2026 Fantasy Football: Early breakout candidates for each NFC East team
- - 2026 Fantasy Football: Early breakout candidates for each NFC East team
Justin BooneJanuary 14, 2026 at 2:42 AM
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NFL Free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft will completely shake up the fantasy football landscape in the coming months.
Before the roster movement begins, Justin Boone is identifying one fantasy-relevant player from every team who’s most likely to break out during the 2026 season.
Early Breakout Candidates -
NFC East
NFC North (Jan. 14)
NFC West (Jan. 15)
NFC South (Jan. 16)
AFC East (Jan. 19)
AFC North (Jan. 20)
AFC West (Jan. 21)
AFC South (Jan. 22)
Early NFC East Breakout CandidatesDallas Cowboys - Jaydon Blue, RB
The Cowboys have stars and capable veterans at every skill position, except for running back. That’s because Javonte Williams is set to be a free agent after signing a one-year deal last offseason.
Dallas got incredible value from the 25-year-old Williams, including the ninth-most rushing yards (1,201) and the eighth-most rushing touchdowns (11), as well as 35 receptions for 137 yards and another two scores. The end result was the RB12 overall with 14.1 fantasy points per game.
Stephen Jones has already said bringing back Williams is at the top of his offseason list, but it will take far more than the one-year, $3 million contract he played on in 2025. That leaves the door open for Dallas to take a more cost-effective approach, like it did last season.
While Blue didn’t see the field much as a fifth-round rookie, he did finish the season strong in Week 18 by playing 60% of the snaps and leading the backfield with 64 yards and a TD on 16 touches while showcasing his explosive playmaking on multiple occasions versus the Giants.
“That was a preview of next year,” Blue told team writer Patrik Walker after the game. The rookie also admitted what a learning experience his first season was and how he now understands the importance of proper practice, preparation and consistency.
Blue is far from a guaranteed breakout candidate in 2026. However, if Williams doesn’t return there will be an opening for Blue to take on a much bigger role during his sophomore campaign.
Fantasy breakout potential: ★★★☆☆
New York Giants - Cam Skattebo, RB
Skattebo was well on his way to a breakout season as a rookie before suffering a brutal injury that included a tibia fracture, ruptured deltoid ligament and dislocated ankle in October. He’s now facing a 4-6 month recovery timeline, which he’s attacking head on.
The 23-year-old is already jogging and is expecting to return in time for training camp.
"I'm going to be back,” he told ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan. “I played seven games in the NFL and I got hurt. There's a long road ahead, but that is not going to stop me.”
There’s plenty of reason to be excited about what a healthy Skattebo could do next season. Prior to the injury, he was the RB6 in FPPG over his last six appearances and saw bell-cow usage with 22 touches per game over his final four starts. On the season, the only running back to average more than 22 touches per contest was Christian McCaffrey.
While many of the players featured in this series will be depth pieces that could step into more opportunity moving forward, Skattebo is one of the few who seems destined for fantasy stardom.
As long as he can get back to full health — which I believe he will — Skattebo has a clear path to being a fantasy RB2 with an RB1 ceiling.
Fantasy breakout potential: ★★★★★
Philadelphia Eagles - Darius Cooper, WR
The Eagles are a team that doesn’t have many holes among their skill position talent, but looking ahead, this offense might undergo a lot of change this offseason.
Given Philadelphia’s inability to recapture its Super Bowl form this year and the ongoing displeasure expressed by A.J. Brown, it seems like a divorce might be coming for the Eagles and their star receiver. Contracts are also ending for Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra and Jahan Dotson.
If none of those players return in 2026, the team will obviously make a move to add more pass-catchers to pair with DeVonta Smith, but we could see Cooper move into a more prominent position in the pecking order.
As an undrafted rookie playing on an established depth chart, Cooper didn’t earn many opportunities until late in the season and finished with just nine receptions for 92 yards on 11 targets.
However, Cooper made his biggest impact as a blocker, helping break several big runs like this 52-yard TD by Saquon Barkley against the Chargers in Week 14.
There’s no doubt the coaching staff will take notice of his effort, which should lead to more playing time and possibly more passes thrown his way.
Though he’s more of a sleeper than a true breakout candidate, Cooper should be someone you monitor or stash in deeper leagues and dynasty formats.
Fantasy breakout potential: ★★☆☆☆
Washington Commanders - Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB
Even though Croskey-Merritt was a seventh-round pick, his rookie season ultimately feels like a disappointment after he failed to break out despite Brian Robinson Jr. being traded before Week 1 and Austin Ekeler suffering a season-ending injury.
What developed was a three-way committee with Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jeremy McNichols that limited the fantasy ceiling of each back.
It’s worth noting that Rodriguez only topped 70 scrimmage yards twice and never went over 85 yards in a single game. And McNichols was a distant third in terms of touches and production.
Meanwhile, JCM went over 70 scrimmage yards four times, including twice during the final month. Fantasy managers will remember his contributions well, since he was the RB10 in FPPG during the fantasy playoffs, topping 95 yards on two occasions and scoring four touchdowns over that stretch.
The Commanders have plenty of things to figure out this offseason, starting with a new offensive coordinator to replace Kliff Kingsbury. Regardless of who takes over play-calling, Croskey-Merritt will have a chance to earn the starting job in 2026 and he’s already given us a glimpse of what he can do with the lead-back role.
Fantasy breakout potential: ★★★★☆
Early Breakout Candidates -
NFC East
NFC North (Jan. 14)
NFC West (Jan. 15)
NFC South (Jan. 16)
AFC East (Jan. 19)
AFC North (Jan. 20)
AFC West (Jan. 21)
AFC South (Jan. 22)
Source: “AOL Sports”
