
Underdog Futures: 20 Bold Yet Plausible Fantasy Football Projections for 2026
The Athletic’s 2026 fantasy football preview lays out 20 underdog predictions across QBs, RBs, WRs and TEs, including Jahmyr Gibbs as a top-10 PPR RB, Lamar Jackson returning as fantasy QB1 and MVP, Colston Loveland as a potential TE1, Brock Purdy and Kyler Murray rising into top QB tiers, Nico Collins and Jayden Reed breaking into high WR territory, D’Andre Swift seizing a lead-back role, and Chris Godwin outranking Emeka Egbuka. It also highlights rookies/late-draft sleepers like Dalton Kincaid and others, plus a notable bust risk for Cam Skattebo, all framed by system fits and injury narratives that could shape 2026 fantasy outcomes.












