Fantasy Football Today - FFT Express - Jamey Eisenberg’s 2026 All-Breakout Team! 7 Fantasy Football Players Ready to Explode! (FFT Express)

Episode Date: August 26, 2026

Jamey Eisenberg reveals his All-Breakout Team for 2026 Fantasy Football, highlighting the players he believes are ready to take the next step and become major fantasy contributors this season. Jamey breaks down Trevor Lawrence, Kenneth Walker III, Omarion Hampton, DeVonta Smith, Luther Burden, Isaiah Likely and Emeka Egbuka and explains why each player is ready for a big year.

And now it's time for the all-breakout team from Jamie Eisenberg on Fantasy Football Today Express. And welcome in, everyone. All right, Jamie, yesterday we did your All-Sleepers team today. Breakouts, again, it's one quarterback, two running backs, two receivers, a tight end, and a flex. Who is our breakout quarterback? Yeah, first, you know, apologies to anybody that thinks some of these guys might be too obvious, but I'm expecting some career seasons for a few of these players or just building off of some segmented parts of the season that they're coming off of. I'll start with Trevor Lawrence, who closed last season on an absolute tear,

averaging over 30 fantasy points per game in his last seven games, including the playoffs. And now you're coming into this another year in Liam Cohen system. I think the best receiving core collectively that he's going to play with, depending on how much Travis Hunter plays on offense, but a healthy Brian Thomas, Parker Washington, clearing his injury situation back on track, Brent Strange, Jacobi Myers, all that whole group. It could just be another, it could be the first year of Trevor Lawrence,

putting it all together. We saw it in the second season, you know, when he went to the playoffs there for the Jaguars. Like he didn't build off of that. I think now he's so dialed in. He's so in control of this offense. And I love that Cohen, the last two seasons, has really done wonders for his quarterbacks running. I don't think

you're getting nine rushing touchdowns from Trevor Lawrence, but four or five, 400 yards. I think that's realistic for him. And so he could challenge to be a top five quarterback this year. How would you rank Jackson Dart, Caleb Williams, Trevor Lawrence? Lawrence Williams, DART.

Okay, give me your running backs on your all breakout team. So again, I'm going to stay on more of the high-end side of things here. And Ken Walker, I think, will finally put it all together and have the best year of his career. We saw it in the postseason last year, divisional round when Zach Charbonnet got hurt. He averaged more PPR points per game in the NFL playoffs than Christian McCaffrey did for the season. So a small sample size, but now you're talking about what he can do in this Chief's offense. specifically, I think what he can do as a pass catcher. And in 2024, he was on pace.

He only played 11 games, but he was on pace for 71 catches for Seattle that season. I don't think he's going to be a 70 catch guy, but I think he's going to be around 50. And so if everything holds from what we're hearing in training camp. And so there might be more competition for touches than I'm giving credit for it because I did think Emma Johnson looked good in the first preseason game for him. I still think Breschard Smith and Amari Di Mercado will have some semblance of maybe a combine role, whether it's one of them working on some passing down situations, one of them, you know, being able to jump in there on some rushes.

And then you've got to factor in Walker's injury history. But man, if he stays healthy, everything you're hearing, seeing, he looks explosive. Like they went out and got him for a reason to fix what was the worst part of their offense for the last two years, maybe three years. I think there's a huge opportunity here for Ken Walker. I have no problem taking him in the beginning part of round two. Okay, Ken Walker, who's your other breakout running back? Amarine Hampton.

You know, we saw it in flashes last year, beginning part of the season. He was starting to ramp up before the foot injury, had some good moments in the second half of the season. Really, this is all about two factors here, and it has nothing to do with Amarion Hampton himself. It has to do with his offensive line and his coach. So you get Joe Alt back. You get Rashon Slater back. I know they lost Biottich. That sucks to have the center not being there.

But the tackles last year, just with Joe Alt alone, Joe Allt alone. Joel played six games. They averaged a touchdown better per game as an offense. And for I believe two of those games, Hampton didn't play. So he comes back in the second half after the foot injury and did not have the offensive line working for him against later and missed the entire season. But Mike McDaniel, you've heard me say this a lot. He's coached two different versions of running backs.

Both were awesome. Rahim Mostert in the beginning part of his Dolphins tenure, 18 rushing touchdowns he got out of Rahim Mostert. Then he gets Devon A-chan. we saw all the superstardom that he got there, that he produced there. Over 20 ppr points per game last year was great the year before as well. I think this is an opportunity for Amerian Hampton to,

I don't want to say challenge to be the rushing leader, but I think he could be in the conversation to be a top five fantasy running back this year. He's got the past catching ability. He will work at the goal line. I'm excited about this charter's offense, as you know. So these are two guys that I'm taking early part of round two. And who do you like better?

I like Walker better, but it's close. Okay. We'll be right back with wide receivers, tight-end, and flex after this on FFT Express. So far on Jamie's breakout team, we've got Trevor Lawrence, Ken Walker, and Omarian Hampton, who are our wide receivers. So this will be the last, like, high-end guy that I'll talk about, and that's Devante Smith. And I think you look at what he's able to do now without A.J. Brown there.

Thankfully, the hamstring injury is done. At least that's what we expect. And he's good to go locked in as the number one receiver for AJ, for, for, uh, for Jalen Hertz with AJ Brown gone. Very small sample size, but in the three games that Brown missed over the last two years, 16 PPR points per game or more in two of those. I'm sure he averaged 16 PPR points per game in those three games. But more importantly, average over nine targets per game in those three outings.

So I think we're going to see a big opportunity for him. We got the question on the full-length fantasy football today episode that we did on Tuesday. What would Jalen Hertz look like in this new offense that he's going to, you know, playing under Sean Mannion? and I think it's going to benefit him eventually, maybe some hiccups along the way. But I think that Hertz will lean on Devante Smith quite a bit. And I think Smith could challenge to be a top 10 fantasy receiver this year.

And your other breakout wide receiver? So I'm torn on the two injured guys because I still think there's plenty of upside for them for Mecca, Abuka and Luther Burden. I'll go to Luther Burden because his ADP is actually lower. So I think people are running away from Luther Burton because the groin injury is a mistake. I will still take him in round four.

I think we're going to see him be the guy for Ben Johnson, Johnson's already come out and said he wants to lead the NFL in scoring or set the NFL scoring record. That's going to be fun to see. Williams is, I think, going to make burden a priority in this offense. You mentioned Khalif Raymond. I think Raymond's having a good camp because of burden being absent in practice. Romo Dunez is going to be a factor.

We know Colson Loven is going to be a factor. But 85 targets available without DJ Moore on the field. We saw burden in the second half of the season when Odunze was dealing with the foot injury, become a focal point. You cannot watch him and not see how. good he can be. And so give him targets, give him opportunities, give him those chances to make plays. I think he will. So he's going to be one of these guys, I think, that benefits a lot of fantasy managers because you got him at this kind of price. All right. That gives us Trevor Lawrence,

Ken Walker, Amarian Hampton, Devante Smith, Luther Burden. Who's our tight end? I'll go Isaiah likely. You know, you look at what he is seemingly going to be for the Giants and could be an outlet option for Jackson Dart. We got the news yesterday. I don't know if you mentioned on the show. Theo Johnson got a little bit banged up in practice for the Giants. That's another boost for likely. But we'll see how this all looks once we get Malik neighbors on the field and how neighbors and Malachi Fields and Darnalmuny and Dary Slate and all these guys, you know, work together. But I think Jackson Darts showed last year, Theo Johnson was basically averaging 10 ppr points per game with DART in the 12 games that he started.

And likely is a better talent. So likely has, I want to make sure I get the stack correctly. But likely, I think has nine games in his career with at least. six targets, averaging over 12 ppr points per game in, or averaging 12 ppr points per game over that span, I think scored 12 or more 12 ppr points or more in eight of those games. So that's basically top five tight end caliber production. And so I think we're going to see a guy that consistently gets five plus targets. I think will be number two on the team in targets.

So very excited to take Isaiah likely and he comes at such a discounted price. It's, it's well worth your, you know, sort of, it's worth making him a draft target because you can get him at one of these late options that we talk about greater late. Last, we need a flex on the all breakout team. So let's go back to Abuka. And I think just looking at his, you know, he's kind of falling a little bit as well. You know, now he's into round four. There's a guy we were talking about in round three.

And so the toe injury, you know, hopefully it's not an issue. You know, you referenced the comment that Baker Mayfield made on the radio talking about, you know, Abuka's, you know, still going to be a big part of what we do and coming along with the toe injury. But really more about the other guys talking up Chris Godwin, talking of Jalen McMillan, Ted Hurst. That's going to be a factor there, especially if Godwin's right. But Abuka in the first five games this season was averaging over 20 ppr points per game. Like you don't do that as a rookie and not have the ability to reduce when you're getting those chances.

Baker got hurt. Godwin came back. Evans came back. It just became a huge problem. He also dealt with an injury midseason. I think Abuka is still going to be the best receiver for the bucks. And I'm excited to see him perform. So hopefully it gets healthy and ready for week one. All right.

That gives us the all breakout team of Trevor Lawrence, Ken Walker, Amarian Ham. Devanti Smith, Luther Burden, Isaiah likely, and Ameca, Abuka. Good stuff from Jamie Isberg. Thank you very much. Okay, we've got the Draftathon show on Wednesday night. We will talk to you tomorrow on Fantasy Football Today Express. See you later.