The 2026 NFL season is underway, with the Seahawks and 49ers already crowned as winners in Week 1. But what will happen in the remaining 14 games? We have 15 predictions from our NFL experts.

First, betting analyst Pamela Maldonado picks two underdogs who could win outright, Then, analytics writer Seth Walder projected out stat lines for three players. Fantasy football writer Eric Moody gives three sleepers, and analyst Matt Bowen suggests three players who will find the end zone. Finally, analyst Ben Solak lays out four wild-card predictions.

Could the Broncos upset the Chiefs? Will Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson score a touchdown? And is Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis flying under the fantasy radar? Let's make 15 big predictions for all the action on Sunday and Monday.

Jump to:
Upset picks | Projected stat lines
Fantasy sleepers, surprises
TD scorers | Wild-card predictions

Maldonado predicts two upsets

New York Jets +1.5 at Tennessee Titans

New York's clearest strength can take advantage of Tennessee's biggest weakness Sunday. The Jets added more playmakers to their pass rush alongside Will McDonald IV, including No. 2 pick David Bailey, while the Titans' offensive line came in at 26th in Mike Clay's positional group rankings. That pressure could force Titans QB Cam Ward into fumble risk and the hero-ball mistakes that hurt him last season.

Denver Broncos +2.5 at Kansas City Chiefs

Denver has the strong defense to neutralize a Chiefs offense with real questions. Kansas City has vulnerabilities on the offensive line, quarterback Patrick Mahomes is returning from major knee surgery, and the Chiefs' passing game was already declining before his injury in Week 15. Denver's biggest edge on Monday night should be making Mahomes uncomfortable and turning this into another tight game between the AFC West foes.

Walder predicts three stat lines

Aidan Hutchinson, Edge, Detroit Lions: 2.0 sacks, 7 pressures, 25% pass rush win rate

I'm already extremely bullish on Hutchinson, who led my seasonlong sack projections. And he's set up extremely well for a lightning-quick start.

The Lions are seven-point favorites over the Saints, which means there's a high likelihood New Orleans will be behind and forced into must-pass situations. Quarterback Tyler Shough took sacks at a high 8.3% rate last season, and Hutchinson should have favorable matchups against left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. or right tackle Taliese Fuaga. Both tackles were well below average in pass block win rate last season.

Adonai Mitchell, WR, New York Jets: 5 receptions, 84 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

I have been hyping up Mitchell for a while and strongly believe this is the season when it all comes together. The case for Mitchell is simple: He gets open.

Over the past two seasons combined, Mitchell ranks seventh among wide receivers in ESPN's open score. The Titans' two new cornerbacks, Alontae Taylor and Cor'Dale Flott, were both below average last season in my pre-throw cornerback positioning metric.

Jordyn Brooks, LB, Miami Dolphins: 14 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 45% run stop win rate

Raiders coach Klint Kubiak used a run-heavy offense last season in Seattle. I have to imagine he'll want to do the same with Kirk Cousins, 38, at quarterback and a lacking receiver group that lost Brock Bowers (meniscus trim) for Week 1. Add in that the Raiders are favored -- therefore more likely to be leading -- and that should equate to even more rushes for rookie Mike Washington Jr. and (presumably) Ashton Jeanty (ankle).

Brooks is the defender most likely to absorb those runs and convert them into tackles. Last season, he ranked fifth among linebackers in tackle rate versus run plays (25%) and 12th in run stop win rate (37%).

Moody predicts three fantasy sleepers

Jalen Coker, WR, Carolina Panthers (rostered in 51.4% of ESPN leagues)

From Week 8 through Carolina's wild-card loss, Coker played 73% of the snaps and handled a 17.8% target share. He flashed his upside in the playoffs against the Rams, finishing with nine receptions for 134 yards and a touchdown.

Coker is projected for the second-most targets on the Panthers behind Tetairoa McMillan, and both receivers have a favorable matchup against the Bears in Week 1. Chicago's defense allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers last season.

Malik Willis, QB, Miami Dolphins (22.1%)

Since 2016, there have been 23 seasons in which a quarterback started at least 16 games and averaged at least five rushing attempts per game. Those quarterbacks combined to average 21.2 fantasy points per game. Willis should easily surpass that number of attempts in Week 1, which keeps him fantasy relevant despite having one of the league's weaker supporting casts. Plus, the Raiders allowed 16.0 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks last season.

Michael Mayer, TE, Las Vegas Raiders (7.0%)

Brock Bowers will miss Week 1 after undergoing a meniscus trim, which should lead to more targets for Mayer and wide receiver Tre Tucker (29.3%). In four games without Bowers last season, Mayer averaged 6.0 targets and 10.9 fantasy points per game.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has also leaned on tight ends throughout his career, and Miami allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to the position last season.

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Why Clay is encouraging fantasy managers to pick up Michael Mayer

Bowen predicts three players to score touchdowns

Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys

Ferguson is a priority red zone target for quarterback Dak Prescott in this offense. He saw 23 red zone targets last season, with seven of his eight touchdown grabs coming on throws inside the 20-yard line. Against the Giants on Sunday night, he can get loose on play-action concepts in the red zone. Look for him to the get the ball on corner routes and seams.

D'Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears

In coach Ben Johnson's zone run game, Swift should see touches in scoring position. Last season, he had nine rushing touchdowns and 10 carries inside the 5-yard line. He'll get opportunities against a Panthers' defense that allowed 19 rushing scores in 2025 (third most in the NFL). Plus, Swift can create explosive plays as a receiver in the screen game. Those can lead to the end zone, too.

DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

After A.J. Brown was traded to the Patriots, Smith elevated to the No. 1 role in Philly. So, the volume will be there for him versus the Commanders' defense. Plus, we should expect more West Coast passing concepts under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. Watch for Smith, who has 12 touchdown receptions over his past two seasons, to score on a catch-and-run target.

Solak makes four other wild-card predictions

The Jets will snag a pick

For those who (understandably) wiped the 2025 Jets season from their memory: They were the first team in NFL history to fail to secure an interception over a full season. There's no level of overall team badness that explains that -- it takes truly terrible luck.

But fear no more! The Aaron Glenn Jets should finally get their interception in Week 1 against Cam Ward. Tennessee's offense is new across the board, with changes to its offensive coordinator and two primary receivers. And the Jets should have enough of a pass rush to force some errant throws.

The Dolphins will win

Before you tell me there's no shot, remember how confident we all were in the Rams' dominance ... and how did they look Thursday night? Now, the Dolphins' game against the Raiders is not in Australia, but Week 1 is known for weird results.

With Willis as one of the league's preeminent dual-threat quarterbacks (he really is as good of a runner as Jayden Daniels), new Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik can deploy a ton of surprising wrinkles of which the Raiders' defensive staff has no film. The absence of Bowers is also huge because the Raiders aren't loaded with impressive pass catchers behind him. Imagine if we start the season with the Dolphins having a better record than the Rams!

A kickoff will be returned for a touchdown

The kickoff rules changed last season, and it had a great effect with more enjoyable returns. Now that special teams coordinators have spent an entire offseason studying the dynamic kickoff and what coverage weaknesses it might have, I think we'll see more designed returns (reverses, blocking schemes, etc.) in an effort to steal some points.

A team will attempt a Hail Mary, it will fall incomplete, and the game will be ruled over. But then upon review, one second will be put back on the clock, a second Hail Mary will be attempted, this one will be completed, and the winner of the game will switch.

Sounds improbable, I know. But I've seen it happen!