Tier 7: The “Is This a Pigeon?” Tier (Continued)
You aren’t sure if they’re a superstar or role player, but you’re starting them.
81. Kyle Monangai, RB, CHI (RB34)
Kyle Monangai is a name you need to remember for 2026 because, even playing second fiddle to D’Andre Swift, he scored five touchdowns and posted double-digit fantasy points in all but two games in which he had at least 10 touches. Monangai has mouth-watering upside, and even with Swift sticking around, I love Monangai as a solid FLEX with upside for spike weeks. We’ve seen two backs be fantasy-viable in a Ben Johnson offense before.
82. Jonathon Brooks, RB, CAR (RB35)
Out of sight, out of mind. People forget too easily how highly touted Jonathon Brooks was coming out of Texas. Chuba Hubbard is the guy I said had literally zero explosive runs. The Panthers lost Rico Dowdle but “added” AJ Dillon this offseason, which makes me even more confident in Brooks’ bounce-back potential. Brooks is one of my favorite sleepers for 2026.
Tier 8: The “Oops!… I Did It Again” Tier
You lose all your senses and can’t stop drafting these guys.
83. Isiah Pacheco, RB, DET (RB36)
Isiah Pacheco is fun to watch run the football. He looks like a toddler running away from his parents at bedtime. Sadly for Pacheco, his lead-back days have officially gone night-night. Among running backs with at least 100 rushing attempts, Pacheco had the 2nd-lowest explosive run rate and was one of two players under 4%. However, it is not the end. I’m intrigued by Pacheco cosplaying in the David Montgomery role. New Lions OC Drew Petzing‘s run game has produced with much less talented backs than Pacheco. If you’re able to get him outside the top 150, sign me up.
Also, rumor has it Pacheco wants people to start calling him “Taz” as a nickname.
84. Alec Pierce, WR, IND (WR37)
Alec Pierce emerged as the Colts’ top wide receiver and one of the most explosive in the league. He led the league in average depth of target (19.4), yards per target (11.94), and yards per reception (21.34). He’s a free agent, but it sounds like the Colts are going to make a major push to keep him. To emerge from the logjam of pass catchers in Indy, he’s shown he can be a fantasy force even in a crowded receiver room. Pierce is my perfect WR3 target and someone I hope to draft a lot of next season. Pierce resigned with Indy and has an even safer floor with Pittman heading to Pittsburgh. That floor drops significantly if Daniel Jones isn’t ready to start the season and the Colts are forced to start either Anthony Richardson or Riley Leonard.
85. Drake Maye, QB, NE (QB7)
Drake “Drake Maye” Maye had an MVP-caliber regular season: first in completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passer rating, all while throwing the third-most touchdowns (behind Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff). Maye also has a bit of wiggle, adding 450 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. But the postseason was another story. Maye had a 6:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio, lost four of seven fumbles, and was sacked a record 21 times. The inequities of the New England offensive line were in plain sight, putting a damper on an otherwise outstanding season. This offseason, the Pats swapped out Stefon Diggs for Romeo Doubs, and the long-rumored trade for AJ Brown finally came to fruition. He’s easily a QB1, but I still hesitate to draft him among the top five quarterbacks on the board. It feels like buying all the risk.
86. Tucker Kraft, TE, GB (TE6)
Tucker Kraft was enjoying a career year before being blindsided by a torn ACL, totaling nearly 500 receiving yards and six touchdowns in just eight games. Kraft tied Brock Bowers and George Kittle for TE2 on a points-per-game basis. Still just 25 years old, even if he starts training camp on the PUP List, he’s fully expected to be ready to roll Week 1. With fewer mouths to feed thanks to the exits of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, Kraft should pick up right where he left off.
87. Isaiah Likely, TE, NYG (TE7)
Isaiah Likely followed John Harbaugh to New York this offseason, and has a golden opportunity to live up to the hype of years past. His athleticism and explosiveness give him mouthwatering upside, and I LOVE his potential as a top target for Jaxson Dart. In 11 starts, Dart targeted the tight end position on 44% of red zone targets and 35% of end-zone targets, with tight ends accounting for seven of Dart’s 11 touchdown passes. With Malik Nabers’ timetable uncertain and Wan’Dale Robinson gone, Likely is set up for success. We FINALLY got the Kyle Pitts breakout. Can we get Isaiah Likely next?
88. Kyle Pitts Sr., TE, ATL (TE8)
Good things happen when you get Kyle Pitts the ball, and it finally seems like the Falcons have figured that out. It’s a little too late for Raheem Morris, but new head coach Kevin Stefanski wasn’t afraid to feature the tight end in Cleveland, a promising sign for Pitts’ future. Pitts finished in the top five in yards per route run and yards after contact per reception, setting career highs across the board and earning his first top-five fantasy finish. #KylePittsSZN was finally real, and it was spectacular.
89. Emmett Johnson, RB, KC (RB37)
It’s a rather shallow rookie class from a fantasy football perspective, but there are still valuable assets as long as you keep your expectations in check. Emmett Johnson has playmaking ability as a pass catcher, reading the field and slipping past defenders. But he lacks elite speed (his 4.56 40 was the worst among RBs at the combine) and sits a bit undersized at 5’11”, 200-ish lbs. That said, he handled one of the heaviest workloads in the country without missing a day in 2025. Johnson couldn’t have ended up in a better situation. If he takes over that Kareem Hunt/3rd down back role, he’ll have weekly FLEX viability (while simultaneously throwing cold water on the Kenneth Walker hype).
90. Trevor Lawrence, QB, JAC (QB8)
Trevor Lawrence had the best season of his career in 2026 under Liam Coen. Lawrence threw downfield a butt ton, ranking second in deep attempts and first in deep yards per game, and totaled 38 touchdowns. The Jags have a quietly loaded receiver room with Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, and Travis Hunter. T-Laws saw career highs in rushing attempts (82), rushing yards (359), and most importantly, rushing touchdowns (9). His 10 rushing attempts inside the five were also a career high, the first time he’s had more than six in a season. Coen seems to have finally unlocked Lawrence, helping him achieve his first top-five fantasy season, and nothing suggests he’ll slow down in 2026.
91. Nicholas Singleton, RB, TEN (RB38)
It hits me right in the feels when a top prospect returns to school and falls flat on their face, sending their stock plummeting. That’s exactly what happened to Nicholas Singleton, and then some. Not only did he have the worst season of his college career in 2025, but Singleton fractured his foot at the Senior Bowl while attempting to recoup some of his draft stock, instead causing him to miss most of the week as well as the combine. But he’s an explosive downhill runner and aggressive receiver, and his arrival in Tennessee puts Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears on notice. Singleton is the best talent of the three, and I expect him to completely take over this backfield by Week 6 or so.
92. Chuba Hubbard, RB, CAR (RB39)
If you chased your kid for 15 or more yards this past year, you had more explosive runs than Chuba Hubbard. His efficiency wasn’t much better either, with 3.81 yards per carry and sub-2 yards after contact per attempt. Rico Dowdle is replaced with AJ Dillon, but it’s 2024 rookie Jonathon Brooks who Chuba should fear. Hubbard likely has a role, as the Panthers won’t want to give Brooks a heavy workload right away, but don’t depend on Hubbard for anything more than a temporary FLEX.
93. Josh Downs, WR, IND (WR38)
We’ve been teased with production from Josh Downs when given the targets, and there’s a good chance he’ll see a bump in 2026. Pierce returns to Indy, but Pittman does not, giving Downs a chance to be a regular piece of the offense. Don’t ignore him.
94. Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, TEN (WR39)
Wan’Dale Robinson produced 1,000 yards for the first time in his career and was the only receiver on the Giants worth rostering. Had Malik Nabers been healthy all season, Robinson likely wouldn’t have achieved the feat. But he showed what he’s capable of with enough volume. Robinson followed his former head coach to Tennessee, where he should be force-fed much like he was in 2025 and complements first-round receiver Carnell Tate like Baja Blast complements a Beefy Nacho Griller. He’ll be a PPR-scam WR2/3 if he and Cam Ward click. Maybe a safety blanket-type player like Robinson is exactly what last year’s first overall pick needs.
95. Quentin Johnston, WR, LAC (WR40)
Quentin Johnston is one of just five receivers to score 8+ touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. Like his quarterback, Johnston started the season hot but cooled off significantly as the o-line play decayed. QJ has some upside, but the floor is rock bottom. He’s a prototypical boom-or-bust WR3 who becomes a tad more interesting with the hire of Mike McDaniel. If Johnston can become sugar-free Tyreek Hill, he’ll wind up on a lot of championship rosters.
96. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, NE (RB40)
I get why Mike Vrabel loves Rhamondre Stevenson. I didn’t during the season, but as I start my offseason process, looking back at season-long stats and watching film, the dude is just good. Top five in explosive run rate, missed forced tackles per attempt, and yards after contact per attempt. Vrabel was smart to stick with him despite the fumble issues. The problem here is that he’s holding back my bae, TreVeyon Henderson. Both profile as RB2s with upside due to the shared workload, and Stevenson probably comes with the discount between the two.
97. Kimani Vidal, RB, LAC (RB41)
Kimani Vidal surprised just about everyone, even his mom, with how well he played in place of Omarion Hampton. He averaged 13.5 points per game with Hampton out, though the metrics weren’t much to write home about (Vidal had the third-highest stuff rate, for example). Vidal proved he can put up solid numbers if given the workload. The backfield belongs to Hampton, but I like Vidal’s potential as a sneaky FLEX with McDaniel as OC. We saw multiple running backs have fantasy value during McDaniel’s time in Miami.
98. Patrick Mahomes II, QB, KC (QB9)
Patrick Mahomes looked like “Showtime” Mahomes (the worst nickname ever) through about Week 8, but the Chiefs’ offense sputtered from Week 9 until his season-ending ACL injury. I firmly believe Mahomes has multiple elite fantasy seasons left in him. Back is his old pal Eric Bieniemy at OC, with whom he had some of his most productive seasons, including a 50-touchdown season in 2018. The addition of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III should also elevate this offense as a whole, taking pressure off of Mahomes to do it all himself. Oh, and his pal Travis Swift Kelce is here to stay as well. If there is any sort of draft day discount, even if he’s not quite ready to start Week 1, I’ll be rostering a whooole lotta Mahomes in 2026. He’ll be worth the wait.
99. Woody Marks, RB, HOU (RB42)
Woody Marks teased us a few times before taking over the Texans’ backfield by season’s end, but it wasn’t pretty. Marks had the 2nd-lowest yards per carry among running backs with at least 100 carries and was tied with Chuba Hubbard and Emanuel Wilson for the lowest missed tackles forced per attempt. I’m sorry, Woody Marks truthers (I’m looking at you, Eric Romoff), but fetch isn’t happening. The Texans’ deal for David Montgomery shows that, despite trading a 2026 third-round pick to move up for him, they don’t picture Marks as lead back material. I won’t roster him as anything more than an RB3/FLEX option.
100. Jayden Reed, WR, GB (WR41)
Jayden Reed missed most of the season due to a series of injuries, including a broken collarbone, but was able to return in Week 14. He’ll be among the Packers’ top pass-catchers in 2026 and should remain a volatile WR3 for fantasy purposes. I’d like to move him up a bit more, but the targets left behind by Romeo Doubs likely get mostly absorbed by Christian Watson, whose route tree is much more similar.