Michael Florio predicts this year's fantasy football 'league winners'

"League winner" has become a popular term in the fantasy football space. What is a league winner? Well, it's a player who breaks out and returns immense value, inevitably appearing on a high rate of championship teams. League winners come in different forms. A first-round pick can be a league winner, but he would have to significantly be better than the field. A middle- or, in particular, a late-round pick who returns early-round value also can be a league winner. These are the types of players all fantasy managers should be searching for in drafts. Here are my 15 favorite players who could turn the tide for fantasy rosters. Sign up for ESPN Fantasy Football. Play the No. 1 Fantasy game for free! Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants In 12 games as a starter last season, Dart averaged 20.13 fantasy PPG, the fifth-highest average ever for a rookie QB. He did so despite losing top receiver Malik Nabers early on and undergoing a midseason coaching/playcaller change. I expect Dart to continue to run at a high rate, which gives him a high fantasy floor and ceiling, and with Nabers and Cam Skattebo healthy, he has better pieces around him than he did last season. His play style might scare some, but his ADP is low enough where you can take him and another QB such as Jared Goff, Jordan Love or Baker Mayfield. Kyler Murray, QB, Minnesota Vikings Murray has shown us he can be a reliable fantasy QB, even if he hasn't always lived up to the lofty expectations. Last season was the first time Murray did not finish top 12 among QBs in fantasy PPG. His rushing ability gives him a safe floor, and now he has the best playcaller and pass catchers of his career. That adds the high ceiling we have been chasing since 2020. Malik Willis, QB, Miami Dolphins Willis has been a more effective passer than many realize. Over the past two years, he leads all QBs in passer rating, completion percentage, EPA per dropback and success rate. His rushing ability is what will make him special in fantasy. Since 2000, 44 QBs have run 100-plus times in a season, with 60% of them averaging at least 20 fantasy PPG. All but five averaged 17.4 points per game, which was the criteria to be a QB1 in fantasy last season. Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers Hampton is set for a huge season in new OC Mike McDaniel's system. McDaniel's offenses throw to running backs at a much higher rate than former OC Greg Roman's (16% to 12%). McDaniel also dials up way more outside zone runs (61% during his tenure in Miami, compared to 47% for Roman). Hampton averaged 5.5 yards per carry on outside runs last season, the sixth best of all RBs. He brings top-five overall upside in a high-scoring Chargers offense. Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars Tuten brings the right combination of talent and opportunity. Last season, he was top two among qualified backs in percentage of yards that came after contact and missed tackles forced rate. He had the seventh-highest rush success rate. On top of that, I simply trust the Liam Coen RB system. Last year, Travis Etienne Jr. saw 300 touches and was a league winner. The year prior in Tampa Bay with Coen, Bucky Irving started as a backup and blossomed into a league winner. The talent will rise to the top, and Tuten will turn into this year's version of Coen's league winner. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots Henderson was my guy last year, and while it was an up-and-down road, he showed that he can perform at a very high level. He went for over 1,100 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns, and his ADP is lower than it was before he had ever played a snap. Henderson averaged over 20 fantasy PPG in games he had 15-plus touches. He is so explosive that he can break out even while sharing work, and he has league-winning upside if anything were to happen to Rhamondre Stevenson. Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers Brooks has been an ADP riser this summer, but he can still exceed the draft cost if he can reach his pre-injury form. Brooks ran for over 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns in just 10 games in his final year in college in 2023. We haven't seen him much since because of injuries, but he is healthy now and is expected to share work early on. Chuba Hubbard lost the starting gig to Rico Dowdle last year, and if Brooks can run away with the job, he has RB1 upside that you can draft as an RB3. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders Croskey-Merritt was top 10 among running backs in explosive run rate, yards after contact per carry and missed tackles forced rate. Those are three vital metrics when rating running backs. I expect him to take another step forward this year, with Jayden Daniels helping to open more running lanes. Rachaad White taking the passing downs could limit the league-winning upside, but there has been talk that Croskey-Merritt has taken a step forward there as well. He brings a high ceiling that you can get in the middle rounds. Malik Nabers, WR, Giants Nabers brings obvious upside. The talent is immense. I believe he belongs up there with Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and the top receivers in the league when healthy. Nabers has always had an elite target share while on the field, but the concern is health and how long it takes him to get back to his usual form. I am willing to roll the dice and take a shot on one of the most talented receivers in the league. He is my WR8 overall and brings upside to finish even higher. DJ Moore, WR, Buffalo Bills Along with Tuten, Moore is "my guy" this season. Moore should be a much better fit with Josh Allen and Joe Brady than he was with Chicago's personnel. Moore was the Bears' top target last year on passes when Caleb Williams held the ball for at least 2.5 seconds; Allen has never averaged less than 2.9 seconds to throw. Moore has a history of success with Brady, including the 2021 season when he had 163 targets. In the range of outcomes, is Allen having a career year as a passer, in a more aggressive offense feasible? If so, Moore would reach league winner status. Ladd McConkey, WR, Chargers McConkey struggled to live up to lofty expectations last year but should bounce back playing under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. With Miami, McDaniel funneled targets to his top options, often putting them in a position to run after the catch. That is something McConkey does well, as evidenced by his top-15 ranking in YAC over expectation last year. He also is a better deep threat than he gets credit for. McConkey breaks out as Justin Herbert puts up an MVP-candidate season. Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers Watson has always flashed and now is coming off his best stretch as a pro. We saw his role, and route tree, expand last season. He remains one of the best field-stretchers, averaging the second-most yards per target over the last two seasons. He also should have a larger target share with Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks now playing elsewhere. Lastly, the Packers have said they want to run a faster-paced, more pass-happy offense. If that comes to fruition and Watson can stay healthy, his ceiling is a top-10 fantasy wide receiver. Terry McLaurin, WR, Commanders McLaurin is coming off a down year, as both he and Jayden Daniels struggled to stay on the field. Do not forget, though, that McLaurin finished as the WR7 overall in 2024. He caught 12 of Daniels' 25 passing touchdowns that season. McLaurin has been a top-25 fantasy WR in four of the last six seasons. His current ADP is WR23. That is much closer to his floor than ceiling. His ceiling with Daniels remains a top-10 fantasy receiver. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders Bowers has the chance to break fantasy this season. The Raiders' offense is now led by Klint Kubiak, who last season with Seattle showed that he will lock in on his top target. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had by far the highest target rate in the NFL (36% -- no one else over 31%). Kirk Cousins targeted tight ends at the highest rate in the NFL last season. Bowers in this situation could outscore the position by 100-plus points, dominating like Trey McBride last year and Travis Kelce in his prime years. My bold prediction is Bowers becomes the first 1,500-yard tight end in NFL history. Isaiah Likely, TE, Giants Likely is my breakout tight end pick this season. In 2024, Likely was top seven among tight ends in fantasy points per target, yards per catch and end zone targets. He also had the fourth-highest passer rating when targeted on passes of 10-plus air yards over the last two years, showing he can stretch the field. He should be the Giants' second target behind Nabers and used frequently in the red zone. He is the TE9 in my rankings.