Are you a legitimate fantasy football contender or just enjoying a hot start? These four players could give your team the edge it needs to make a championship run in 2026.
Photo: Steve Sanders / Kansas City Chiefs
We are in Week 7 of the NFL season, which means we are almost halfway through the fantasy football regular season. You may find yourself sitting atop the standings at 6-0, 5-1, or even 4-2. But you may be asking yourself: Will this success continue, and am I a legitimate championship contender? Or are the players on my roster going to regress to the mean, leaving me as a pretender?
Determining whether you're a contender or pretender as your trade deadline approaches is important because it influences how aggressively you should pursue opportunities to improve your team.
Here are four players who could signal that you're a legitimate contender if they're on your roster. These players aren't showing any signs of slowing down.
Golden had a lackluster rookie season in which he recorded 44 targets, 29 receptions, 361 receiving yards, and zero touchdowns. He finished as the WR89 on the season. Based on his disappointing rookie campaign, many wondered whether he was on track to be labeled a bust.
Coming into this season, Matthew Golden was identified as a sleeper. There were 101 vacated targets up for grabs, with Romeo Doubs signing with the New England Patriots in free agency and Dontayvion Wicks being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Not to mention, TE Tucker Kraft tore his ACL during the 2025 season, and the Packers indicated they would gradually increase his snap share over time.
This set up a massive opportunity for Golden to succeed, and through the first six weeks, he has excelled, averaging 16.8 fantasy points per game. He is currently the WR9 this season and ranks sixth in targets with 57. His stat line to date includes 57 targets, 30 receptions, 501 receiving yards, and three touchdowns.
The question is whether Golden can sustain this production. History suggests he can. Since 2019, when Matt LaFleur took over as the Packers' head coach, his offenses have ranked highly in several key metrics. They rank sixth in yards per play, ninth in yards per game, eighth in points per game, fourth in third-down percentage, and eighth in red-zone efficiency.
The Packers' offense has consistently been fantasy-friendly, and Golden appears poised to remain one of the primary beneficiaries of that success. With his expanded target share, he has the opportunity to maintain his status as a high-end fantasy receiver.
In dynasty leagues, Golden's rookie ADP was closer to the back end of the first round, meaning teams that finished well the previous season still had an opportunity to draft him. In redraft leagues, Golden's ADP placed him later in drafts, typically between the ninth and 11th rounds.
In both circumstances, you're receiving tremendous value from a player who is outperforming others drafted around him. For dynasty managers who acquired Golden on an affordable rookie contract, his production could provide an even greater advantage relative to his salary cap hit.
Josh Allen continues to dominate as a fantasy quarterback, and this year looks no different despite head coach Sean McDermott being replaced by his offensive coordinator, Joe Brady.
When it comes to cheat codes in fantasy football, dual-threat quarterbacks provide one of the largest positional advantages, and Josh Allen is in a class of his own.
Since 2022, Allen ranks second in total rushing touchdowns, trailing only Derrick Henry. Through the first six weeks of this season, Allen has already recorded eight rushing touchdowns, the most in the NFL.
The Bills' offense remains among the league's most efficient. According to Warren Sharp, Buffalo ranks first in points per drive, first in the percentage of drives ending in a score, and first in EPA per drive. The Bills also have the lowest percentage of drives ending in punts.
Conversely, their defense has struggled considerably. Buffalo is allowing an average of 386 yards per game, ranking 31st in the NFL, and has surrendered 21 total touchdowns, the fourth most in the league.
Do you know what that means? Allen will have to continue carrying this team offensively, creating even more opportunities to score fantasy points as the Bills attempt to overcome their defensive shortcomings.
And if you make the fantasy championship, who do the Bills face in Week 17? The Miami Dolphins, a team Allen has historically dominated throughout his career. Against Miami, he has totaled 4,256 passing yards and 42 passing touchdowns. His performance in that matchup alone could give you the edge needed to secure a championship.
Oftentimes, I end up using the late-round quarterback strategy and streaming players based on matchups. We've seen fantasy managers successfully employ this approach, but Allen is such an outlier that he warrants an exception.
If you drafted him in the third round of your redraft league, you're reaping the benefits of having an elite quarterback who can consistently separate himself from the competition. His rushing touchdown upside provides a weekly positional advantage that few quarterbacks can match.
Kenneth Walker has long been a fantasy football favorite, with many managers waiting for him to become a true workhorse running back. Through his first five games with the Kansas City Chiefs, we're finally seeing what that looks like.
Many will point to his durability concerns throughout his career and say that eventually this train is going to fall off the tracks. You can make a compelling argument for that concern, considering he missed 10 games over the first three years of his career.
Walker is currently averaging 21.2 carries per game, and if he maintains that workload, he'll eclipse a whopping 360 carries for the season. For context, the last running back to reach that threshold was Derrick Henry in 2020, when he recorded 378 carries.
More than likely, Walker's workload will start to decrease, but even if his carries dip slightly, the Chiefs still need him.
Rashee Rice is dealing with hamstring and knee issues, Tyquan Thornton is expected to miss upwards of three to four months with an ankle injury, and Travis Kelce is in the later stages of his career.
Walker contributes beyond the running game, ranking third on the team with 22 targets. His involvement in the passing attack provides another avenue for fantasy production, making him even more valuable in PPR formats.
Walker is averaging 27.6 fantasy points per game and is currently the RB2 on the season, despite already having a bye week!
Not to mention, Walker has a decent fantasy playoff stretch against New England (18th), San Francisco (8th), and the Los Angeles Chargers (17th). He just gashed the Chargers for 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Every year, certain players emerge as league winners, and Walker looks every bit the part.
For dynasty managers, Walker presents an interesting decision. His workload and injury history may create some long-term concerns, but if you're competing for a championship this season, his current production could be worth far more than the future assets you'd receive in a trade.
Brock Bowers may be a surprising selection considering he missed the first two games of the 2026 season. Despite those missed games, Bowers has quickly reestablished himself as an elite fantasy tight end over the past four weeks.
During that stretch, Bowers is averaging 20.6 fantasy points per game in PPR leagues and has recorded 44 targets. He is averaging 11 targets per game and has emerged as the Raiders' top receiving option. He is currently the TE4 on the season.
Even if Fernando Mendoza replaces Kirk Cousins as the starter, that doesn't concern me, as tight ends are often a young quarterback's best friend.
If that change occurs, it will likely happen toward the end of the season, and Bowers has a solid fantasy playoff schedule. He faces the Broncos (12th), Titans (29th), and Cardinals (7th).
If you happen to be 6-0, 5-1, or 4-2 with Brock Bowers on your roster despite his missing the first two games, you're in an even better position for the remainder of the season.
Durability remains a concern, as Bowers has missed time in each of the last two seasons. However, as long as he stays healthy, he has the potential to lead your team to a championship, especially considering the value above replacement he provides at the tight end position.
Bowers' production helps explain why his ADP reached the second round in some redraft leagues. In dynasty formats, unless you're playing in a tight end premium league, tight ends often get overlooked in rookie drafts as managers prioritize running backs and wide receivers.
For managers who drafted Bowers in their rookie drafts, his positional advantage can be especially valuable since he is still on his rookie contract. In tight end premium leagues, that advantage becomes even more significant.
In either case, you're happy to have him on your team.
As Herm Edwards once said, "You play to win the game."
There are no trophies for having the best record halfway through the season. The players highlighted here may have helped put your team in this position, and I believe they have what it takes to sustain their success as the season progresses.
If you're a team on the fence or looking to make a championship push, trading for one of these players could be the move that puts your team over the top.
It's never easy to determine whether you're a pretender or a legitimate contender. Not every high-performing player will maintain their current pace, which makes identifying sustainable production even more important.
Check out Joe's recent article, where he identifies four players who may signal that your team is a pretender rather than a contender.
