.56), and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (6.38) as the top six, with Josh Allen the first QB off the board at pick No. 21.
- Brock Bowers and Trey McBride are deadlocked as the first tight ends off the board at pick No. 27, while the model ranks an unnamed tight end in the top 8 ahead of Travis Kelce and Sam LaPorta, gated behind SportsLine's paywall.
Why it matters: SportsLine's model just gave Fantasy drafters the first set of 2026 rankings with specific quantified calls on three names the market is treating very differently — Alec Pierce at No. 67, Bhayshul Tuten at No. 57, and Kenneth Walker III at No. 23 — meaning early drafters now have a concrete contrarian case against consensus on each, contingent on the model's track record holding.
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