5 Players That Will Smash Their 2026 ADP This Season
Last Word On NFL · Jake Wellington · 2026-08-24T13:09:20+00:00 · nguồn gốc
The NFL season is almost upon us, and so is the 2026 fantasy football season. With preseason games being played and camp finishing up, it’s about that time to draft the team that can make or break your fantasy football season. Finding value in players who are being undervalued and staying away from players who are being overvalued is how you build that perfect team and win your draft. Whether it’s a guy who is a huge breakout candidate, provides reliable consistency, or has league-winning upside, we are going to take a look at five different players who will smash their current ADP and why.
5 Players That Will Smash Their ADP in 2026 Fantasy Football
Saquon Barkley
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley regressed in 2025 after his dominant first season with Philadelphia in 2024, where he finished as the RB2 in fantasy football.
This year, Barkley is being taken off the board in the second round as the running back 6-7. Barkley is one of the few starting running backs in the NFL who take over 75% of snaps at the position. His volume and overall opportunities are going to be up there with the other elite fantasy backs, putting him into that category. Philadelphia’s offense as a whole should be better with new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion coming into town.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ pass game will be expanded compared to Kevin Patullo’s offense from last year. That means two things: a more effective screen game and a stretched-out field, lightening up the box for the run game. Both options are positive for the eight-year veteran. All the signs point to Barkley returning to that elite fantasy football status and finishing as a top-five back in the 2026 season.
Garrett Wilson
Heading into his fifth year in the NFL, wide receiver Garrett Wilson expects to get back on track after an MCL injury derailed his 2025 season.
Wilson’s ADP is a little all over the place, but he is in that middle to late fourth-round range, which is wide receiver 16-20. The Jets wideout has been a target-share machine so far in his NFL career, and expect more of the same with quarterback Geno Smith back in New York.
Wilson showed in the first Jets preseason game that he is healthy and ready to go after an impressive, contested catch over the middle of the field vs. Tampa. Wilson provides such a high floor with the expected targets that he will get this season. With that, he becomes a smart pick in the fourth round, giving you a consistent wide receiver 2 with wide receiver 1 upside.
Emeka Egbuka
Buccaneers second-year wideout looks to have a true breakout season after showing signs of being one of the more elite young talents at the position during his rookie season.
Egbuka took the league by storm through the first six weeks last season before the wide receiver’s season took a turn. The rookie suffered a hamstring injury, adding to Tampa’s list of injuries. The offense struggled after the bye week in Week 9, and that led to the underwhelming finish from the team. With a fully healthy offensive line and a healthy Baker Mayfield, the wideout should turn into a real league winner.
Emeka ranked seventh in targets in the NFL with 127 and second in deep targets with 27. The fact that he saw that usage as a rookie who was banged up the second half of the season is unreal, not to mention 12-year Bucs legend Mike Evans signed with San Francisco this offseason. The wideout is getting taken in the fourth and into the fifth round as WR 19-21. Egbuka recently suffered a toe sprain in joint practices, which has put an even bigger discount on his ADP that is already too low. He’s a great buy who should produce a ton of fantasy points this season.
Travis Etienne Jr.
New Orleans Saints signed running back Travis Etienne to a four-year deal to join the Saints.
The team is already dealing with multiple injuries on the offensive side of the ball, with rookie wideout Jordyn Tyson sidelined for two months with a hamstring injury and backup running back Alvin Kamara sidelined for at least one week with an MCL sprain. Not the best news for a team that is looking to get on top of a weak NFC South in 2026. With the early injuries to the offense, it does provide more opportunities on top of the workload Etienne was already going to get. The Saints’ offense was impressive last year down the stretch, led by first-year head coach Kellen Moore and rookie quarterback Tyler Shough.
Etienne is getting drafted as the 19th running back off the board this year despite finishing as the 10th running back in 2025. A lead back in an offense trending in the right direction with the second-weakest division in football is a recipe for success. Etienne will provide a lot more consistency and productive weeks than other running backs in his range.
Jaylen Waddle
Denver was a great landing spot for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle; he went from a bad situation in Miami to a contender with the Broncos, who were in desperate need of a big playmaker at the position.
Head coach Sean Payton has already said that Waddle will be used on the inside and outside, along with different packages designed for his skill set. This is great news for Waddle owners, as it seems like things are trending in the right direction for Waddle to have a huge year. Last year, the Bronchos ranked as the 11th-best pass offense in that league, and Waddle should fit in perfectly and add serious production. Denver’s wideouts’ ADP is way too low for the volume and excitement he adds. We can expect to see Waddle smash his current ADP, being taken at WR 21-24.
We have seen what Waddle is capable of, already smashing the 1,000-yard mark in three of his first five years in the league. Being in a better-run system should help his consistency, and he should provide you with a solid WR 2 or flex option this fantasy season.