The 2026 Fantasy MVPs From The Fantasy Footballers & Friends (Fantasy Football)
THREE days until football and still more time for fantasy drafts. If you are going back and forth trying to make some last-minute decisions, maybe the Fantasy Footballers and friends’ fantasy MVPs will help sway you. Consider the MVPs the My Guy contenders who could not quite make the cut, but are still incredible prospects worth scouting for your team. We will make the case for why you should have them on your radar.
You can watch the full episode on YouTube for video from a few very special guests.
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Here are your 2026 Fantasy Football MVPs
Colston Loveland – TE Chicago Bears
Shared by: Rich Hribar (@LordReebs)
Sharp Football Analysis
Mr. Loveland, high expectations for you this year, and I do not see any reason for doubt. Loveland won the hearts of fantasy players and HC Ben Johnson in the second half of the season in 2025. He ended the year with at least 15% of the targets in each of the final nine games and played on over 81% of the team’s dropbacks with a target on 31% of his routes. He made a name for himself by having four top-three-scoring weeks as a rookie TE, putting him in a tier with the beloved Trey McBride. Rich believes in his talent, and his bold prediction is that Loveland will score the most fantasy points of any TE this season.
Chris Bell – WR Miami Dolphins
Shared by: Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz)
Rotowire
The 2025 Miami Dolphins lost the plot, and the court of public opinion’s low expectations for the offense are chronic, acting as a gray cloud moving in over 2026. New HC Jeff Hafley and QB Malik Willis are up against it, but there is a chance they could surprise. All of this being said, rookie WR Chris Bell can step up and make a name for himself on this offense. Without his knee injury, he was a first-round talent joining a team without many passing options. He is competing with Malik Washington and rookie Caleb Douglas, which is not saying much. You can snag Bell at the very end of your draft, costing you nothing, with a chance for a breakout.
Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
Luther Burden III – WR Chicago Bears
Shared by: JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB)
Host of the Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast
Another Chicago Bear enters the chat with WR Luther Burden III. We did not see much at the start of his 2025 season, but at the end of the year he finished with the third-best rookie season in yards per route run of any wideout since 2011 with 100 or more routes. In college, Burden was in the 98th percentile in avoided tackles per reception rate, fitting perfectly into the WR archetype matching HC Ben Johnson’s style, scheming for a lot of space to work magic with the ball in their hands. With Burden’s first year under his belt and the expectation that Caleb Williams will take a step up, the ceiling case for Luther Burden III is major, and you want a piece of this offense.
Christian McCaffrey – RB San Francisco 49ers
Shared by: Austin Ekeler (@AustinEkeler)
NFL RB Superstar
There is not much that has to be said about Christian McCaffrey. He is a volume monster, and the San Francisco 49ers’ success is about as dependent on him as you can get. The bet is on whether or not he will remain healthy this season. In the last four years when he has had a healthy season, he has finished as a top-three RB. If he gets injured, you are risking your first-round draft pick. The risk is high, but Christian McCaffrey has the opportunity to be a league winner every year.
Jameson Williams – WR Detroit Lions
Shared by: Matthew Betz (@TheFantasyPT)
Injury Expert/Head Writer// Host: DFS & Betting/Dyno Pod
Now I am incredibly biased, but Betz has my favorite MVP pick this year. Check out The Fantasy Footballers Writing Staff “My Guys” for 2026 to see why. Jamo started his career a little rocky, making headlines for some bad behavior. Recently, however, news around him has quieted in a good way. He is growing up and figuring out how to be a professional in the NFL. Dan Campbell knew that, and when he took over offensive playcalling last year, Jamo popped off. Even with a quiet start to the year, he finished as the WR9, and for the last two years in a row, he has had over 11 yards per target. On a high-powered offense like the Detroit Lions, whose secondary is expected to struggle in the first half of the year, Jamo is primed to have an incredible year.
Jadarian Price – RB Seattle Seahawks
Shared by: Kyle Borgognoni (@kyle_borg)
Unnecessary Stats // Host: DFS & Betting/Dyno Pods
Rookie RB Jadarian Price is an incredibly talented first-round RB on an elite offense, a 2025 Super Bowl-winning offense, might I add, that is going in the late sixth round of fantasy drafts. He is probably being overlooked because he was the RB behind Jeremiyah Love at Notre Dame and had less opportunity to flex his skills. But he has been getting rave reviews at camp this offseason, with reports about his receiving abilities and wheel routes. Mike MacDonald even said that no one has been able to cover him in practice. With veteran Zach Charbonnet recovering from last year’s ACL injury, Price should start the season as the lead back with the chance to secure the role before Charbs can blink twice.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Omarion Hampton – RB Los Angeles Chargers
Shared by: Mina Kimes (@minakimes)
NFL @ ESPN
Omarion Hampton started off his rookie season strong. He only appeared in nine games due to an ankle injury, but in those games, Hampton handled a 30% share of the team’s total rush attempts and targets. Going into year two, his role has room to grow, especially under an offense newly run by Mike McDaniel, which lends incredibly well to Hampton’s strengths. McDaniel loves to set up schemes to get his RBs outside of the tackles and in space. Last year, when Hampton ran outside of the tackles, he averaged 5.5 yards per carry, tying D’Andre Swift for first in the NFL. This is an incredible match between RB and play caller on top of an offensive line that is expected to be better this year. If he can remain healthy, Hampton is set up for an incredible year-two performance.
A.J. Brown – WR New England Patriots
Shared by: Jason Moore (@jasonFFL)
A.J. Brown is seven seasons into his career and has proved that he is an absolute beast. He is the only WR since 2000 with six seasons of seven TDs or more to start their career, and over the last three years, he has been a top-12 WR 43% of the time. I do not think anyone questions Brown’s talent; there seems to be more concern about his age and moving to a new team. Let’s get into that. Last year, he was not a player showing signs of decline. From Week 11 on, he was the WR5 in FPPG, and he had 43% of his team’s receiving yards; that is number one in the NFL! Now consider this: last year, the Philadelphia Eagles threw for 3,400 yards. The New England Patriots threw for 4,400 yards, aka 1,000 more yards for A.J. Brown to eat up. Drake Maye and A.J. Brown will be an elite stack, and you can expect a big performance.
Alec Pierce – WR Indianapolis Colts
Shared by: Andy Holloway (@andyholloway)
Alec Pierce is the highest-paid free-agent WR in NFL history after signing a $114M deal with the Indianapolis Colts. For a guy going in the late eighth round in fantasy drafts, he is an absolute steal with crazy upside. Last year we saw how his role on the team is evolving – 55% of his routes were either digs, gos, or crossers. He is showing that when given the opportunity, he is a versatile player who is more than boom-or-bust. He finished as the WR23 last year and scored a B in the Footballers’ consistency metrics. He scored 10.5 fantasy points over 50% of the time, which is better than Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, and Justin Jefferson, who we know are going leaps and bounds ahead of Pierce in drafts. The draft price is borderline disrespectful to the guy, as a 1,000-yard receiver in the prime of his career, but it will give you the opportunity to snag a potential league winner for practically nothing going into your 2026 fantasy season.
Bhayshul Tuten – RB Jacksonville Jaguars
Shared by: Mike Wright (@FFHitman)
Bhayshul Tuten has the talent; the question is, will he be given the opportunity? If yes, he has the potential to be a true league-winning RB. The risk is that we do not know for sure that Tuten will be the lead back, securing early downs, pass-catching, and goal-line opportunities. The case for: The early-down role is easily Tuten’s; he demonstrated success in the passing game in college where he saw 12% of Virginia Tech’s receptions, just over the threshold we want to see for RB1s in the NFL, and he converted seven five-zone carries into five five-zone TDs just last year, proving he can be reliable at the goal line. The problem is that he will be competing with Chris Rodriguez, aka CROD, who has history with Liam Coen from his days at Kentucky, and there is talk that LeQuint Allen may be working in on the passing role. Mike is betting that Tuten’s talent will prevail, taking him into the lead role on a top-tier offense. That is the formula you need to end up with Tuten as your league-winning back.