Top Breakouts
Last year we hit on Drake Maye and Javonte Williams in this exact exercise. Yesterday we covered #10 through #6. Today we close it out with the top 5, capped by the riskiest, highest-upside name on the whole list.
#5: Emeka Egbuka (WR - TB)
Egbuka was already flashing WR1 upside as a rookie before a midseason injury slowed him down, and this offseason cleared out every obstacle standing between him and a true breakout.
Racked up 40 catches for 677 yards and 6 touchdowns through his first nine games before a Week 6 hamstring strain interrupted his rookie surge.
Ranked 9th in the NFL in targets (127) and 2nd in unrealized air yards (959), signaling a much higher ceiling once his efficiency catches up to his volume.
Mike Evans' departure hands him the undisputed WR1 role, and new OC Zac Robinson plans to move him into a more natural "Z" receiver spot that better fits his skill set.
An issue with turf toe recently popped up and it’s worth monitoring, but he has zero competition atop the depth chart, and a coaching staff building around him, Egbuka is one of the clearest breakout bets on the board this year.
#4: Jaxson Dart (QB - NYG)
Dart was an every-week starter as a rookie and produced like one, and the supporting cast around him is only getting stronger.
Finished 2nd among QBs with 9 rushing touchdowns and ranked 3rd in fantasy points per dropback (0.66)… elite efficiency even without Malik Nabers for much of the season.
New OC Matt Nagy is expected to build the offense around Dart's mobility, and the Giants used the draft and free agency to upgrade around him, adding OT Francis Mauigoa and TE Isaiah Likely.
His schedule gets significantly friendlier too, jumping from a middle-area slate for QBs in 2025 to the 5th-easiest projected in 2026.
With a healthier, more talented supporting cast, Dart is about to go off.
#3: Isaiah Likely (TE - NYG)
Too many Giants on this one? Maybe. But, we've seen the flashes in Baltimore. Now he finally has the clear opportunity to be a featured target.
Signed a 3-year, $40M deal to reunite with former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, and steps into Wan'Dale Robinson's vacated 140 targets.
Showed his ceiling in flashes last season: 5 catches for 95 yards in one December outing and a 4-catch, 25-yard, 1-TD game the following week.
The path to targets is wide open: former starting TE Daniel Bellinger AND slot target hog Wan’Dale Robinson left for Tennessee, and the Giants have already featured Likely as one of Jaxson Dart's favorite targets in camp.
A clean bill of health and a real role finally line up for Likely at the same time.
#2: Omarion Hampton (RB - LAC)
Hampton was already playing like an RB1 before his injury, and the coaching change might unlock even more.
Was on pace for 300 opportunities and 60 receptions before the injury, and still averaged 15.1 fantasy points per game: RB1-level production even in a limited sample.
Became the undisputed lead back after Najee Harris's injury, commanding a 69.7% opportunity share and logging 28 red zone touches in just 9 games.
Mike McDaniel now calls the plays. He’s the same coach who unlocked De'Von Achane. And now he’s running behind an offensive line upgraded with new center Tyler Biadasz and healthy tackles Slater and Alt.
A full, healthy workload in McDaniel's scheme gives Hampton legitimate top-3 fantasy RB upside.
#1: Christian Watson (WR - GB)
Watson was already elite on a per-play basis in a limited role… now the target competition is clearing out of his way.
Ranked 15th in fantasy points per game (13.2) despite playing just 10 games, and finished 4th in the NFL in yards per route run (2.65), yards per target (11.1), and yards per catch (17.5).
Green Bay's primary deep threat, ranking 3rd in the NFL in average depth of target (17.8), and the departures of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks clear the way for a much bigger target share in 2026.
Just signed a 4-year, $110.5M extension through 2030, cementing him as a long-term centerpiece of the Green Bay passing game, and closed last season with back-to-back explosive games (89 yards/2 TD, then 113 yards/1 TD).
The efficiency was already there. So with the target competition gone, Watson has legitimate top-10 fantasy receiver upside as our #1 breakout on the list.
That's the full top 10. Same time tomorrow for the next list.
-Joe