SportsEthos 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Guide

Fantasy Football Bold Predictions 2026: One Player to Fade on Each NFL Team

By Jon Mosales Published August 13, 2026 3 min read

Last Updated on August 13, 2026 12:27 pm by Jon Mosales | Published: August 13, 2026

Not every NFL team exists with the same floor or ceiling and while some will surprise you, more often than not, teams are who we thought they were. It’s still nice to be surprised and I like to assume good things will happen instead of being a doomsayer all the time. Injuries are the third rail and most of the time unpredictable, but it’s part of the game. Everyone likes to use hindsight with fantasy and the claim of “I knew that would happen” counts for little unless you can prove it. I’m all about proving it, so here is one bold prediction for each NFL team.

Atlanta Falcons – Kyle Pitts

Pitts is going as the TE8 and while that’s not terrible value, he’s just too frustrating week in and week out. His last season finish of the TE2 was more to do with other elite TEs being hurt than Pitts making the leap. His week 15 spike accounted for 60% of his TDs and otherwise he went TD less in 14 of 17 games. The entire offense will run through Bijan Robinson and Drake London and I don’t love hoping that Pitts gets enough touches to provide value.

Arizona Cardinals – Jeremiyah Love

Love is a perfect talent and for dynasty still has plenty of value, but for next season I don’t see it. He’s joining a pass-first team with a terrible o-line and a bunch of other RBs. Sure, the Cardinals will run more than last season, but I worry about the quantity and the quality. Throw in ARI having the hardest schedule and I see them playing catchup all season. There are still plenty of other RBs going around them that have less talent, but a far better situation. The idea of taking Love over D’Andre Swift seems insane to me.

Baltimore Ravens – Lamar Jackson

Now before you come at me with pitch forks, I’m purely talking about his value vs. his ADP. QB is so deep again that I don’t see the point in using a top-30 pick on him. In SF leagues, maybe I would be more likely to pull the trigger, but Jackson has only played more than 13 games twice in the last five seasons and isn’t getting any younger. The fall off in his rushing from last season scares me, (349 from 915) and he doesn’t try to rush for TDs anymore. Everyone is chasing his 2024 season where he the best player in fantasy, but he’s also only thrown for 25+ TDs once in the last five seasons. I just think it’s more likely than not his averages over the last five are the new normal and not his outlier penthouse season.

Buffalo Bills – DJ Moore

The Bills are a run-first and run-heavy offense. They were 31st with a 51/49 run/pass split and only targeted WRs 56% of the time. There just isn’t enough meat for Moore to be a top-30 WR. Josh Allen targets TEs in the red zone when he does throw and Moore will just boom-bust option that will be frustrating more often than not. I don’t see the upside of him coming anywhere close to his WR6 finish in 2023.

Carolina Panthers – Chuba Hubbard

Jonathan Brooks is gaining steam and while I don’t trust him to stay healthy, Hubbard was so bad last season, it has left a mark. Among 49 qualifying backs, he ranked dead last in missed tackle rate and explosive run rate. That is a crazy fall from grace and while the CAR o-line is solid, I don’t trust the offense in general and there are too many RBs around him that I like exponentially more.

Cincinnati Bengals – Tee Higgins

Want to get access to Our Draft Guide and continue the read this article? You’ll need to have a SportsEthos NFL FantasyPass, All-Sport Pass or a Ethos 360 membership. Click here to learn more and sign up!
Premium Access Required

About the Author
Latest Posts

Jon Mosales

I have been crazy about fantasy sports even before I knew what it was. Some people use stats as a tool and some use the eye test. I like to believe I have the perfect blend of both and that extra special spider sense that separates me from the herd. I have been nominated for one FSWA Football Article of the Year award and am just getting started. My only fear is that I will become too good at fantasy football and have to retire early like Michael Jordan. You won’t see me leave my house without at least one of my (four) dogs and if you are lucky enough, you will catch me cruising top-down with all four in tow.