“Breakout” is one of those words fantasy managers throw around all offseason. Sometimes it means a young receiver is about to become a star. Sometimes it means a late-round quarterback suddenly gives you a few weeks you never saw coming.

Either way, the fun is in finding those players before everyone else does.

The best breakout picks usually aren’t complete guesses. There’s already something there — a strong finish, impressive efficiency, a bigger role on the way, or an offense that’s finally set up to help. The trick is figuring out which players are actually ready to take that next step and which ones are just getting talked up because it’s August.

That’s what makes these 10 players so interesting. They’ve all shown enough to make the upside believable, but they haven’t all been priced like finished products yet. Some could become weekly starters. Others might just end up being the kind of late-round picks who save your roster during bye weeks and injuries.

They won’t all hit, of course. They don’t need to. Find a few of them before the rest of your league catches up, and you could be looking at the picks that make your team a whole lot better by October.

1. Luther Burden III

Luther Burden’s rookie season was better than the final numbers make it look.

He finished with 47 catches for 652 yards and two touchdowns. That’s a perfectly respectable rookie season, but it doesn’t exactly scream future fantasy star. The more interesting numbers were underneath the surface. Burden averaged 2.7 yards per route run, which ranked third among all NFL wide receivers behind only Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. His 77.7 PFF receiving grade also led Chicago’s wide receiver room.

And he did that while playing only 402 offensive snaps.

For most of the first half of the season, Burden was stuck below a 30% snap share. Chicago finally started getting him on the field more consistently late in the year, and the results were pretty clear. When Burden ran routes, he got open and made plays. The Bears just didn’t give him enough chances.

That should change now. Chicago traded DJ Moore to Buffalo, opening up a meaningful number of snaps and targets. Burden should step into a full-time role with Rome Odunze as the Bears go into their second season under Ben Johnson.

That coaching change matters, too. Johnson knows how to create easy touches for a receiver who can make things happen after the catch, but Burden showed he’s more than just a gadget player. He can win on actual routes and deserves more than a handful of screens sprinkled into the game plan.

The efficiency's already there. Now the opportunity needs to catch up.

Burden's going around 47th overall as the WR22, so you’re not getting him for free. That price also comes with some competition for targets from Odunze and Colston Loveland.

But even with those concerns, I’m still interested. This isn't an offense that's going to be relying heavily on the run with that backfield. Burden doesn’t need to become dramatically more efficient to make a big jump. If he keeps most of what he showed as a rookie while nearly doubling his routes, he can go from intriguing young receiver to legitimate fantasy WR1 pretty quickly.

2. Isaiah Likely

Isaiah Likely's spent the last four years looking like a breakout tight end whenever Baltimore actually needed him to play like one.

The problem? The Ravens already had Mark Andrews.

Now Likely gets a chance to run his own route tree after signing a three-year deal with the Giants worth up to $47.5 million to reconnect with his old HC John Harbaugh. That’s not the kind of money you give a rotational tight end and hope he figures things out. New York clearly sees him as an important part of an offense being built around second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.

And so far, the early reports have been encouraging. Likely has been mentioned repeatedly as one of Dart’s favorite targets and his security blanket in camp. That’s exactly the kind of player a young quarterback needs: someone who can work the middle of the field, get open quickly, and give him an easy answer when the first read isn’t there.

It also lines up with what we’ve already seen from Likely. In the nine games where he’s gotten at least six targets, he’s scored 12.5 or more PPR points eight times while averaging 16.6. His 2025 season was a disappointment — 27 catches, 307 yards and one touchdown — but he started the year with a foot injury and never really found his groove.

Whenever Andrews has missed time, Likely’s upside has been pretty obvious. He can separate and really give defenses problems in the red zone. Since 2022, he’s racked up 1,568 yards and 15 touchdowns even though he's spent most of his career as Baltimore’s second tight end.

Now he could be the second option in the Giants’ passing game behind Malik Nabers.

Likely’s TE13 ADP puts him around the end of Round 10. That’s a pretty comfortable price. If the Giants use more of a committee than expected or Dart has some sophomore-slump struggles, you haven’t burned a premium pick. But if the camp connection carries over, Likely has the talent and opportunity to push his way into the top six at the position.

This is exactly the part of the draft where I want to take that kind of swing.

3. Emeka Egbuka

Emeka Egbuka’s rookie season already looked like a breakout at times. It just didn’t stay that way all year.

He became the first rookie in NFL history to record at least 25 catches, 400 receiving yards, and five touchdowns through his first five games. He averaged 20.5 PPR points during that stretch before injuries started taking Tampa Bay’s offense apart.

Even after things slowed down, Egbuka finished with 63 catches for 938 yards and six touchdowns. That’s a really good rookie season by itself. The reason I’m expecting more now is simple: Tampa Bay's cleared up in a pretty big way for him.

Mike Evans is gone to San Francisco. He averaged nearly eight targets a game when he was available last season, and Egbuka averaged 8.5 targets in the nine games Evans missed. Chris Godwin's still around and should have a real role, but Egbuka should head into 2026 as Baker Mayfield’s top outside receiver.

That’s a much better setup than trying to carve out targets next to two established veterans.

Egbuka already showed he can win at different levels of the field, and Tampa Bay put him on roughly 86% of their available routes as a rookie. He doesn’t need to completely reinvent himself. He just needs more of those routes to come with him as the first read instead of the second or third option.

The market knows what’s coming, though. Egbuka is going around WR20 and 42nd overall, so fantasy managers are already paying for part of the breakout.

I’m still buying the full-season outlook. Egbuka nearly hit 1,000 yards while sharing the offense and figuring out the NFL. With Evans’ targets now up for grabs and an established connection with Mayfield, his next step could push him right into the low-end WR1 conversation.

4. Ashton Jeanty

It feels a little weird calling Ashton Jeanty a breakout candidate after he handled 321 touches and finished with 1,321 yards from scrimmage as a rookie. That kind of workload usually leads to a monster fantasy season.

The Raiders’ offensive line had other ideas.

Jeanty carried the ball 266 times for 975 yards, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry. He averaged roughly 0.6 yards before contact, which means a lot of those runs were already in trouble before he had much of a chance. His receiving work — 55 catches for 346 yards — helped keep his fantasy season afloat, and he still scored 10 total touchdowns.

He finished as the RB13 overall and RB16 on a per-game basis. That was his floor in a genuinely rough situation in his first year in the NFL.

The Raiders have made a real effort to improve that situation. Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson are coming back from injury, and Tyler Linderbaum comes in after posting one of the league’s best run-blocking grades among centers. New head coach Klint Kubiak should also bring a more organized, run-heavy identity to the offense.

Jeanty doesn’t need to become a different player. He just needs to stop running into defenders in the backfield.

His 16th-overall ADP makes him the RB10, so this isn’t some cheap late-round breakout pick. You’re drafting him as a starter and betting that the roster around him finally lets him show what that rookie workload was pointing toward.

There is some immediate injury risk, too. Jeanty suffered an ankle sprain late in August, and even though the Raiders got encouraging news and still expect him to be ready for Week 1, it’s something worth keeping an eye on.

Even with those concerns, Jeanty has one of the clearest paths to a major jump on this list. Give a player this talented 300 touches behind a competent offensive line, and the difference between RB13 and a top-five finish can show up pretty quickly.

5. Ladd McConkey

Ladd McConkey’s second season was frustrating because we’d already seen how good he could be.

As a rookie, McConkey caught 82 passes for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns. He quickly became Justin Herbert’s top target and averaged 15.1 PPR points per game. Then Keenan Allen came back in 2025 and took up a lot of the same underneath and intermediate work, and McConkey’s numbers dropped to 66 catches for 789 yards.

Allen's gone again. More importantly, Mike McDaniel's running the Chargers’ offense.

That feels like a pretty great fit for McConkey. He’s a sharp route runner, he understands how to find space and, he’s good enough after the catch to move around the formation. McDaniel’s offenses have always used motion and condensed formations to help their best receivers get clean releases. During his first three seasons in Miami, Tyreek Hill saw 170, 171, and 123 targets.

McDaniel's never been afraid to build the passing game around receivers who can consistently get open.

McConkey should be the first option in Los Angeles, with Quentin Johnston, Tre Harris, and the rest of the receivers working behind him. A healthier offensive line should help, too. Herbert spent way too much of last season dealing with pressure almost immediately after the Chargers lost Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt.

McConkey's going around WR19 and 41st overall, which puts him in the same general range as Emeka Egbuka and Luther Burden. Of the three, he might not be my top pick, but he's already put up a 1,100-yard season with Herbert.

The concern is that Johnston keeps developing and McDaniel spreads the ball around more than expected, especially with Omarion Hampton in the backfield. I’m still comfortable betting on the fit though.

6. Christian Watson

Christian Watson's been one of fantasy football’s favorite “this is the year” breakouts for a while now. And, honestly, it’s easy to understand why. The talent has always been there. The problem's been getting him on the field long enough to actually do something with it.

That might finally be changing.

After returning from his ACL injury in Week 8 last season, Watson gradually worked his way into a legitimate role. From Weeks 8 through 18, he ran a route on 72% of Green Bay’s passing plays, got a 20% target share, and averaged 13.2 PPR points per game. In a shortened season, he still finished with 35 catches for 611 yards and six touchdowns.

That’s 17.5 yards per catch. The big-play ability hasn’t gone anywhere.

The Packers also made it pretty clear how they look at him by giving him a four-year, $110.5 million extension. Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks are gone, leaving Watson, Jayden Reed, and Matthew Golden as Jordan Love’s primary receivers. Green Bay's got plenty of talented options, but Watson's still the one who brings that rare combination of size and speed.

He’s currently being drafted around 62nd overall as the WR28. That price accounts for the injury history, but it doesn’t fully account for what Watson could do if he actually plays 16 or 17 games as Love’s top outside receiver.

And, of course, health is the big issue. He's missed 20 games over his first four seasons and has never seen more than 69 targets. Fantasy managers have been burned by this breakout call before, so the skepticism is completely fair.

I just don’t want that frustration to make us overlook what Watson did after coming back last year.

7. Cam Ward

I don’t expect Cam Ward to become a weekly QB1 this season. That’s not really the breakout I’m drafting him for.

Ward is going around QB25 and 174th overall. At that price, I’m not asking him to carry my fantasy team. I just want him to become someone I’m comfortable using during bye weeks, in good matchups, or if my starter gets hurt. Based on how his rookie season ended, that feels very realistic.

Before Tennessee’s Week 10 bye, Ward had plenty of rough moments. He struggled under pressure and missed way too many throws. After the bye, though, things started to click. His completion rate, touchdown rate, passer rating, and efficiency per dropback all improved. He finished the season with 10 touchdown passes and just one interception, averaging 15.5 fantasy points over his final four full starts.

Those aren’t exactly league-winning numbers, but they’re still encouraging. Ward was a rookie playing behind a line that allowed a league-high 55 sacks. It’s hard to evaluate any young quarterback when he’s constantly running for his life.

The Titans have also done a better job of giving him help. Brian Daboll's taking over the offense, which should give Ward more defined answers before the snap and a reliable underneath option in Robinson — something he didn’t really have last year.

The offensive line's still the biggest concern, and Ward isn’t the kind of runner who’s going to save a bad passing day with 60 rushing yards. Young quarterbacks also don’t always improve in a straight line. A sophomore slump is possible, especially with Ward learning another offense.

But in Round 15, I’m not losing sleep over those risks.

8. Parker Washington

Parker Washington didn’t just have a nice finish to last season. He played well enough over the final two months to make Jacksonville think twice about how they use him going forward.

From Week 9 through the end of the regular season, Washington averaged 4.6 catches and 71 yards on 6.7 targets per game. Over his final four games, including the playoffs, he caught 26 passes for 454 yards and three touchdowns. PFF gave him an 85.1 receiving grade for the season, which ranked in the top 10 at the position.

That production also lined up with Jacksonville’s offense finally starting to look like they knew what they were doing. The Jaguars went 8-1 over their final nine regular-season games and bumped their scoring average from roughly 22 points per game to 33. Trevor Lawrence looked more comfortable, and Washington was one of the receivers he trusted when the offense needed a play to stay on schedule.

Now Jacksonville has to show that they see Washington the same way.

He’s reportedly been working with both two- and three-receiver groups in camp, which is encouraging. This isn’t an empty depth chart where Washington can just walk into 120 targets. Brian Thomas Jr. still has the highest ceiling in the room. Jakobi Meyers is a steady veteran, Brenton Strange should have a role, and Travis Hunter could eventually take on more offensive snaps.

That competition's why Washington’s at WR30 ADP, around 64th overall. He comes with some risk. The price has gone up enough that we can’t just shrug off the possibility of a smaller role.

I’m still interested because his late-season run wasn’t built on a couple of busted coverages or a random touchdown streak. Washington earned those targets and made plays in an offense that was playing their best football. When he shared the field with Meyers and Thomas after Week 8, Washington still got targets on nearly 30% of his routes and averaged 3.2 yards per route run.

9. Omarion Hampton

Omarion Hampton’s rookie season never really had a chance to find any sort of rhythm.

He played the first five games, missed seven with an ankle injury, and then came back in Week 14 to an offense trying to function behind a beat-up offensive line. Even with all of that working against him, Hampton finished with 545 rushing yards, 32 catches for 192 yards, and five total touchdowns. His 15.1 PPR points per game ranked around RB12.

The upside was pretty obvious whenever he got enough work though. Hampton scored at least 24.9 PPR points twice in his first five games and got all the way to 14.7 or more in three of his four games after coming back.

Now he's coming into Year 2 healthy, with a full NFL season under his belt, and Mike McDaniel calling the offense.

McDaniel’s track record with De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert makes the appeal pretty easy to see. He knows how to use motion, spacing, and outside-zone concepts to create better running lanes. Hampton isn’t the same kind of runner as Achane, but he’s explosive enough to take advantage of those designs and also have the size to handle a more traditional workload.

At RB11 and 17th overall, this is an aggressive pick. Hampton probably needs to be a dependable RB1 to fully pay off that draft cost. But, I’m willing to take the shot.

Hampton was already producing like a borderline RB1 in a messy situation. A healthier line, a more creative run game, and a normal second-year jump could take him right where he needs to be.

10. Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones is probably the most debatable name on this list because, honestly, his breakout might’ve already started last season.

Through 10 weeks, Indianapolis was 8-2. Jones completed 69.9% of his passes, averaged 8.3 yards per attempt, and accounted for 20 total touchdowns. He was the QB5 in fantasy during that stretch. The Colts weren’t just surviving with Jones. The offense was actually humming.

Then he tore his Achilles in Week 14 after trying to play through a fractured fibula, ending his season after 13 starts. Even with the injury, he finished with 3,101 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions, and five more rushing scores. That was enough for the Colts to give him a two-year contract worth $88 million.

I’m calling 2026 the breakout because last season still felt more like a preview than a finished product. Now Jones gets a chance to prove he can be that version of himself for a full season.

Jones' 52% success rate trailed only Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye, so this wasn’t just a bunch of low-percentage deep balls turning into touchdowns. Shane Steichen gave him real control before the snap and surrounded him with a pretty good group of pass-catchers in Alec Pierce and Tyler Warren.

That history is a big reason he’s still available as the QB22 around Round 13.

Jones doesn’t need to repeat his early-2025 pace for all 17 games to beat that price. If the passing efficiency sticks and he gets even some of his rushing ability back, he can comfortably finish inside the top 12. For a quarterback being drafted as an afterthought, that makes him one of my favorite late-round bets.

All stats courtesy of NFL Pro.

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