SportsLine Model Flags Nabers, Cook as 2026 Fantasy Busts
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- SportsLine's model flagged Giants receiver Malik Nabers as a 2026 bust, ranking him outside the top 15 receivers despite an ADP around pick 30, citing his torn ACL, a follow-up spring procedure, and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy's expected run-heavy scheme.
- The model also tagged Bills running back James Cook as a bust, placing him at RB10 behind Derrick Henry and Chase Brown despite an ADP around pick 12, pointing to a higher 2025 fumble rate and a non-elite target profile out of the backfield.
- SportsLine accurately predicted Terry McLaurin's 2025 collapse — career lows of 582 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns after a 1,100-yard, 13-TD campaign — and also identified past sleepers like AJ Brown (2020), Jonathan Taylor (2021), Derrick Henry (2019), and Davante Adams (2017).
- The model simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times to generate its 2026 fantasy rankings, with CBS PPR ADPs at the top led by Jahmyr Gibbs (1.60), Bijan Robinson (1.80), and Ja'Marr Chase (3.20).
- SportsLine is fading one of the first five receivers off draft boards, ranking him barely inside the top 10 and calling him one of the biggest 2026 busts — a name only revealed at SportsLine.
Why it matters: Drafters reaching for Nabers at ADP ~30 or Cook at ADP ~12 risk burning premium picks on a model-projected bust, while anyone who followed last year's McLaurin flag avoided a 582-yard, 3-TD season; the model's track record across McLaurin, AJ Brown, Jonathan Taylor, and Derrick Henry gives its 2026 bust list unusual credibility heading into September drafts.
