🏆 My five favorite fantasy breakout candidates

Efficient for four years, never given the volume to show for it. Washington offers a breakout spot for Chig Okonkwo.

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September 2, 2026 7:31pm EDT

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My Five Breakout Candidates for 2026, Starting with Chig Okonkwo

We are exactly one week from the start of the regular season. After going through my top sleepers yesterday, today seemed like a good time to refresh my breakout candidates. These are the players who haven't been consistent fantasy starters before, but who have real reason to post their best season yet in 2026. One of my favorites this year is the Washington Commanders' new tight end, Chig Okonkwo.

Over four years in Tennessee, Okonkwo was one of the most efficient tight ends in football on a per-route basis, especially after the catch. What held him back was volume and a near-total absence near the goal line, with two targets inside the 5 in four years, leaving him at TE21 each of the last three seasons.

Washington made him its second-biggest skill-position investment this offseason and handed him Zach Ertz's old role in an offense where Ertz finished as a top-10 tight end as recently as 2024. He should see more playing time than he had in Tennessee or than Ertz had in Washington, and he played 12 of 14 snaps with the starters in the second preseason game. With little proven receiver depth beyond Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs, he looks like a safe bet for the third-most targets on the team. That gives him a strong floor as a low-end TE2, with his TE1 upside riding on how good this offense turns out to be and whether a few more touchdowns find him despite his size near the end zone.

You can find out more about Okonkwo and my other breakout candidates here.