Transcription
In today's video, I'm bringing you six players that are going to shock the world in fantasy football 2026. I'm bringing you a player from every single position who is a Darkhorse number one overall finish candidate. To qualify, they have to currently be go be going outside of the top six at their position in fantasy drafts. Last year on this video, we had names like Rasheed Rice, Chase Brown, Christian McAffrey, who wasn't outside the top six at that time, but we said, "Hey, this guy can be Harvey One, and John Smith. This is before he got traded uh to the Steelers." So, you know, I think we had a pretty good hit rate on last year's video, but these are the guys this year that I think are going to dominate. Do me a favor, hit the like button, hype if you're on mobile, as the kids say, and subscribe if you haven't subscribed yet. We're trying to get to 100K before week one.
Okay, the wide receiver that I think could legitimately be the wide receiver one this year and it will be considered a dark horse finish is Mr. AJ Brown. New year, new AJ Brown in New England. Oh, but I'm not a rapper. Dr. Seuss in this thing. Look, since 2019, the wide receiver one overall finish has had a couple of things in common. At minimum across the board of all those seasons, the floor has been 149 targets, 115 receptions, over 1300 receiving yards, and eight receiving touchdowns. Here are those wide receiver one finishes in totality. Okay. On average, your wide receiver one since 2019 has averaged 132 catches, 1,700 yards, and just under 13 touchdowns. So, can AJ join this illustrious group in 2026? He's a dark horse. Let me tell you why I think it's possible.
Well, it's not an exaggeration to say this is the best passing environment that AJ Brown has ever been a part of in his career or will ever be a part of in his his career moving forward. Let's look at some of his best seasons in Philadelphia, 2023 and 2022, where he scored over 17 points per game. In both of those seasons, he scored over 17 points per game despite in 2022 the Eagles were ninth in passing yards, 15th in passing touchdowns. Okay. In 2023, the Eagles were 16th in passing yards, and 18th in passing touchdowns. They were never an elite passing attack. And in those same seasons in passing attempts per game, so volume, the Eagles were ranked 21st and 24th, respectively.
Now, the environment he's stepping into this year, the New England Patriots from last year, they were fourth in passing yards, sixth in passing touchdowns, number one in yards per attempt. They had the number one passer rating with Drake May. Guys, this is not do you prefer Coke or Pepsi. This is an entirely different multiverse that AJ Brown is about to step into. Genuinely, it's an entirely different multiverse. Compare the Eagles and the Patriots passing attacks from just last year. We are looking at two different alternate realities. Yes, it is Peter Parker, but one is Andrew Garfield, okay? And and the other is Tobey Maguire, okay? We're we're two different Spider-Mans here. He is primed to step into one of the best passing offenses in the NFL and will be the unquestioned alpha number one weapon. He's about to be 29 years old and the Patriots were still willing to part with a first round pick next year to get his services this year. He's going from a wide receiver room with low volume battling out target share with Devontto Smith to a Patriots wide receiver room that is about as naked as a wide receiver room gets.
All right, I know they signed Romeo Dobs in free agency, but he's never had a season where he's demanded over a 20% target share. Booty 15% target share is his careerh high. Douglas had less than a 10% target share just last year. I personally have the Patriots projected for the third most passing yards in 2026. They were fourth last year, by the way. And I have AJ Brown projected for 99 catches, 1,400 yards, and eight receiving touchdowns. Now, the receiving touchdowns there at eight, I think, is quite conservative. That's where he has this room to grow to maybe be that wide receiver one. He put up seven touchdowns in three straight years in a below passing offense, below average passing offense in Philadelphia. If he goes crazy this year and has some sort of like 15 receiving touchdowns type of season, wide receiver one is absolutely in the realm of possibilities. If he reaches his true alpha ceiling, I believe that he could be the Devonte Adams of 2020 for fantasy football. Remember that season where he finished wide receiver 1, 115 catches, 1300 yards, and 18 touchdowns. At minimum, I think AJ Brown's a really good bet for a top six finish. And I love his current ADP in drafts. I have him ranked right beside CD Lamb, ahead of London and Nico. And he's significantly cheaper than all of those guys. I don't think there's a better start in fantasy drafts this year than going Bejun Robinson, another running back at the back end of the board and AJ Brown. I think that's an absolute cheat code.
Okay, how about the running back being drafted outside the top six that I think could be the RB1 this year? We're talking Omaran Hampton in his second year in the NFL. Look, Omaran was absolutely fantastic as a rookie. When you contextualize his year, the injury took him out for nine games. He had that ankle fracture uh on October 5th. He's had no serious injuries in his entire career. He's been as clean as a whistle. But then he came back in week 14 from that injury and they slow played him for two weeks. This is week 14 and 15 where he played just 31 and 37% of the snaps. But from week three onwards, whenever he played 50% or more of the snaps, he average ridiculous fantasy numbers. We're talking over 20 PPR points per game, over five targets per game, over a 100 total yards per game. The reason he wasn't more discussed last year as a fantasy asset is because he just wasn't available enough for us to all like lose our minds about the guy, right? very different situations to what he and Ashen Genty saw as rookies, but obviously Genty being a top six pick in in the NFL draft. You know, Hampton being a late firstrounder, per game averages, without even removing the lower snap share that he had coming back from his injury, Amaran Hampton still had right around the same amount of points per game, higher yards per carry, uh, and and more total yards per game in his rookie season. And Hampton had a very comparable rookie year to what we saw from Bejon and Jir Gibbs as rookies. In fact, Hampton had more points per game than Bejon had as a rookie. And historically, he's in great company.
In the last 25 years, two and a half decades, 11 running backs in their rookie seasons have averaged 60 or more rushing yards on 4.4 yards per carry with at least three and a half targets per game and 15 or more PPR points per game. Those running backs, look at this list, man. I mean, we're talking CJ2K, Seaquan Barkley, Bree Hall, Gibbs, Doug Martin, Dvin Cook. We've got some absolute superstars in the building. And he did all of that on an offense that was killed with injuries. By the way, the offensive line for the Chargers last year, they lost both of their superstar tackles. And Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, their offensive line was destroyed by the end of the year. PF had them ranked dead last when they look at offensive line rushing uh sorry, blocking grades for rushing. The O line literally could not have gotten worse. They will be more healthy this year. And the best part is Mike McDaniel is now in town. His running backs have been absolute studs in fantasy football. In each of the last three years, he's had a running back average 17 or more points per game in his offense. In 2023, do you guys remember this? Both Most and Achan average over 17 points per game. Then obviously Achan's done that for three years in a row. Mike Mjanos has been also targeting his running backs at one of the highest clips of any uh coach in the NFL. He has been top eight in targets to running backs each of the last three years, averaging 123 targets to running backs in the last three years and 7.3 per game. Think about it, guys. Amarian Hampton was able to average 15 points per game last year. And the Chargers offense was as mid as mid possibly gets. He dealt with injuries. He was a rookie. What is he capable of this year in a new offense with a healthy offensive line? I mean, my projections are currently very conservative, but I've got him at 16.6 points per game. I think that's very conservative. Like I said, I'm probably going to be moving them up as I get more and more confident, but I think you could have a huge, huge year.
Uh, by the way, if you want to see my projections, you know, I talk about them a lot. I've got all those available for you guys over on the 2026 draft guide that I have here. You've got projections for every single player. You've got projections for every single team. We've got the vacated targets tool. Uh, we've got the uh ultra cheat sheet, which 50,000 people used last year. I'm so excited to see what you guys think about it this year. Whatever platform you're on, you can enter your your settings directly into uh the tool that I've built for you. And then you'll know exactly what the best player is to pick every time you're on the board. It'll give you grades pick by pick. It'll tell you some strategy advice. It'll tell you who will be available if you wait on your next picks, etc. Um, I think this is the best draft guide I've ever created. You can get it by using the promo code land. And for just $34 with code land, you can get the season pass. It'll unlock the draft guide. It'll unlock rankings for the entire year. Complete access across the entire fantasy season, not just the preseason. It is the best deal in the industry. You also get to be a part of some real leagues that I host. You can enter raffles on landlags.com when you're a member. We're doing best ball drafts now. We'll do real drafts when it comes to um August. So, check that out in the pin comment if you want to support my work.
Okay. Now, I will recognize that quarterback and tight end is a lot more difficult in this video when you're trying to see like a dark horse number one overall finish than running back and wide receiver. But let's go to quarterback here. My favorite darkh horse quarterback one overall finish is Jackson Dart. For me, I have him ranked in that tier with like the Herz, Caleb Williams type of players. I think he's deserving of a lot more hype than what he's currently getting. I want you guys to think about this for a second. Jackson Dart took over as a starter for the Giants in week four. At that time, his wide receiver won Malik Neighbors dead. Okay. Tore his ACL. His RB1 and Cam Scatteraboo, his sidekick, was a huge part of the offense for four weeks with Jackson Dart. Then in week eight, dead. All right. Has a tibia fracture. So Jackson Dart as a rookie played 11 out of 11 games without his best weapon, Emily Neighbors. He played seven out of 11 games without his second best weapon and Cam Scataboo. Despite all of that, he had a ridiculously successful rookie season in fantasy football from week four onwards, averaging over 20 points per game. The quarterback six in that span, guys, since the year 2000, he is one of two rookie quarterbacks who from week four onwards averaged 20 points per game, at least 185 passing yards, over 40 rushing yards per game, and 0.8 8 rushing touchdowns per game. The list, Cam Newton, Jackson Dart, that's it. I mean, he showcased some ridiculous upside. He can continue to grow as a passer. We know there's there's a huge ceiling there as a rushing threat. There are two guys who are getting far more love than him this off seasonason who I like as well, Drake May and Caleb Williams. But why are we not giving that same love to Jackson Dart when from week four onwards, he was just as good of a fantasy asset as those guys and even better than what Caleb Williams was, right? I mean, this off seasonason, think about it. You're going to add back Malik Neighbors eventually at some point this year. You're going to have the guy, okay? You're going to add back Cam Scaboo eventually. You have a new head coach and Jim Harbaugh. Has he ever had success with developing quarterbacks with rushing appeal? I know it's Matt Naggie. He's the OC, but under Harbaugh, Jackson had two quarterback one overall seasons in the NFL draft. They added help to their offensive line. They added Malachi Fields as a deep ball threat. If he was able to average 20 points per game as a starter without his best weapons, what is he capable of doing in year number two? I think there's definitely a top six finish there for sure.
Okay, again, the tight end position is a little bit tricky. Uh, if I've earned your subscribe so far, hit the sub button, help us get to 100K. But I thought outside the box for this one. I'm going to say George KD. You know, some people are going to hate this, but I think George KD is a great answer to this question about Darkhorse Titan One. KD presents an incredibly rare opportunity for you to get an elite tight end super late in your fantasy drafts. Okay, two or more rounds later being drafted right now based off ADP than Harold Fannon, Sam Laaporta, Kyle Pittz, those type of tight ends. Here's the thing. The only reason that's happening is because of the injury. But all reports are that KD is not only recovering well from the Achilles tear, but he is ahead of schedule. talking about most people saying, "Yeah, he's going to be ready week one." Him saying, "Yeah, I'm probably going to be ready week one." In this report that ESPN released, they talk about how the tear in his heel was up high, so the surgeon didn't have to drill into the Achilles, which made a faster healing process. Uh that he's ahead of schedule, that he started jogging in May. That he spotted doing leg hops in early June, just 19 weeks after the surgery. and the case for him finishing as a tight end one. How about we just go back two years ago where he was a tight end one on a points per game basis in 2024 averaging 15.8 points per game. Is that is that an easy enough case to make? In fact, on a points per game basis, he has been top three in seven of the last eight years. What is the single biggest factor in tight end one seasons? Obviously target share, but more importantly receiving touchdowns. George KD is an elite touchdown getter. He gets them touchdowns. No tight end has more receiving touchdowns in the last five years than George KD. Him and Brock Perie just have this mindmelt in the red zone. It's an elite offense that he's a part of. They were fourth in passing touchdowns last year, third in scoring rate. If you weren't concerned about the injury, you would be drafting George K in the fourth round. Be so for real with yourself. Don't overthink it in 2026. He's an easy smash play.
Okay, I've got two bonus players for you I'm going to go through quickly. Let's talk about Rasheed Rice. He was on the video last year. I'm gonna be high on him this year as well. We're not going to talk about the off off-field stuff. But here's the deal. Rashi has been Mahomes's favorite weapon for years now. For years now. I don't know what it's going to take for people to really give him his flowers as a fantasy asset. And his rookie year from week 12 onwards averages 18 and a half points per game on a 27% target share. In 2024, before his torn ACL, he averages 21.6 6 points per game on a 33% target share. Last year with Patrick Mahomes averages 18.8 points per game, almost 10 targets and uh a 29% target share. He's been the engine of the Chiefs offense at for a long time now. And I can't see how that changes. Last year he was used in a very specific way. Quick at the line of scrimmage in the intermediate game where he is allowed to dominate after the catch. Last year he was number one in yak per reception amongst wide receivers. Guys, we are talking about prime Debo Samuel. That's what you're getting with Rasheed Rice this year. Prime Debo Samuel. All right. And he's connected to Patrick freaking Mahomes. I feel like Rasheed Rice is if he stays healthy and I understand your concerns there. But if he stays healthy, we're talking about maybe the next Amra St. Brown. Okay. The next Debo Samuel in his prime.
All right. Another RB1 overall dark horse candidate to finish the video. I hope you enjoyed the video. Go ahead and hype it if you did and hit the like button to help the channel grow here. Appreciate the love and the support. Sean Barkley. All right. I believe the Eagles are going to get back to their identity in 2026 after trading away AJ Brown. What do I mean by that? Well, last year their offense took a massive step back in efficiency. They were 26th in scoring rate right there with like the Vikings and JJ McCarthy, the Dolphins, the Panthers, right? They were 19th in points scored. They had less points scored than the Giants. Ask yourself, what made them one of the most difficult teams to beat back in 2024 when they won the Super Bowl? It was their rushing attack. In 2024, they were number one in rushing attempts, number two in rushing yards. They were number three in rushing touchdowns. Whereas last year, they weren't even top 10 in any of those categories. Okay, they've got to get back to the run game. It's a year where Saquon has come off less uh volume than he had in 2024. In 2024, Saquon Barkley had 65 less rushing attempts and six less rushing touchdowns. There's a new offense coordinator in town, Shawn Manion, who has had some time with the Green Bay Packers, who've had a very successful rushing attack themselves. So, I do think Saquon Barkley is being a little bit disrespected. He's a great pick in round number two. You know, if you're at the back end of your board and you want to start your draft with elite receiver round one, take one in round two, or you want to double tap running backs, I think that's a fantastic start to your drafts this year.
Guys, I appreciate you watching the video. Do me a favor. Again, if you haven't subscribed yet, help me reach 100K. Uh, last thing I'll say, if you want to support my content and get the best deal in the fantasy industry, a lot of people are going to sell you a lot of things this offseason. I promise you, without a shadow of a doubt, this is the best deal. $34.99 for the entire fantasy season, draft season, in season. It covers the entire year, the season pass. Use a promo code land. When you sign up, you get my draft guide. Okay? You'll get all the cheat sheet information. Uh and check that out in the pin comment. Uh about 20 cents per day. It's wild. I'll see you guys in the next video. Nothing but love.
>> This is Chad. Last year, Chad joined his friend's fantasy football league for the first time. He drafted the worst team possible and finished last place. A year later, he lost his job, his wife left him, and his kids no longer respected him. Don't be like Chad. Get the season pass for just $34 with the promo code land. Draft day has never been so easy.