Breakouts
Last year we hit on George Pickens and Tyler Warren in this exact exercise. This year's list of 10 breakout candidates for 2026 kicks off today with picks #10 through #6: five players, all upside.
#10: Jalen Coker (WR - CAR)
Carolina's passing volume is a real cap on the ceiling here, but Coker's per-play production says he's being drafted far too late.
Down the stretch last season, his statistical peripherals were nearly identical to teammate Tetairoa McMillan's.
Ranked 19th in the NFL in yards per target (9.2) in 2025, showing legit high-end efficiency on a per-play basis.
Head coach Dave Canales publicly named him the clear No. 2 receiver behind McMillan after the season, and Carolina tendered him as an exclusive rights free agent to lock him in cheaply for 2026.
Coker is going several rounds after a player who produced like him. That gap is the value. And if they’re similar again, Coker will be seen as the better pick.
#9: Jonah Coleman (RB - DEN)
He's third on Denver's depth chart on paper, but everything about his profile and this backfield says his number could get called fast.
A true 3-down profile out of Washington: Sean Payton has specifically praised his pass protection, and the head coach's own comparisons to J.K. Dobbins matter.
In college, he posted 156 carries for 758 yards and 15 touchdowns, adding 31 catches for 354 yards… that’s elite scoring production paired with proven receiving ability.
Dobbins is the clear RB1 for now, but he's missed significant time in multiple seasons, meaning Coleman's path to weekly relevance is one injury away.
With J.K. Dobbins already dealing with a soft-tissue injury, Coleman is a real candidate to become the early-down back in Denver.
#8: Tucker Kraft (TE - GB)
Before a torn ACL ended his 2025, Kraft was playing like a top-5 tight end, and the recovery timeline lines up perfectly with Week 1.
Finished as the overall TE24 only because he missed nine games, but ranked 6th at the position with 14.7 fantasy points per game… the TE4 on a points-per-game basis before the injury.
Led all qualified tight ends in yards after catch per reception (9.1), the league's premier YAC producer at the position.
Ranked 2nd among TEs in yards per route run (2.56) with a 33.3% red zone target share and 6 touchdowns in just 8 games.
His knee slowed him in camp, but he's expected to be cleared for Week 1, and a healthy Kraft can easily finish top-5 at the position.
#7: Blake Corum (RB - LAR)
Corum took a real second-year leap in volume behind Kyren Williams last season, and the efficiency behind it was just as impressive.
Bumped his workload to 145 carries for 746 yards and 6 touchdowns while playing in the NFL's No. 1 offense by total yards and points scored.
Ranked 2nd in the NFL in Explosive Rating (122.9) and 6th in True Yards Per Carry (4.9)… top-tier efficiency, not just added volume.
Established himself in the scoring area too, logging 27 red zone touches and 6 total touchdowns; by late season he was a weekly threat for 10 touches and often reached 12-15 depending on game script.
If his carry share creeps anywhere close to Kyren Williams's, a massive breakout is already in motion. Keep him on your radar later in drafts.
#6: Cam Skattebo (RB - NYG)
Skattebo was already producing like a weekly starter before a gruesome ankle injury ended his rookie year, and the setup around him just got even better.
Averaged 16.0 fantasy points per game and finished as the overall RB37 in only 8 games, ranking 6th in yards created per touch (3.84) and 9th in fantasy points per opportunity (0.96).
New head coach John Harbaugh and OC Matt Nagy are expected to run a ground-heavy offense in New York, with the staff already viewing Skattebo as their workhorse… and Senior Assistant Greg Roman's history of protecting mobile QBs (Lamar Jackson averaged just 4 carries per year inside the 5) points to Skattebo keeping a monopoly on goal-line work even with Jaxson Dart's legs in the building.
Fully back to normal this summer: running routes and catching passes freely, on track for Week 1, with the Giants' schedule for running backs also getting notably easier in 2026 (10th-easiest projected, up from 26th).
He's enters the season as the top guy on the depth chart (even with Najee Harris signed this week), and he's already climbing boards as a potential top-20 running back… a fully healthy Skattebo is exactly the profile that breaks out.
That's #10 through #6. Picks #5 through #1 land in the next edition.
-Joe