2026 NFL Regular Season Kicks Off: Fantasy Football Experts Predict Key Matchups and Break

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2026 NFL Regular Season Kicks Off: Fantasy Football Experts Predict Key Matchups and Break
Photo: CBS Sports
sports· A press review of 3 outlets
  1. The 2026 NFL regular season gets underway in less than three weeks with the kickoff game on Wednesday, Sept. 9. With Week 2 of the NFL preseason wrapping up, the time has come for Fantasy football owners to lock in on preparations for another big Fantasy football draft weekend. Veterans like Josh Allen, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Ja'Marr Chase all headline the 2026 Fantasy football rankings, and will likely be among the top players on most Fantasy football draft boards. The key to Fantasy success remains finding sleepers and rookies who outperform their Fantasy football ADP, and avoiding drafting players that end up being Fantasy football 2026 busts.

  2. The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, identifying A.J. Brown as a sleeper in 2020, nailing Jonathan Taylor's monstrous season in 2021, correctly predicting C.J. Stroud would take a step back in 2024 and calling Daniel Jones' huge 2025 season. Additionally, it's called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.

  3. How to find proven 2026 Fantasy football rankings SportsLine has ranked almost every Fantasy-relevant player at every position and you can see their entire 2026 Fantasy football positional rankings now. You can only see their top sleepers, breakouts and busts at every position at SportsLine.

  4. There's one more chance to set NFL DFS lineups during the 2026 NFL preseason Week 2 schedule, as the Tennessee Titans host the Seattle Seahawks in a standalone, primetime matchup on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. The defending champions are expected to lean mostly on backups, with the Titans planning to play many starters for at least a couple of possessions. That means players like Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba likely won't factor into NFL DFS lineups, but Cam Ward and Carnell Tate could.

  5. How to set NFL preseason Seahawks vs. Titans DFS lineups White is also targeting another undervalued player who could explode for huge numbers in Titans vs. Seahawks on Sunday. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is, and the rest of White's NFL DFS picks, at SportsLine.

  6. So who is R.J. White including in his optimal NFL DFS lineups for Saturday, and which under-the-radar NFL DFS picks offer huge value? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NFL DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a DFS expert who has cashed twice in a prestigious NFL handicapping contest, and find out.

  7. Hochman emerged on the sports betting scene in the 1990s. Today he's one of the nation's most respected and selective handicappers. He's 99-88-3 (+686) over the past five NFL seasons. Anybody following his picks at and on the could have seen strong returns.

  8. Top 2026 Fantasy football breakouts One of the 2026 Fantasy football breakouts the model is predicting: Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, who is going off the board at pick No. 105. The second-year pro out of Ole Miss had a solid rookie season, throwing for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He added 487 yards and nine scores on the ground. He had a brief injury scare in Week 1 of the preseason, but was cleared and able to return to that game.

  9. Football fans have waited a long time for a day like Saturday, with 10 NFL games in action, providing an all-day slate and plenty of ways to take advantage of the latest DraftKings promo code, which gives new users $150 in bonus bets after making a first wager of $5 or more. NFL action kicks off at scattered times beginning at noon ET with the final contest at 10 p.m. ET, giving more than 12 hours of football to create online sports betting options for Week 2 of the NFL preseason. SportsLine expert Matt Severance has locked in his Saturday NFL best bets at DraftKings, backing the Bengals to cover as 1.5-point underdogs against the Bears.

  10. The SportsLine Projection Model has also found value in Dodgers vs. Pirates with Tarik Skubal on the mound, backing the Pirates to cover as 1.5-run underdogs on the run line for Saturday MLB best bets at DraftKings. Claim the latest DraftKings promo code, where new users get $150 in bonus bets after your first $5 wager:

  11. Combining the two picks into Saturday  at BetMGM Sportsbook would result in a payout of +291 (risk $100 to profit $291, odds subject to change). Click here to take advantage of the latest BetMGM bonus code CBSSPORTS:

  12. Want more NFL, MLB picks for Saturday? You've seen some of the model's and SportsLine team of experts' Saturday best bets. Now, get against the spread, total and money-line picks for all games, including the NFL, MLB, UFC, and more, all from the SportsLine Projection Model, which has simulated every game 10,000 times.

  13. Another potential breakout that SportsLine's Fantasy football rankings 2026 have identified: Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis. Willis had stints as a clear-cut backup for the Titans and Packers, and now he gets a chance to start for Miami after signing a three-year, $67.5 million deal in the offseason. There are major questions about his surrounding cast, but playing from behind can be a good thing from a Fantasy standpoint as quarterbacks often pile up big numbers late in that scenario.

  14. So what Week 1 NFL picks can you make with confidence, and which underdogs should you lock in now? Check out the latest NFL odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned well over $7,000, and find out.

  15. The Cleveland Browns will continue to see who wins their quarterback competition when they take on the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 of the 2026 NFL preseason on Saturday afternoon. Buffalo opened its preseason schedule with a 29-14 win over the Carolina Panthers, while Cleveland dropped a 34-10 decision to the Chicago Bears. The Bills, who finished second in the AFC East at 12-5 a year ago, were 5-3 on the road in 2025. The Browns, who finished fourth in the AFC North at 5-12, were 3-6 on their home field. The Browns are starting Shedeur Sanders at quarterback, while Deshaun Watson is expected to see playing time in the second half. Visit our  review to see their latest offers and get started. Claim the latest DraftKings signup promo now:

From the margins

3 details only one outlet reported

Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.

  1. 01 Bleacher Report

    Some of the most sought-after targets in fantasy football were among the most prominent picks at the 2026 NFL Draft.

  2. 02 CBS Sports

    Dak Prescott, Christian McCaffrey and Puka Nacua all shook off the injury bug last year to come up huge for those who took chances on them. Lamar Jackson, J.K. Dobbins and Brock Bowers could have similar bounce backs from injury-plagued seasons this year and be steals as picks, relative to their 2026 Fantasy football ADPs. Before finalizing your 2026 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2026 Fantasy football rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

  3. 03 ESPN

    Expanded Ultimate Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Print. Draft. Win. All the names we've been talking about in a printable cheat sheet for your draft.

Assembled from 15 corroborated claims drawn from 3 independent outlets. Every passage above is taken verbatim — Dorothy doesn't paraphrase or summarize.

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Sources (3)

  • cbssports
  • bleacherreport
  • espn

Original Articles (16)

US Fantasy Football 2026 Rookie Sleepers Undervalued in Drafts - Bleacher Report — Bleacher Report
US Fantasy football rankings 2026: Sleepers from simulation that called De'Von Achane's phenomenal year — CBS Sports
US NFL DFS, Seahawks vs. Titans: Week 2 NFL preseason daily fantasy picks, lineups for DraftKings, FanDuel — CBS Sports
US Titans vs. Seahawks prediction, odds, time: NFL Week 2 preseason Sunday picks from proven expert — CBS Sports
US Fantasy football rankings 2026: Sleepers, breakouts, busts from model that called Daniel Jones' huge year — CBS Sports
US 2026 Fantasy football draft prep: Experts reveal rankings, tiers, top 150 picks, rookies, risky selections — CBS Sports
US Use BetMGM bonus code CBSSPORTS to get $1,500 in bonus bets for NFL preseason, Bengals-Bears, MLB on Saturday — CBS Sports
US Use DraftKings promo code to get $150 in bonus bets by targeting NFL preseason, Bengals-Bears, MLB on Saturday — CBS Sports
US Fantasy football rankings 2026: Busts per model that called Terry McLaurin's tough season — CBS Sports
US Fantasy football rankings 2026: Breakouts by the computer model that called Tetairoa McMillan's huge season — CBS Sports
US Week 1 NFL odds, lines, best bets, predictions: Computer model backs Eagles and Jaguars — CBS Sports
US Fantasy football 2026 rankings, draft prep: Model releases best QB, RB, WR, TE picks, cheat sheets, ADP, tiers — CBS Sports
US 2026 NFL preseason Week 2 NFL odds, picks today: Expert backs Cleveland Browns in Saturday's best bets — CBS Sports
US NFL DFS: Week 2 NFL preseason daily fantasy football picks, Saturday lineups for DraftKings, FanDuel — CBS Sports
US Bills vs. Browns prediction, odds, time: 2026 NFL Week 2 preseason picks by proven expert — CBS Sports
US Expanded Ultimate Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Print. Draft. Win. — ESPN