Fantasy football rankings 2026: Breakouts by model that called Tetairoa McMillan's huge season
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- SportsLine's model simulated the 2026 NFL season 10,000 times and released Fantasy football rankings naming Chargers RB Omarion Hampton and Bears WR Luther Burden III as primary breakout picks.
- Omarion Hampton is tabbed as a 2026 breakout after a rookie season cut to nine games (737 scrimmage yards, 5 TDs, RB35 finish); the model slots him ahead of Kyren Williams and Javonte Williams despite those RBs being drafted earlier on average.
- Hampton's case is bolstered by the return of Pro Bowl tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater (who combined for just six games last year) plus new center Tyler Biadasz, giving him what the model calls one of the best O-lines in football.
- Luther Burden III, a 2025 second-round pick, ranked fourth in Chicago targets (60) as a rookie and finished 47-652-2, but with D.J. Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus gone he's at worst the Bears' No. 2 receiver and actually outproduced presumptive No. 1 Rome Odunze in yards.
- The model rates Burden a top-30 wideout despite a WR50 Fantasy ADP, citing his 7.1 yards after catch per reception (3rd in NFL) and 123.1 passer rating when targeted (4th).
- The model is also bullish on an unnamed young tight end it ranks top-8 at the position, ahead of Travis Kelce and George Kittle.
- The model's track record includes correctly calling Tetairoa McMillan as a 2025 breakout (WR28 ADP, finished WR17 with 70-1,014-7 and Offensive Rookie of the Year), plus past hits on A.J. Brown (2020), Jonathan Taylor (2021), C.J. Stroud's 2024 regression, and Daniel Jones' 2025 surge.
- Breakout candidates aren't limited to rookies: the model also flags potential value on former teammates of Mike Evans, Kenneth Walker III, and A.J. Brown, who all changed teams this offseason.
Why it matters: For drafters, the model is flagging two specific ADP mismatches — Hampton going later than Kyren Williams and Burden ranked top-30 at a WR50 ADP — that could yield significant value if its McMillan-style call repeats, while an unnamed top-8 tight end pick adds a potential league-winning upside swing for those who subscribe before drafts.
