The Fantasy Footballers Writing Staff “My Guys” for 2026
Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably know all about the phenomenon known as the Fantasy Footballers’ “My Guy” episode. It has been a mainstay in fantasy football lore since its inception in 2015. If you need all the visuals, here is the YouTube link:
Each year, we hand our writing staff the mic and let them call their shot on one player they believe in above all others. This season, our crew has delivered some of the sharpest, most forward-thinking work you will find, and now it is time to see where they are planting their flag. Jump on Twitter, show them some love, and share your own 2026 pick using #MyGuy in your tweet.
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots
TreVeyon Henderson already proved he can deliver elite fantasy production despite playing only 43% of New England’s offensive snaps, finishing as the RB19 with 911 rushing yards, 5.06 yards per carry, and nine rushing TDs. He outcarried and outrushed Rhamondre Stevenson while also receiving more red zone opportunities, establishing himself as the most explosive runner in the Patriots’ backfield. When Stevenson missed Weeks 9 through 11, Henderson’s snap share climbed to 83%, and he averaged 19 touches, 110 total yards, and 24.3 PPR points, finishing as the RB3 during that stretch. Since 2000, he is one of only six rookie RBs to average at least 5.0 yards per carry, record a rushing success rate above 50%, and score 10 or more total TDs. At an RB24 price, fantasy managers are paying for a committee back while drafting a player who has already demonstrated league-winning upside.
– Chris Cash (@chriscashmusic)
Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
When we are looking for difference makers at RB, they typically come from undervalued players in ambiguous backfields like where we find Bhayshul Tuten ahead of 2026. Tuten represents a chance to get the lead RB in a Liam Cohen offense that has produced the RB10 and RB15 over the last two seasons at a value in drafts. There are concerns over what Tuten’s workload will be in the Jags backfield, but we have seen him produce on limited opportunity already. Every time Tuten received at least 10 opportunities in his rookie season, he finished as a top-24 RB. If Tuten can find his way into 13-15 opportunities as the RB3 for fantasy managers, he is the type of game-changer that creates championship rosters.
– Kurt Mullen (@KurtKnowsBest)
Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions
Jameson Williams seems to be a point of conversation every year. No one is questioning his talent or potential, but there has always seemed to be a reason to doubt him. He is hurt, he is in trouble, he’s this or that, and it has resulted in some inconsistency and mistrust. However, I think this started to change even last year. Going into 2025, Williams’ outlook was fantastic. The problem was John Morton. He did not utilize him correctly, and it hurt the first half of his season. Despite that, Williams ended the season as the WR9. Dan Campbell, Williams’ biggest fan, took over offensive playcalling, and it opened up the door for greatness. Williams was on pace for 1,400 yards after the Week 8 bye. I have been in the camp that Williams will perform regardless of Sam LaPorta‘s availability, BUT with recent news of LaPorta’s hip injury, it seems like that variable may no longer be a factor anyway. I think Jameson Williams will be a league winner in 2026.
– Maggie Thraen (@MagsnCheese_FF)
DJ Moore, WR, Buffalo Bills
DJ Moore is one of the most polarizing WRs in fantasy this season, and I am here to take full advantage. While the spreadsheet nerds may point to his decline in yards per route run, it is important to contextualize his career arc. Moore already has four 1,000-yard seasons and a WR6 finish on his résumé, but never seemed to find a consistent connection with Caleb Williams. That situation only became more complicated when Ben Johnson arrived in Chicago. Now, at just 29 years old, Moore finds himself in Buffalo after the Bills traded significant draft capital to acquire him, reunited with Joe Brady and catching passes from arguably the best QB in football. I would draft an alpha WR catching passes from Josh Allen in the third round every time, but with Moore’s ADP sitting squarely in the fifth round, you do not have to.
– Aaron Larson (@aalarson)
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence is my favorite mid-to-late-round QB target this year because I do not think the market has fully caught up to what he became in the second half of last season. Over that stretch, he was the QB1 in both total fantasy points and points per game, which is exactly the kind of league-winning upside I want to chase. The best part is that this isn’t a totally new bet: he gets another year in Liam Coen’s offense, with the same structure that helped unlock him down the stretch. People still seem to be drafting him like the inconsistent Lawrence we have known for years, but the final stretch of 2025 looked like a real turning point. At his ADP, I am willing to bet that version carries over.
– Javier Manzanera (@elmantis)
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Denver Broncos
The Broncos sent a first, third, and swapped fourths with Miami to bring Waddle and his multi-year contract extension to Denver, and they did not do that for him to be a depth piece. Waddle will be the primary receiver for Bo Nix (back-to-back QB7) on a team that has a top-tier offensive line and was third in plays per game last year. When Head Coach Sean Peyton was asked about usage, he replied, “It’s an easier vision right away…slot to z” to play opposite of the aging Courtland Sutton. All the ingredients are there for Waddle to outperform his fourth-round draft cost and finish as a WR1.
– Peter Kettering (@ImPeterK)
David Banks-Imagn Images
Luther Burden, WR, Chicago Bears
Burden ranked third in YAC per reception among all WRs (7.1 Yards), third in Yards per Route Run (2.79 YPRR), second in Target Separation (2.63 Yards), and fourth in QB Rating when targeted (123.1). This guy was open often, was a YAC machine, and was very hard to bring down in the open field. With an NFL offseason to build more chemistry with Caleb Williams and to master a more complete route tree, Burden should be much improved in 2026. With the target share narrowed primarily to Burden, Loveland, and Odunze, Burden should see a significant volume increase. Couple his separation and efficiency metrics with increased target volume, and you have got yourself a real breakout coming in 2026.
– Kemper Trull (@kempertrull)
Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
Watching Bo Nix get drafted as the QB14 is baffling. That is closer to his floor than his ceiling. Even with some statistical regression in his sophomore season, Nix still delivered back-to-back QB7 finishes. Now, Denver has added the electric, 27-year-old Jaylen Waddle, bringing him from a Dolphins offense that ranked 29th in neutral pass rate to a Broncos team that ranked fourth in 2025. That is an obvious bounce-back opportunity for Waddle and another weapon for Nix. We have seen what adding an elite receiver can do for a young, developing QB before. Josh Allen made the leap after Buffalo added Stefon Diggs, and Jalen Hurts did the same after Philly traded for A.J. Brown. At QB14, Nix is being drafted based on the QB he has been, with almost no premium attached to the QB he could become with his best supporting cast yet.
– Colton Williams (@_ColtWilliams)
Parker Washington, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
The WR room in Jacksonville has been ambiguous since last season. But we now know that Travis Hunter will mix in only around twenty percent on offense, Jakobi Meyers is a solid third or fourth option, and BTJ has settled in as a downfield threat, and a great one at that. All this sets up perfectly for Washington to work the short-to-intermediate routes where he uses his Amon Ra-like skill set (dawg) to soak up targets from Trevor Lawrence. The two have developed a magnetic connection, and Lawrence will continue his ascension under offensive mastermind Liam Coen. We have already seen the breakout: From week 12 through the Wild Card game last season, Washington was second only to Puka Nacua in yards per route run and averaged 7.7 targets per game. That was more prescriptive than fluky. His stock is rising, but he is still a screaming value as the current WR32 on Sleeper.
– Scott Freymond (@Scotty_Snacks)
Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions
Not since Brian Branch’s rookie season has there been a louder, more unanimous drumbeat among the Detroit Lions beat writers than this year. The reviews have been raving about his widened route tree and how he is torching the Lions secondary. As if world-class speed with route variety weren’t enough to get you excited, this is also Jameson’s first season without any off-field distractions (year one, ACL recovery; year two, gambling suspension; year three, off-season police incident). Jameson finished as a high-end WR2 last year even with inconsistencies and a very slow start to the season. Amazingly, he did that despite playing for an atrocious offensive coordinator (John Morton). Now, Detroit has an adult in the room with a reputation for raising second-fiddle WRs – look no further than last season with Michael Wilson in Arizona. The question in my mind is not whether Jameson Williams will outperform ADP; the question is by how much?
– Nate Henry (@NateHenryFF)
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
You will have to scroll down the rankings a bit to find this guy, which is good news for us. You can currently grab him in the ninth round of drafts, and I see him as similar to a lot of RBs going in the fourth and fifth rounds. All reports out of camp are saying “Bill” is the guy Washington wants to feature in the running game. He is likely not in line for an every-down role, but similar to players like Bhayshul Tuten, D’Andre Swift, and Bucky Irving, he is the top option in the running game on what projects to be a good offense. This combination gives him a solid floor as a guy you can start almost every week. The athletic traits are there, and if you buy into the narrative that he is improved as a pass-blocker and a receiver out of the backfield, he has league-winning upside. Factor in the minimal draft cost, and I am not leaving many drafts without Bill this year.
– Parker Hagen (@ParkerHagen)
Chig Okonkwo, TE, Washington Commanders
You have to live in the DMV to understand just how excited the Commanders fan base is about Chig Okonkwo, and admittedly, I am buying into the hype. Okonkwo quietly put together the best season of his career in 2025, setting career highs in receptions (56), receiving yards (560), and starts (12), while scoring TDs in back-to-back games in Weeks 15 and 16. Now, he gets a fresh start in Washington after signing a three-year deal with the Commanders, and I love the landing spot. With Zach Ertz no longer leading the TE room, Okonkwo has a real opportunity to become the primary option at the position and another reliable pass-catcher alongside old-timer WRs Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs. We already know Jayden Daniels likes getting his TEs involved, and at Okonkwo’s current price, he feels like the perfect low-risk, high-upside late-round stash.
– Brooke Morgan (@Btmmorgan1)
![[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Sep 5, 2025; Sao Paulo, BRAZIL; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (15) reaches for the pass against Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson (35) in the first half during a NFL game at Corinthians Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters via Imagn Images](https://s26212.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Ladd-MCConkey-1024x532.jpg)
Amanda Perobelli/Reuters via Imagn Images
Ladd McConkey, WR. Los Angeles Chargers
We all get it: Ladd had a down 2025 after finishing as the WR12 as a rookie in 2024, but the story isn’t as simple as “Keenan Allen.” As Kemper Trull noted in his case for WR1 article, “Herbert was pressured on 45% of McConkey’s targets, and his catchable targets dropped by 10 percentage points.” Charger fans know that GRo’s Jurassic Era playbook, injuries to the offensive line, and Keenan soaking up the dump-off work all contributed to Ladd’s statistical decline. In the games Joe Alt started and finished healthy, Ladd averaged 7.8 targets, 5.3 receptions, and 62.8 yards, which is 1.5 more targets, 1.5 more receptions, and nearly 18 more yards per game. Over 17 games, that is a pace of 132 targets, 89 receptions, and 1,067 yards, putting him right back in the fringe WR1 category. In 2026, with Mike McDaniel’s offense, a healthier line overall, and 122 vacated Keenan targets, Ladd is poised to have his best year yet.
Honorable mention for My Guy: Joe Alt. In the four games Joe Alt started and finished, the Chargers averaged nearly 56 more yards and seven more points per game, with virtually all of the yardage increase coming through the passing game.
– Mike “Mando” Manderson (@MisterManderson)
Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
The difference between the non-skill positional supporting pieces around Justin Herbert from the end of last season to the beginning of this NFL season sets him up to return to fantasy greatness. While the loss of a trusted veteran target in Keenan Allen may look like a cause for concern, Allen’s 777 yards on 122 targets was one of the least efficient high-volume pass-catching seasons in recent memory. Replacing Greg Roman’s boring usage of Allen in the offense with Mike McDaniel’s creativity and high motion rates to feature Mando’s “My Guy” Ladd McConkey and potentially give breakout candidate Omarion Hampton a De’Von Achane-like pass-catching role sounds like showtime in Los Angeles. Although Tyler Biadasz’s placement on season-ending IR is a big loss for the Chargers’ offensive line, the return of their two elite tackles, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, will make Herbert’s job a lot easier. This is the year that “If Man” will return to fantasy greatness and end the season as a truly difference-making fantasy QB.
– Jordan Pullett (@JEPullett)
D’Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears
There is a saying over here in Scotland: “Don’t back down, double down,” loosely meaning that not only should you never go back on something you have said (no matter how controversial), but you should then commit to that stance twice as hard…and that is exactly what I am doing with “My Guy” for 2026 – the King of Consistency…Mr. D’Andre Swift. I recently anointed the leader of the Chicago Bears backfield to royal status in my Fantasy Court: The Case For D’Andre Swift in 2026 article, but only on the back of a very robust campaign underpinned by Swift’s career-long consistency as a sure-fire RB2 for your fantasy team. 2025 saw the now 27-year-old back put up his strongest set of numbers since entering the league back in 2020, recording career-highs in rushing yards, rushing TDs, and overall rush success rate behind a vastly improved Bears O-Line under Head Coach Ben Johnson. Oh, and do not worry about Kyle Monangai; this is less of a Sonic & Knuckles situation and more of a Yogi & Boo-Boo kinda thing. A fifth-round pick with RB1 ceiling and an RB3 price tag…what’s not to love? Draft King Swift as your second or third RB and leave your draft feeling smarter than your average bear.
– Paul Marnie (@PaulMarnie)
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers
A $110M contract extension is a loud vote of confidence in Christian Watson, and Green Bay’s history of developing mid-round WR talent gives us every reason to buy in. Post-ACL, his high-end athletic traits and explosive capability (17.5 YPR in 2025) were back on full display. Placed inside Matt LaFleur’s motion-centric scheme, Watson is positioned for high-efficiency, splash-play opportunities that fuel league-winning upside. Based on his closing stretch in 2025, increased opportunities, due to vacated targets, will turn into monster WR1-level production.
– Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern)
Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts
Tyler Warren is officially one of MY GUYS this year, and I love the draft discount we are getting! People see “groin strain” on the injury report and start panicking, but Jordan Schultz already reported he is going to be fine, and it should not be a long-term issue at all. The team expects him back at practice next week, and he is on track to be 100% ready for Week 1. With Michael Pittman shipped off to Pittsburgh and Alec Pierce recovering from ankle surgery, Warren is set to DOMINATE target share. He finished second in YAC last year, and with Daniel Jones back, expect plenty of targets and potential goal-line touches as Jones protects himself. Warren is essentially discounted Brock Bowers with legit TE1 potential. If your draftmates let a target monster slide over a minor August tweak, buy that dip every time!
– Brittney Foxworth (@bfoxworth07)
Javonte Williams, RB, Dallas Cowboys
After battling injuries and inconsistent usage early in his Broncos career, Javonte Williams rebounded with a strong season in Dallas. Even while managing a shoulder injury late in the year, he finished 2025 as the RB9 in Usage Value/Expected Fantasy Points (13.8), RB8 in EPA per Rush Attempt (0.05), and RB9 in Success Rate (45.6%). After receiving a three-year extension from the Cowboys and cementing himself as the lead RB in an offense that ranked top five in EPA per Play (0.10) last season, Williams enters 2026 with RB1 upside and as a potential value at his RB16 ADP.
– Marvin Elequin (@FF_MarvinE)
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Show him the money! And they did. The Baltimore Ravens made clear their love for former first-rounder Zay Flowers and their belief in him as their true WR1 with a four-year, $140 million contract in the offseason. The big thing with Flowers has always been his lack of TDs – five, four, and five in his three NFL seasons – but he has hit over a thousand yards in two of his three seasons. I do not think anyone would say that QB Lamar Jackson was quite himself once he returned from injury in Week 9. Before his injury, Jackson threw 10 TDs in four games, and after his injury he threw only 11 TDs in NINE games. There was a tiny pie for Flowers to eat from! Past those TDs, Zay’s target share has gone up every year (29% last season), and his 1211 receiving yards in 2025 accounted for 36.9% of the Ravens’ total receiving yards, which was the second-highest percentage for any player. Isaiah Likely is off to the Giants, and TE Mark Andrews might be on his last leg, leaving Flowers to battle for targets with the likes of Rashod Bateman (now dealing with legal issues) and two rookies. Zay is currently going in the middle of the fourth round as the WR15, meaning you can grab a couple of stellar RBs and still get a WR1 later in the draft. The time is here, friends. It is time to give the fourth-year WR his much-deserved Flowers.
– Julia Papworth (@juliapapworth)
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
There are so many awesome WR picks in Rounds 3-6 this year, and there is plenty of hype on guys like Ladd, Zay Flowers, Emeka Egbuka, Jaylen Waddle, etc. The one guy no one is talking about? Tee Higgins. I am all in on the Bengals offense in what feels like a ‘Revenge Tour’ for Joe Burrow and company after yet another injury-plagued 2025 season. Cincy has the second-easiest strength of schedule in the league; they are favored in 15 of 17 games, and we know exactly where the ball is going in this passing attack. Of course, there is also the contingency upside for Tee should Ja’Marr Chase miss time. We used to have to draft Higgins in the back of the second/early third, but we are getting a discount in 2026, and I am buying that dip!
– Matthew Betz (@TheFantasyPT)
KC Concepcion, WR, Cleveland Browns
Concepcion’s production profile in college was outrageous, but it feels like everyone forgot. With an elite breakout age (18.9) playing for two different Power-5 programs, he checks the production boxes we want. His elite twitchiness and ability to win on the outside with Slant and Hitch routes intrigue me, with the potential to fill out his bag of tricks in the NFL despite his lack of size. The drops (19 in three years) might turn off some people, but drop rate is by far the least predictive stat for future fantasy points-per-game production in the NFL. His ADP in redraft (WR46, 10th round) makes no sense if you compare it historically to other WRs taken in the 1st round of NFL drafts. Expect a ton of “layup targets,” making him a PPR dream if you are searching for upside in the double-digit rounds.
– Kyle Borgognoni (@kyle_borg)