Four 2026 Fantasy Football Breakout Candidates: Malik Willis And Tyler Allgeier Earn A Chance At Starting Jobs

Free agency opened up last week, and NFL rosters are still in their early stages, but are beginning to take shape. We are now heading towards the 2026 NFL Draft in April. After that, it will be full steam ahead towards the 2026 fantasy football season. Like always, there will be plenty of surprises, including breakout stars. These are some breakout candidates for the upcoming fantasy football season.

QB Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins

To say the Dolphins aren't giving Willis much to work with would be an understatement. They've already traded away Jaylen Waddle, let Tyreek Hill walk in free agency, and haven't added any weapons of not for Willis to throw to.

However, his greatest strength is his legs. He can be as strong of a pure running back as any quarterback in the league, including Lamar Jackson. That gives Willis a shot to be a fantasy QB1, even on a bad team. If he does show that he deserves to be a starting NFL quarterback this season on a terrible team, he could be force moving forward as the Dolphins build and put pieces around him.

RB Tyler Allgeier, Arizona Cardinals

Granted, we would have loved to see Allgeier land in a better spot. Signing with a team that has a bad offense, where he has to compete with James Conner and Trey Benson for the starting job, isn't ideal.

Nevertheless, we believe in his talent and expect him to win the starting job. In his lone year as a starter in Atlanta, he broke the 1,000-yard mark, and last year, behind Bijan Robinson, he still scored eight touchdowns. For his career, he has averaged 4.3 yards per carry. We are betting on him to beat out a washed-up Conner and unproven Benson in Arizona.

WR Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts

Pierce had a fine year in 2025, catching 46 passes for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns in the best fantasy season of his career. However, we expect 2026 to be his true coming-out party.

The Colts went all in on him this offseason, signing him to a four-year $114 million deal and shipping Michael Pittman Jr to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is now the unquestioned WR1 in Indianapolis, and we expect his targets and production to see a massive spike in 2026.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) catches a touchdown pass against the Houston Texans during the first half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

TE Ja'Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers

This is a player I have been high on going back to when he was just a prospect entering the 2024 NFL Draft. He was my TE2 prospect behind only Brock Bowers. I expected a breakout last season, but he struggled with injuries.

Sanders will be an impact player in fantasy leagues this season. He's a big athletic tight end with all the tools to be a star if Bryce Young can get him the ball. Look for him to have a breakout season.

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