Fantasy Football Rankings: Luther Burden, Mark Andrews And More 2026 Risers
Kendall Valenzuela breaks down the biggest risers at each position in her latest update on her 2026 fantasy football rankings.
The draft is in our rearview mirror and OTAs on the horizon, it's time to dive into the latest updates across each position in my 2026 fantasy football rankings.
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Quarterback Risers In My Fantasy Football Rankings
Jalen Hurts | PHI
I'm not buying the hit pieces on Jalen Hurts this offseason. It feels like we do this every single year, but I'm okay with that if it gives me a discount in draft rooms. The Eagles offense last season was hot garbage; there's no other way to say it. And it happened EVERYWHERE!
Scoring dropped from 27.2 (ranked seventh) in 2024 to 22.3 (19th) points per game in 2025. The offensive efficiency also dropped from fourth-best in the league to 19th. And we all shudder when we think about what Saquon Barkley and the ground game looked like—the rushing attack plummeted from 179 yards per game (2nd) to 116.9 (18th). Sean Mannion will be Hurts' fifth offensive coordinator, but it feels like it can only go up from here, right?
Even with A.J. Brown expectedly on the move, the Eagles spent the offseason getting weapons for Hurts to have behind DeVonta Smith. They traded for Dontayvion Wicks and drafted both Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers. This team needs to find an offensive philosophy and fast, but it can't get worse for Hurts than what played out last season. I'm betting on a big 2026 from Hurts and Co.
Kyler Murray | MIN
I can hear the Fantasy Gods laughing at me already. "You're going back to Kyler Murray AGAIN? Have we taught you nothing?" … ANYWAYS! Kyler Murray moved up my rankings simply because he can beat out J.J. McCarthy for that starting job, and for what it's worth, we've seen more than our fair share of veteran quarterbacks change teams recently and revive their careers. In the past three seasons with Arizona, Murray missed 21 games due to injuries.
He's now working with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. To say that there needs to be a better rapport between Jefferson and his quarterback would be an understatement. Last season, McCarthy completed just 57.6% of his passes and threw for 11 touchdowns, coupled with 12 interceptions.
Kevin O'Connell needs to breathe life into the "Quarterback Whisperer" nickname, and he can do that with Murray. He can still be dangerous on the ground, especially considering that last season he averaged his most rushing yards per game (34.6) since his ACL injury. And he has a good group of weapons around him. Murray is my QB17 so far this offseason, but I can see myself pushing him up the ranks even more.
Running Back Risers In My 2026 Fantasy Rankings
Omarion Hampton | LAC
The Chargers are going to be a very trendy team in fantasy drafts this season, not only because of the pieces they have on offense, but because Mike McDaniel is in town now. An offensive coordinator who can bring some creativity to the Chargers? Sign me up. Omarion Hampton was limited to only nine games during his rookie campaign, but he made the most of it. According to PFF, he ranked third among backs in forced missed tackle rate and averaged 15.1 fantasy points per game.
McDaniel has a history of elite running back production, and Hampton is the guy I'm targeting often in early drafts. The Chargers brought in Keaton Mitchell and still have Kimani Vidal, but Hampton is going to dominate this workload again (let's just hope he stays healthy).
Cam Skattebo | NYG
While the Giants were linked as a potential team to draft a running back, Cam Skattebo ran pure this offseason and is still the team's RB1. In six full games last season before his injury, Skattebo averaged 16.0 carries, 4.7 targets and 96.3 yards, all while scoring six touchdowns.
Even though the sample size was small, Skattebo showed he can be a very strong fantasy asset. The competition for touches is the same this coming season as it was last year, which makes Skattebo a perfect high-end RB2 in fantasy.
Wide Receiver Risers In My Fantasy Football Rankings For 2026
A.J. Brown | PHI
I know everyone is excited for DeVonta Smith's potential in the Eagles offense without A.J. Brown, but WHAT ABOUT A.J. BROWN?!
Brown finished as the WR11 in 2025, and while he had his fewest receiving yards in a season since 2021, he still managed to reach over 1,000 yards for the sixth time in seven seasons. We talk a lot about players who may just need a change of scenery, and it feels like Brown fits that mold now more than ever. If he ends up on the Patriots, expect more than what Stefon Diggs gave them. Diggs ran a route on just 68% of dropbacks during the regular season (outside the top-50 WRs) and finished as the WR21.
Brown still has a lot left in the tank. Looking at him against man coverage, he ranked 5th in TPRR (33%), 5th in target share (34.4%), 6th in fantasy points per target (2.06) and 10th in YPRR (2.7) when facing man.
No matter where he goes, he will be the WR1 and the offense will look better than what the Eagles presented last season when they ranked 23rd in passing yards, had the fifth-fewest completions and ran the seventh-fewest plays.
Luther Burden | CHI
This offense is on the rise and going to be expensive in fantasy drafts this season. DJ Moore is no longer in the picture, which helps Luther Burden, Colston Loveland and Rome Odunze. Burden is the one who's been a consistent riser in my rankings. Do I believe he's going to be Ben Johnson's new Amon-Ra St. Brown? I can't go that far, but I do believe we've only just scratched the surface of his potential.
His 2025 stats won't blow anyone away; during the regular season, he managed 47 receptions, 652 yards and two touchdowns. But damn, he was efficient!
Shoutout to Ian Hartitz for this stat: Just five rookie wide receivers have averaged north of 2.5 yards per route run over the last decade (min. 50 targets):
- Luther Burden (2.71)
- A.J. Brown (2.68)
- Justin Jefferson (2.66)
- Puka Nacua (2.6)
- Ja'Marr Chase (2.51)
Caleb Williams is on the rise and will hopefully continue to elevate this offense into 2026.
Packers WRs
I've moved all three of Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden up in my rankings. The Packers let Romeo Doubs walk in free agency to join the Patriots and the Eagles added to their long list of offseason WR moves by acquiring Dontayvion Wicks.
The Packers and Reed agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $50.25 million in new money. His 2025 season was highlighted by injury, as he was only able to play in seven games (with three starts) and totaled 19 catches and one touchdown. Still, with two other receivers out of the picture, it feels like this offense could be a little more condensed this season.
Reed has flashed previously; in his rookie season, he finished with 64 catches for 793 yards and eight touchdowns. In his sophomore campaign, he locked down 55 receptions, 857 yards and six touchdowns. The upside is there; if Jordan Love can stay healthy and attempt more passes this season, we could see Reed be the beneficiary.
Christian Watson obviously benefits here, too. Last season, Doubs led the team in targets, receptions and receiving yards, but don't forget what Watson was able to do during the final seven games of the season—he averaged: 6.1 targets, 60 receiving yards and 15.1 PPR fantasy points.
The jury is still out on Golden, but it's early in his career. He finished his rookie season with just 29 receptions on 44 targets for 361 yards and no scores. There will be an increase in playing time, but Golden is the WR3 in my rankings from this team.
Tight End Upgrades In My Fantasy Football Rankings
Mark Andrews | BAL
Highlighting an older tight end? Yeah, why not! Mark Andrews was fourth among tight ends in end zone targets last season, and I'm betting on more touchdowns for the 30-year-old tight end. Andrews scored five touchdowns last season and finished as the TE23 in fantasy points per game. It's been two down seasons for Andrews, but a new coaching staff and Isaiah Likely leaving are pivotal for an Andrews turnaround.
Likely and Charlie Kolar are now out of the picture. Likely has missed four games in two seasons, and when he was out, Andrews saw 80% route participation and averaged 12.2 fantasy points per game.
He's going to score more touchdowns in an offense that's hungry to prove that a Super Bowl is within reach.
Isaiah Likely | NYG
The Giants and John Harbaugh are hoping to keep this team rising, and for fantasy football, it was a notable move to sign former Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely to a three-year deal worth $40 million. During the draft, the team only added Malachi Fields in the third round, of course Likely will battle Theo Johnson, but it's a far cry from being behind Mark Andrews his whole career.
This feels like a bet from Harbaugh that, without the All-Pro tight end in his way, we could finally see Likely reach his full potential.
In four seasons, Likely has played in 63 games and has recorded 135 receptions for 1,568 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has totaled 740 yards after the catch in those four seasons as well. Now, these aren't necessarily numbers that are jumping off the page, but he's a later-round tight end that has moved up the rankings for me because he could drastically outperform his fantasy football ADP.
Likely fits better as a downfield threat for Jaxson Dart and boasts more upside than Johnson, but it's more than likely we'll see both on the field together regularly. According to ESPN, the Ravens last season (under Harbaugh) used 12 personnel the third-most in the NFL at 35.9%. But is it crazy to think Likely could be the No. 2 target on this team?
The Giants also let Wan'Dale Robinson walk in free agency, signaling that a tight end duo could be their future alongside Malik Nabers. There are some questions if Nabers will even be ready for Week 1 of the NFL season, which makes drafting Likely even easier for me.
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