SportsLine model names 2026 fantasy football breakouts
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- SportsLine's computer model simulated the NFL season 10,000 times and released its 2026 Fantasy football rankings, breakouts, sleepers, and busts, extending a track record that includes Derrick Henry (2019), Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara (2018), and Davante Adams (2017).
- Tetairoa McMillan was last year's flagship call — taken at WR28 ADP, he delivered 70 catches, 1,014 yards, and 7 touchdowns to finish as WR17 in CBS PPR leagues and win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
- Omarion Hampton is flagged as a 2026 breakout with an ADP of RB20, a full tier above his RB35 finish as an injury-limited rookie (9 games, 737 scrimmage yards, 5 TDs), with the model ranking him ahead of Kyren Williams and Javonte Williams.
- Malik Willis is highlighted as a breakout after signing a 3-year, $67.5 million deal with Miami, with the model ranking the No. 147 QB ahead of Sam Darnold, Kyler Murray, and Bo Nix.
- An unnamed young tight end is slotted as a top-8 fantasy TE by the model, ahead of Travis Kelce and George Kittle, with the player's identity gated behind a SportsLine subscription.
- Kyler Murray was named the Vikings' starter over J.J. McCarthy, joining ongoing QB battles in Atlanta and Cleveland as one of the first major depth-chart moves of draft season.
Why it matters: Fantasy drafters get a contrarian blueprint: the model ranks Willis at ADP 147 above QBs drafted two rounds earlier, and Hampton at RB20 despite finishing RB35 as an injury-limited rookie. Its track record — Henry, McCaffrey, Kamara, Adams, Brown, Taylor, and last year's McMillan — gives these calls more weight than typical preseason hype.
Ask SkimNews
