With football season right around the corner, fantasy football owners are researching and prepping draft boards, looking for where to gain an advantage. Here are the top four fantasy overvalued players heading into 2026. Although online rankings can be helpful, they can also be erroneous. Every year, some players are drafted much higher than their actual value due to online rankings, and while most of these ratings are based on analytics, there are some players who are being ranked much higher than they should be.
Jayden Daniels
Jayden Daniels entered 2025 as a top-five QB following an elite rookie campaign. Unfortunately, his injury-riddled year left fantasy owners disappointed, finishing as the QB33. Heading into the 2026 season, Daniels is ranked as the QB3, looking to return to his rookie form. While he does have a high ceiling, fantasy owners should be wary of his injury history.
At QB3, he is sitting just behind Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, placing him above solid quarterbacks such as Matthew Stafford, Joe Burrow, and breakout star Drake Maye. Ranking experts are bullish on Daniels bouncing back with a strong 2026 campaign. His athleticism and accuracy are among the top in the league when healthy, but can he avoid a repeat of 2025?
Daniels’ career appears to be following a similar trajectory to that of another Washington quarterback, Robert Griffin III. His greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. Daniels does not possess the size to handle the physicality of his playing style. Fantasy owners should avoid drafting him in the earlier rounds, opting to select him late in the draft as a bench quarterback. While his upside is high, the lack of availability makes Daniels too risky a pick.
De’Von Achane
Miami is in shambles, facing a complete rebuild. After trading away almost all major pieces, De’Von Achane is the only bright spot for the Dolphins. Sliding in at RB6, Achane has been a fantasy beast, averaging over 17 points per game each of his three years in the NFL. His explosive, home run speed mixed with his pass-catching abilities have made him an excellent choice at running back. While Achane is still a top-tier player overall, he is on perhaps the worst team in the league.
This leaves Miami one-dimensional, which leaves fantasy owners with two major considerations. The positive is that Achane should have a high percentage of touches. This would usually be seen as a huge positive, since every touch a player gets is an opportunity to score points. On the other hand, defenses know he is the only weapon on offense, allowing them to solely focus on stopping Achane. Despite his solid performances year in and out, the Dolphins’ running back is just rated too high when considering the current situation in Miami.
Rashee Rice
Rashee Rice is sitting at WR9, placing him ahead of players such as Chris Olave, AJ Brown, and George Pickens. His rating is entirely based on Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid finding a way to field a top-five offense once again. When healthy, Rice is one of Mahomes’ favorite weapons, averaging 17 fantasy PPG over the last two years. The questions are if he can stay on the field and if the Chiefs will get back on track.
While Rice is effective, availability has been a big problem for the wideout. In the last two seasons, he played for a total of 12 games. In 2024, he injured his LCL and, upon returning in 2025, dealt with a concussion late in the season. This past offseason, Rice underwent a clean-up procedure on that same knee, bringing into question how it will affect his 2026 season. The wideout was also arrested and sentenced to 30 days in jail for violating probation in connection with his 2024 high-speed crash.
The Chiefs’ offense has not been the same over the years, either. Injuries and an aging Travis Kelce have led to struggles for Mahomes, who spends each week attempting to carry the team on his shoulders. With the arrival of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, there is the potential that Kansas City looks to be a more balanced offense, taking targets away from Rice. Between the injury concerns, legal trouble, and potential shift in offensive scheme, Rice should not be taken as one of the top-10 receivers.
Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts is rated as the number five quarterback in fantasy by ESPN. At this ranking, he is perhaps the most overvalued player in the entire draft. Hurts struggled last year. His inconsistent play and inaccurate passing, mixed with the disgruntled AJ Brown and poor offensive strategy, led to his finish as the QB9.
Analysts are bullish on Hurts bouncing back after a down year last year. The Eagles did add another weapon in the draft, picking up Makai Lemon out of USC in the first round, filling a hole left by Brown’s departure. There is also a strong belief that Devonte Smith is ready to take over as the number one receiver in Philly. While both of these are potentially solid moves, giving Hurts a decent set of weapons, his regression last year is a huge red flag.
Hurts passed for a little over 3,000 yards in 2025 with only 454 attempts, placing him 16th in the league, and his accuracy is around league average at 64%. With a running back like Saquon Barkley on the team, the Eagles have been heavily run-focused, adding to the lack of a passing attack for Hurts. The biggest issue, however, is whether or not the team can maintain faith in him at quarterback inside the locker room. Brown’s disdain for Hurts last year created a media firestorm and a narrative on his ability to lead and play quarterback.
While Hurts is a dual-threat quarterback, he is pedestrian in statistics and is facing a lot of criticism. The ranking of QB5 heading into 2026 is ludicrous considering his regression, poor offensive strategy, loss of Brown, and an aging Barkley. Fantasy owners should expect Smith to face tougher coverage without another elite wideout across from him, forcing Hurts to make tighter throws, resulting in more turnovers this year. He will most likely finish just outside the top 10 quarterbacks, making him worth a bench spot or a late-round starter in deeper leagues.
