Joshua PoniatowskiSep 2, 2026
In his 2026 fantasy football 'league winners' piece, Poniatowski puts Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson and Christian McCaffrey as the top three picks, and names a slate of running backs (Kenneth Walker III, Omarion Hampton, David Montgomery, Jonathon Brooks) and receivers (Malik Nabers, Tee Higgins, Christian Watson, De'Zhaun Stribling) as players who will far outperform their draft cost.
Published in writing · FantasyProsRead the original
What Joshua Poniatowski said
These two should be the 1.01 and 1.02 in standard, half-PPR, and PPR drafts.
- Where it was published
- FantasyPros
- The piece
- 14 Fantasy Football League Winners (2026)
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
Box score, by kind
HitCloseMissWaiting| Group | Hits | Close | Misses | Waiting | Calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player Season Numbers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Fantasy Rankings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Sleeper Calls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Positional Finishes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Depth Chart Calls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| All | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
How each call scored
11 checkable claims — 6 sleeper calls, 2 positional finishes, 1 depth chart call, 1 fantasy ranking and 1 player season number — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 15 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 3 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 2.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
Their call against the record
rushing tdsTheir call against what actually happened last time. Not yet settled.
Player Season Numbers1 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
Kenneth Walker III to record 10 rushing tds
“Ten touchdowns for Walker seems like the absolute worst-case scenario.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Fantasy Rankings1 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
“These two should be the 1.01 and 1.02 in standard, half-PPR, and PPR drafts. Every single time... McCaffrey should be the 1.03, only behind Gibbs and Bijan.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Sleeper Calls6 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
Christian McCaffrey to outplay his draft cost (1.03)
“I'm not passing on a player with this much league-winning upside because I am scared of what might happen. McCaffrey should be the 1.03, only behind Gibbs and Bijan.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Kenneth Walker III to outplay his draft cost (RB11 at the back end of the second round)
“If Walker can eat into some of that work while also seeing the expected RB1 usage on the ground, he will end up being a league winner. He is currently being taken as the RB11 at the back end of the second round.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
De'Zhaun Stribling to outplay his draft cost (a very late-round wide receiver dart throw)
“as a very late-round wide receiver dart throw, he makes sense as a potential league winner with the opportunity to significantly outperform his ADP”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Tee Higgins to outplay his draft cost (drafted like a late value WR2)
“Higgins is undoubtedly a WR1 being drafted like a late value WR2.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
David Montgomery to outplay his draft cost (the middle rounds)
“At his cost in the middle rounds, Montgomery has the potential to win your league.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Malik Nabers to outplay his draft cost (the third and sometimes fourth round; outside the top-10 wide receivers)
“Not only does he bring league-winning potential, but you can get him at a discount with a very favorable playoff schedule.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Positional Finishes2 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
Omarion Hampton to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points
“Worst-case scenario, he is a top-12 running back due to a split in the backfield.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
David Montgomery to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points
“he could be the life jacket that saves your team as a top-12 running back finisher”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Depth Chart Calls1 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
Jonathon Brooks to be 1st on the depth chart
“Jonathon Brooks legitimately has the potential to be a three-down back in a run-focused offense come Week 1.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City Chiefs, Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers, De'Zhaun Stribling, Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers, Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers, Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals, David Montgomery, Houston Texans, Malik Nabers, New York Giants
Others on the same people
Nate Gosney · Trade and Signing Calls · Daiyan Henley · Miss 0
After the Broncos rescinded the trade, Gosney expects Daiyan Henley to remain with the Chargers for the rest of the 2026 season, but believes the awkward fallout has effectively killed any chance of them signing a new contract with Los Angeles after the season.Sam Monson · Game Outcome Picks · New York Giants · Miss 0
Monson picked every Week 10 game, taking the Giants, Lions, Packers, Panthers, Colts, Texans, Bills, Chiefs, Jaguars, Seahawks, Rams, Cowboys, Bengals and Ravens, and also suggested the Chargers' only likely wins the rest of the way come against the Jets and Dolphins.Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Miss 36
Prisco picks the Giants to beat the Commanders 23-14 on Thursday night and the Lions to beat the Patriots 30-24 in Munich.Jared Dubin · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Close 43
Dubin picks the Giants to beat the Commanders 20-14 on Thursday night and takes the Packers over the Vikings 17-14 in a low-scoring Week 10 game.Jared Dubin · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Close 43
Dubin picks the Giants to beat the Commanders at home on Thursday night, projecting a 20-14 final score.
More sleeper calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Derek Brown · Sleeper Calls · Travis Hunter · Hit 100
Derek Brown ("Debro") laid out a slate of wide receiver breakouts — Ricky Pearsall, Jalen Coker, Egbuka, Jalen Waddle, Joshua Palmer, George Pickens, DeVonta Smith and Travis Hunter — while fading Xavier Worthy, Tyreek Hill and the cheap Cleveland/late-round types, and gave their own rankings well ahead of ADP for several of them.Chris Welsh · Sleeper Calls · Tyler Warren · Hit 100
Welsh drafted Christian McCaffrey, Breece Hall, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillan, Travis Hunter, the Rams and Saints receivers, Justin Fields (a top-10 QB), Drake Maye (QB10-14), Travis Kelce and Tyler Warren, while passing on Joe Mixon, the Commanders backfield, Tyreek Hill, Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy.Pat Fitzmaurice · Sleeper Calls · Chris Rodriguez Jr. · Hit 100
Pat Fitzmaurice gave draft-or-pass calls: reluctant drafts on Christian McCaffrey, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillan (their WR16), Rashee Rice at a ninth-round price, Austin Ekeler, Chris Rodriguez, Chris Olave, Drake Maye (their QB8) and Tyler Warren, with passes on Breece Hall, Joe Mixon, Croskey-Merritt, Tyreek Hill, Travis Hunter, the Rams receivers and Justin Fields.Joe Pisapia · Sleeper Calls · Tyreek Hill · Miss 0
Joey P (Joe Pisapia) played draft-or-pass on 2025 fantasy values: they passed on Christian McCaffrey at pick 7, Breece Hall, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Travis Hunter and Chris Olave, while drafting RJ Harvey, Tyreek Hill, Tetairoa McMillan, Puka Nacua, Tyler Warren and a late-round Joe Mixon.Derek Brown · Sleeper Calls · George Pickens · Hit 100
Brown's five-to-one breakout list was Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Tucker Kraft, Ricky Pearsall, George Pickens and Tetairoa McMillan; they forecast Brian Robinson Jr. being cut or traded, Kraft finishing as a top-five/six tight end, Pickens as a top-15 receiver and McMillan spiking for double-digit touchdowns.Jake Ciely · Sleeper Calls · Braelon Allen · Miss 0
Counting down their top-five middle/late-round breakout candidates, Seely picked Bryce Young, Cedric Tillman, Braelon Allen, Marvin Mims and Rome Odunze, arguing Young can be a fringe QB1 with added rushing, Tillman and Mims are their teams' No. 2 receivers, and Caleb Williams will post a huge statistical season that lifts Odunze.