Earlier this week, we looked at the fantasy season’s biggest misses to help us identify causes and thus help us avoid similar mistakes in 2026 drafts. As promised, we’re now doing the same thing with the lessons learned from the biggest hits this year, wrapping up the fantasy season on a positive note.

Preseason ADPs are as of Labor Day, via NFFC and for PPR formats. Fantasy finishes are through Week 17.

Drake Maye, NE (Preseason ADP: QB14; Fantasy finish: QB2)

Were there signs of a Maye breakout at the end of 2024? In his final four starts, he averaged 17.6 points per game, which is about QB12 and factored into his 2025 ADP. This year, Maye scored 3 more points per game. That increase helps put together a playoff team, but doesn’t move that needle much.

But, more important for the next draft is determining why Maye outperformed expectations. Sure, he had a new head coach and offensive coordinator. But the biggest indicator for fantasy scoring that we often pay too little attention to is being on a winning team.

Was New England’s massive improvement foreseeable? Vegas sure didn’t see it. No one thought the team’s talent, especially the talent at skill positions, was radically upgraded. However, we knew Mike Vrabel is an excellent coach, and Maye is a high real-life draft pick with running ability, projected to be a bargain-bin Josh Allen. If you’re looking for something similar this year, there’s Jaxson Dart, but that’s more obvious, and he’s likely to cost a lot more in 2026 than Maye did in 2025. Then there’s Cam Ward, who produced in December at the same level as Maye’s final four starts of 2024, though he did it the hard way — almost all via passing. So he may improve more in real life than in our game.

Trevor Lawrence, JAX (QB20; QB4)

Here’s what I wrote this past summer about Lawrence in my Sharpener rankings (thanks to all who subscribed):

“He can run. He can score rushing TDs. He’s QB19 in the early drafts, but that’s just extremely bearish. You’re saying Lawrence is not as good as Coen’s 2024 QB, Baker Mayfield? Come on. Coen turned Mayfield into QB5.”

OK, that was good advice. But my reasoning came with expectations that the WR duo of Brian Thomas and Travis Hunter would be similar to Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and that decidedly did not happen, illustrating how vital QB rushing TDs are. Remember, Mayfield exploded as a runner in 2024, racking up 378 yards and three rushing TDs under Coen’s guidance, so this was bettable. Malik Willis could be a similar bargain in 2026, depending on where he lands in free agency and how secure his starting spot is.

Travis Etienne, JAX (RB32; RB10)

Back to Jacksonville and another Coen hit. I was below market on Etienne, figuring the new staff picked a Bucky Irving-type in the draft in Bhayshul Tuten. But Tuten never got going, and Etienne seized the job. The math on fourth-round picks like Tuten delivering fantasy-worthy production is bad, no matter what some of our fantasy draftniks say. (Always bet the base rate.) So it’s not like I had Tuten ranked high (my strike point was Round 14). And remember, before camp even started, and most of us ignored him, myself included.