- Bijan Robinson takes the top spot: The Atlanta Falcons running back carries the best mix of risk and reward heading into next season.
- The 2025 draft class will shape fantasy drafts: While no player from the class has become a top-five player at their position, the class produced over a dozen fantasy starters. The players from the class who improve the most will be league winners.
- Get PFF+ for 30% off: Use promo code HOLIDAY30 to unlock the PFF Player Prop Tool, Premium Stats, fantasy dashboards, the PFF Mock Draft Simulator, industry-leading fantasy rankings and much more — everything you need to win your season.
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
With the conclusion of the 2025 fantasy football season, these way-too-early 2026 fantasy football rankings provide an initial look at how players might be ranked this summer.
Player movement in free agency will significantly impact the rankings, especially at running back. Currently, players expected to be unrestricted free agents are marked as free agents in the team column. We are still two weeks away from the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft. The rankings will be updated after this date to include the upcoming rookie class.
This list includes only quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends, and it is designed for redraft PPR leagues. This article was published before we finished grading all of Week 17, so while the rankings were updated for Week 17 performances, all stats and grades referenced do not include Week 17.
Analysis for the top 10 players can be found at the bottom of the article. You can also click on the analysis column for one of those 10 players to jump to the analysis on that player.
Last updated: 5 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30
1. RB Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
The first decision for the top overall spot is between an elite running back and an elite wide receiver. Positional scarcity has made the top running backs more valuable than a few seasons ago. Most teams have embraced using a committee in the backfield. Only 10 teams have used a running back for at least two-thirds of their offensive snaps, and all 10 ranked in the top 14 in fantasy points per game. It’s very valuable to have these running backs, and they will all be gone within the first few rounds of the draft.
Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs‘ play is more sustainable than the elite wide receivers' play from this season. Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba both ranked in the top five in targets per route among wide receivers in the last 20 seasons at 34.8% and 31.9%, respectively. Naturally, anyone with exceptionally high targets per route regresses in that statistic the following season. That makes it more likely that Robinson and Gibbs continue to rank among the top five running backs than Nacua and Smith-Njigba repeating as top-five receivers.
Robinson ranks ahead of Gibbs due to the potential for improvement in 2026. The Falcons had a top-10 team in run-blocking grade last season, despite missing right tackle Kaleb McGary throughout the season. McGary was a top-10 run-blocking right tackle in 2022, 2023 and 2024 by run-blocking grade. He and the rest of the projected starting offensive line are under contract for 2026. Robinson should be able to break more long plays with an improved line.
One Falcon who isn’t under contract is Robinson’s backup, Tyler Allgeier, whose 86.8 offensive grade over the last two seasons suggests he should be a lead running back. Ideally, he will find a new team. That should increase Robinson and Allgeier's fantasy value. Robinson doesn’t have much room to increase his volume of touches, but he has room for more goal-line touches. Allgeier has more rushing touchdowns than Robinson this season, including four touchdowns from the one-yard line. Those carries will go to Robinson next season, leading to more touchdowns.
The big concern is that the Falcons could make a coaching change, and a new offensive mind may opt for a more rotational approach at running back.
2. RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
Gibbs is a close second for the top overall spot. He’s similarly ranked in the top five each of the last two seasons, has a top-10 offensive line, and everyone on the line is under contract for next season. There isn’t as much reason to believe Gibbs can improve on his performance the same way Robinson could.
David Montgomery is under contract for both 2026 and 2027. In recent weeks, Gibbs' playing time has increased at Montgomery's expense, which could prompt Montgomery to request a trade. Montgomery has become less of a problem for Gibbs’ fantasy value this season compared to the previous two, but if Montgomery leaves, Gibbs could be in store for a similar bump in rushing touchdowns.
Another minor concern is that the Lions still have more players to target in their offense, as Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta and Isaac TeSlaa are all noteworthy, young options under contract next season. Robinson’s primary competition for touches in the offense is Drake London because Kyle Pitts is slated for free agency.
While head coach Dan Campbell is not going anywhere, Detroit changed offensive playcallers mid-season, and it may make another change in the offseason. The play-caller may go back to giving Montgomery a big part of the offense. However, the way the offseason plays out could change who is first and second, but it would take a lot to go wrong for them to no longer be among the top few picks of 2026 fantasy football drafts.
3. RB Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
McCaffrey led all running backs in fantasy points this season, and it was the fifth season he’s ranked among the top two. He uniquely achieved this, finishing 10th in rushing fantasy production among running backs, while his receiving fantasy production was good enough to rank among the top-10 wide receivers.
McCaffrey ranked third in rushing attempts but averaged 3.7 yards per carry and was no longer able to break long runs. His NGS tracking data suggests his top-end speed over the last two seasons wasn’t as high as it was during the first seven seasons of his career. While there is a chance McCaffrey’s rushing production bounces back, there is also a chance San Francisco starts letting another running back take some of the carries.
McCaffrey’s receiving production also happened in a year where the 49ers‘ receiving unit didn’t go according to plan. San Francisco thought that by midseason, they could have a receiver unit of Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle. Aiyuk didn’t play this season. Pearsall missed six weeks in the middle of the season and was ineffective in his first three games back from injury. Kittle missed five games and wasn’t as effective his first two back. Jennings also missed two games.
Aiyuk won’t be back, and Jennings is a free agent, but San Francisco will have a plan to replace them and have better receiving production from its wide receivers next year. McCaffrey could lead all running backs in receiving production next year while still having a notable decrease in production.
All three of the top running backs are somewhat dependent on an elite run blocker – right guard Chris Lindstrom in Atlanta, right tackle Penei Sewell in Detroit and left tackle Trent Williams in San Francisco. Williams will be 38 years old next season, making him the most likely to decline or suffer an injury.
While McCaffrey will be the top overall player again if everything goes right, there are more reasons to expect a decline from McCaffrey this season, given how he achieved his production and his signs of decline.
4. WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
There are three clear-cut top wide receivers, just as there were three top running backs. Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba both averaged 22 fantasy points per game or more this season, while the next closest wide receiver was at 19. Ja’Marr Chase finished over that mark last season and finished fourth among wide receivers that season at 18.9, despite changing quarterbacks multiple times over the season. Reasonable people could have these three in any order at this point in the season.
Nacua takes the top spot because he’s been the best wide receiver in the NFL over the last two seasons. His 96.3 receiving grade is much higher than that of any other wide receiver. He is tied with Amon-Ra St. Brown for the second-most positively graded receptions over the last two seasons, despite running over 400 fewer routes than St. Brown. He has seven receptions with a +1.5 grade or better, the best among wide receivers.
He also stands out in his ability to dominate the most difficult opponents. He faced three teams in the top 10 at preventing fantasy points to wide receivers this season. He caught 10 passes for 130 yards against the Houston Texans, 11 receptions for 112 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles and seven receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints. He similarly gained over 90 receiving yards against all three top-10 opponents in 2024.
The Rams are in a great spot for next season. They have a league-leading 95.9 team grade. They rank in the top six in effective cap space according to OverTheCap and have very few notable free agents. This will allow them to re-sign their key players, such as Nacua, to long-term contracts. Sean McVay is very likely to remain the head coach, providing Nacua with significant continuity.
The main concern is that Matthew Stafford will be 38 years old next season. Stafford is playing at an MVP level, as he has a career-high 93.4 offensive grade. There is a reasonable chance Stafford regresses next season.
5. WR Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Chase has been a great, but not excellent, wide receiver during his time in the NFL. His receiving grade has hovered between 84.9 and 87.2 each season, and this year was his best. He’s closed the gap between himself and the elite receivers thanks to having Joe Burrow at quarterback and Cincinnati‘s passing volume. Burrow’s 93.9 passing grade over the past two seasons is notably higher than any other quarterback. Chase has run at least 42 routes in five of his last six games, and that is a mark Nacua has only hit five times in the last two seasons combined.
The key members of the Bengals who have helped Chase are likely to remain in place, including head coach Zac Taylor, fellow great receiver Tee Higgins and most of the offense. The Bengals are among the league leaders in cap space and are slated to have a top-10 draft pick.
No wide receiver dominates a favorable matchup as well as Chase. He has five games with double-digit receptions for 160 or more yards and at least one touchdown over the last two seasons. The rest of the league's players combined have nine.
The primary reason he isn’t first is that he hasn’t played nearly as well as Nacua in tough matchups. In his three games against teams in the top eight at presenting fantasy points to wide receivers, he caught five passes for 50 yards against the Minnesota Vikings, two receptions for 26 yards against the Cleveland Browns and five receptions for 23 yards against the Denver Broncos. He had five games of 50 or fewer yards this year, compared to one each by Nacua and Smith-Njigba.
6. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
Smith-Njigba has been incredibly consistent this season, finishing with at least 90 receiving yards in all but two games. He is also the youngest of the top three wide receivers, so it’s more likely we see him improve as a player compared to the other two. The reason he is third on the list is that the Seahawks are more likely to undergo significant offensive changes this offseason than the Rams or Bengals.
Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is among the top head coaching candidates this offseason, particularly for a team looking for an offensive-minded head coach. If Kubiak leaves for another job, that will give Smith-Njigba his fourth offensive coordinator of his career. A new offensive coordinator could spread the ball out more than Kubiak did.
He should have consistency at quarterback with Sam Darnold. The former Minnesota Vikings quarterback ranks among the top-10 quarterbacks by PFF grade over the last two seasons, but Darnold hasn’t been as good as Burrow or Stafford.
Tight end A.J. Barner had the ninth-highest PFF receiving grade this season among those with at least 250 routes, but he also has the fewest receiving yards from the group. The Seahawks' newest receiver, Rashid Shaheed, has only recently become heavily involved in their offense. Tory Horton had the sixth-highest grade among rookie wide receivers with at least 100 routes, but he only recorded 13 receptions. Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet both saw their per-game receiving production cut in half compared to the previous year. No one is going to take Smith-Njigba’s spot as the top receiving weapon in the offense, but one or two players emerging with a bigger role could chip away at Smith-Njigba’s consistency.
7. RB De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
Achane has ranked in the top six in fantasy points per game among running backs each of the last three seasons. Achane’s 91.0 rushing grade this season is the best among all running backs, but his situation hasn’t been as good as the top three running backs.
The Falcons, Lions and 49ers have been three of the top-12 teams in run-blocking grade in each of the last four seasons. The Dolphins have ranked in the bottom six in each of the last two seasons. The 49ers and Lions have been among the highest-scoring offenses, while the Dolphins have been in the bottom 12 in scoring each of the last two seasons. This has made it harder for Achane to match the other backs' touchdown totals.
The Dolphins' cap situation isn’t great, so there isn’t much reason to believe the offense will substantially improve this offseason, unless they can find the right quarterback. If there isn’t much difference, we can still expect Achane to be among the top few running backs in talent and the top few in opportunities. That combination is enough to keep him a top-five running back and a first-round fantasy pick.
8. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
St. Brown is third in fantasy points per game among wide receivers this season at 19.0, was fifth last season at 18.6 and fourth in 2023 at 20.7. He has shown similar consistency at PFF grade, finishing with a receiving grade between 90.0 and 91.3 each of the last four seasons. The Lions don’t have any major offensive free agents.
There isn’t much reason to expect St. Brown to have even more production than he’s had in recent seasons. He has several +0.5 graded receptions but doesn’t make big plays at nearly the rate of the top-three wide receivers on the list. This gives him a safe floor, but a lower ceiling. The Lions have more weapons on offense than most teams, making it so Detroit doesn’t need to rely more heavily on St. Brown.
There is little reason to be concerned about a decline. He is the oldest of the wide receivers ranked so far, but the Lions could have a new offensive play-caller next season, which could favor some of the other offensive players. Jameson Williams has improved his receiving grade each season, and there is a chance he could be more involved. However, those were the same concerns last season, and that had no impact on St. Brown’s fantasy production.
St. Brown is the safest wide receiver that can be selected in fantasy drafts, but there will be other wide receivers with a later ADP that will have more upside.
9. RB James Cook III, Buffalo Bills
Cook finished 11th in fantasy points per game among running backs in 2024, but he accomplished this with 16 rushing touchdowns. He was drafted slightly later due to expected regression. A lot has gone right for Cook this year to suggest he can continue to be a great running back in 2026.
Cook’s carries per game took a dramatic leap from 12.9 to 19.1 this season. Part of this was the Bills running a little more frequently, and the other part was the team turning to Ray Davis less frequently. He averaged a high 5.3 yards per carry, which is slightly higher than his 5.1 career average. Sometimes, when a running back earns more rushing production, it comes at the expense of his receiving, but that wasn’t the case for Cook, who was right in line with last season.
The team’s run blocking moved up to sixth this season, and right tackle Spencer Brown led the way in his best NFL season. There was no weakness among the other four linemen. Cook’s PFF rushing grade declined slightly this season, but the improved offensive line led to a net increase in efficiency.
The Bills are in a rough spot, salary-cap-wise, and two of their five linemen are slated for free agency. If the offseason doesn’t go well, there is a chance Cook will move down the rankings. Until then, Cook has moved into first-round consideration as one of the league’s better running backs in one of the league's best offenses, as he has minimal competition for touches.
10. WR Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
London is one of the league’s elite receivers. He joins Puka Nacua and Amon-Ra St. Brown as the only wide receivers with a 90.0 receiving grade in each of the last two seasons. His fantasy points per game jumped from 15.0 in 2024 to 18.3 in 2025, ranking sixth-best among wide receivers.
His improvement came from several subtle improvements. His routes per game increased from 34.5 to 36.0, and his targets per route increased from 26.9% to 27.2%. His average depth of target decreased slightly, allowing him a higher catch rate and more production after the catch. That’s added up to a slight increase in receptions, yards and touchdowns per game.
London also benefits from limited competition for targets. The Falcons have Bijan Robinson out of the backfield. Kyle Pitts is a free agent, and the Falcons' second wide receiver, Darnell Mooney, is only targeted on 15.6% of his routes. The Falcons currently have five draft picks, none in the first round, making it unlikely they will draft someone who impacts London’s target rate. Atlanta is unlikely to make a significant move at wide receiver, given their challenging cap situation, unless it is unable to re-sign Pitts.
That means that London is simply a tremendous wide receiver with a great target rate, which makes him a borderline first-round fantasy pick. The only concern is the Falcons' quarterback situation, as Michael Penix Jr. suffered an ACL injury that required reconstruction surgery, which could keep him out of the season opener. However, London’s quarterback situation throughout his career hasn’t been ideal. If London ever has a top-10 quarterback, he could become a wide receiver worthy of the first half of the first round.
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