Matt OkadaAug 12, 2026
Okada names 14 players as 2026 fantasy football breakout candidates whose draft cost does not reflect their upside, spanning quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and tight ends, and predicts Isaiah Likely will be the Giants' No. 1 tight end.
Published in writingRead the original
What Matt Okada said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromI've mined several of those nuggets and collected 14 of the best candidates for a 2026 breakout.
- The piece
- 2026 NFL fantasy football: Breakout candidates at QB, RB, WR and TE
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Chig Okonkwo to outplay his draft cost (going essentially undrafted)“The best part about betting on the Okonkwo breakout for fantasy? It costs next to nothing, as Okonkwo is going essentially undrafted.”
- 2Jordyn Tyson to outplay his draft cost (going in the ninth round as the WR35 in ADP)“Tyson is a strong bet to outperform his draft cost and potentially hit high-end WR2 status right out the gate.”
- 3Isaiah Likely to be 1st on the depth chart“he should now be the No. 1 tight end for Jaxson Dart and the Giants”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chig Okonkwo to outplay his draft cost (going essentially undrafted)1 | Sleeper Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Jordyn Tyson to outplay his draft cost (going in the ninth round as the WR35 in ADP)2 | Sleeper Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Isaiah Likely to be 1st on the depth chart3 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 3 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
3 checkable claims — 2 sleeper calls and 1 depth chart call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 6 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room.
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.
Where this call stands in the room
Isaiah Likely · 2026 season12 calls from 11 pundits between 1 and 2. Matt Okada said 1. the room's median is 1. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
1Sleeper CallsChig OkonkwoWashington Commanders
Chig Okonkwo to outplay his draft cost (going essentially undrafted)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Sleeper CallsJordyn TysonNew Orleans Saints
Jordyn Tyson to outplay his draft cost (going in the ninth round as the WR35 in ADP)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Depth Chart CallsIsaiah LikelyNew York Giants
Isaiah Likely to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
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.Jordan Dajani · Score Predictions · Washington Commanders · Hit 95
Dajani picks the Commanders to edge the Giants 21-20 on Thursday and the Chiefs to beat the Falcons 26-20 in Week 10.Tyler Sullivan · Score Predictions · Washington Commanders · Hit 100
Sullivan takes the Commanders 24-21 over the Giants on Thursday night and calls for a Steelers upset of the Bengals, 27-24, in Week 10.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.John Breech · Score Predictions · Washington Commanders · Hit 90
Breech picks the Commanders to upset the Giants on Thursday night, 24-17, and takes the Texans to beat the Browns 24-16 in Week 10 behind a pass rush that should batter Deshaun Watson.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.
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 · Rashee Rice · Miss 0
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.