2026 Fantasy Football Breakout Candidates | Way Too Early Predictions (FFT Express)

Summary

Fantasy Football Today Express

Episode: 2026 Fantasy Football Breakout Candidates | Way Too Early Predictions
Date: February 24, 2026
Hosts: Jamie Eisenberg & Dave Richard

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Episode Overview

In this “way too early” episode of Fantasy Football Today Express, analysts Jamie Eisenberg and Dave Richard discuss their top breakout candidates for the 2026 fantasy football season. Dave presents a list of ten under-the-radar players who could make a big jump, steering clear (for now) of the obvious sophomores and rookie stars everyone will be targeting. The focus is on players positioned for increased opportunity or ready to leverage their talent for a breakout campaign—ranging from established veterans with changing roles to young talents waiting for their spotlight.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The “Obvious” Breakout Names (02:22)

• Dave kicks off by mentioning that while there are 19 names on his broad breakout radar, the first 9 are so obvious—rookies and second-year players like Ashton Gentian Omari, Ted McMillan, Emeka Egbuka, Jackson Dart, etc.—that they’re not up for deep debate just yet.

  “They're going to be on everybody's breakout list. Forget those names for now.” – Dave (02:22)

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Devonta Smith: The Late Breakout Wide Receiver? (02:50)

• First true spotlight is on Devonta Smith, especially if A.J. Brown leaves the Eagles and the team commits to Smith as the number one wideout.

  • Smith has never topped 15.5 PPR points per game; that could change with more targets.
  • “What if A.J. Brown leaves Philadelphia… and they commit to Devonta Smith as their number one wide receiver? If he clears 15.5 PPR points, that’s the best ever in his career. And I think he could do that if he was promised a ton of targets.” – Dave (02:48)

• Jamie adds:

  • The situation could be even more promising if Dallas Goedert leaves.
  • Smith could "skyrocket up draft boards if Brown and Goedert are not there.” – Jamie (03:40)

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Cardinals Wide Receiver Dilemma: Michael Wilson or Marvin Harrison Jr.? (04:08)

• Dave surprises with Michael Wilson over Marvin Harrison Jr. as his Arizona breakout pick.

  • New coaching staff, no loyalty to any wideout, and Wilson’s success when Harrison was off the field.
  • Opportunity hinges on several camp and offensive factors.
  • “I thought Michael Wilson was sensational when given the opportunity. And if he continues to get opportunities, then of course he could have his best year ever.” – Dave (05:18)

• Jamie:

  • Sides with Harrison due to higher targets and being viewed as a cornerstone, but acknowledges Wilson’s flashes.
  • “I like the setup more for Marvin Harrison compared to Michael Wilson, but we’ll see how things shake out...” – Jamie (05:18)

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Bears’ Young Wideouts: Luther Burden vs. Rome Odunze (05:52)

• Dave leans Luther Burden as a breakout, despite earlier confusion about which players made his initial list.

  • Preference for Burden based on draft capital and role flexibility (slot, outside, schemed touches).
  • “This coaching staff did draft Luther Burden. They did not draft Romo Odunze… Burden, in his second year, should be able to develop and be really, really good.” – Dave (06:54)

• Jamie echoes Burden’s upside, especially if DJ Moore departs:

  • Burden was a regime pick, flashed “much more upside.”
  • “What we saw in terms of flashes and what he can do, I think there was much more upside in the favor of Luther Burden.” – Jamie (07:19)

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Rapid Fire: Seven More Potential Breakouts (08:30)

Three Wide Receivers:

• Alec Pierce, Ricky Pearsall, Parker Washington

• Jamie picks Ricky Pearsall for deeper analysis:

  • Four games with 7+ targets; strong PPR scores in each.
  • Higher opportunity if 49ers move on from George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, or Jauan Jennings.
  • “If they get targets, they can get numbers… opportunity is necessary, staying on the field is necessary for Ricky Pearsall.” – Dave (08:54)

Deep Notes:

• Parker Washington: Flashed late last season, watch his role if Jaguars WR corps shifts.
• Ricky Pearsall: Free agency and team context could boost opportunity.
  • “We can talk a lot more about his breakout potential when he signs a new deal after being a free agent or stays in Indianapolis [and] Michael Pittman is released.” – Jamie (09:32)

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Four More Names & a Stat (09:56)

• Trey Benson (RB), Basil Tootin (RB), Arande Gadsden (TE), Isaiah Likely (TE)

• Isaiah Likely:

  • “Has nine career games with at least six targets… 12.5 PPR points in eight of the nine. Get this guy to a team where he can be part of the offense… that’s one of the easier breakouts to forecast.” – Dave (09:56)

• Jamie speculates on Likely’s landing spots:

  • Following John Harbaugh to Giants or to Atlanta “because of Kevin Stefanski and what he’s done for tight ends there if they decide to move on from Kyle Pitts.” (10:30)

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RB Outlook: Benson vs. Tootin in 2026 (11:13)

• Jamie’s scenario: If Benson is the Cardinals’ starter & Tootin takes over for the Jaguars, who’s the better pick?

• Dave picks Basil Tootin:

  • “I really love the talent. I love the offense in Jacksonville... I think Tootin can be good catching passes out of the backfield as well… a little bit worried about Benson’s health.” – Dave (11:13)

• Jamie concurs on Tootin’s higher ceiling but notes both may face competition.

  • “Yes, you got to worry a little bit about Benson’s health… maybe he’ll get that chance in 2026.” – Jamie (11:32)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Devonta Smith’s “re-breakout” potential:
  “It’s kind of surprising to go with someone who’s not in their second year or third year or fourth year in Devonta Smith.” – Dave (02:50)

• Breakout success tied to opportunity:
  “If they get targets, they can get numbers… opportunity is necessary, staying on the field is necessary…” – Dave, on Ricky Pearsall (08:54)

• Isaiah Likely stat bomb:
  “Has nine career games with at least six targets… 12.5 PPR points in eight of the nine…” – Dave (09:56)

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Important Timestamps

• Obvious Breakout Candidates List Mentioned – 02:22
• Devonta Smith Deep Dive – 02:48 – 03:40
• Arizona WR Debate (Wilson vs. Harrison) – 04:08 – 05:18
• Bears WR Debate (Burden vs. Odunze) – 05:52 – 07:19
• Rapid Fire Seven Breakouts, Wide Receivers – 08:30 – 09:32
• Running Backs and Tight Ends Picks – 09:56 – 11:32
• RB Showdown: Benson vs. Tootin – 11:13 – 11:32

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Summary Tone & Takeaways

The episode is quick, factual, and delivered in a conversational, debate-style format. Dave and Jamie predict potential fantasy breakouts not just by skill but by looking ahead at team changes, coaching staff, offseason moves, and opportunity windows. Their dialogue surfaces actionable names for way-too-early draft stashes, emphasizes the role of opportunity, and offers listeners context for brushing up on emerging players before the mainstream hype arrives.

Perfect for:

• Fantasy managers in keeper/dynasty leagues
• Listeners planning draft board strategies early
• Anyone fostering “who’s next?” discussions in their leagues

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Transcript

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[Jamie Eisenberg]

Time for some early breakout candidates here on Fantasy Football Today Express. I'm Jamie Eisenberg. That's Dave. Richard has given us 10 breakout candidates for 2026. Obviously, this list can change. It's only the end of February. Dave's got some guys that he's targeting. All right, Dave, give me the first break. Breakout candidate that we're looking at.

[Dave]

I'm actually going to give you 19 names and the first nine we're not even going to talk about. They're obvious. They are rookies from last year. They're obvious breakout candidates from Ashton, Gentian Omari and Hampton to the two stud receivers, Ted McMilla, Tedro and McMillan. Emeka Abuca. It would help if I could talk Jackson Dart, Cam Ward, Colson Loveland, Harold Fannin, Tyler Warren. They're going to be on everybody's breakout list. Forget those names for now. I still have 10 names. This is an interesting year for breakouts. By the way, Jamie, I don't know about you, but there are a lot of names that I am into. And how about a fifth year breakout of wide receiver? Maybe it's a sixth year. I guess it's a sixth year. In the case of Devonte Smith, what if A.J. brown leaves Philadelphia and the Eagles don't really do anything to replace him and they commit to Devonte Smith as their number one wide receiver. If he clears 15.5 PPR points, that's the best ever in his career. And I think he could do that if he was promised a ton of targets, stays healthy. Even if Philadelphia stayed conservative with the run, he could still fall into higher target production if there's no AJ Brown there. So that's the first name off my list and kind of surprising to go with somebody who's not in their second year or third year or fourth year in devonte Smith. I'm kind of curious to get your reaction to that.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It certainly could be the case. You know, I, I think we always talk about some of these guys that have had early career success and then they fall off a little bit. You know, what category do they fall in? And I think this is certainly a guy that can have a. Almost a. A, you know, re breakout type of. Of season. Especially if Dallas Goddard leaves on top of A.J. brown leaving. So there's a lot to love about. About his situation. So yeah, for sure. Somebody that will skyrocket up draft boards if Brown and Goddard are not there. Who's the next guy on your list?

[Dave]

Let's go west. And I, I think I know which guy I want to take in Arizona. Between Marvin Harrison Jr. And Michael Wilson, I'm going to surprise you. I think Michael Wilson is the breakout candidate in W. At in Arizona wide receiver and not Marvin Harrison Jr. I talked about this last week on the show. It's a new coaching staff. They've got no commitments or ties to either of these wide receivers. But what we saw from Michael Wilson primarily when Marvin Harrison was off the field and Michael Wilson was getting a ton of targets, can't be ignored. And this coaching staff should try and figure out which one of these wide receivers they want to try and concentrate targets on when they're not targeting or when they're not asking their quarterback rather to target Trey McBride. And it's contingent on a lot of things, including what we hear out of training camp and who the quarterback is going to be in Arizona, what the offensive line is going to return like this year. How's that defense going to be? Tons of factors. That's. This is players. These are players on a way too early list. They belong on this list. Now, I don't know if either one of them are going to be there, but I thought Michael Wilson was sensational when given the opportunity. And if he continues to get opportunities, then of course he could have his best year ever.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Absolutely could. I'm more in the Marvin Harrison camp just because of what the targets were for him compared to Michael Wilson when both were healthy and active. Harrison was the guy that was featured there. I understand your point about the regime not necessarily being tied to Marvin Harrison. I did like the fact that they just had the groundbreaking on their new practice facility and they had a handful of players there. Marvin was one of those players there, so I think he's going to be somebody that they view as a cornerstone of this franchise. I like to set up more for Marvin Harrison compared to Michael Wilson, but we'll see again how things shake out throughout the course of the off season. All right, Dave, give me one more guy. Then we're gonna take a quick break

[Dave]

and let's do the exact same thing that we did in Arizona, except in Chicago. Luther Burden, Romo Dun and DJ Moore's attendance in Chicago could be a factor. Colson Loveland. Kind of like how Trey McBride is a factor in Arizona. Maybe not to the same extent in Chicago, but that's going to be a factor. Both of these wide receivers had portions of the year where they were really good for fantasy. Which one do you think I'm more inclined to call a breakout? And which one are you more inclined to call a breakout?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I believe you had Burden on your list of the first nine that everybody's going to call a breakout. So I'm guessing you're going with Odunze.

[Dave]

I know I'm going with Burton. I liked Burden. There were four games without Odunze when he averaged 6.5 targets per game.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I'm confused. Is he part of the 19 or is he not part of.

[Dave]

No, Burden is not part of the. Burden is part of the 19. Odunze is not. For now. I like Burden as the breakout candidate.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I'm sorry. So is Burden part of the original 9 or is burden in the next 10?

[Dave]

Hey, I'm mentioning him now, so he's part of the next set.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Okay, go ahead.

[Dave]

I just, I think the way that he finished the year, how could I say the things I said about Michael Wilson and not say that about Luther Burton? More importantly, this coaching staff did draft Luther Burden. They did not draft Romo Dunes. And if Odunze is going to be pigeons into the. The outside role and Burden can work in the slot, work outside, do a lot of gimmicky stuff, then it's. It's all going to lead to more opportunities. And. And Burden, in his second year, should be able to develop and be really, really good.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

So we. We've talked about this recently. Adam and I have. I don't think you were on the show, or maybe it was an express episode where Adam brought up about Odunze's first half of the season compared to the second half of the season when he was injured and what Burden was able to accomplish the second half of the season. Then when Odunze came back at the end of the year, I think the. The one thing that Adam brought up was that his route participation rate dropped a little bit for Burden when Odunze was healthy. My counter to that was what Odunze did in the first half. There was no Coastal Love one, really, as a significant part of the offense. So I think there's a lot to like about both those guys in. In the sense of DJ Moore potentially gone, I think would be the biggest boost for both of them. Yes, I'm more in the Burden camp for exactly the reason you said. Like this is the regime that drafted him targeted him earlier than I think some people expected. And what we saw in terms of flashes and what he can do, I think there was much more upside in the favor of Luther Burton. I'm gonna take a quick break. When we come back, we're gonna go rapid fire through the rest of Dave's list. I think we only got through three, so we got seven more to go. So we're gonna take a break here on Fantasy Football Today Express. All right, we're back. All right, Dave, so let's give me the names, and I'm gonna pick two more guys that we'll discuss. So give me the other seven names of the breakout candidates.

[Dave]

We're kind of on the same wave like that. Let me do it this way. I'm going to give you three wide receivers, and then we'll do the names for the remaining four. Alec Pierce, Ricky Piersall. Parker Washington, all three breakout candidates. Which one is your favorite of those three?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Well, I think the one that hasn't really broken out yet or at least had significant flashes of breakout potential or has plague up potential, hasn't shown breakout statistics yet is Ricky Piercel. So let's talk about him.

[Dave]

Four games with seven or more targets last year, 13.5 or more PPR points in each of them. We're saying this about a lot of wide receivers today. If they get targets, they can get numbers. It means opportunity is necessary. It means staying on the field is necessary for Ricky Pierceall. But if the 49ers don't have George Kittle to start the season, maybe they not only move on from Brandon Auk but also Juwan Jennings. They might need somebody to be that steadying force in the passing game and Pierce all could be that guy. They lower the eight out a little bit, they raise the target volume, they make him a focal point, easy guy to go after with a mid round pick.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

We'll see where Pierce ends up and we can talk a lot more about his breakout potential when he signs a new deal after being a free agent or stays in Indianapolis. Michael Pierce, Michael Pittman, excuse me, is is released as a salary cap casualty and Parker Washington looked great stretch of games last season. We'll see what role he fills for the Jaguars if Brian Thomas stays on the team and what Travis Hunter's role is in that receiving court as well. All right, what are the last few names that we got?

[Dave]

Here are the last four names and you're gonna get a stat from me with the last name that I give you. Trey Benson, Basil Tootin at running back, Arande Gadsden and Isaiah likely at tight end. And Isaiah likely has nine career games with at least six targets. Jamie 12 1/2 PPR points in eight of the nine games for Isaiah Likely get this guy to a team where he can be part of the offense and not an ancillary piece where he's only going to get three targets per game. You're hoping that he catches a touchdown, let him go out there and be a playmaker for a team. To me that's one of the easier breakouts to forecast.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

We were hoping that the Ravens move on from Mark Andrews and he would be that guy for Baltimore. They signed Andrews last year to a three year contract extension. Maybe he follows John Harbaugh to the Giants and is that guy for Jackson Dart. Maybe he goes to Atlanta which is a destination that I think a lot of tight ends would prefer because of Kevin Stefanski and what he's done for tight ends there if they decide to move on from Kyle Pitts. All right, I want to ask you just one quick question and then we'll end our express episode today. Okay, so if you we get to the summer through free agency, through the draft and we find out that the Cardinals are naming Trey Benson. They're starting running back because they've moved on from James Conner and the Jaguars let Travis ETN go and Bashel Tutin is their running back for 2026. Which of those two guys do you like better?

[Dave]

Tuton. I really love the talent. I love the offense in Jacksonville. I think it's only going to get better. I think Tuton can be good catching passes out of the backfield as well. Not that Benson can't do that, but I'm a little bit worried about Benson's health and I'm almost certain that whoever they have in Arizona, there will be somebody else taking significant work away that will be a two headed monster.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah, I think it'll probably be the same in Jacksonville, but I agree with you. I think Tootin definitely has a higher ceiling. And yes, you got to worry a little bit about Benson's health. Just frustrating that when James Conner goes down, Benson doesn't stay healthy, not able to show us or showcase what his skills could have been as the lead running back the Cardinals. But maybe he'll get that chance in 2026. All right, great list, Dave. We'll talk about more breakouts throughout the rest of the offseason. Getting some more sleepers and busts as well. This has been another fun episode of Fantasy Football Today Express for Dave. I'm Jamie. Thanks for watching and listening.

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