2026 NFL Season: 10 BOLD Predictions

The NFL offseason is full of activities, including Free Agency, trades, the NFL Draft, OTAs, minicamps, etc. There is a lot to piece together following all of these, especially when it comes to Fantasy Football analysis. The offseason is also full of “hot takes” for what can happen in the coming season.

What is important for any hot take or bold prediction is to at least have context behind it. Tossing darts is one thing, but tossing a calculated dart is another. For the 2026 NFL Season, here are 10 bold predictions with context behind them that I have put together. Hopefully, I can lace up the shoes and take a victory lap on some of these later on! If not, just pretend this article never happened. Let’s get it

2026 NFL Season: 10 BOLD Predictions

1. Brock Bowers Leads the NFL in Targets

As a rookie in 2024, Brock Bowers broke the single-season rookie tight end target record with 153. Bowers would then command a 23.6% target share in 2025, but unfortunately played a shortened season due to a lingering knee injury. The Raiders upgraded their quarterback room this offseason with the additions of veteran Kirk Cousins and rookie Fernando Mendoza, but only really added Jalen Nailor to the wide receiver room. Nailor earned a career-high 53 targets last season with the Vikings. Tre Tucker earned 92 targets last season (with Bowers playing 12 games), and no other wide receiver recorded 50 targets on the team.

Ja’Marr Chase led the NFL with 185 targets last season and Trey McBride led all tight ends in targets with a record 169 targets. Bowers is perceived by many as the most talented tight end in the league, and with one of the weakest wide receiver rooms in the NFL he truly has a shot to earn a record number of targets in 2026. You can also argue that Bowers has less target competition than almost every elite wide receiver in the NFL heading into 2026.

2. Dak Prescott Leads the NFL in Both Passing Yards and Passing TDs

Dak Prescott bounced back in 2025 after playing just eight games in 2024, with 4,552 passing yards (#3) and 30 passing touchdowns (#4). This production came with CeeDee Lamb missing three games and possibly not being 100% for others due to a high ankle sprain. In George Pickens first season with the Cowboys last season, he produced a team-high 1,429 receiving yards, Lamb still produced 1,077, and tight end Jake Ferguson recorded 600.

Back in 2019, Dak passed for 4,901 yards, and he also recorded 37 passing touchdowns in 2021, so we have seen the elite upside through the air. Prescott, with a full healthy trio of Lamb, Pickens, and Ferguson, can easily lead the NFL in all passing categories. Even if the defense has improved this offseason.

3. Tyler Warren Scores 10+ TDs

First-round rookie Tyler Warren had a solid rookie campaign overall, but was much more productive before Daniel Jones’ Achilles’ injury last year. In Weeks 1-13, with Jones healthy, Warren ranked fourth in targets and third in receiving yards for the position. Warren finished the season ranked fourth in red zone targets (21) via Playerprofiler, which is a great foreshadowing stat to note here for 2026 that could mean big touchdown production.

Daniel Jones was extended this offseason and will return, which is great for Warren due to their connection. Michael Pittman Jr. is now a Steeler, and vacates 111 targets from last year, so there are fewer mouths to feed. Only two tight ends scored double-digit touchdowns in 2025, but Warren can be one to do just that in 2026.

4. Wan’Dale Robinson Out-Targets Carnell Tate

The Titans made two significant moves at wide receiver this offseason to support their quarterback, Cam Ward: 1) they signed Wan’Dale Robinson to a four-year, $78 million contract, and 2) they selected Carnell Tate out of Ohio State with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Robinson is coming off back-to-back seasons with 140 targets and reunites with his Head Coach during those seasons, Brian Daboll, who is now the Titans’ offensive coordinator. Robinson ran the most slot snaps in 2025 and can be Ward’s easiest outlet, and maybe most reliable. Consensus will have Tate as the Titans’ WR1, but that could mean in the categories of receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and total Fantasy Points. Tate is not a proven target earner necessarily, so while he might be the “alpha,” that does not mean he will necessarily earn the most targets in 2026 for the Titans.

5. Brian Thomas Jr. Finishes With 1,200+ Receiving Yards

Brian Thomas Jr. had a “sophomore slump” in 2025, producing 707 receiving yards through 14 games played after a stellar rookie season the year before, where he produced 1,282 yards. Jakobi Meyers was a solid contributor in 2025, which led to an extension, and Parker Washington had some huge games that made him look like a rising star. Context for a down 2025 for Thomas includes an ongoing wrist issue, a right shoulder injury, and a high ankle sprain.

Thomas was still #7 in the average depth of his target and #8 in deep targets for the position via Playerprofiler. In 2024, Thomas finished #4 in yards after the catch and #7 in yards per route run. These statistics show elite opportunity and efficiency. This is a guy who produced 1,177 receiving yards for LSU in 2023, playing alongside Malik Nabers, who is far better of a talent than any other Jaguar. I will also not be just sweeping BTJ’s rookie season under the rug. The bounce-back can be huge in 2026 while many people will sleep on it.

6. Kenneth Walker III Finishes as a Top 5 Fantasy RB

Following a Super Bowl victory and also being awarded the Super Bowl MVP last season, Kenenth Walker III received a three-year $45 million deal with the Chiefs this offseason as a Free Agent. Walker was elite in the NFL Playoffs, following the Zach Charbonnet injury, averaging 139 total yards per game. KWIII has fished 2/4 seasons with 1,000+ rushing yards and proved he could be an asset in the passing game in 2024 when he averaged 3.83 receptions per game.

Walker will now join a Patrick Mahomes-led offense, where plenty can be opened up for him as a dual-threat running back due to the quarterback at hand (when healthy). I was a big fan of Emmett Johnson as a prospect, who was selected by the Chiefs in round five, but that sort of capital does not guarantee work as a rookie. Mahomes has never played with a running back who rushed for 1,000+ yards, and will finally get that in Walker for 2026, who can explode in this Chiefs offense. KWIII will make the Chiefs offense better, and the Chiefs offense will truly unlock him this season.

7. Kaytron Allen Leads Washington RBs in Rushing Yards

The Commanders selected Kaytron Allen in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Penn State. Not great capital, but I was a big fan of Allen as a prospect, who is Penn State’s All-Time Leading Rusher (4,180). Allen consistently was a rushing producer with seasons of 867, 902, 1,108, and 1,303 yards from 2022 to 2025, where he shared a backfield with Titans’ rookie running back Nicholas Singleton.

The Commanders signed Rachaad White to a one-year, $2 million contract, but he profiles as a solid pass-catching back. Jacory Croskey-Merritt rushed for 805 yards as a rookie last year, but was losing his role at times to Chris Rodriguez (now a Jaguar), and I viewed him as a much lesser prospect than Allen. Allen’s high rushing production and consistency at a high level through his college career can win him the early down role for the Commanders in 2026, especially with weaker competition.

8. Ricky Pearsall Leads San Francisco in Receiving Yards

Ricky Pearsall has played nine then 11 games the last two seasons due to injuries, but we did see some very positive signs out of him in 2025. Pearsall finished the year #14 in yards per target and #19 in yards per reception last season, which is a mix of upside and efficiency for yardage. Via Playerprofiler, Pearsall also finished 2025 #23 in yards per route run. Pearsall produced 100+ receiving yards in two of his first four games before his injury.

Mike Evans is in town now, the king of 1,000+ yard receiving seasons, but he is 32 years old and is coming off playing just eight games due to injury. I do believe Evans could be a double-digit touchdown scorer for Brock Purdy in 2026, but a healthy Pearsall, I still believe, can lead the team in yards based on his upside and efficiency flashes. De’Zhaun Stribling was a second-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft by the 49ers, which was shocking to many, and while he can turn into a productive receiver, I doubt it will be in his learning rookie season. Everyone is sleeping on Pearsall.

9. Saquon Barkley Leads the NFL in Rushing Yards

Saquon Barkley had a massive 2024 season, rushing for 2,005 yards in his first year as an Eagle on a 5.8 yards per carry rate, which ultimately led to a Super Bowl Championship. Saquon and the Eagles all felt like they dipped in production for 2025, though, and Barkley finished the year with 1,140 yards on the ground. Huge drop off in production, but still respectable numbers. Barkley did manage to produce 120+ rushing yards three times last season, which shows he still has the juice for some major rushing upside.

A new offensive coordinator hire in Sean Mannion could be a boost to this Eagles offense in 2026, which seemed to lose their identity in 2025. The Eagles are likely to lose AJ Brown, but adding quality youth in first-rounder Makai Lemon and second-rounder Eli Stowers to the passing game could also open things up on the ground for Saquon. We just saw beyond elite rushing upside out of Barkley with the Eagles in 2024, and 2026 could mean bouncing back to leading the NFL on the ground once again.

10. Caleb Williams Wins the NFL MVP Award

Caleb Williams and the Bears took a huge step forward under Ben Johnson in 2025, finishing with an 11-6 record, winning the NFC North, winning in the Wild Card Round, and then finishing the year with an OT loss in the Divisional Round. Williams finished the year in the top seven in all of passing yards (3,942), passing touchdowns (27), and rushing yards (388). DJ Moore is now a Buffalo Bill, but the ceilings for all of Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland, and Rome Odunze are all high as these three are all major breakout candidates for 2026.

What Ben Johnson was able to do with the Bears in his first season was very impressive, and could just be scratching the surface for what is to come. Williams is a dual-threat playmaker with great coaching, a very promising supporting cast, and is someone who can take an individual leap forward for 2026. If the Bears take the North again and Caleb’s numbers go up, it could lead to an MVP Season. He is that good, despite all of the hate, and he will prove that yet again.