The stars of the NFL need no introduction. Any Joe Schmo is going to be able to tell you that Josh Allen is going to be the driving force for the Buffalo Bills. It doesn't take much to identify that Myles Garrett joining the Los Angeles Rams is a game-changer. And so on and so forth. But what about the up-and-coming stars, the soon-to-be household names in the league? It's a different task entirely to identify the NFL's breakout candidates coming into the 2026 season.
But that's the task at hand. We looked throughout the rosters around the NFL and have identified the 20 players who are set up beautifully for a true breakout season in 2026. Whether it's a second-year leap, a new situation or something else, get ready to remember the names for these players sooner rather than later.
20. OT Armand Membou, New York Jets
A first-round pick by the Jets in 2025, Armand Membou really didn't receive the shine last season that he probably deserved. Granted, quite a lot of that had to do with the fact that New York epitomized a hot mess. That wasn't the Mizzou product's fault, though, as he not only put together a strong overall season but also got even better as the season went on.
While New York might not be set up for a huge upswing in terms of the win-loss record in the 2026 season, they're going to be better. The offensive line will be a driving force behind any improvement for the Jets, and that will lead to Membou, along with him making a natural year-two jump, starting to get his flowers.
19. CB Shavon Revel Jr., Dallas Cowboys
Upon returning from a torn ACL that robbed him of the entire offseason in his rookie season, the Cowboys watched Shavon Revel Jr. contribute to being one of the worst cornerbacks in the NFL as part of one of the league's worst overall defenses. But now, with a healthy offseason under his belt and with the defensive improvements made in Dallas, the tides are about to turn for Revel.
Let's not forget, Revel was a projected first-round pick at East Carolina prior to his ACL injury, and he's looked the part in preseason action and according to camp reports. In new coordinator Christian Parker's system, the second-year defensive back is going to turn his early career around.
18. DL Watler Nolen, Arizona Cardinals
This shouldn't be taken as me saying that I believe the Arizona Cardinals are going to be a good football team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, there are definitely signs that they found a core piece in the 2025 NFL Draft with the selection of Walter Nolen.
Nolen's time on the field was limited as a rookie, but he was highly effective, especially as a pass-rusher, when he was given the opportunity to do so in the 2025 season. Now, under a new coaching regime, it feels like he's perfectly positioned to be fully unleashed and wreak havoc as an interior rusher.
17. RB Cam Skattebo, New York Giants
Obviously, returning from the brutal ankle injury that Cam Skattebo suffered to end his rookie season is at least a bit of a concern. At the same time, the Giants running back has been hyped up by new head coach John Harbaugh throughout the offseason and we know from Baltimore how much this new coaching regime likes to run the rock. That puts Skattebo in a great spot to truly put his name on the map among the elite running backs in the league.
In eight games last season, Skattebo rushed 101 times for 410 yards and five scores. Assuming he can stay healthy, though, I expect a better rushing scheme and more experience for Jaxson Dart to improve the supplementary passing attack gives Skattebo a clear path to a 1,000-yard season, if not well past that.
16. TE Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns
Because the Browns were and have been so abysmal, we have a tendency to overlook things in Cleveland from time to time. That's definitely the case with Harold Fannin Jr. and last year's rookie campaign. It'd probably shock a lot of people to learn that he finished the year with 72 catches for 731 yards and six touchdowns.
I expect Fannin to best even those impressive numbers this season, though. While the quarterback situation in Cleveland somehow got even worse thanks to the return of Deshaun Watson, the receiving options are either lacking severely or are young rookies finding their footing. Fannin could be the reliable target in this offense and flirt with a 1,000-yard campaign as a tight end.
15. RB Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
So much oxygen this offseason has been spent hyping up Bhayshul Tuten as the new lead back in Jacksonville with the offseason departure of Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency. I like Tuten as a player, no doubt, but I actually believe that it's going to be Chris Rodriguez Jr. who bursts onto the scene as a real factor.
Rodriguez has been a depth option throughout his career to this point, but now he comes to the Jaguars to work with Liam Coen, who was his offensive coordinator in college at Kentucky. That familiarity can't be overstated and could lead to Rodriguez not only getting more touches than people are expecting, but making good on those opportunities as well.
14. TE Terrance Ferguson, Los Angeles Rams
On the whole, looking at the fact that Terrance Ferguson only ended his rookie season with 11 catches on 25 targets for 231 yards and three touchdowns might not mean that much. However, when you got a bit deeper into how the season went for the Oregon product, you can start to see the vision of why he's a breakout candidate.
Ferguson amassed five receptions on eight targets for 87 yards and two touchdowns over the final two weeks of the regular season. And while it was middling production (one reception, 19 yards) in the playoffs, he was targeted five times. That reads to me like someone who has started to ingratiate himself into the offense with Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford. Now as possibly the third target for a prolific offense, those numbers could skyrocket in his second season.
13. CB Nohl Williams, Kansas City Chiefs
Nohl Williams was just a third-round pick for the Chiefs in the 2025 draft, which led to him being a somewhat unsuspecting presence for that defense that was largely overshadowed by stars like Trent McDuffie. But with massive changes to the secondary this offseason, Williams is now the de facto No. 1 cornerback in Kansas City and he looks up to the task.
While his name brand might've been overshadowed last season, his performance shouldn't have been. He was a standout rookie at the position and will now simply start to get more of the deserved recognition for his performance this year with a revamped group around him.
12. WR Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars
If you're a fantasy football player, you probably didn't need me to bring up Parker Washington in this conversation. Perhaps no one benefitted from the arrival of Liam Coen more than the now-fourth-year receiver, as he set career-highs in targets (95), receptions (58), receiving yards (847) and receiving touchdowns (5) in the 2025 season (unnecessary parenthetical to continue the theme).
While there is a hefty competition for targets, Coen showed his cards last season of how often he wants to get Washington involved in the passing offense. With Travis Hunter also likely focusing more on his defensive role, there's a chance we see Washington become a true WR1 in the league this season.
11. QB Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
I'll be the first to admit that I feel quite foolish about Tyler Shough. He was an older draft prospect who I immediately poo-pooed because of that. But as an older rookie, he looked quite impressive as he went 5-4 as a starter and recording 2,384 yrads with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
While I would love Jordyn Tyson to be healthy for Shough to make a big leap this season, the addition of Travis Etienne in addition to a year of experience to his credit should still allow him to progress noticeably. The Saints, largely due to the defense, might still be a year away from truly competing and contending. But Shough will prove this season they have their next franchise quarterback hopeful.
10. RB Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
To say that Jonathon Brooks' career in Carolina has been tumultuous since he was a second-round pick in the 2024 draft. He played in just one game with only nine carries as a rookie and has been injured ever since. But with Rico Dowdle gone and with a clean bill of health, Brooks appears ready to hit the ground running, no pun intended.
Brooks was a highly touted prospect coming out of Texas and has seemingly regained some of that steam this offseason with a run of impressive training camp reports consistently coming from the Panthers. While he might be eased back into the lead role, he's a substantially higher-upside option that Chuba Hubbard and that should play out in terms of workload and production as the season progresses.
9. EDGE Mike Green, Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens defense should experience a boost from the arrival of new head coach Jesse Minter, who is already one of the brightest young defensive minds in the game. Mike Green should directly benefit from that, especially as he gets more chances on the edge and gets those chances alongside the likes of Trey Hendrickson.
Green had 3.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss as a rookie, but the talent is undeniable. Character concerns led to him being a second-round pick in 2024 despite having first-round traits and production in his college career at Marshall. Minter is the perfect guy to let him pin his ears back and, as such, Green could approach double-digit sacks in year two.
8. LB Jihaad Campbell, Philadelphia Eagles
Versatility is becoming more and more valuable in an NFL defense with each passing year, and Jihaad Campbell is going to be fully indicative of that in the 2026 season. Some Eagles fans were left disappointed in the first-round pick as a rookie, but it was quite clear that he was adjusting to the NFL and needs to be given the grace of a learning curve.
But Campbell's toolbox is chock-full of traits that should allow him to cover the entirety of the field whenever he's asked to. He should be able to come through as a potential 100-tackle player as he plays a more consistent role in the middle of the Philadelphia defense and insert his name into the conversation of the best young linebackers in the NFL.
7. OT Tyler Guyton, Dallas Cowboys
It's been a rough go of it for former first-round pick Tyler Guyton over his first two seasons in Dallas. While the talent has been obvious at times, the consistency has been nowhere to be found. But now with the situation normalizing for the Cowboys, I expect that to allow Guyton to become the talent that this organization drafted him to be.
Guyton showed progress and comfortability under Brian Schottenheimer and Co. at the end of last season. With the offensive identity now further engrained for this team, he should be able to establish himself as a reliable young bookend and also become an extension candidate in Dallas this year.
6. QB Jaxson Dart, New York Giants
Other than the win-loss record and the fact that Brian Daboll seemed intent on getting him killed, there was a lot to like from what we saw from Jaxson Dart as a rookie. He ended the season with 2,272 passing yards on a 63.7 percent completion rate with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, all while also rushing for 487 yards and nine more trips to the end zone.
The Giants seemingly have settled the offensive line a bit more, which should help Dart, and we're expecting a full complement of weapons around him as well this season. If he and his cohorts can stay healthy, the young signal-caller is more than gifted enough to make a leap in a new offense and help New York establish their cornerstones moving forward.
5. RB Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings
There was some buzz leading into last season that the Vikings were incredibly high on Jordan Mason as he came to Minnesota. However, he was still in, at best, a timeshare in the backfield, not to mention the fact that J.J. McCarthy leading the offense when healthy ultimately put a cap on this offense's ceiling.
After witnessing the clear and obvious decline of Aaron Jones, though, Mason figures to be the lead back in this offense, one that could be lethal in the ground attack now that Kyler Murray is taking over at quarterback. All told, the Vikings are on the upswing and Mason figures to be a key factor in that, potentially putting up a career-best season as he finally gets a long-awaited opportunity for a full workload.
4. OT Kelvin Banks Jr., New Orleans Saints
Kelvin Banks Jr. was a big reason why Tyler Shough and the Saints were able to show as much promise as they did a year ago. The rookie offensive tackle hit the ground running and was arguably the best first-year offensive lineman in the NFL.
It's obviously hard for an offensive lineman to get shine, even as a tackle. But much like his draft peer in Armand Membou, I believe that the Saints, particularly on offense, are going to experience a strong upward shift in terms of production and quality. As such, that will bring some more of the key pieces in that unit into the spotlight. I suspect that Banks will be part of that as he not only continues the work from his rookie year, but maybe even betters it.
3. WR Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers
For all of the talk about the Packers offense and how frustrating they can be for fantasy managers for spreading the ball around, the one fact I can't escape is that Matthew Golden is the only former first-round pick in that unit. And while Christian Watson and Jayden Reed have experience on him, we've seen time and again that receivers sometimes need a year before they break out, and now the time is right for Golden.
With the departures of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks this offseason, the competition for targets in the Green Bay offense has lessened. Golden is the most explosive option of the group that remains for the Packers pass-catchers, and now that he has a year of rapport-building with Jordan Love working for him, I think we see that far more often as he emerges as something close to the top receiver in this offense.
2. RB Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers
Injuries ultimately limited Omarion Hampton to just nine games as a rookie for the Chargers last season. When he was healthy and on the field, though, it felt like what he was able to do was overlooked, as he averaged 4.4 yards per carry, caught 32 passes for 192 yards, and scored five overall touchdowns.
While the talent of a first-round pick is a big factor in Hampton breaking out, the biggest thing working in his favor is the arrival of Mike McDaniel. His time in Miami screeched to an abrupt halt, but we saw how dangerous, explosive and dynamic he made that backfield. Hampton isn't De'Von Achane in terms of the style of play, but he is the clear lead back and we're going to see him use heavily in a prolific offense, which should lead to a massive statistical season.
1. WR Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears
In the midst of competing for targets with Rome Odunze, DJ Moore and Colston Loveland, Luter Burden still managed to make a name for himself as a rookie, hauling in 47 of his 60 targets for 652 yards and two touchdowns and also logging six carries for 37 yards. But with Moore now in Buffalo, the breakout watch for Burden is fully on.
Burden in the Ben Johnson offense feels like a suped-up version of Amon-Ra St. Brown, or at least that's what he can be. He plays that slot type of role perfectly with the ability to get into space and create both before and after the catch. We know how often Johnson utilized that skill set with St. Brown, and it stands to reason that Burden could be in line for a monstrous campaign if he's used anything close to that this season with the Bears.
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