Jamey’s 2026 Fantasy Breakouts 1.0: Jaxson Dart Leads Top-Five Upside Rising Stars

Jamey's 2026 Fantasy breakouts 1.0: Jaxson Dart headlines rising stars with top-five upside

Jamey highlights young stars, improved situations and potential Fantasy difference-makers

By Jamey Eisenberg

May 6, 2026 at 5:32 pm ET • 1 min read

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Jaxson Dart had a great rookie season in 2025. And he could be even better as a sophomore this year. He's an easy player to spotlight for Breakouts 1.0. Last season, Dart averaged 19.4 Fantasy points per game, but that's misleading. If you use his 12 starts, then he averaged 22.6 Fantasy points per game. And he only played two quarters of his first start in Week 4 with Malik Nabers before he suffered a torn ACL. This season, Dart gets Nabers back, along with new weapons in Isaiah Likely, Darnell Mooney, and Malachi Fields. The Giants won't have Wan'Dale Robinson, who left as a free agent for Tennessee, but Cam Skattebo (ankle) is healthy. The offensive line improved with the addition of first-round rookie Francis Mauigoa. And Dart should benefit with new coach John Harbaugh, who should build a winning environment. Dart will hopefully continue to use his legs, and he averaged 40.6 rushing yards per game in his 12 starts, which was second only to Justin Fields (42.6). Dart also had nine rushing touchdowns, which tied for second with Trevor Lawrence, behind only Josh Allen (14). There's a lot to love about Dart this year, and he has top-five upside. He's worth drafting as early as Round 5 in one-quarterback leagues, and he's a second-round pick in Superflex and two-quarterback formats. Now, here are 12 other players I'm excited about for Breakouts 1.0.

Quarterbacks

Breakouts 1.0 Projections powered by Sportsline

Trevor Lawrence

QB

JAC Jacksonville

• #16

Age: 26 • Experience: 6 yrs.

Fantasy Breakdown (PPR)

OVERALL RNK

106th

QB RNK

10th

PROJ PTS

363.3

SOS

8

ADP

NR

2025 Stats

PAYDS

4007

RUYDS

359

TD

38

INT

12

FPTS/G

23.3

You can argue that Lawrence had a breakout season in 2025 when he averaged a career-best 23.3 Fantasy points per game. But I wouldn't be surprised if he improved in 2026 in his second year with coach Liam Coen. Last season, Lawrence set career highs in passing touchdowns (29), rushing attempts (82), rushing yards (359), and rushing touchdowns (nine). The touchdowns could regress, especially on the ground, but Coen encourages his quarterbacks to run (Baker Mayfield had a career-high 378 rushing yards and three touchdowns with Coen as his offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay in 2024). Lawrence also should improve as a passer since he only completed 60.9 percent of his throws for 4,007 yards. Hopefully, a full season with Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington, Brenton Strange, and whatever Jacksonville gets from Travis Hunter on offense gives Lawrence a significant boost. And the run game could be worse with Travis Etienne now in New Orleans. I like Lawrence as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback, and he's worth drafting with a mid-round pick in one-quarterback leagues, along with a Round 2 selection in Superflex and two-quarterback formats.

Caleb Williams

QB

CHI Chicago

• #18

Age: 24 • Experience: 3 yrs.

Fantasy Breakdown (PPR)

OVERALL RNK

108th

QB RNK

11th

PROJ PTS

359.5

SOS

21

ADP

NR

2025 Stats

PAYDS

3942

RUYDS

383

TD

31

INT

7

FPTS/G

21.9

Williams fell 58 yards shy of becoming the first Bears quarterback in franchise history with 4,000 passing yards in 2025. This year, he's going to achieve that goal -- hopefully by a large margin. Williams thrived under new coach Ben Johnson last season, averaging 21.9 Fantasy points per game, and he was hot to end the year. In his final six outings, including the playoffs, Williams averaged 23.7 Fantasy points per game, and that's when Colston Loveland started to heat up as well. Loveland, Luther Burden III, and Rome Odunze give Williams a potentially elite trio of weapons, and Williams is a good dual-threat quarterback as well, with 383 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 2025. Williams will likely be a mid-round selection in one-quarterback leagues and a Round 2 pick in Superflex and two-quarterback formats. I expect him to be a top-10 Fantasy quarterback in his third season, and he should set records for Chicago in 2026.

Running Backs

Breakouts 1.0 Projections powered by Sportsline

Omarion Hampton

RB

LAC L.A. Chargers

• #8

Age: 23 • Experience: 2 yrs.

Fantasy Breakdown (PPR)

OVERALL RNK

16th

RB RNK

7th

PROJ PTS

249.1

SOS

18

ADP

NR

2025 Stats

RUYDS

545

REC

32

REYDS

192

TD

5

FPTS/G

15.1

Hampton had an uneven rookie season in 2025 due to injury, but he played well when healthy. This year, with a healthy offensive line and a new offensive coordinator in Mike McDaniel, Hampton has the chance to be a star. I would draft him in Round 2 in all leagues. Last season, Hampton played in the first five games before suffering an ankle injury that cost him seven contests. In those first five games, he had three outings with at least 13 PPR points, including two games with at least 24.9 PPR points. When he returned in Week 14, the Chargers' offensive line was a mess, but Hampton still managed three of four outings with at least 14.7 PPR points before sitting out Week 18. I'm hopeful the Chargers will have starting offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt healthy for the majority of the season in 2026, and McDaniel was great with running backs during his time as the head coach in Miami with Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane. I wouldn't be surprised if Hampton finished as a top-five Fantasy running back this year.

Ashton Jeanty

RB

LV Las Vegas

• #2

Age: 22 • Experience: 2 yrs.

Fantasy Breakdown (PPR)

OVERALL RNK

17th

RB RNK

8th

PROJ PTS

265

SOS

20

ADP

NR

2025 Stats

RUYDS

975

REC

55

REYDS

346

TD

10

FPTS/G

14.4

Jeanty played well as a rookie in 2025 when he had 266 carries for 975 yards and five touchdowns and caught 55 passes for 346 yards and five touchdowns on 73 targets. He averaged 14.4 PPR points per game, which is a quality campaign for a rookie. We just had higher expectations for him when he was a first-round pick in the majority of Fantasy leagues, but he ended up as a bust since he finished as the No. 16 PPR running back. This year, Jeanty will be a Round 2 pick in most formats, but I expect him to deliver like we expected in 2025. I'm excited about Klint Kubiak taking over as the head coach, and the quarterback play in Las Vegas should be improved with the duo of Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins. Most importantly, the offensive line should be better with a healthy Kolton Miller at left tackle and the free agent addition of center Tyler Linderbaum. I do have a slight concern that rookie Mike Washington Jr. could take some touches from Jeanty, and Kubiak favored a two-back system in Seattle with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. But I still expect Jeanty's overwhelming talent to shine through, and he should challenge to be a top-five Fantasy running back this season.

Cam Skattebo

RB

NYG N.Y. Giants

• #44

Age: 24 • Experience: 2 yrs.

Fantasy Breakdown (PPR)

OVERALL RNK

32nd

RB RNK

15th

PROJ PTS

229.7

SOS

21

ADP

NR

2025 Stats

RUYDS

410

REC

24

REYDS

207

TD

7

FPTS/G

16

Things are looking good for Skattebo heading into this season, and he's worth drafting in Round 4 as a high-end No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues. The Giants didn't get the chance to draft Jeremiyah Love, which was a possibility, but the Cardinals selected him instead at No. 3 overall in the first round. Skattebo (ankle) is healthy and already attended voluntary workouts in April after getting injured in Week 8 last season. And the Giants added a coach who loves to run the ball in John Harbaugh, as well as improved the offensive line with the addition of first-round rookie Francis Mauigoa. You want parts of the Giants offense this season, and Skattebo will be the lead running back if he doesn't suffer a setback in his recovery. Last year, his rookie campaign got off to a great start when he scored at least 13 PPR points in six games in a row from Weeks 2-7. Over that stretch, Skattebo was averaging 19.1 PPR points per game, and he looked like a Fantasy star. He suffered a gruesome ankle injury in Week 8 at Philadelphia and missed the rest of the season, but he appears on track to start in Week 1. He does have some competition for touches from Tyrone Tracy Jr., but Skattebo's Fantasy value would have been crushed if the Giants selected Love. I'm hopeful Skattebo will be healthy for Week 1 and could be a top-10 Fantasy running back in all leagues.

Jadarian Price

RB

SEA Seattle

• #8

Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie

Fantasy Breakdown (PPR)

OVERALL RNK

59th

RB RNK

25th

PROJ PTS

143.4

SOS

9

ADP

NR

2025 Stats

RUYDS

0

REC

0

REYDS

0

TD

0

FPTS/G

0

The lone rookie on this list, Price, landed in a great spot with the Seahawks, who selected him in Round 1 of the NFL Draft at No. 32 overall. He should take over as the lead running back in Seattle in Week 1 with Kenneth Walker III gone as a free agent to Kansas City, and Zach Charbonnet (knee) is unlikely to play early in the season after suffering a torn ACL in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The timeline for Charbonnet's recovery will determine how good Price will be during his rookie campaign, and I expect him to outperform Emanuel Wilson and George Holani this season. One of those other running backs will have a role for the Seahawks, and we'll see how Price does as the starter since he was the backup to Jeremiyah Love at Notre Dame. Price finished his final collegiate season in 2025 with 113 carries for 674 yards and 11 touchdowns and six catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games. He has the potential to be a standout running back in Fantasy and reality, and landing in Seattle was the best destination since Walker (221 carries and 31 receptions) and Charbonnet (184 carries and 20 receptions) have a lot of vacated touches. I'm excited to draft Price in Round 5 as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues, but he could move into Round 4 if Charbonnet misses most of the season. Price should have the chance for a standout rookie campaign in 2026.

Wide Receiver

Breakouts 1.0 Projections powered by Sportsline

Zay Flowers

WR

BAL Baltimore

• #4

Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.

Fantasy Breakdown (PPR)

OVERALL RNK

31st

WR RNK

16th

PROJ PTS

236.1

SOS

7

ADP

NR

2025 Stats

REC

86

TAR

118

REYDS

1211

TD

6

FPTS/G

14.3

Flowers took a step forward with his production in 2025, which was his third season in the NFL, when he averaged a career-best 14.3 PPR points per game. I expect him to be even better in 2026. He had career highs in catches (86), yards (1,211), and targets (118), and he tied his career high in touchdowns (five). He also closed last season on a tear, which will hopefully carry over to this year. In his final five games in 2025, Flowers averaged 20.1 PPR points per game, including three outings with at least 20.6 PPR points. He had four touchdowns during that stretch and two games with at least 124 receiving yards. The Ravens added two rookie receivers in Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt, and Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews will remain heavily involved in the offense. But new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle should allow Flowers to flourish, and Lamar Jackson should continue to lean on Flowers as the No. 1 target in the passing game. I plan to draft Flowers as a high-end No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/jameys-2026-fantasy-breakouts-1-0-jaxson-dart-headlines-rising-stars/)._