RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesIt's not easy to do, but predicting breakouts from a player the season before they explode is usually a formula for winning a fantasy championship. There's nothing wrong with picking a wide receiver in the sixth round who gives you a WR3 season in return, but if he turns into a WR1 by the end of the year, it's a huge advantage.
However, if you only draft for upside, you can wind up with a team that takes too long to get going and has you out of playoff contention by Halloween. So you need to pick and chose your breakout candidate, high-upside picks carefully.
Here are five players primed for a fantasy football breakout in 2026:
More: Fantasy football players to avoid: Fade these 5 stars in 2026
2026 fantasy football breakout predictions
Malik Washington, WR, Miami Dolphins
Third year breakouts are a little less common than they used to be, but Miami is going to have to throw the ball to somebody. Washington went from 26 catches as a rookie to 46 last year and is now on top of a receiving room full of rookies and underperforming vets on their second teams. We also know Washington can handle volume, as he led college football in catches in 2023 while at Virginia (110).
Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville let starting running back Travis Etienne Jr., who saw at least 52 targets in each of the last three seasons, walk in free agency and replaced him with a non-receiving back in Chris Rodriguez. That relays some level of confidence in Tuten, a fourth-round pick last year who wound up having a pretty pedestrian rookie season. Tuten's average price tag of the sixth round might be a little high, but he also has RB1 upside and score a lot of points in what should be a strong Jaguars offense.
Luther Burden, WR, Chicago Bears
Bears coach Ben Johnson recently compared Burden to two multi-Pro Bowl wide receivers that he previously coached, Jarvis Landry and Amon-Ra St. Brown. While those expectations are lofty, the 2025 second round pick did catch 47 passes as a rookie and got better every week toward the end of the season. With DJ Moore on the Bills and vacating 85 targets, Burden could make a huge leap into an every week, start him and forget about it, fantasy star.
One thing to keep an eye on is that Burden suffered a groin injury in practice on Saturday, Aug. 9. If that lingers, his breakout might be delayed, making him probably not worth his fifth round price tag.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Browns
The second-year Brown is usually one of the first eight tight ends drafted this year, so you're not getting a huge discount. But this is also a 240 pound receiving weapon who turned 107 targets into 72 catches for 731 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie. It wouldn't be surprising to see him top 100 catches and/or 1,000 yards in 2026, which only one tight end did last year (Trey McBride).
Jonah Coleman, RB, Denver Broncos
Predicting a breakout from a rookie RB is usually just an exercise in guessing about future injuries. It's hard for rookies to earn playing time without the starter going down. While that is still true for Jonah Coleman in Denver, who is behind J.K. Dobbins and also likely RJ Harvey, the rookie has been getting a lot of buzz in camp and could carve out a role even without anyone else going down. The 220 pound bruiser scored 25 rushing touchdowns combined his last two years at Washington and could find himself in the end zone a lot as a rookie.
Bonus longshot: Ja'Kobi Lane, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Whenever a third round pick is compared to both Michael Thomas (by offensive coordinator Declan Doyle) and Deandre Hopkins (running back Derrick Henry) in training camp, it's usually a sign to pump the brakes. But every once in a blue moon, it's not, and you wind up drafting a league-winning season from Puka Nacua in the 14th round. Lane is a huge target with sticky hands who could make an immediate impact.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 fantasy football breakout picks you need to know for 2026
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