From league-winners to players who will break your heart, here are Scott Pianowski's 2026 fantasy football superlatives

It's the eve of the 2026 NFL season and fantasy football is set to get going. Every offseason, we share our predictions, hoping to land on the right players to lift us to fantasy football glory. Yahoo analyst Scott Pianowski hands out superlatives ahead of the start of the 2026 season on Wednesday.

The most impactful thing you can do early in your draft is land a running back superstar, and Jahmyr Gibbs checks all the boxes. He's dynamic inside and outside, terrific as a pass-catcher and tied to a Detroit offense that enjoys an easy schedule and an indoor-heavy slate. Gibbs also doesn't have to share with David Montgomery this year. The 1.01 pick is a gift this year.

Derrick Henry steps into his age-32 season, but it's possible the rules of aging don't apply to him. He's averaged a ridiculous 5.6 YPC since joining the Ravens and he's scored 34 touchdowns in 34 games. Even if Henry did lose some efficiency, he could still fall into the end zone 12-14 times. New OC Declan Doyle is probably a plus, too.

Colston Loveland's rookie year got cooking late in the 2025 season, and he was Chicago's featured target the final four games (playoffs included). The stats almost look like a misprint: 48 targets, 28-378-2. He has a legitimate chance to be the best tight end in fantasy this year, tied to a Ben Johnson-schemed offense and ascending QB talent in Caleb Williams.

Parker Washington turned into Boom Boom Washington in the final 10 games of 2025, producing at a pace that tracks to 76-1,176-7 over a full season. Jacksonville's receiving tree looks crowded at first glance, but Brian Thomas Jr. might be a limited route guy and it's likely Travis Hunter will play primarily on defense. Washington was drafted around WR30 in the late summer, priced for profit.

Although A.J. Brown has already banked 524 catches, 8,029 yards and 56 touchdowns as a pro, he's had to make do on teams focused on running the ball. And all throughout the 2025 season, it was clear the Eagles and Brown badly needed a divorce. Brown looks like a perfect fit in New England, tied to rising star QB Drake Maye and reunited with Mike Vrabel, his coach from Tennessee.

The ultimate winner of this category will likely be a backup running back who's elevated to full-time duty after a starter gets injured. We never root for injuries, but if James Cook II were to get hurt in Buffalo, Davis could spread his wings. Davis has already posted a couple of smash games (173 total yards, 152 total yards) when asked to start the last two years; there's your proof of concept.

Other backs prominent in this category include Tank Bigsby, Emmett Johnson, Mike Washington Jr. and Kaelon Black. Try to have a couple of one-injury-away candidates at the end of your bench.

Walker's ADP has risen to the 12-13 range over the last week or so, which might put him over his skis. Although Walker hit plenty of home runs in Seattle, he was hurt regularly and didn't excel as a pass-blocker. We've come to expect Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes making everything magically work in Kansas City, but the Chiefs offense has been league average for two straight years. Walker is being drafted at his ceiling.

We love to bankroll the carnival teams , which include high-flying offenses that will need to outscore opponents due to the leaky defense on the other side. Dallas feels like it's improved its defense significantly this year, but it still might be average at best. Dak Prescott and friends will be aggressive from the opening snap. The Bengals are always a good candidate for this category, and the fun Bears offense will have to outscore a problem defense.

Full disclosure — McCaffrey was listed here last season and was a legitimate league-winner. But let's also note the curious shape of McCaffrey's season — it was the heavy and curated usage from Kyle Shanahan (102 receptions, 17 total touchdowns) that sparked McCaffrey, not overall efficiency (3.9 yards per carry, 5.1 yards per touch). McCaffrey now steps into his 10th pro season and he's been a trick-or-treat player over the last six years (three smash seasons, three injury-wrecked seasons). Do you feel lucky?

London is a target hog tied to an Atlanta offense that should use a narrow usage tree, so there's a good reason he lands in the second round. But London will once again have to navigate a messy QB room, as Tua Tagovailoa looked lost all summer and Michael Penix Jr. isn't healthy right now. Sometimes you can win the race running uphill, but it's still a nervous proposition.

Brooks was a fun player at Texas, but he's also been through two ACL blowouts and has hardly played through two pro seasons (just 12 touches). The optimistic summer market pushed Brooks past Chuba Hubbard on most boards, which was probably wishcasting. Both Carolina backs will be working behind a below-average (and injury-riddled) offensive line. Sometimes it's better to root with your heart as opposed to your fantasy roster.

The 49ers have a slew of Hall of Fame candidates on their offense — McCaffrey, Mike Evans and George Kittle pop to mind. Unfortunately, McCaffrey enters his age-30 season, while Evans and Kittle are both 33. Even WR returnee Deebo Samuel Sr. is 30. Rookie WR De'Zhaun Stribling (22) looms as a key player for this San Francisco club.

Jordyn Tyson was blowing up in early camp before a hamstring injury shelved the story. Now, Tyson is likely to miss two months of action. But the Saints looked like a fun offense last year — QB Tyler Shough and head coach Kellen Moore were both right answers — and the passing tree has room for another major target along with alpha WR Chris Olave and (forever underrated) TE Juwan Johnson.

The Dolphins probably have the thinnest NFL roster, underscored by this team claiming a ridiculous seven players off waivers a week ago. Miami probably has the weakest secondary and thinnest receiver room in the league. Arizona has look-out-below potential in the loaded NFC West, especially if new coach Mike LaFleur isn't a right answer. LaFleur had a curious start to his head coaching career, running Jeremiyah Love into the ground — and into an ankle injury — in a meaningless preseason game.

Ben Johnson was everything he was promised to be last year, infusing the Bears with creative schemes and plenty of swagger, en route to a playoff spot. This year Chicago has to outscore a defense that's especially thin in the secondary, but that's probably good news to fantasy managers. Kyle Shanahan (Niners), Sean McVay (Rams) and Liam Coen (Jaguars) are other prominent play-callers we trust, and Mike McDaniel (Chargers) should be a hit in Los Angeles.