SportsLine model flags Nabers, Cook as 2026 fantasy busts
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- Malik Nabers is flagged as a 2026 fantasy bust by SportsLine's model: his ADP sits around pick No. 34 but the model ranks him outside the top-15 receivers, citing an ACL tear and a follow-up spring procedure that could threaten his Week 1 availability.
- The Giants are expected to lean heavily on the run game under new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, compounding Nabers' risk profile in the second or early third round.
- James Cook is another bust call, going at ADP around No. 12 overall (fifth RB off the board) but ranked just RB No. 10 by the model, behind Derrick Henry and Chase Brown.
- Cook's model-cited red flags include a higher fumble rate last season, limited work as a pass-catcher, and Josh Allen looming as a Buffalo touchdown vulture.
- Terry McLaurin went from nearly 1,100 receiving yards and 13 TDs in 2024 to career lows of 582 yards and 3 TDs in 2025 — a decline the model had predicted before last season's drafts.
- SportsLine's model has a track record of calling A.J. Brown as a 2020 sleeper, nailing Jonathan Taylor's 2021 monster season, and predicting C.J. Stroud's 2024 step-back.
- The 2026 NFL season kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 9, with Week 1 of the preseason starting Thursday.
Why it matters: Fantasy drafters targeting Nabers in the second or early third round or Cook at No. 12 overall could be paying first-round prices for players the model — which predicted McLaurin's 582-yard, 3-TD 2025 collapse — projects to underperform after 10,000 season simulations.
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