11 Players With the Upside To Win Fantasy Championships

Staying on a sizable contract with Saints despite earlier expectations he would be released when Cam Akers was signed; backfield role likely 60/40 split favoring Akers rather than 50/50.

Baker Mayfield's health is a key variable for his offense's fantasy production; last year his entire offensive line was banged up, and the hope is he can stay healthier this season to support his pass catchers' upside.

Ron Stewart recommends drafting Breece Hall at the 3-4 turn even if you exit early with elite receivers like Monrod, Justin Jefferson, or CeeDee Lamb, because zero RB is not the way to go at this point. Hall had at least one stretch where he finished as a top-five to top-ten running back. While his play has been inconsistent since his injury, the Jets offense is improving significantly with Gino Smith replacing Brady Cook. The Jets are paying Hall a ton of money and decided to keep him while trading everybody else, signaling he'll touch the ball a ton of times. If he returns to his peak tape performance, he has legitimate upside in this tier.

Eighth pick of the second round on Yahoo with league-winner upside ceiling; if he matches 2020 or 2022 Travis Kelce production (17.4 and 15.4 PPG respectively), he provides 6–8 point weekly buffer over tight end five, creating significant matchup advantages. Most yards per game in first two seasons since 2000 at 65 YPG; historical trajectory shows Hall of Famers like Kelce and Antonio Gates added fantasy points in their third season. Improved quarterback play (Kurt Cousins/Fernando Mendoza) and scheme expected; receiving environment (Jaylen Naylor, Jakobi Meyers) remains similar. Ron Stewart identifies Bowers as the primary tight end discussion point, noting a significant drop-off after tight end eight; tight ends four through eight are priced high on Yahoo, making Bowers the smallest gap relative to consensus players—better value than paying a fourth-round pick for Tyler Warren. Bowers led all tight ends with 42% of his team's targets into the end zone last season. Stewart compares him to Jackson Smith-Njigba's transformation under Clint Kubiak, noting JSN got 51% of receiving production in two-or-fewer wide receiver sets despite only 38% of routes. Bowers should operate as a primary read and wide receiver-aligned tight end, with the Raiders' stated goal being to give him the most targets and catches in NFL history. In full PPR, targeting Bowers' volume rather than touchdown variance is the key strategy.

Showing increased positivity in training camp with front-line reps despite significant ankle injury; expected to catch more passes as he gets healthier; backfield role uncertain versus Alvin Kamara but trending toward 60/40 split in Akers' favor; injury discount may be overdone given small sample size of poor returns from similar injuries.

Averaged 105 yards from scrimmage per game over final 11 weeks with Flacco and Burrow; hit 20 points per game mark (RB2 in PPG) when Burrow was on field; fifth in RB route rate and fifth in targets per game; seventh in team market share on inside-20 carries and ninth on inside-10; drafted as RB9-10 despite elite environment and pass-catching profile; top four RBs (CMC, Bijan, Gibbs, Achane) drafted ahead despite Brown's superior efficiency and role security. RB5 usage last year, RB4 usage this year; 21 games with Burrow active over past two seasons; efficiency improving as Bengals offensive line improves from worst-in-league status; only big-boy in backfield guarantees opportunities in all areas including red zone; totally fine NFL starter with perfect scheme fit under Burrow. Runs hot on touchdown variance—if his single-season high of 11 touchdowns increases to 14 or 15 given his high utilization, that represents a massive win for his fantasy value.

Ron Stewart identifies Christian Watson as a league-winner persona at WR27 on Yahoo (seventh pick in round six). When Watson plays over 75% routes, he averages 17.5 PPR across 13 career games. His game transformed last year: one-route target share jumped from 7.7% career to 35% last season with shorter air yards, higher catch rate, and more consistency. With Matthew Golden as the X and Watson as the Z, he gets moved around with free releases and manufactured space in two-wide-receiver sets. Though his injury history (torn ACL in January) created a discount, he's a freak athlete who came back on pace for over 1,000 yards. Ron Stewart projects Watson to play 90% of snaps this season, establishing himself as the de facto guy with no rotation.

Round 4 draft target with elite upside; 21 years old, posted 18.2 expected half-PPR points in final 4 games (including playoffs), matching production of Jamar Chase and Puka Nacua; tight end 3-4 overall in expected points from week 8 onward with 97 yards per game. Elite tape profile with agility, explosiveness, physicality, blocking ability, and isolated receiver skills; can run by elite defenders like Kyle Dugger and Quay Walker while also possessing moss ability; best pathway to become George Kittle-type all-pro tight end. Positioned for significant offensive role expansion in year 2 with Ben Johnson; Bears increased two-plus tight end personnel in 5 of final 6 games (vs. only once in first 13), signaling shift that will accentuate Loveland's usage; posted 4.66 yards per route run and 53% target share in 13-personnel packages; Caleb Williams entering third season and second with Ben Johnson creates growth opportunity. Bears defense ranked bottom-tier, forcing offensive shootouts; safety Kobe Turner out 2-3 months with training camp injury; division features Vikings, Packers, Lions—matchups conducive to 30-35 point shootouts; Bears top-10 in projected points, creating high-volume passing environment. Part of a three-receiver target-share split with Luther Burden and Rome Odunze in the Bears offense, with Cole Kmet barely involved. Matt Kelley ranks Loveland at 32nd overall, ahead of both Rome (44th) and Luther Burden (45th), suggesting significant investment potential despite later ADP in actual leagues.

Historical example from prior year's upside episode; mentioned alongside Chris Ave and Trevor Lawrence as players who were discussed for league-winning potential and helped push teams to playoffs or won championships.

Ron Stewart identifies Garrett Wilson as a must-have wide receiver in the 4th-5th round tier for championship upside; he emphasizes the need to exit your draft with one of the tier's elite options including Wilson, Jaylen Waddle, Lad Makanki, Terry McLaurin, and Luther Burks.

Ron Stewart expresses concern about Isaiah Likely's fantasy viability, noting he doesn't look nearly as good with Malik Neighbors at quarterback compared to Lamar Jackson. This QB dependency is part of the tight end drop-off Stewart wants to avoid after the elite tier (Kyle Pitts, Mark Andrews, George Kittle, Travis Kelce).

Ron Stewart projects Jaylen Waddle to 'go to the moon this year' because Sean Payton understands that Waddle is the key to the Broncos offense improving from average to great, evidenced by the trade of a first-round pick for him. Waddle ranked 8th in first-down per route-run rate last season (a sticky metric for league-winning WRs) and was WR18 in PPG on an offense ranked 31st in plays per game; now he moves to an offense 5th in plays per game. With Courtland Sutton running 664 routes vs. Waddle's 442 in the same games, Waddle becomes the lead WR in an environment where his route efficiency can expand without requiring talent improvement. From 2022–2025, when Waddle played with Tyreek Hill in Miami (in games where Tua was active), Waddle averaged WR16 per game while Hill was WR3, demonstrating elite production even in a crowded target environment. Waddle will receive all touches in the Broncos offense—both downfield and underneath—following the first-round trade acquisition; the Broncos led the league in screen rate over the last two years under Sean Payton and Bo Nix, with those screens previously going to Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin but now expected to go to Waddle, expanding his target diversity and volume. Waddle's route tree aligns perfectly with Broncos' scheme: second in screen rate, third in go routes, 12th in crossing routes, and third most play-action passes; Waddle posted over 4 yards per route run on play action last season. Historical Sean Payton context suggests Michael Thomas-level ceiling is possible given Waddle's elite talent and previous underutilization due to offensive depth.

Ranked 45th overall by Matt (compared to Rome Odunze at 44th and Colston Loveland at 32nd), but Ron Stewart remains committed to the Luther Burden thesis as 'the best wide receiver for fantasy football of this group.' Stewart highlights Burden's 7.5 aDOT (half of Rome Odunze's) as the perfect way to weaponize him in the offense, emphasizing consistency and gimme targets over downfield volatility; Burden can also beat defenses vertically. Part of a three-receiver target-share split with Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland in the Bears offense, with Cole Kmet barely involved; Stewart identifies Burden as one of three viable swing candidates to hit league-winning upside in the fourth, fifth, or sixth round.

Ron Stewart is bullish on Mecole Hardman despite dramatic on-off splits: WR9 through week 11, then WR64 weeks 12-18. Injury context explains decline: Baker Mayfield's AC joint injury in week 12 coincided with Hardman's catchable ball rate dropping from 61% to 50%; Hardman also suffered a hamstring injury in week 6 that reduced high-speed routes from 11 in first five weeks to 11 total in remaining 12 weeks. Target share splits show 29% without Mike Evans vs. 19% with Evans on field. New offensive coordinator Zack Robinson's scheme should unlock Hardman's potential: Robinson compared him to Cooper Cup (Z receiver versatility), and Hardman showed proof-of-concept as top-10 WR in first half. Robinson's system will feature screens and motion plays that address Hardman's weakness against man coverage (24% of routes, 91 yards per route run, 1 TD).

WR18 in expected points and WR22 in targets per game (7.0+) last year despite DJ Moore sharing the target pie, yet ADP is 68th overall on Yahoo—which Ron Stewart calls 'way way way too late.' Stewart's favorite value among the three Bears receivers; he expects chemistry improvement with Caleb Williams (who missed him too often on contested catches in year one) and highlights his elite athleticism, size, and strength as a dunking threat on 50-50 balls, with tape from Washington showing his calling card is his physical dominance.

Saquon Barkley is being drafted with an injury discount despite finishing last season as a top-10 fantasy running back. He's currently going as RB18 in early round four on Yahoo. Ron Stewart wants to buy the dip on Barkley's price, viewing the discount as an opportunity given his proven production, role security as goal-line back, and three receptions per game in full PPR last season (RB10 on RB12 usage).

Being drafted ahead of Cam Akers in round four despite comparable backfield roles; ADP inflation relative to peer RBs in the same tier.

Ranked in the middle of the second round in half PPR by Ron Stewart and Yahoo rankers; can move up another spot in full PPR. Historical third-season comparisons to Hall of Famers like Antonio Gates suggest improved fantasy output is achievable. In his best season, Kelce averaged 9.7 targets per game, 7 catches, 94 yards, and 0.7 touchdowns, which would project to 17.4 half PPR points per game—scoring as the wide receiver three, a half point ahead of Jamar Chase on a weekly basis. In his other strong season, he averaged wide receiver six scoring, just ahead of George Pickens' pace.

Historical example from prior year's upside episode; mentioned alongside Devon Achan and Chris Ave as players who were discussed for league-winning potential and helped push teams to playoffs or won championships.