Justin Boone's Early Top 50 Fantasy Football Rankings for 2026

Justin Boone won the FantasyPros Most Accurate Expert Award in 2019 and has eight top-10 finishes in the competition. He now brings his rankings acumen to the Yahoo Fantasy audience after joining the team as an analyst.

Below you can see a very early look at his Top 50 fantasy rankings for the 2026 season. More expanded rankings, including in-depth looks at each position, PPR scoring and rookies will be available in future updates.

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5 Takeaways from the early 2026 rankings

There will be no consensus 1.01

Unlike previous years, you can make a strong case for several players to be the first overall pick in 2026 fantasy drafts. Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs are the only two backs to finish as top-four fantasy RBs each of the past two seasons. Puka Nacua averaged the most fantasy points among WRs. Ja’Marr Chase continued to be a high-end producer despite losing Joe Burrow to injury for some games. Christian McCaffrey was the top-scoring fantasy RB. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a breakout year that put him in the conversation with the elite players at his position.

You could even make an argument for guys like De’Von Achane and Jonathan Taylor, depending on what their teams do at quarterback.

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Trey McBride deserves consideration in Round 1

McBride is the first tight end to average over 15 fantasy points per game in half PPR (18 fppg in PPR) since Travis Kelce accomplished the feat in 2022. Much like Kelce that year, McBride had a sizable advantage over the other players at his position, averaging 2.4 more fantasy points per game than the next closest tight end in half-PPR and 3.5 more in PPR formats.

To give some context, that would have made him the WR7 behind only Nacua, JSN, Rashee Rice, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Ja’Marr Chase and George Pickens.

The Cardinals have decisions to make with their coaching staff and quarterback, but Jacoby Brissett unlocked a version of McBride that makes him a borderline first-round pick in fantasy.

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Sophomores will turn into stars

We spent all summer discussing the strength of the 2025 rookie class, and though it took a while for some of them to hit their stride, there are a lot of fantasy difference-makers among that group. Ashton Jeanty got the bell-cow usage we were looking for and should have a better supporting cast in 2026. Omarion Hampton is the RB16 in fppg, despite dealing with injuries to himself and his offensive line. TreVeyon Henderson and RJ Harvey flashed massive ceilings in the second half of the season. Quinshon Judkins looks the part of a star back and hopefully, the Browns can improve their offense around him.

Meanwhile, Tetairoa McMillan is firmly established as the Panthers No. 1 target moving forward and Luther Burden III gave us a glimpse of his future as the top receiver in Chicago’s passing attack. All those players made it into my top 50 below, and you could realistically see their situations getting even better during their sophomore campaigns in 2026.

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Injury recoveries will be key

There’s a trio of players who will be high-end fantasy assets at their positions — and possibly even rise in the table below — if they can return at 100% for Week 1.

Malik Nabers suffered a torn ACL in late September, which should give him enough time to get back to full strength for the start of next season. With Jaxson Dart at the helm, Nabers could join the elite fantasy WRs if all goes well in 2026. His teammate Cam Skattebo is facing a four-to-six-month rehab for a dislocated ankle in October. Prior to the injury, the bruising runner was the RB6 in fppg over his last six appearances and averaged 22 touches per game over his final four starts.

We’ll also be watching for news on Tucker Kraft, who tore his ACL in early November. Kraft was in the midst of a breakout season and was the highest-scoring fantasy TE through the first eight weeks before getting hurt.

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Free agency looms for several talents

George Pickens, Breece Hall, Travis Etienne Jr. and Kenneth Walker III all cracked my top 50, but we don’t know for sure where they’ll be playing next season.

It would be surprising to see Pickens (WR6 in fppg) not return to the Cowboys, even if it’s on the franchise tag. However, Hall, Etienne and Walker could be wearing new jerseys in 2026. Hall seems ready for a fresh start on a new club after yet another disappointing campaign from the Jets. Consider me among the fantasy managers ready to draft Hall if he lands in a more competent offense.

Etienne (RB10 in fppg) is having an outstanding year under Liam Coen and might have done enough to earn himself a new contract in Jacksonville.

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That brings us to Walker, who was one of the most frustrating fantasy options this season, but has the talent to excel if he ever gets a backfield to himself.

Consider their rankings below as placeholders, which could rise or fall significantly depending on how things play out in free agency.

Very early Top 50 fantasy rankings for 2026