We may only be a month into the summer but NFL is about to get into full swing. And it’s time to start prepping for the fantasy football season with five positive regression candidates.
Seattle and San Francisco will kick the training camp season with their rookies reporting later this week. But for some, the fantasy football draft season is in full swing as the charity leagues like the Scott Fish Bowl have already started.
Let’s get into my five positive regression candidates!
Positive Regression No. 5
Caleb Williams, Chicago
I know Williams finished as the No. 6 quarterback in fantasy football season last season, but he left a lot of the table.
Then add in it will be his second year in the Ben Johnson’ offense.
Even with Johnson as his coach last season, Williams still only completed 58 percent of his passes, second worst among regular starters, and he was only 14th in passing yards a game (231.8 yards).
Plus he was not even a QB2 for touchdowns per the number of passing/rushing attempts (4.6 percent) he had last season. This number is based on QBs who played in at least 4 games.
But with a second season under Johnson’s offense and the late season strong play from Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland, Williams comes into the season with more upside to gain.
Positive Regression No. 4
Breece Hall, NY Jets
Hall will head into the 2026 season as the fourth highest paid running back in the NFL, but continues to be plagued by the Jets’ ineptness on offense.
The Jets have been the 29th scoring team in the NFL in each of Hall’s four seasons and hope new QB Geno Smith can open up the offense.
Hall finally rushed for 1,000 yards last season, but his lack of touchdowns continues to keep him in the RB2 zone. He has only averaged 6.8 touchdowns a season.
Besides signing Smith, the Jets added tight end Kenyon Sediq and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft and still have holdovers Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell at WR and Mason Taylor at TE.
And the Jets will need to score more touchdowns to stay competitive with a defense that gave up 29.6 points a game last season.
Positive Regression No. 3
Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City
Walker III flourished in the playoffs for the Seahawks after Zach Charbonnet went down with a knee injury.
The Super Bowl LX MVP rushed for 313 yards and four TDs and added 9 catches for 104 yards during the playoffs.
However during the regular season, Walker III and Charbonnet split the bulk of the workload. Walker III finished 22nd in PPR (1,027 yards rushing, 10 rush TDs, 31 catches, 282 yards receiving) and Charbonnet finished 24th in PPR (730 yards rushing, 12 rush TDs, 20 catches 144 yards receiving).
Now Walker III heads to the Chiefs with his only competition in rookie Emmett Johnson, Emari Demercado and Brashard Smith. Those three have a combined 170 NFL carries.
And Walker III is expected to spearhead a rushing attack that hasn’t been a Top 15 rushing team in last four years. The Chiefs finished 24th last year with 106.6 yards a game, and the last time they finished in the Top 15 was in 2021 at 13th with 119.1 yards a game. Walker III is a big upgrade over the likes of Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt.
Positive Regression No. 2
Ladd McConkey, LA Chargers
McConkey was a fantasy standout down the stretch at the end of the rookie season in 2024, but his 2025 season saw a dip in production.
He caught 10 percent less passes intended for him in 2025 and finished with only 789 yards receiving, 360 yards less than his rookie season.
Now enters new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniels. McDaniels called the plays for the Miami Dolphins’ explosive offense before Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion issues.
McDaniels’ offense is almost tailor-made for McConkey’s skillset and Ladd should fill the role handled by Jaylen Waddle. McDaniels’ offense uses a lot pre-snap motion which will allow McConkey to use his quickness to open up him for quality targets from Justin Herbert.
Waddle averaged 83.7 catches, 1128 yards and 6 TDs a season from the slot for the Dolphins before Tagovailoa’s injury concerns.
Plus, the Chargers did not re-sign Keenan Allen, which opens up 122 targets in the offense.
Positive Regression No. 1
Jaylen Waddle, Denver
Waddle heads to the Broncos after playing his first five seasons with the Miami Dolphins. The Broncos gave up a first- and third-round picks for Waddle’s services as the Broncos believe Waddle can return to his 1,000-yard receiving days.
Waddle had more than 1,000 yards and more than 72 catches in each of his first three seasons but fell to 744 and 910 yards and 62 catches or less in the last two seasons.
And he should fill role as Bo Nix’s No. 1 WR as Courtland Sutton will turn 30 during the season and TE Evan Engram will be 31 at the beginning of the season. The Broncos’ other young investments at WR have failed to step up, which should give the experienced Waddle a chance to shine with his new team.
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