NFL.com analysts provide one bold prediction for the 2026 NFL season, from fantasy forecasts to team- and player-based takes.
Brock Bowers is first TE to lead NFL in catches in over two decades.
This is purportedly the Year of 13 personnel, so you best believe a tight end will lead the league in receptions for the first time since Tony Gonzalez in 2004 and only the second time since Todd Christensen (!) in 1986. Trey McBride and Bowers have come close in recent years, but this year, Bowers will get it done, serving as Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza's top pass-catching option amid average receivers.
Jonathan Taylor runs for 2,000 yards.
Last season, Taylor was on a tear before quarterback Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending injury. A healthy Jones throwing to Alec Pierce, Keenan Allen, Josh Downs and Tyler Warren should prevent defenses from focusing solely on Taylor and allow the veteran back to break off some big runs on his way to the magical 2,000-yard mark.
Ladd McConkey wins the receiving triple crown.
Mike McDaniel’s ability to scheme downfield separation should help maximize McConkey’s speed and three-level versatility. An ascending Justin Herbert and a schedule that will push the Chargers into pass-heavy game scripts could give McConkey the volume needed to lead the NFL in receptions, yards and touchdowns, especially with Keenan Allen's 81 receptions from a season ago up for grabs.
The 2026 NFL MVP resides in the NFC North.
I’m throwing caution to the wind and declaring that 2026 is Caleb Williams’ time. The Iceman makes a big leap to league MVP in his second season with Ben Johnson, becoming the first 4,000-yard passer in franchise history and leading the Bears to the top of the league’s most competitive division for the second year in a row.
Jack Strand takes over as Falcons starting QB.
There’s bound to be some quarterback shuffling throughout the season, and there will be in 2026. By season’s end, Fernando Mendoza will take over as franchise QB for the Raiders; Cade Klubnik will be starting for the Jets; Taylen Green will be starting for the Browns; and undrafted free agent Jack Strand will be leading the Falcons.
Atlanta will see Strand end the season with more starts than Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa. Strand will start more than half the campaign for Atlanta, showing some promise, but not enough to dissuade the Falcons from plucking a quarterback in the talent-rich 2027 NFL Draft.
Justin Herbert reaches historic milestone with new OC.
Herbert joins Drew Brees (five), Tom Brady (two) and Patrick Mahomes (two) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in multiple seasons. Herbert’s elite arm strength recalibrates the precise timing of Mike McDaniel’s play designs, elevating the offense to an even more explosive attack than McDaniel ever had in Miami.
An NFC North team will field the highest-scoring offense in NFL history.
Ben Johnson sent his fan base into a tizzy during the preseason when he proclaimed he wants Chicago to set the scoring record in 2026. His bravado garnered a ton of attention, which is a bit funny, considering every offensive-minded coach presumably sets out with such an aim. Credit to Johnson for being bold enough to say it out loud, though. Unfortunately for fans of Da Bears who are already raring to break the Super Bowl Shuffle back out, Chicago -- while plenty dangerous -- won’t even be the highest-octane offense in its division. That distinction will belong to the Lions, who would need to average over 35.6 points per game to surpass the Broncos’ 606 points from 2013, and have the firepower to do it.
Kyler Murray's BIG season leads Vikings back to playoffs.
I will not make the argument that Murray is the best player in the NFL. That would be ludicrous. I will contend he is the most fun player to watch. He has a cannon of a right arm plus elite speed on a (generously listed) 5-foot-10 frame. To see him launch a deep ball is like Steph Curry pulling up from 35 feet. To see him scrambling is like the Road Runner in shoulder pads. With Murray’s tantalizing talent under Kevin O’Connell’s tutelage, the Vikings' offense is primed to be electric. I predict the veteran QB will have more than 5,000 total yards of offense and lead the Vikings back to the playoffs.
Brock Bowers breaks NFL single-season record.
Hold on to your helmets! Bowers is going to break the NFL receptions record, currently set at 149 by Michael Thomas in 2019. Impossible, you say? Bowers already set the rookie receptions record (112) in a season Jakobi Meyers caught 87 passes ... with Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder at quarterback. Bring in Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza, and zero high-volume competition at wide receiver, and Bowers will draw an absurd target share and snag a spot in the record books.
Ja'Marr Chase becomes first 2,000-yard receiver in NFL history.
The Bengals are going to let it fly more than any team in football, and Chase will be the focal point of that aerial attack. If Joe Burrow stays healthy for the full season, this old Bayou connection will bear its juiciest fruit to date. Chase breaks Calvin Johnson's single-season record of 1,964 receiving yards, wins Offensive Player of the Year and makes his 2024 triple crown-winning campaign look like a walk in the park.
