HOT Takes 2026
(Nothing in this post was created using any sort of generative AI)
The regular season is just around the corner with preseason games underway, with some members of this league overreacting to those games. I am back again with some of my hot takes for the upcoming season with something special this time. This year, another member of our league has given some of his hot takes that I will add into the article. I will lay out the argument for his takes, and will give my thoughts on it as well. Should be a fun one. Again, I will try and order them from coldest to hottest. Each take should get progressively hotter.
CMC Revenge Year - Ladd McConkey has a top 15 WR season
It shouldn't come as a surprise that I am high on Ladd this season after I put him into the 'BreakoutPlayers' article, but I am big on Ladd this season.
Ladd had a really strong rookie season scoring 260 fantasy points and finishing as the WR13. Ladd showed he could separate at the next level with the best of them, being in the 83rd percentile against man in 2024 and 78th percentile against zone. Those success rates for a rookie are tremendous and tell you exactly how good he is. In 2025 Ladd was an even better player but took a step back production wise. Just 195 points finishing as the WR30. I think the main reason he didn’t produce was due to the injuries on the offensive line. Like I have mentioned probably several times this offseason, the Chargers lost both their starting offensive tackles during the season. This limited Herbert’s time to throw in the pocket and didn’t give Ladd enough time to get open. Despite the lack of production, Ladd’s success rates against man and zone ranked in the 88th and 89th percentile respectively. He was still a very very good separator.
In 2026, Ladd has the opportunity to jump back into the top 15 at his position because things are aligning for him. He is still a very talented player. He still has an elite quarterback. He doesn't have crazy competition. The offensive line is healthy. And he has an elite play-caller as an offensive coordinator. Ladd should be in for a big season as the best receiver on the Chargers which should be a powerhouse of an offence that leans on Ladd in the passing game, especially with Keenan Allen gone.
Skattebeast - Jaylen Waddle not top 25 vs. Jaylen Waddle top 25
Jaylen Waddle seems to be a polarizing player in this league with two people specifically butting heads over how he will play this season. I personally, am a big Jaylen Waddle fan. He has had an up and down career so far, with an elite rookie season that was highlighted by 100 receptions and 1000 yards. But has had a couple poorer seasons with Tyreek Hill taking over as the number one receiver on the Dolphins. In 2025 Waddle had a sub 200 fantasy point season with just 60 receptions and 900 yards. This disappointing season paired with some lingering injuries left people frustrated with his fantasy value.
Starting with the argument against Waddle, is generally his history of falling short when given the opportunity and the injury concerns. Waddle has finished outside the top 30 for wide receivers twice and just barely snuck into the top 25 this past season in a very frustrating manner for fantasy managers. Those two seasons outside the top 30 were due to the injuries that Waddle had faced. Now, looking at the games played, Waddle seems to be fairly healthy as he has played in 92% of all possible games in his career. But games missed isn't really the issue. The low snap counts is what kills Waddle's production. There are way too many games where Waddle will roll an ankle, or sprain his knee, or take a big hit and leave the game for a quarter or two, then returns in the 4th quarter and doesn't have any time to get the ball. The loss of 1-2 quarters in games really kills momentum and the opportunity to score fantasy points. This is what frustrates fantasy managers the most. This was seen the most in 2025 where Tyreek missed a large majority of the year giving Waddle the spotlight and only finished as the WR24. A guy of his talent, should be better than that with the spotlight, but the low snap counts really held him back.
The other major concern this leaguemate has for Waddle is that the Broncos spread the ball around too much for Waddle to be a top WR this year. Which is partly true. Of the top 5 teams that had the most passing completions, the Broncos have the most players with at least 42 receptions. That may seem like an arbitrary number but I figured a regular player within the offence would average about 2.5 catches per game and that comes to 42 (.5) receptions over the year. The Broncos had 4 players with at least 42 receptions and no other team in the top 5 had that many. If you lower the number to 30 receptions (a nice round number), the Broncos have 6 players. That's a lot of spread offence. Now, adding Waddle to that offence adds another player that needs to get the ball, and in an offence like the Broncos, it does not bode well for him. The argument is simple for that leaguemate "he's a loser, not top 25 material."
Here's my argument for Waddle. He is still a very talented player despite the poor production. In 2025, his success rates vs man and zone coverage were still quite good (77th and 74th percentile respectively). I am a man that will always try to bet on players I believe to be very talented. And Waddle is one of those players.
So if Waddle is so talented, why does he not produce? The easy culprit is his quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa is just not a good quarterback. He lacks arm strength to push the ball deep down the field, where Waddle excels. You might bring up Tua's past seasons where he looked good and put up 4000 yards and helped the Dolphins get to the playoffs, but he has obviously declined. Whether it is due to injury or just struggles, Tua has gotten worse. Highest INT% of his career, worst success rate of career, worst passer rating of career, and several other efficiency stats were down. Tua just isn't the same quarterback anymore. Fortunately for Waddle, he was traded to a team with a less bad quarterback.
Bo Nix has been an improvement at quarterback for the Broncos who helped the team get to the AFC Championship game just last season. The reason he is an upgrade is because he can actually throw deep passes. If you've ever seen a Troy Franklin or Marvin Mims touchdown, you'd know Nix can sling it a lot further than Tua can. This bodes well for Waddle since he actually thrives on those deeper routes where he can burn corners with his speed. In addition to the QB boost, Sean Payton likes to make his best receiver the feature of his offence (see Marquez Colston or Michael Thomas). Waddle can certainly be that player for the Broncos who hasn't had a truly dominant wide receiver to pair with Nix. Being the feature guy isn't the only thing going for Waddle, the Broncos offence is quite pass heavy meaning he will benefit from more pass attempts. Nix led the league with 612 passing attempts last season, and while it is true the Broncos spread the ball around, that won't affect Waddle as much.
The main reason the Broncos spread the ball around, is because they don't have any elite wide receivers and a lot of role players. Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims are one dimensional players that don't get on the field a whole lot. Both are primarily deep threats with Franklin topping out at about 60% snap percentage and Mims a lowly 33%. The only player with a significant snap share is Courtland Sutton. While Sutton was the main receiver on the field with an 80% snap share, he is also fairly one dimensional. Sutton is a clear X-receiver that almost never plays in any other alignment, and even struggles mightily against zone coverage (9th percentile vs zone via reception perception). Waddle joins this wide receiver room as the only player that is really good in more than one role. I think with the addition of Waddle, the Broncos will want to pass about the same, but be more efficient with Waddle out there. I predict a big bounce back season for Waddle, top 20 season incoming.
What's your take on Waddle? Are you betting on the talent or too worried about the injuries?
Cokehead - Parker Washington and Zay Flowers top 10 vs Zay Flowers outside the top 10
Another set of hot takes from our guest who says that Parker Washington and Zay Flowers will both finish inside the top 10 at their position. Quite lofty expectations for these two, but let's see the argument.
I'll start with Parker Washington since I personally don't have a take on him this season. Washington finished the 2025 season as the WR27 but had a really strong finish. Washington averaged 16.18 fantasy points after his week 8 bye, and had at least 20 points in each of his last 2 games. The reason for this success is due to his deployment late in the season. Liam Coen, now 2nd year head coach, moved Washington more and more into the slot where he is most successful. The slot rate was nearing 50% by the end of the season where he really shined. Coming into 2026 the Jaguars have not made any changes to the wide receiver room, sticking with their three guys Brian Thomas Jr, Parker Washington, and Jakobi Meyers. They all perfectly fit together with little overlapping skill sets, and they all thrive at different alignments. This bodes well for Washington, because he started to thrive in the offence, when it was just those three guys. If Washington continues to dominate in a primarily slot role, he could have a really big breakout season. Cokehead owner, Tristan, believes that Washington is primed for a top 10 season. I personally don't have much thoughts on the Washington top 10 take mostly because I have no idea who will be "the guy" for Jacksonville. All three guys have a case to be the number 1 for that team and I'm too much of a coward to pick one.
Zay Flowers is another favourite of the Cokeheads and is another player they are predicting to finish inside the top 10 for receivers. Zay just finished as the WR7 last season scoring a career high 265.8 fantasy points, and is looking to repeat that season. The things going for Zay are that he is a great talent, and the receiving competition isn't there. Zay Flowers took a couple seasons to flourish, but 2025 showed why he was a first round pick. Zay put up good success rates against man coverage, but really excelled against zone. With an 85% success rate against zone coverage, Zay was in the 92nd percentile.
A guy like that will almost always be open and ready for the ball, and that is why Zay produced well last season. Additionally, the wide receiver competition on the Ravens was lacking, and still lacks. Can you guess who was 2nd in receptions and yards among Ravens wide receivers? If you somehow guessed Deandre Hopkins you were correct. The wide receiver group is so weak, that Zay Flowers had more receptions and yards than all the other wide receivers COMBINED. The team is weak to say the least. Since last year, the Ravens have only added two rookies to the receiving room, both of whom are quite limited in what they can do on the field. Both Elijah Sarratt and Jakobi Lane are both limited in their route running abilities, and flourish in contested catch situations. They likely won't be a threat to Zay and his target share. With the limited additions to the receiver room, Zay is bound to repeat as a top 10 receiver... or is he?
I believe that Zay will not repeat as a top 10 receiver in fantasy this season. Zay is quite a talented receiver that has built some really good chemistry with one of the best quarterbacks in the league that allows him to be the main receiver for the Ravens. I have two main issues with Zay and the main one isn’t really about him but the rest of the league. Zay’s 265.8 point season was good for 7th among wide receivers, but wouldn’t have been enough for top 10 in 2024 (12th), 2023 (15th), or 2022 (12th). Zay’s 15.6 points per game wasn’t even top 10 this year (13th), 2024 (24th), 2023 (22nd), or 2022 (19th). While Zay had a good season for 2025, it wasn’t a very strong season compared to any of the three previous seasons. With other great receivers being healthy, like Garrett Wilson and Malik Nabers, or even having bounce back years like Nico Collins, A.J. Brown, Justin Jefferson, Drake London, CeeDee Lamb, Ladd McConkey, or Terry McLaurin. Some of these guys seem like stretches, but most of them had top 10 seasons in 2024 and all were outside the top 10 in 2025. If even a few of them have bounce back seasons, Zay will have a very tough time getting back into that top 10.
The other issue is how run heavy the Ravens are. Despite Zay being the number 1 target, he isn't the number one option on the team. That would be Derrick Henry. Yes Henry is getting older, 32 almost 33 years old, but the Ravens have been top 3 in rush attempts in each of the last three seasons, and even worse bottom 3 in pass attempts in those years as well. A high run rate, and low pass rate does not bode well for Zay even if he is the number 1 target. How do you guys think Zay will do this season?
Boston a Nut on your Tuddies - First repeat champion
Picking the reigning champion to repeat might not seem like a hot take, but after seeing the league voted power rankings it might just be. The Boston franchise ranked 3rd in the power rankings, just behind Tony Dorset and the Jeantymen, but I think they're more likely to win the championship. They have already won, with their trio of Jamar Chase, Devon Achane, and James Cook leading the team, but the rest of the starters are also in for big seasons. A.J. Brown and DJ Moore are both in new situations with not much competition poised for big years. Both of whom have had top 10 fantasy seasons in the past... Aside from them, Emeka Egbuka and Wandale Robinson are both coming off top 25 seasons (top 15 for Robinson) and they could easily maintain that next season. The wide receiver depth is top notch, and that doesn't even consider first round rookie Denzel Boston or recent addition Terry McLaurin. That's six wide receivers that you feel good about starting every week with 1 that could get there later in the season. The running back room is solid after Achane and Cook, with a mix of solid handcuffs and players in committees. Rico Dowdle and Kyle Monangai are both in committees, likely as the number 2, but can be elite options as the main guy if they get the opportunity, and can spot start with confidence when needed. Caleb Williams looks to improve his down to down accuracy which can increase his ceiling as a player, but is still a really good fantasy option. This team is simply elite and I think they can be our league's first back to back champion. Just don't ask where Garrett Wilson went...
Tony Dorset - Wide receiver depth holds team back from a Championship
The year 2 champs look to be the first team to win two championships, but I think they fall short this year. The team is overall really damn good, and they were rightfully ranked quite high (2nd in the league), but I don't think they've built the team to win it once again. They've built a truly fantastic team around Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkley, Puka Nacua, Chris Olave, Omarion Hampton, and Colston Loveland. I think the issues with the team arise after that large group of star talent. The depth (specifically at wide receiver), is on the weaker side and I think that will hold them back.
The wide receiver group stars two truly amazing players in Puka Nacua and Chris Olave, but after that, the group falls off a cliff. The best receiver off the bench is easily Stefon Diggs. In New England, Diggs showed that he is still a very good receiver and put up 85 catches for over 1000 yards and scored 4 touchdowns. He is still a quality receiver, but the issue is his snap counts. In New England, Diggs was only on the field for 45-60% of the offensive plays. While he was still productive in those snaps, there was little to no competition on the Patriots, meaning he as fed the ball a lot for the Pats to do well. Now, in Washington, Diggs doesn't have to be the number 1 guy there and has to compete with Terry McLaurin for the ball. Not only that, but Antonio Williams will also be a sneaky player he has to compete with. Now, I'm not saying that Diggs will end up as WR50 and be terrible, but he won't have as good of a season last year and that will really hurt this team.
The next best wide receiver off the bench is probably Kayshon Boutte? I'm not really sure. It's between him, Xavier Worthy and Dontayvion Wicks. Boutte was just traded to the Houston Texans who lost Jaylin Noel for the season (who this team also has). Boutte will probably be the number 2 wide receiver on the Texans behind Nico Collins, but in the mix against Xavier Hutchinson and the corpse of Tank Dell. This means he should get some decent production, but can Stroud and the Houston offence support 2 receivers? I mean probably, I just don't think Boutte is good enough to be an elite number 2 guy that can have 85 catches and 850 yards. I don't think Boutte is reliable enough to even trust during bye weeks. He will generally be a boom bust guy hoping for a long touchdown when starting.
Wicks and Worthy are the dynamic duo of a bad situation and a bad player. I have been a Wicks glazer in the past and I still think he could be a good player. He is a talented route runner tha knows how to get separation without needing elite speed. He is just currently buried on the Eagles depth chart. And by buried, I mean in a competition for the number 2 wide receiver. The Eagles drafted both Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers, two very talented pass catchers who will compete for targets in an offence that is going to run the ball more than they pass. Doesn't bode well for Wicks. Now for Worthy, the guy is all speed. Literally that's all he is. Poor route runner, doesn't run any real routes, is too small to play against most cornerbacks, and his hands aren't nearly good enough to be reliable. I am a Worthy hater and you cannot trust him to produce even on a team that might not have Rashee Rice.
The last receiver on this team is Malachi Fields, the Giants rookie. He doesn't have a ton of competition for the number 2 receiver on this team, but will have to compete against Darnell Mooney and Odell Beckham Jr for that spot. Mooney and Beckham are similar players to Fields in that they are deep threats that play at the X spot. Fields was drafted with a day 2 pick and Mooney and Beckham were brought in later in free agency, so I think they will want to try and develop Fields, but his role on the offence might cap his ceiling. X-receivers, if they aren't uber talented, are generally the "sacrificial X" as some people call them. They are put near the boundary to stretch the field so the other receivers have more space and the short defenders have more area to cover. My worry about Fields is that he could just be that for the Giants especially since he wasn't much of a man beater in college. Although Fields was fairly good against zone defence, he could find his way to some decent production with teams running zone coverage way more often than man. In general, he can't really be trusted until he adds more versatility to his game.
The team is overall really good, I just think the wide receiver depth is just too weak for them to win another championship. If Puka or Olave miss any time, Tony Dorset will struggle to fill in another receiver and that is what will hold them back from winning the championship this year.
ACee/DeeC - Makes the Playoffs + Garrett Wilson top 10
This is where the takes start to get really spicy as a bottom four team in the power rankings gets predicted to make the playoffs. The other take is provided by our lovely guest, who believes that Garrett Wilson will have a bounce back season and finish as a top 10 wide receiver this season. I will lay out my case for my team to make the playoffs this year, then move on to the Wilson take, but that one is a little easier to digest.
AC/DC was ranked 7th in the power rankings just outside of the playoffs behind CMC Revenge Year, which makes sense. The team hasn't made the playoffs in any of the three years this league has existed, and this is finally the breakthrough season. The team is led by a three headed monster of Ceedee Lamb, Malik Nabers, and Garrett Wilson, which might be the best wide receiver trio in the league. All three of these guys are in ideal situations where they are easily the number 1 receiver for their team (or battling Pickens for wr 1) and on pass heavy teams. The Cowboys, Giants, and Jets will all be pass heavy teams that raises the ceiling of all three guys. They are all players that could score 300+ fantasy points and finish inside the top 10 and maybe even top 5. They are the core of the team and will have to do some carrying based on the other positions and lack of depth. With Jordyn Tyson missing several weeks, the depth at WR is quite weak with AD Mitchell, Jakobi Lane, Devaughn Vele, Caleb Douglas, Ted Hurst, Zac Branch, and Rashod Bateman all being well below average players even if they are just fill ins for bye weeks.
The running back position is also being carried by one player, Quinshon Judkins with a bunch of question marks after him. Judkins showed that even on a bad team he can produce good fantasy points and the Browns just need to not have the worst QB in the league and he can be a star. But unfortunately he will have to just be a solid option every week because they Browns still have a bad QB (will probably never change. After Judkins, is a bunch of question marks led by Bayshul Tuten and Chuba Hubbard. They both could be the main player for their team but have questions regarding that. Tuten was only a 4th round draft pick and hasn’t really shown a whole lot as to why he should be given the workload in Jacksonville. While the other options aren’t that good, Chris Rodriguez is okay, Tuten hasn’t shown he can be that reliable 3 down back. Yet. This could very well be the year, since it’s only his second season, and he breaks out for a big season. Chuba Hubbard has already been the guy, and gotten that big contract. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury part way through the year and ended up in a committee with Rico Dowdle as he made his way back. Currently, Hubbard is mostly healthy, and again has to compete against Jonathan Brooks for the workload. People have been hyping up Brooks coming back after two ACL tears but two major surgeries and 9 total carries in the NFL doesn’t scream star running back to me. Hubbard should take a majority of the carries at the start of the season making him valuable and startable early on. This will give my team time to find other running backs through handcuffs getting opportunities or even trades. Aside from those three guys, Mike Washington and Jordan Mason are solid handcuffs to have that will get nearly all the touches if they were to become the starter. High ceiling but low floor. Tony Pollard is the last guy of note, he will be a solid floor play every week. Won’t get 30 ever but I know I can count on him for like 7-10 points at the least. That’s valuable to a team like this.
Lastly, the tight end and QB spots are certainly a weak point for this team. Jake Ferguson was the TE5 last season with 199 fantasy points which might seem low, but that would translate to TE 7, 8, 5 in the three previous seasons. Ferguson is a solid player that will reliably catch a bunch of passes but not rack up the yards. He’s a safe option for QBs and was a decent touchdown threat last year with 8. He will easily be that safe option again for the Cowboys with Pickens and Lamb stretching the field. Oronde Gadsden apparently lost his starting role to Charlie Kolar? I find it hard to believe that Gadsden lost his receiving tight end role to a guy that has less catches in 4 seasons than Gadsden had last year (49-30 in favour of Gadsden). Gadsden certainly flashed last year but once the offensive line was struggling he was put in to block more. With a healthy oline he should have a much better season. Lastly, Jordan Love. He’s another solid player. Won’t put up 30 points and win you a week, but he will get you 12-20 point and be stable.
The other part of this take is from Tristan, who is predicting a 3rd player to finish inside the top 10. This one is probably on the tamer side, but because it pairs with AC/DC making the playoffs, it is higher on the list. The argument for Wilson is due to how great he is, and the quarterbacks he's played with in the past.
Wilson is coming off a season in which he missed 10 games and finished as the WR62. In those 7 games he played, he had 36 receptions for 395 yards and 4 touchdowns, and 3 top 10 weekly finishes (finished 12th once as well). In terms of points per game, Wilson was at 15.2, a solid pace for a guy that had Justin Fields throwing him the ball. In just the season before last (2024), Wilson did finish in the top 10 with 278 fantasy points, breaking 100 catches and 100 yards that season with Aaron Rodgers at QB. It is well known the talent that Wilson is, I don't need to breakout the route tree or success rates, he is a tremendous talent. The only thing holding him back is the quarterback. In 2026, Wilson will be paired with Geno Smith, and maybe Cade Klubnik later in the year. I know everyone is down on Geno for his horrific year in Las Vegas, but I still think he can produce yards. I am not saying Geno will be good, but he will be able to get the ball to his receivers and put up numbers. We are just one season removed from Geno throwing for 4000 yards (something only 6 QBs did last season). Geno struggled in Las Vegas because their offensive line gave such little time to throw, Geno was under pressure way too much. He was in the bottom 10 in time to throw last season (among QBs that played at least 250 snaps), with just 2.62 seconds. Plays can barely develop in just 2.6 seconds. In New York, the offensive line is really solid. Two up and coming tackles in Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou, and the interior is solid. Giving Geno more time in the pocket means he will be able to feed his guys. Most importantly, feeding Garrett Wilson. Wilson, if healthy, can easily produce his way into the top 10 if things go well for the offence. Jets will still be bad though, their defence is terrible.
This team is pretty good in my opinion and if things break my way, we could certainly be playoff bound. Just need a little luck, and someone else to miss the playoffs…
PooShiesty9 - Misses the Playoffs
"Never wrong, just early," I say as I predict PooShiesty9 to miss the playoffs a second year in a row ready to look silly once again. The lineup is still quite good, especially after the addition of Derrick Henry last season, but with the departure of Nico Collins I find it hard to believe in this team.
This team was in the top 5 of the power rankings released not too long ago, and rightfully so the starting lineup is quite good. Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Kyren Williams, Justin Jefferson, Luther Burden, Brock Bowers, Travis Etienne, David Montgomery is a really good lineup. My issue with the team is the bench, and the depth of this team. The running back depth is great, four startable players you can plug into the lineup each week. And if one gets hurt you have three more guys you feel good about starting. The problem comes after that.
The wide receiver depth is pretty poor. Recently acquired Marvin Harrison Jr could be started, and if he breaks out he could be the WR2 on this team but after that, the depth is abysmal. Tre Tucker, Pat Bryant, Cooper Kupp, Jerry Jeudy, and De'Zhaun Stribling are not guys you feel good about starting. If Jefferson or Burden were to go down with an injury, the position would be in shambles. Now, I’m not predicting anyone to get hurt but in football, injuries are frequent, and this team cannot handle injuries.
Last season, this team ranked 5th in points for which is solid for a playoff team. But they were still a lucky team. They ranked dead last in points against, meaning they played everyone at their worst last season. I don’t think they’ll finish first, that’s a big swing, but they could easily regress to the mean and take on a couple extra losses this season. That sort of regression could take them out of the playoffs even if they are fully healthy.
I predict PooShiesty9’s lack of depth and luck will cause them to miss the playoffs this season.
Browns, Romans, Jeantymen - Matthew Golden leads Packers wide receivers in receptions and yards
Matthew Golden was a little disappointing as a rookie last season. The 1st round pick only had 29 catches for 361 yards and no touchdowns. In his lone playoff game he was solid with 4 catches for 84 yards and his 1st touchdown. The reason he was a disappointment was because he didn’t play that well, and was sorta buried on the depth chart. Being behind Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Tucker Kraft in the receiving order (although Golden was slightly high when Watson and Kraft were out with injury), is a brutal way to start your career. But in 2026 Doubs is no longer a Packer so that is just one less player he has to beat to be the number 1 guy.
In college, Golden flashed as the number 1 receiver for Texas beating out Isaiah Bond. As a true Junior, Golden had 58 catches for 987 yards and 9 touchdowns. A good college season. As a prospect, Golden was great at finding the soft spots in zone coverage and settling down for easy completions. His success against zone was in the upper 70th percentile (77th). He struggled a little against man with a 68.5% success rate at 44th percentile but he should have been a sure talent against zone. In his rookie season, he struggled mightily against zone ranking in the 23rd percentile. Yikes. He didn’t have the same feel for zone like he did in college. I personally think with some more in game reps he can improve again in that area and be back to the college player he was.
If Golden were to improve (and I think he will), I think he will lead the wide receivers in yards and receptions. The leader last year was Doubs with 55 receptions and 724 yards. Not an impressive mark to beat. With Doubs gone the main player to challenge Golden would be Watson. Watson is a very good deep threat that can change the game with one play and can really rack up the yards on just a few receptions. His issue is that he has been injured for a lot of his time in the NFL. If Watson were to be healthy the entire season, which he hasn’t done in his entire career, he could certainly be the leading receiver in yards for the Packers but I’m still betting on Golden to have his breakout.
You might be thinking about Tucker Kraft and how dominant he was last season when healthy. I specifically said Golden will lead wide receivers and not all receivers.
Njigbas in Paris - Misses the Playoffs
After missing the playoffs in year 1 of the league, Njigbas in Paris have been in the 3rd place game in back to back seasons. They should be looking to improve on that, but I don’t think they’ll even get the chance. I predict that the Njigbas in Paris will miss the playoffs this season.
The team is great and was ranked fairly high in the power rankings (4th), but I think they’re missing some depth that will hurt them during the season. The running back room is quite weak. Breece Hall and D'Andre Swift are a decent duo (although Swift might be in a committee with Monangai), but after them it gets a little bleak. Jonathan Brooks is next in line, and he has only had 12 total touches in his NFL career. While yes, there is plenty of hype around him being "the guy" for the Panthers, Hubbard is still there and when healthy should be the starter. They paid Hubbard big time and he will get the first opportunities. Aaron Jones would step up next and he's in a committee where many people believe that Jordan Mason is the better player. Jones could maybe fill in some weeks if you're happy with a low floor and ceiling. Not to mention he has missed more and more age as he is getting older, someone this team can trust less and less. Josh Jacobs is having some legal battles and is currently on the Commissioner's Exempt List, making him ineligible for games until the legal issues are settled. Who knows how long that will last. Could be a couple weeks, could be the entire season.
Lastly, the Nigbas have two handcuffs in Isaiah Davis and Seth McGowan who will provide no value (like most handcuffs), until their starter misses time. If they do become the starter, they should provide good production, but you can't ever bank on that. This team will surely miss Chase Brown this season.
The wide receiver group is better, but still lacks depth. Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Drake London are two tremendous talents that have incredibly high ceilings. Unfortunately for both of them, that they have sub-optimal quarterbacks. JSN with Drew Lock now that Darnold is hurt, and Tua Tagovailoa for London. They are talented enough to still be able to produce but not to their true ceiling. Rashee Rice has been productive when he has been on the field, but getting on the field has been an issue for him. Injuries and legal troubles/suspensions have kept him from playing and this past offseason has been no different. He has dealt with spending time in jail for failing a drug test, and getting knee surgery does not make me confident in his ability to play a lot this season. Christian Watson holds up the bottom of the WR starters but like I mentioned before, he has also struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. If he plays, great, if not, this team will feel it. Off the bench this team has one, somewhat reliable player. Mike Evans is Mr.1000 yards, but lately has struggled to stay on the field with injuries. This team has a bunch of those guys it seems. Again you can't really trust him over a full season because of his age and how often he misses time, but when he plays he is productive.
This team has a very good fantasy quarterback and tight end in Jalen Hurts and Trey McBride, and they will be staples in the lineup every week, but they won't be the issue. I really find it hard to think this team will do well with the issues they have at running back and wide receiver. I think the lack of depth will really hurt this team down the stretch and they'll find themselves in the lottery once again.
Mahomies over Mahoes - Rookies push this team to the finals
The Mahomies find themselves in an interesting situation where they just made the playoffs for the very first time, had 3 first round rookie picks, and were ranked 8th in the power rankings. Could say they were lucky last year with tie breakers and they shouldn't have made the playoffs, or you could say they are a team that is about to breakout. I have this team breaking out in a big way, making the finals this season, due to their influx of productive rookies.
Carnell Tate was the first of three 1st round picks the Mahomies had and should be a big one for them. I have talked about him at length in one of my past mock drafts, but he is a very reliable receiver. Tate was drafted 4th overall in the NFL draft to the Titans and should immediately be the number 1 receiver for them. Cam Ward is still new to the league and hasn't exactly found his footing so having Tate as his guy will be huge for him. Tate is a great route runner that can get open, and doesn't struggle with drops making him the perfect guy for Ward. In terms of fantasy, the Titans will try to not be very pass heavy but Tate could very easily get into that top 20 wide receiver tier and maybe even higher.
Makai Lemon was taking 4th overall in our rookie draft and he is just as talented if not more talented than Tate. Lemon is elite in the intermediate part of the field, specially on any in-breaking routes. That is great for Philly because Hurts is quite good at throwing over the middle of the field, but was not asked to do it much in the past.
If Lemon is able to settle into a role that suits his strengths (lots of digs and outs), he should be a very productive player for the Eagles and the Mahomies.
The third 1st round pick the Mahomies had was a personal favourite. Kenyon Sadiq is the tight end of the future for the Jets and the Mahomies. While the Jets don't have their QB of the future, Geno Smith knows how to sling it and can get Sadiq the ball plenty. While Sadiq will have to compete against Mason Taylor for the TE1 spot, it shouldn't be much of a competition. Sadiq is a great athlete and a smooth route runner that is good at getting open and finding openings in zone. Getting the TE spot locked down with Sadiq will be huge for this team in the future and this season, and will be part of the reason the Mahomies make the finals this season.
Elijah Sarratt was the second round pick for this team but he probably won't get any starts this season for the Mahomies. Sarratt was one of two receivers drafted by the Ravens in this past draft but neither of them are that good. I say that because they aren't my type of receiver. Sarratt is not very athletic and struggles at getting open on the breaks of his routes, but he is elite at catching the ball. Sarratt has a very large catch radius and very strong hands so defenders have a hard time knocking the ball out at the catch point. Sarratt will likely be a redzone threat, with a very low floor and ceiling but if he could just polish his routes a little he could find a solid WR2 role with the Ravens.
Overall, the Mahomies are a pretty strong team with great players at all spots and I think this is the year they truly breakout and find their way to the finals.
That wraps up another round of my hot takes. Please tell me how bad my takes were because I love getting push back on some of these.
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