Fantasy Football: 7 players Justin Boone thinks could be league winners in 2026

Identifying the players who could define the fantasy season is one of my favorite exercises to do each year.While it's unlikely you'll be able to draft all the names on this list, building your roster around even a few of these players can significantly increase your odds of reaching the fantasy playoffs and hopefully bringing home the championship.

Boone's 2026 league-winners. (Photo by Hayden Hodge/Yahoo Sports)Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles

When it became obvious earlier this offseason that A.J. Brown's time with the Eagles was coming to an end, I didn't expect to be as interested in Hurts for fantasy. Usually, it's a bad omen when a quarterback loses their top receiver. However, the more I dug into Hurts' outlook moving forward, the more optimistic it turned out to be.

Even in a down season last year, Hurts still finished as the QB8 in fantasy points per game. That makes it five consecutive campaigns inside the top eight at his position, including finishes as the QB6, QB2, QB1 and QB7 overall.

While Hurts isn't without blame for Philly's struggles a year ago, we can easily point to former offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo's stagnant scheme as a big part of the problem. Enter new OC Sean Mannion, who will modernize their attack with more pre-snap motion and play-action. He's also challenging Hurts to evolve his game and take more chances downfield.

To do that, Hurts will need time in the pocket. Another factor that held the Eagles back last season was the health of their offensive line. Better injury luck is never guaranteed, but we can be hopeful that their starters don't deal with as many ailments this time around. Brandon Thorn of Establish the Run ranked this group as the second best set of blockers in the league.

Replacing Brown in the passing game won't be easy, but DeVonta Smith has long been an overqualified No. 2 receiver. (Spoiler: we'll discuss him more a little further down this list.)

First-round wideout Makai Lemon has missed significant time with a hamstring injury, so his impact may not be truly felt until partway through the season. Fortunately, Dontayvion Wicks has stepped up and appears to be ready for a meaningful role with his new club. That doesn't even account for superstar back Saquon Barkley and stalwart tight end Dallas Goedert.

If you're still not convinced, know that Hurts will encounter the easiest fantasy schedule of any quarterback - a major improvement from what he faced last year.

Thanks to all the talented fantasy options among quarterbacks this season, Hurts is going off the board as the QB6 near the Round 5-6 turn. I've even seen him fall to the seventh round in some of my redraft leagues this month. That's incredible value for a player who always has the potential for a transcendent season - aided by his tush-push-inflated TD scoring.

Some of my favorite builds this summer have involved me drafting two running backs, two receivers and a tight end in the first five rounds, before grabbing Hurts in the sixth or seventh.

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts

Taylor represents a very specific range in drafts, since he's almost always gone inside the top seven selections of the first round. It's an area where you want to come away with a player who can be the anchor of your fantasy lineup and we saw JT accomplish that feat last season.

While he ended the year as the second-highest scoring running back (20.9 fppg) behind only Christian McCaffrey, that included the games where Philip Rivers and Riley Leonard had to step in for an injured Daniel Jones down the stretch.

Before Jones got hurt, Taylor was the RB1 overall with 23 fppg in half PPR - ahead of CMC - through the first 13 weeks. He was also averaging 104 rushing yards per contest during that span. With Jones on the field the Colts were No. 1 in yards per play, EPA per play, success rate and points per drive. After his injury they failed to win a game and fell to 18th or worse in all those categories. Taylor dropped to just 57 yards per outing.

Even if Jones isn't 100% back to form for Week 1, having him under center will be a big boost to the offense. With him, Taylor can challenge for elite status among fantasy RBs as he goes up against the seventh easiest collection of opponents for his position in 2026, while running behind an offensive line the aforementioned Brandon Thorn ranked sixth best league-wide.

It's also safe to wonder if we could witness another career high in receptions for Taylor, after he posted 46 last year. With Michael Pittman Jr. gone and Alec Pierce dealing with an ankle injury that could sideline him at the beginning of the season, Taylor might be relied upon even more as a pass-catcher.

Few players have the talent and volume to compete for the fantasy RB crown, but Taylor is among them.

Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seahawks

Yes, we're doing this again.

Walker occupied this same space last year and began the season with two top-10 weekly RB finishes in the first three weeks, but ultimately spent most of the season splitting time with Zach Charbonnet. The Seahawks' decision to split backfield touches turned out to be the right one because it kept Walker fresh for a late-season run that helped them win the Super Bowl.

Over Walker's final six games (including three playoff contests), he averaged 128.5 scrimmage yards and nearly a touchdown per appearance. Those numbers were amplified by Charbonnet suffering a torn ACL in the postseason, but Walker's hot streak had already begun by that point. It eventually culminated in taking home the Super Bowl MVP award.

Though that hindsight analysis can't change our 2025 fantasy results, there's plenty of reason to get excited about Walker's potential this season.

Walker ended up in one of the ideal landing spots for a running back, joining a Chiefs offense that's been in desperate need of a playmaker who could elevate its ground attack.

The 25-year-old (turns 26 in October) is finally escaping the timeshare backfield in Seattle and won't face anywhere near the same competition for touches in Kansas City. By all accounts the Chiefs want to deploy Walker as a workhorse and help take some of the pressure off their passing attack.

While I don't expect him to ever catch enough passes to flirt with an elite season-long finish at his position, this move definitely puts him in consideration as a top-five fantasy RB - as long as he can stay healthy.

Whether it's Walker, Chase Brown or Omarion Hampton, the running backs in the second round of fantasy drafts offer tremendous value this year.

DeVonta Smith, WR, Eagles

Smith has played in A.J. Brown's shadow for a long time, so it's nice to see him getting an opportunity to prove he can be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL.

Fortunately, we've been given a glimpse of what that might look like already. Over the last two seasons, there have been three games where Brown was sidelined and Smith played a full complement of snaps. The results were stat lines of 6-84-0, 7-79-0 and 7-76-1 while averaging just under 10 targets per game.

It's not like Smith has been invisible with Brown on the field. Smith was the WR17 (2024), WR21 (2023) and WR16 (2022) on a per game basis, before this past season when he finished as the WR33 amid some overall struggles in the Eagles' offense.

As I outlined in Jalen Hurts' section, there are plenty of signs pointing to the Eagles having a bounce-back campaign, including their new coordinator, some better offensive health and a very soft schedule. Like Hurts, Smith also will enjoy the easiest slate at his position in 2026.

The 27-year-old (turns 28 in November) is more than capable of shining in a bigger role and with Makai Lemon battling hamstring issues, there won't be anyone around to challenge him for the top spot.

Don't be surprised when Smith finishes as a low-end fantasy WR1 this season.

Jaylen Waddle, WR, Broncos

The annual tradition of trying to uncover this season's version of last year's meaningful fantasy stars can often lead managers astray as they attempt to force comparisons.

However, this year we definitely have a clear candidate to be this season's George Pickens - and that's Waddle.

Pickens was a talented receiver who flashed high-end skills in a low-volume Steelers' passing attack with questionable quarterback play. Then he joined the Cowboys high-volume pass game, where he instantly got an upgrade at QB in Dak Prescott. Though a CeeDee Lamb injury certainly helped his fantasy cause, Pickens finished as the WR6 in fppg in his debut season in Dallas.

Now consider Waddle's situation. It's been a couple seasons since he was a true impact fantasy starter, but he still managed WR28 stats on a struggling Dolphins team last year.

If you look back to the early part of his career in Miami, Waddle produced over 1,000 yards in each of his first three campaigns, resulting in fantasy finishes of WR17, WR11 and WR22.

The Broncos paid a premium to acquire Waddle, including a first-round pick, which is a sign they view him as a key piece of their offense moving forward.

So we have a talented wideout in his prime (turns 28 in November) going to a quality offense with a better quarterback where he'll be featured as the No. 1 receiver. There's no need for an injury to open things up the way it did for Pickens in Dallas.

On top of being Bo Nix's favorite target moving forward, Waddle will get an increase in targets from Denver's high-volume approach through the air. The Broncos had the fourth most pass attempts (613) in 2025, versus the Dolphins who were third lowest in that category (479).

I'm expecting Waddle to be one of the players fantasy managers look back at after the season and wish they drafted more.

Parker Washington, WR, Jaguars

Washington being highlighted in this section shouldn't shock anyone, since it's only the millionth time I've written or spoken about him in recent months.

Maybe I'm just trying to match the number of positive quotes that have come out of Jacksonville from coaches, teammates and beat writers, who are all indicating that Washington will be the team's No. 1 receiver.

Sometimes we can travel down a misleading path when we get too caught up in partial-season stats. But the combination of Washington's strong finish in 2025 and the overwhelming praise he's getting this offseason are impossible to ignore.

Following the Jaguars' Week 8 bye, it was Washington who led the receiver room the rest of the way, putting up 90 yards and/or a touchdown in five of his last seven games. That even included a Week 13 contest where he left early due to a hip strain.

Washington was the WR19 in fppg over the final nine weeks of the fantasy season, ahead of Jakobi Meyers (WR31) who joined the team in a midseason trade and Brian Thomas Jr. (WR44) who failed to recapture the magic of his rookie campaign. First-rounder Travis Hunter was injured midseason and now projects to be a part-time offensive weapon while taking on a larger role on defense.

You can disregard the consistent drumbeat around Washington if you want, but I'm leaning all the way in on this one, as Jacksonville's wideouts prepare to face the sixth easiest fantasy schedule in 2026.

Even if he can't match his top-20 production down the stretch, Washington has a defined path to WR3 numbers - which is exactly where he's being drafted.

Tyler Warren, TE, Colts

Normally, my approach to drafting a fantasy tight end involves grabbing an elite option or waiting to find a value much later. However, I've made an exception when it comes to Warren because he's an elite fantasy TE whom you can get one, two or sometimes three rounds later than the top trio at the position.

As a rookie, Warren broke onto the fantasy scene as the TE6 in per game scoring through Week 10, before he dealt with injuries down the stretch and lost his starting quarterback Daniel Jones.

On the season, Warren led the team in targets with 112, one more than teammate Michael Pittman Jr. ,who joined the Steelers this offseason. Alec Pierce's recovery from ankle surgery is ongoing and might result in him missing time at the start of the season. Even when Pierce is active, he's far from a target hog.

Josh Downs and Keenan Allen will benefit from the situation as well, but there's a real opportunity for the sophomore tight end to dominate targets on the Colts this year.

Jones is back and looking ready to start in Week 1. Whether he maintains his mobility coming off a torn ACL is another question and could lead to more quick passing to the short-to-intermediate ranges of the field, where Warren excels.

His yards after the catch ability is also worth noting. Warren was second among all tight ends in total yards after the catch behind only Trey McBride. Warren was 13th in the league in YAC among all positions.

The 24-year-old's fantasy numbers can even be boosted by occasional deployment from the backfield. That was part of his game in college and he earned six carries last season, even scoring a touchdown on the ground.

Warren has a lot of the things we're looking for in an elite fantasy tight end, especially the potential to lead his team in targets and add value after the catch. Consider him Brock Bowers-lite, with an outside chance to compete for the TE1 overall throne.