Efton Chism — 2026 Fantasy Outlook

Chism arrived in the NFL with a decorated resume from Eastern Washington (the same program that shaped Cooper Kupp). He spent five seasons in college, leading to 346 catches, 3,852 yards, and 37 touchdowns. His final year was exceptional: 120 catches for 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns in just 12 games, breaking the school's single-season catch record previously held by Kupp himself.

The physical profile, though, raises questions. At 5'10" and 195 lbs. with an estimated 4.7 40-yard dash, Chism isn't built to threaten defenses vertically. What he offers instead is quickness, vision, and surprising physicality after the catch. He's elusive enough to make defenders miss and strong enough to break tackles in tight spaces. The concern is winning at the line of scrimmage against press-heavy NFL corners. His ceiling in any given game will likely be capped by how many yards he can manufacture after contact, since he won't be outrunning many defenders at the second level of a defense.

Early returns were encouraging. Chism was sharp in the first two preseason games of 2025 (6/50/1 and 6/71/1 on 14 targets), but New England kept him off the field for much of his rookie regular season, limiting him to just 10 games. On four targets, he caught all four for 95 yards and a touchdown, with his best moment coming in Week 17 (2/40/1).