The bold comes true every week in the National Football League. Whether it’s Matt Flynn throwing for six TDs and 480 yards, Jonas Gray scampering for 200 yards and four TDs, or the Muscle Hamster breaking out for 250, what would have seemed like an unspeakable prediction, let alone a bold one, happens more often than we tend to remember. In order to win top prizes in DFS, you have to be the one who can see what is possible, not what is likely. Today, I’ll give you five bold predictions for the main slate that have less than a 10% chance of happening in simulations, but are within the realm of possibility. If one strikes gold at 1% roster rates, you might find yourself sitting at the top of a mountain of money.
#1 Caleb Douglas finishes in the top 10 wide receivers
Woo, that’s a spicy one to start with, as Douglas is being undrafted in 94% of traditional fantasy leagues. But he’s starting, perhaps as the WR1 for the Dolphins. Keep in mind, this call checks all the boxes for a total mystery:
- Bobby Slowik takes over as offensive coordinator (served under Kyle Shanahan in the past)
- Quarterback Malik Willis gets his first look as a starter headed into the season.
- Douglas is a rookie with rave reviews from training camp.
- Most importantly, he matches up against third-round sophomore Dairen Porter, who has a great athletic profile but struggled in coverage as a rookie. We have no idea who Porter will be as a starter, but what we do know is that he didn’t often play in the secondary in college.
This is the worst defense Douglas will play all season. There is a lot of upside in the Week 1 unknown here.
#2 Rico Dowdle splashes for 110 yards and 2 TDs
Keep in mind, we aren’t looking for what’s most likely, which is a split backfield between Warren and Dowdle. We are looking for the ‘what if’ that could win you first place. There is a chance Warren is used as a third-down back while Dowdle is leaned on heavily as the primary runner in 2026 for Pittsburgh.
There is also a strong chance that the Falcons have one of the worst, if not the worst, run defenses in the NFL this season. They ranked in the bottom quartile of run-defense metrics last season, then lost Jalon Walker (torn ACL) for the season, James Pearce Jr. to an eight-game suspension, interior anchor David Onyemata, and linebacker Kaden Elliss this offseason.
#3 Cade Otton surprises with a top-three finish among fantasy tight ends
Every week, a tight end outside the top 20 finishes among the top performers. Much of it has to do with matchup, and if we learned anything in 2025, it’s that the Bengals are the defense to pick on for fantasy tight ends. Even with the improvements they made, a 35% improvement would still put them in the bottom 10. The difference between Cincinnati versus TEs (17.5 PPG allowed) and the second worst (13.4) was a larger gap than No. 2 and No. 23.
Otton is coming back from a preseason injury and competing seemingly fourth in line for targets in a crowded Bucs’ receiving corps, but this matchup and game script scream 35 pass attempts from Baker with a pass funnel over the middle of the field. Don’t be shocked if he gets in the end zone once or twice in this slate-high +51.5 over/under shootout.
#4 Kyler Murray ends up with 25 fantasy points
Two words: Kevin O’Connell. Do you remember what Sam Darnold was before O’Connell got his hands on the now-Super Bowl champ? Enter Kyler Murray, a former No. 1 overall pick with breathtaking rushing ability, perhaps the most talented wide receiver in the world, and a very underrated No. 2 weapon in Jordan Addison, and we might be cooking with gas.
What stands out to me here, though, is the uncertainty that is the Packers’ defense in 2026. Jonathan Gannon is a first-time defensive coordinator going up against the genius offensive mind of O’Connell. We all know the Packers lost all-universe pass rusher Micah Parsons until October, but that’s not all. They lost over 3,000 defensive snaps from their starters with the departures of Rashan Gary, Quay Walker, and Kingsley Enagbare, among others.
#5 Dontayvion Wicks surpasses 100 receiving yards
With the departure of A.J. Brown to New England, everyone has expected Makai Lemon to move right into the starting lineup for the Eagles. That’s easier said than done, however, when a rookie wideout is nursing a hamstring injury throughout portions of the preseason. Expect Wicks to play the majority of the snaps for Philadelphia early on.
Wicks was reunited with his former assistant coach, Sean Mannion, this offseason and has been receiving rave reviews from beat writers and even opponents from joint practices. Carlton Davis Jr. called Wicks a “serious problem.” Perhaps best of all is his matchup against Commanders third-year cornerback Mike Sainristil. 68.5% of the passes targeting him were completed in 2025, and he allowed a 108.5 passer rating on those targets.