2026 Power Rankings – Preseason

As we enter the 2026 season, it is time for the annual Preseason Power Rankings article. The 2025 season ended with Arizona becoming the first franchise to win the ACL for a second time. Also, three teams made the playoffs for the first time, which was a new record for a single season. While there was no expansion this offseason, Jack in charge of the Alaska Killer Whales replaced Wilson's Ohio Good Sirs. Wilson brought the unforgettable fire sale of 2022. I was in the Shoreview Target when he sent the message in the league chat that he was starting a massive fire sale where he made seven trades within an hour. Through 5 seasons of the ACL there have been 18 different owners, 4 teams have won at least a championship, and 10 of the 14 current teams have made a playoff appearance. Last season set a record number of trades following the expansion to 14 teams. More teams mean more starting lineup spots needing to be filled which spurs further trade activity. This season appears to be no different.  

Going back-to-back is no easy task as the rest of the league continues to strengthen their rosters. All 14 teams heading into the season can make a viable case as to why they can make the playoffs if things break their way. The top 4 teams seem to be cemented as playoff caliber rosters without additional moves. The remaining 10 teams all have a path to be a playoff team but are a piece or two away from really rounding out their starting lineup. Teams are already being aggressive as four 2027 1st round picks no longer belong to their original team. Expect there to be more picks to be on the move as teams position themselves to jump into the playoff mix and cement themselves to go on a deep run.  Arizona will enter as the heavy favorite but is no sure thing to repeat as champion. Part of the fun of fantasy football is that even the most stacked roster has coin-flip odds at winning the championship. The playoffs are small sample size creating space for plenty of variance where any team can win it. 

This edition of the Power Rankings has analysis from Anton and Reese, as well as a recap of each team's accomplishments through the first 5 seasons. At the very end of this article, you'll find a table with the order of the rankings from Anton, Reese, and the consensus. 

1. Arizona Albatross (Anton) - Arizona Albatross (Reese) 

AZA (Anton) 

Championships: 2023, 2025 

Playoff Appearances: 2023, 2024, 2025 

Best Finish: Champ 2x 

Most of the roster returns as Arizona begins their title defense. It comes as no surprise that the team with the most trades completed over the course of the ACL didn't bring back their full roster without making any trades.  Arizona decided to get a jump on the limited years remaining of contract control of Puka Nacua by sending him and a collection of other players to Maryland in an attempt to help extend this team's championship window. This doesn't deliver a significant to their top talent as this team carries the top 2 RBs and 3 top 5 WRs overall. Anything less than a championship will be a disappointment for a team this top heavy in talent. 

AZA (Reese) 

The defending champ has every right to remain at the top of the power rankings. With the championship winning core mostly intact, Arizona made some chilling trades to acquire a more long-term asset to replace WR1 Puka Nacua. With undoubtedly the best projected WR and RB room in the league, headlined by Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Chase, Lamb, Waddle, and St. Brown, the only projected way that AZA loses the year is by dropping a key matchup or another roster staying close enough in points to pounce on a great but not elite TE room. 

2. South Dakota Big Horns (Anton) - South Dakota Big Horns (Reese) 

SD (Anton) 

Championships: None 

Playoff Appearances: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 

Best Finish: Runner-Up 2x 

South Dakota came up just short yet again as they lost in the championship. A frustrating pattern of losing in the playoffs to the eventual champion in every season of the ACL. Ike has built a franchise that has sustained a high level of success year in and year out as it is the only team to never miss the playoffs. It is no longer an only Eagles roster as the AJ Brown move to the Patriots added some needed diversity to the starting lineup. Overall, it has been an unusually quiet offseason from Ike. Now comes the sentence it seems that I say every time I write about this team;expect Ike to be aggressive to find a move to put his team over the top to capitalize on this window with a very veteran heavy roster. 

SD (Reese) 

South Dakota is the first of three teams in a similar tier giving chase to Arizona. Though a vicious battle raged between SD, VFT, and CAP, South Dakota leads the way by distinguishing themselves as the only other roster in the league (than AZA) to have 2 RBs who have the potential to finish as RB 1 on the year in McCaffery and Barkley. The wide receiver group of AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Godwin, Rice, and Jameson Williams offer a great combination of reliable elite WRs and week-winning upside on a given week. South Dakota also has arguably the best tight end in fantasy football, starting Brock Bowers as effectively an extra wide receiver. 

3. Vermont Football Team (Anton) - Vermont Football Team (Reese) 

VFT (Anton) 

Championships: None 

Playoff Appearances: 2025 

Best Finish: Semifinals 

2025 was a fun season for Vermont as they finally made the leap into the playoffs for the first time. Aidan has shown this offseason that he isn't satisfied with just making the playoffs by making two big trades already. He dealt from a position of strength to fill the biggest need on the roster while not absorbing the full contract of Chase Brown that would significantly hamper future roster flexibility. Aidan is showing a willingness to be intentional about capitalizing on this roster and using any and all resources to do so. Vermont opens up the season as bonafidechampionship contenders, which is quite the payoff after years of building up the roster. 

VFT (Reese) 

The Vermont Football Team has navigated the last couple years excellently to position themselves in this tier of teams giving chase to Arizona and is positioned to make the jump for the championship. After a strategic trade this offseason to take advantage of his deep QB room, VFT acquired Chase Brown with a savvy trade structure to fill in the only significant roster gap at RB. Now able to start Brown and Skattebo, VFT can rely on uninspiring but effective Stevenson and White as backups instead of starters and play on the upside of Brooks and Dowdle. Vermont is also elite at wide receiver, starting Smith-Njigba and London weekly. VFT could falter should either receiver miss time as they do not have the depth of the other top end teams. Although LaPorta at tight end is solid and keeps pace with AZA, VFT lags behind SD and CAP in regards to elite TE play. 

4. California Pansies (Anton) - California Pansies (Reese) 

CAP (Anton) 

Championships: None 

Playoff Appearances: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025 

Best Finish: Runner-Up  

California returned to the playoffs in 2025 even with a roster that battled injuries and underperformance. They seem primed to make a jump further up the standings ladder as they bounce back to their usual level of play. Keep an eye out for Reese to make an attempt to tier up part of his starting lineup in order to compete at the highest level. California may have the deepest roster in the league as they have prepared well to weather any injuries. However, there doesn't appear to be the cream of the crop high end talent that will make them a league winner this season. This isn't a death sentence. Reese has proven to be one of the most aggressive in finding ways to improve his lineup via the trade market. 

CAP (Reese) 

Rounding off the group of tier 2 teams vying to take the crown from Arizona, the Pansies have largely stayed put this offseason, believing that a combination of injuries and off-years contributed for the disappointing end to 2025 instead of the roster. To address these concerns California acquired a pair of Green Bay Packers to be rotational players, shoring up depth should 2026 start looking like last year. Jordan Love joins a QB room of Jayden Daniels and Baker Mayfield which was plagued by injuries last year. Christian Watson joins WRs Nico Collins, Ladd McConkey, Brian Thomas Jr., and Mike Evans as a starting rotation each with elite upside. CAP falls into the #4 spot due to not having a sustained elite WR or the RB 1 potential of AZA and SD, opting for avoiding roster holes instead. The Pansies have the best TE room in the league, being the only roster where it was beneficial in 2025 to start 2 tight ends until the unfortunate injury to Tucker Kraft. McBride and Kraft are a difference making combination that produce enough to be compared to starting wide receivers.   

5. Wisconsin Gamecocks (Anton) - Wisconsin Gamecocks (Reese) 

WISC (Anton) 

Championships: None 

Playoff Appearances: None 

Best Finish: 7th Regular Season 

Wisconsin looks to do what Vermont did last season and make the postseason for the first time in franchise history. Of the four teams without a playoff appearance, they seem to be the mostlikely to finally clear that hurdle at this point in the season. A team that came up just short on beating Minnesota for the division title back during the pre-expansion era would welcome a playoff run.  Don't let an underwhelming 2025 hide that Noah has quietly built up this team to contend. He has put together his core through the draft and free agency while adding some supplemental pieces via trade. The job isn't done yet. RB and TE both have needs at depth before the long upcoming season. 

WISC (Reese) 

The Gamecocks continue to make steps forward and showed last year that they could win any given week. Although not quite as solid on paper as the top-4, Wisconsin has separated into a very real contender with an easier-to-see path to the championship than the other 9 teams. Prescott, Nix, and Shough are a disrespected but top-end QB group, and stack well with the duo of New Orleans receivers the Gamecocks have acquired in Olave and Tyson. Pierce, Metcalf, and Meyers are all solid pieces at WR creating a solid and reliable weekly rotation. The gaps in this roster are the vulnerability at running back should Kyren or Jaylen Warren regress, overdependence on the New Orleans receivers, and only rostering 1 tight end. Should Wisconsin acquire another starting RB, replace a NO receiver with another top-option, and add another TE they should be in a strong spot to make the playoffs this year. 

6. Texas Two Fawns (Anton) - Washington Geoducks (Reese) 

TXTF (Anton) 

Championships: None 

Playoff Appearances: 2025 

Best Finish: 1st Round 

Texas wasted no time in getting to the playoffs after joining the league and find themselves in position to return as the offseason starts to come to a close. Tre has been very aggressive in utilizing the huge amount of cap space they had available entering the offseason. In free agency, he prioritized adding some much needed QB and WR depth. Six players over the roster limit means there are more moves to come before the start of the season. It's intriguing to see how he goes about doing this. Does he keep his best players and just dump the extra players or does he move some of his best to build up some assets while keeping more of the fliers? 

DUCK (Reese) 

The Geoducks start off another group of four rosters in a similar tier that are all good, but are weak in key areas that could prove catastrophic. None of these teams are easy matchups and are within a couple of roster moves of playoff contention and a championship run. Washington has a good-enough QB tandem of Rogers and Williams that will likely put up enough points to stay competitive weekly. Washington slips ahead of TXTF and VIR in my rankings due to the quantity of starting and startable running backs including Swift, Javonte Williams, Travis Etienne, Tuten, and Mason. The wide receiver group is where some questions arise as Odunze and Diggs project to be the starters unless Tyreek has a miraculous return to relevance. Some upside exists and could surprise with the combination of Concepcion, Tucker, and Jennings, but the Geoducks would probably be helped by selling one of their RBs to acquire another high level WR - especially given only 2 RBs can start per week. Washington also leads this tier of teams due to one of the other top TEs in the league (Warren)  - and the best TE of any roster not currently in the top-5. 

7. Virginia Heifers (Anton) - Michigan Mitten Crushers (Reese) 

VIR (Anton) 

Championships: None 

Playoff Appearances: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025 

Best Finish: Semifinals 2x 

Virginia enters the season with the unquestioned overall QB1 and two top 10 RBs forming a championship caliber core. Unfortunately, WR remains the question still. Hunter has been diligent in filling his bench with lottery tickets at the position. Jonathan Taylor is gone after this season so now is the prime opportunity to make one last hurrah. After making the 3rd most trades in the league last season, expect Hunter to continue to work hard to find those missing pieces and make a trade that puts him in title contention. 

MMC (Reese) 

Michigan has one of the scarier mid-range teams to play on a given week. The WR core of Egbuka, McMillan, Wilson, and Washington can combine for a ceiling outcome any week and Achane leading the RB room could explode at any time. The late offseason acquisition of Bryce Young for pennies bails the Mitten Crushers out of a curious offseason where they chose to not roster any starting quarterbacks. Although Young is not productive enough to be a top-10 QB, he will start for the full year as a solid play. Before the trade for Young,  I had Andrew at 9 but this trade vaults Michigan up into the tier above powered by a strong WR room 

8. Michigan Mitten Crushers (Anton) - Texas Two Fawns (Reese) 

MMC (Anton) 

Championships: None 

Playoff Appearances: 2025 

Best Finish: Semifinals 

2025 was supposed to be building year for Michigan with an eye on the future rather than the present.  Instead, they went on a Cinderella run to the semifinals last season and had the most cap space going into the offseason. Andrew chose to stay patient as he filled out his roster. Choosing to not go all out in his pursuit of Justin Herbert. The Breece Hall trade sacrificed the current ceiling of this team for dreams about getting Jeremiah Smith in the next draft.  A strong core is there, but Michigan is still a star away from jumping into that top level of contenders. 

TXTF (Reese) 

Similar to the Geoducks, Texas has a viable path to contention and is a dangerous team each given week. Losing Pearsall for the year to injury hurts, but some combination of Nabers, Adams, Wilson, and Downs should be able to assemble a very solid starting wide receiver group. Herbert should be a very good option at QB with elite upside and the combination of Jacobs and Irving at RB stack up well week-to-week. We have just seen how this roster can struggle when injuries hit. If the roster stays healthy and Pitts/Strange can provide a bit more consistent TE play, then the Two Fawns should be feeling confident in a playoff spot this postseason. 

9. Oklahoma Outlaws (Anton) - Virginia Heifers (Reese) 

OKO (Anton) 

Championships: None 

Playoff Appearances: None 

Best Finish: 11th Regular Season 

Oklahoma had a rough inaugural season as the Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry duo was not enough to be competitive. PJ saw the other two expansion teams make the playoffs and committed to finding a way into the playoffs sooner rather than later. Adding Carnell Tate and Hall should help make this team competitive on a weekly basis and give them a chance to find their way into playoff contention assuming Henry remains a timeless wonder.  

VIR (Reese) 

The Heifers are led by the top QB in fantasy - which keeps them in contention every single week as evident by Josh Allen’s late game heroics last season against New England. Taylor and Jeanty are an elite tandem at RB, although the contract Taylor has signed with Virginia indicates that they should be more aggressive in going after the championship this year. Unfortunately the wide receiver room in Virginia is weaker than a contender would like. As with the other teams in this tier, there is enough upside and veteran point generation between Moore, Samuel, Pittman, Fields, Washington, and Stribling. A very solid TE room and IDP group keeps pace with the top half of the league, so if the starting running backs stay healthy and the wide receivers can prove solid, VIR could vault into contention. 

10. Alaska Killer Whales (Anton) - Alaska Killer Whales (Reese) 

AKW (Anton) 

Championships: NA 

Playoff Appearances: NA 

Best Finish: NA 

Alaska has a roster that was undone by its lack of a QB last season. Jack takes over a team that has never made the playoffs in ACL history. He already started making shrewd moves to make the jump into the playoffs. He addressed his biggest need by finding a QB1 while unloading the Chase Brown albatross contract all in one trade. The focus isn't solely on the present as this team now has future cap flexibility. The next question is what can Jack do to maximize this team where it becomes a true contender? Trading from a position of strength at WR for RB could get him there without giving up prime draft capital. 

AKW (Reese) 

MAR starts the tier of teams who are either regressing or rebuilding. Alaska has navigated their debut offseason with impressive prowess, doing a great job of positioning their team as an upward rebuilder. A trade partnership with contender VFT allowed the rookie manager to offload the high-earning Chase Brown in a roster freeing move that also acquired the young star Jaxon Dart at QB matching this roster build’s timeline better. While the roster does not have enough firepower to likely be a contender this year, there is enough talent to possibly push for a playoff spot. The players match the timeline of this roster, with Hampton leading the RB room and looking to make the step forward, although depth at RB is still missing. There are ample options at wide receiver and any combination could step up to become a weekly starter aside Tee Higgens and Zay Flowers who are a solid duo. Lemon and Golden both have potential to become stars. Kincade also offers solid play at TE and IDP is on par with what a team needs to be competitive. 

11.  Washington Geoducks (Anton) - Maryland Marines (Reese) 

DUCK (Anton) 

Championships: 2021 

Playoff Appearances: 2021, 2022, 2024 

Best Finish: Champion 

Washington enters the season in an interesting position. The timeline for their players and picks is confusing. Loaded with 4+ startable veteran RBs while having a limited WR room makes this season's outcome difficult to predict. With 5 future 1st round picks already, Zach could choose to lean into a major sell off of the RB room and stack up on the draft capital. This could unlock chaos across the league as other teams find the missing piece that could put the in playoff and/or championship contention. Tied for the fewest trades made by a team in the ACL, expect Washington to stand pat and find themselves stuck in that middle in-between ground purgatory. 

MAR (Reese) 

The offseason acquisition of Puka Nacua seems to have created a ‘lamborghini in a trailer park’ type scenario where Nacua is by far the best player on this roster. If everything goes right, this roster could compete week-to-week. Mahomes and Jones offer good enough play at QB should both get back to full health this year, Price and Hubbard could both be solid starters should they find themselves the leader of their time shared backfields, and the return of Tank Dell could help smooth over the wide receiver room relying on Nacua’s heroics and Burden performing close to some semblance of what his meteoric climb in fantasy value would require. Overall this roster seems to be uncommitted to any particular strategy and could be competitive in a given week but it is hard to imagine this as a top-half roster. 

12. Iowa State Psyclones (Anton) - Minnesota Fighting Squirrels (Reese) 

ISU (Anton) 

Championships: None 

Playoff Appearances: None 

Best Finish: 7th Regular Season 

Luke bet big on his team by bringing in George Pickens prior to last season. That deal paid off as he went from perennial cellar dweller to just missing the playoffs in 2025. The question is can he do it again and make another deal that catapults his team into playoff contention as he looks to make the playoffs for the first time. The league has only gotten more competitive, so it will take being aggressive to finally clear that hurdle and make it to the playoffs. The pain of Travis Hunter not becoming the two-way star he was expected to be further shows the volatility of waiting on draft picks.  6 picks in the 2027 draft leave him loaded with draft capital where he can go make an effort to win sooner rather than later.  

MN (Reese) 

The Fighting Squirrel’s aging roster has proven difficult to turn over, as aging out players have had to walk and be filled with unknown rookie play. Minnesota is likely in a ‘retooling’ year to evaluate what he can expect from his young core to supplement star wide receiver Justin Jefferson with. Unfortunately many of the young assets have yet to prove themselves and get out of their teams depth chart. Love should be a good starter at running back but he is stuck in what projects to be a timeshare on a bad roster with a capable backup in Allgeir who is known for vulturing touchdowns. With no other starters on the roster, it is hard to imagine MN contending in a weekly context. There are some solid options at quarterback led by Trevor Lawrence so it’s not impossible to imagine some competitive weeks. 

13. Maryland Marines (Anton) - Oklahoma Outlaws (Reese) 

MAR (Anton) 

Championships: 2022 

Playoff Appearances: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 

Best Finish: Champion 

2025 was the first time Maryland has missed the playoffs, so they will look to bounce back this season. They were part of the biggest trade of the offseason as Josh made a bet on Nacua anchoring his team for the next few seasons and Luther Burden turning into an Amon Ra St. Brown type of value. A bold gamble to bring in some new starters and add some depth to the rosterdid come at the cost of some of their upside in the 2027 rookie draft.  The offseason moves aren't done yet either as some contract restructuring or trades lie ahead in order to get below the cap before the season begins. Maryland has been no stranger to using as much of the cap as possible heading into the season. 

OKO (Reese) 

Similarly to Maryland, Oklahoma has seemingly had a hard time committing to a rebuilding strategy. Henry and Hall are a great duo at running back, but clog up much of the flexibility elsewhere in this roster and are not the most vital place to focus on during a roster build - especially when also paying the disappointing second year RB Harvey. Jackson and Darnold are a great combination at QB, helping to propel their ranking above the weak QB room of ISU. The wide receiver room is concerning, as led by McLaurin and rookie Tate. It is hard to see a scenario where this group finishes top-half of the league. Henry and Kment offer decent options at TE but are buried on the target order and likely not going to be contributing much towards weekly win percentages. 

14. Minnesota Fighting Squirrels (Anton) - Iowa State Psyclones (Reese) 

MN (Anton) 

Championships: None 

Playoff Appearances: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 

Best Finish: Runner-Up 

Another team that missed playoff football for the first time in 2025. Minnesota got a jump start on the rebuild by drafting Jeremiah Love to pair with Justin Jeffereson to be the maincenterpieces for this roster. It's tough to go from the 1.01 to the playoffs in the following season. How long should the rebuild take is the next question. Historically, a team that doesn't make many trades signals that it may take a while to build up this team through the draft only. A selloff may still be in the works as Isaiah looks to capitalize on some immediate value to gain some long-term upside dart throws. 

ISU (Reese) 

Iowa has what should be a decent team upon initial review, but it is hard to see a path to contention this year. The combination of Ward and Murray at quarterback could be solid, or could turn into a liability as the season progresses. Selecting Hunter 1.01 last year seems to have not paid off so far - especially the emergence of a full receiving core at Jacksonville likely meaning Hunter will truly be IDP first. Pickens is a great receiver and is followed by what should be decent but historically underproducing receivers Harrison Jr,, Reed, and Johnston. Walker and Gainwell should also be a decent pair at starting RB but the room is vulnerable to limited touches and lack of depth. An elite IDP group supports a below average TE pair of Johnson and Arroyo. Iowa is grouped in the same tier as 10-14 (AKW-ISU) but falls in last because at least each other roster has an elite player somewhere on the roster. With enough cap and assets to make some transactions, Iowa will hopefully be aggressive in upgrading some key positions and pretty easily propel themselves into the playoff picture. The path forward is much easier to see than MN and OKO, but as it currently stands Iowa will close out the 2026 preseason power rankings, with a lot of potential to climb by mid-season. 

Recap: