2026 NFL Predictions for Fantasy's Underrated Stars and Duds at Every Position

Roster maximization is the ultimate goal for any fantasy football roster.

There are so many uncontrollables during an NFL season, but fantasy managers do have control over the roster they carry into the campaign.

The ideal team offers a good amount of both upside and safety. Avoiding pitfall picks is a non-negotiable for fielding a competitive club, and then acing some undervalued selections is how you can separate from your league rivals.

To help with both sides of this coin, let's spotlight both underrated and overrated players at each of the four marquee positions.

Quarterback

AP Photo

Underrated: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Fantasy managers clearly haven't forgotten about Mahomes' knee injury last season or the (relatively speaking) disappointing performance that preceded it. They apparently aren't even convinced Mahomes is a viable fantasy starter anymore, making him, on average, the 14th quarterback off the board, per FantasyPros.

That's just too big of a deep in price for someone with a resume this rich. Maybe Mahomes isn't as active as a rusher as last season (422 yards, five touchdowns—both career-highs), but with his arm talent, he doesn't have to be. Back under the direction of coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Mahomes has a real shot at throwing for better than 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Overrated: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Jackson could be the highest-scoring player in fantasy, but if he's even a hair below elite, he'll fail to deliver on his average draft cost of second among quarterbacks. At this price point, managers are left paying for all of his upside without the slightest discount to account for risk.

If he was fully dominant a year ago, maybe this would all make sense. But he wasn't. He was injured part of the time and utilized less than ever as a rusher the rest of the time (26.8 yards per game, two scores). That puts a ton of pressure on him to perform as a top-shelf passer—while throwing to an underwhelming receiving core (Zay Flowers and a bunch of question marks) and operating under a new coaching staff.

Running Back

AP Photo

Underrated: D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears

Last season, Swift tied for the 14th-most points per game among running backs. Now, he is falling until the 22nd running back off the board. Huh? Like, sure, Kyle Monangai is a presence in this backfield, but he was a presence last season, and Swift still produced like a high-end RB2.

Fantasy managers should expect more of the same for Swift, who tallied 1,386 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025. Honestly, he might fare even better this time around with his head coach aiming for a historically prolific offense.

Overrated: Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

If you could guarantee McCaffrey a clean bill of health, then his ADP (fourth among running backs in standard leagues) would read as entirely reasonable. But that has never been the case, and it's hard to think that changes now that he's on the wrong side of 30 and coming off of a career-high 413 touches.

Last season marked the third time in McCaffrey's career that he handled at least 330 touches. The previous two were followed by injury-riddled campaigns in which he made a combined seven appearances.

Wide Receiver

AP Photo

Underrated: Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Egbuka was effectively shot out of a cannon as a rookie last season, as his first five outings featured 25 receptions for 445 yards and five touchdowns. But he suffered a hamstring injury in Week 6, and his pace slowed up after that.

Fantasy managers clearly remember that wobbly close, as Egbuka is only the 17th receiver drafted in standard leagues. He could be an absolute steal at this price. If he and Baker Mayfield stay healthy this season, they could be the league's next dynamic QB-WR combo, especially with target hog Mike Evans out of Tampa Bay.

Overrated: Garrett Wilson, New York Jets

Fantasy managers have made Wilson the 20th receiver off the board in standard leagues. On talent alone, that might make sense, but when you consider the total package here, it's an overpay.

Wilson has thus far overcome some forgettable quarterback rooms in New York by virtue of commanding any and every available target. With the Jets having just pumped first-round picks into multiple playmakers (Omar Cooper Jr. and Kenyon Sadiq), it seems like there's an organizational aim to make this club much less reliant on Wilson. And with only so much volume to go around, it's just hard to see him returning positive value on this price.

Tight End

AP Photo

Underrated: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

With Kittle aiming for a Week 1 return from his torn Achilles, his TE11 price tag looks incredibly appealing. That's just an obvious bargain for someone as productive and consistent as this: 885.8 receiving yards and 7.6 touchdowns on average over the last five seasons.

Overrated: Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns

Fantasy managers seem wholly convinced that Fannin is already a fantasy asset. He definitely looked the part as a rookie, but does that really mean he should already be vaulted to TE6 standing? That feels aggressive—if not reckless—given Cleveland's quarterback situation and Fannin's increased competition for targets from rookie playmakers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.