The Kutty Katt's Thoughts

A quick look at players that will have a better year than their ADP suggests.

Quick Notes:
The players will be listed as Name – Team – ADP (Position draft number)
All fantasy points listed will be from my leagues scoring system, which may lead to slightly more points on average, we do full PPR and give half point per first down gained. Our league is 12 members deep, if round numbers are mentioned it would be based on those picks.

Quarterbacks

Tyler Shough – New Orleans Saints – 155.5 (QB 17): Shough will lead a new and improved New Orleans Saints’ offense in 2026. He ended 2025 on a bang, averaging 20.25 fantasy points. My league runs a Superflex position, and while Shough may not be the #1 Quarterback, getting 20 points per game out of a 13th round pick is exceptional value. He has room to grow as well; Kellen Moore back for season 2, Travis Etienne Jr. in the backfield, a healthy Chris Olave, and rookie receiver Jordyn Tyson should all improve the efficiency we see from Shough. At the end of the year, I think we will see Shough as a top ten quarterback. I see him as a low ceiling and high floor kind of guy.

Kyler Murray – Minnesota Vikings – 158.3 (QB 18): Ranking right behind Shough for quarterbacks, Murray finds himself lower than the previous two years. Last year he was around QB9 and the year before he was sitting around QB8. Murray is the opposite of Shough. Murray has a shot to be a top 3 fantasy QB with his supporting cast in Minnesota, or he could play so bad that he loses his starting spot. Murray will get to throw to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Juan Jennings, and T.J. Hockenson. He will still have that dominant Vikings defense on the other side of the ball, which could give him more shots at touchdowns with better field position. I think Murray is worth a flyer with where he is going, and fingers crossed we get a young Kyler Murray in Minnesota this year.

Malik Willis – Miami Dolphins – 168 (QB 25): Let’s start with the obvious, the Dolphins are going to be bad this year. They will have a new coaching staff, new quarterback, and a new number one receiver. Malik on the Titans did not look good, however, his years in Greenbay helped shape him into a decent starting quarterback. He filled in well for Love last year and his ability to scramble will help out this depleted Dolphins offense. The Dolphins are going to be losing a lot of games, which means more passing attempts, which leads to more Malik usage. He has a sneaky chance to finish as a top 15 quarterback. A perfect late round grab in 2-quarterback leagues, or a perfect quarterback if you believe in drafting quarterbacks as late as possible.

Deep Cut – Bryce Young – Carolina Panthers – Going undrafted or in the last round of most leagues: I do not think Bryce Young will go undrafted in my league since we have a superflex option, but in many 1 quarterback leagues his ADP puts him in the last round or undrafted. My bold prediction is that he finishes as a top 10 fantasy quarterback this year. His ability to run boosts his fantasy viability and the Panthers offense is trending up. They will have to play a tougher first place schedule, but I think that just leads to Young having to play from behind more often and having to make some magic. I don’t think I will ever trust him to be a clutch quarterback, but in our fantasy world, I think he is a solid option if you want to grab him in the last round.

Running Backs

Travis Etienne Jr. – New Orleans Saints – 42.2 (RB 19): A trend is starting to emerge around the New Orleans Saints offense. Etienne gets to jump into an offense that has schemed around the play of Alvin Kamara for years. It is still unknown if Kamara will return to New Orleans next year or not, but the Saints choosing to sign Etienne leads me to believe Kamara will not be playing. Etienne has the skillset to be a #1 fantasy football running back. Based on the Saints offense over the final few games of last year, i could see Etienne consistently getting 5+ targets per game, and then its just up to him to do something with those. Etienne, in my opinion, could win leagues.

Bhayshul Tuten – Jacksonville Jaguars – 72.4 (RB 26): Part of the reason Jacksonville was so willing to let Etienne leave was the emergence of Tuten. In limited work last season Tuten looked like a better overall running back. Jacksonville’s receiving core will make it hard for Tuten to get consistent targets, which helps a ton for fantasy production, he has a legit shot to be a 1000 yard rusher by the end of the year. Being taken as the 26th running back in most drafts, I can see him finishing in the top 15 on a high powered Jacksonville offense that should be in the Redzone a lot this year. Nobody else in the Jaguar’s running back room comes close to Tuten’s skill level so we should see him starting the entire year.

RJ Harvey – Denver Broncos – 111.2 (RB 36): Did I draft Harvey last year? Yes. Did I regret it? At times. Harvey was an annoying player to have last year. Early on he was handcuffed by JK Dobbins and then when Dobbins when down it felt like he was a boom or bust kind of guy. Take his game against Houston in November, he has 2 rushing attempts for 5 yards, but had 5 catches for 51 yards and a touchdown. That would be 0.5 points on his rushing totals and 16.1 on his receiving totals. He will be hard to trust him on a week-to-week basis, but I think his skillset will lead him to getting more snaps than Dobbins by the time fantasy playoffs role around. Bo Nix liked having Harvey as a safety valve and I think we see him a lot in those 3rd down roles and maybe even goal line carries. If Harvey was the clear #1 in Denver, I would have him higher, but even as a backup, I think he finishes in the top 20 for running backs.

Deep Cut – MarShawn Lloyd – Greenbay Packers – Going undrafted or in the last round of most leagues: I think most people who keep up with the NFL will know why Lloyd is on this list. With the uncertainty on how much Josh Jacobs will get to play this year, Lloyd may end up being the running back #1 in Greenbay. While I don’t love Lloyd, being the number one running back in a high-powered offense is still terrific for fantasy. As we get close to the start of the year it will be important to keep eye on what happens with Josh Jacobs. If you draft Jacobs I recommend grabbing Lloyd as well. If Lloyd ends up being the top running back in their offense for the entire year, he will finish as a top 20 running back.

Wide Receivers

Luther Burden III – Chicago Bears – 72.6 (WR 28): This one might be a little hyped up from Ben Johnson himself, but I agree with him. Burden is a burner, and Caleb Williams’ confidence is growing. I expect more deep bombs from him and a more elaborate offensive scheme with second year Ben Johnson. He feels like a boom or bust player, not someone who is going to get 10+ targets per game, but when he does get a catch it should be explosive. I don’t think you should start the season with Burden as your best receiver, but having him as an option could be extremely valuable.

Brian Thomas Jr. – Jacksonville Jaguars – 98.3 (WR 37): A down year in his sophomore season has led many people to write him off. I think its important to remember that during one of the last preseason games he took a headshot while trying to make a catch. He was not the same after that. He seemed to be second guessing himself, trying to avoid getting hit in the same way. However, I believe after a full offseason to recover mentally he will be back to his rookie year form. The Jaguars have a full receiving room of quality players but BTJ has a chance to be the number one.

Makai Lemon – Philadelphia Eagles – 104.3 (WR 41): With the trade of A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith now gets bumped up to the number one receiver for the Eagles. Jalen Hurts, tends to not treat his number ones as his first target. This could open up the door for Makai Lemon to produce a huge fantasy season. The Steelers wanted to draft Makai Lemon, and we know the Steelers history with receivers. This leads me to believe he is going to be a stud. Lemon will be a nice player to have, especially later in the year as chemistry gets built between him and Jalen Hurts.

Khalil Shakir – Buffalo Bills – 134.1 (WR 51): Shakir was a sneaky peak last year as he was going to be the Wide Receiver one for the Bills. Now with the addition of DJ Moore, Shakir will more than likely be wide receiver two. He will get to go back to a role that is more comfortable for him and I think that will lead to his production going up. Josh Allen has already established a connection with Shakir and could use him as a safety valve. I don’t think Shakir will win leagues, but he should be going much higher than the 51st wide receiver.

Deep Cut – Malik Washington – Miami Dolphins – Going undrafted or in last round of most leagues: Malik Washington felt like a last round grab last year, however a friend of mine snagged him earlier, which worked out for the best. Malik was good, but never got the targets he needed to be relevant. This year, as the number one option I expect him to be a solid fantasy option. It is not that I think Malik will be a league winner, but he is better than going undrafted at this point. He has the skillset to be good and he will get the target share this year to show off his skillset.

Deep Cut – Tre Tucker – Las Vegas Raiders – Going undrafted or in last round of most leagues: When I think of sleeper picks in fantasy I think of volume. Tre Tucker is the wide receiver one for the Raiders. A team with Kirko 2chainz and Fernando Mendoza throwing the ball. They will both have excellent arm talent and will be needing to throw the ball. Tre Tucker is the best receiving option outside of Brock Bowers on this team and by the end of the year he will be a top 20 fantasy wide receiver.

Tight Ends

Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles – 103.2 (TE 10): It is tough to find sleeper tight ends. Over the course of my fantasy career I have typically drafted a tight end late, and then find a waiver wire addition once we see which tight ends are getting playing time. However, Dallas Goedert is a little underrated for tight ends. I think he finishes as a top 5 tight end. Goedert will get more redzone targets for the Eagles this year. He will be their big man threat with A.J. Brown gone. The problem with most tight ends is that they are touchdown dependent. Goedert gets multiple catches per game and is not effected by a zero touchdown game.

Dalton Kincaid – Buffalo Bills – 154.4 (TE 17): I have thought it will be Kincaid’s year every year, but this year, it will be his. I think it finally comes all together for Kincaid. An improved Bills offense will lead to more redzone targets for Kincaid and overall I think Allen will trust Kincaid more. I think he will end up being a top ten tight end.

Terrance Ferguson – Los Angeles Rams – 169.2 (TE 25): Ferguson is longshot for the top tight end spot this year. He has the abilities to score in bunches in a strong Ram’s offense. As the year went on, Ferguson continued to improve. With an aging Davonte Adams and with teams making it a focus to not let Puka beat them, Ferguson could become a lethal option for Stafford.

Deep Cut – David Njoku – Los Angeles Chargers – Going undrafted or in last round of most leagues: Njoku is a notorious fantasy tight end. He had some killer games with the Browns, especially with Flacco. Now he gets to join a Chargers team with an elite quarterback. The only issue? He is not the starting tight end. Gadsden will be the tight end one for the Chargers, he had a phenomenal year last season and there is no reason he shouldn’t be considered the number one tight end for them. However, given a chance, I believe Njoku would be killer in this offense. It is tough to ‘stash’ a tight end, as it is not a premium position, but if you want to stash one, Njoku is a good option. If you decide to wait until the last round to pick up your tight end, Njoku is a solid option over some starting tight ends in the league.