Fantasy Football News

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed is becoming one of the more interesting players still available in a lot of leagues. He didn't do much through the air after arriving in Seattle last season, catching 15 passes for 188 yards in nine games, but the Seahawks appear ready to give him more this time around. Shaheed had a strong offseason, and the latest expectation is that he'll be used as more of a complete receiver rather than mostly being sent downfield. Seattle also wants to spread the targets around more after leaning so heavily on Jaxon Smith-Njigba last year. That doesn't make Shaheed an automatic Week 1 starter, and RotoBaller currently has him at WR59 for the opener. The waiver case is stronger. He's sixth among the site's wide receiver pickups and carries an add recommendation for leagues with 10 or more teams. If Shaheed is still available, he's worth grabbing now before the expanded role gets a chance to show up on Sundays.

New England Patriots wide receiver Romeo Doubs shouldn't be sitting on many waiver wires heading into Week 1. RotoBaller has him fifth among its pre-Week 1 wide receiver pickups and recommends adding him in leagues with 10 or more teams. The role is there, too. New England's unofficial depth chart has Doubs with the first-team offense after he came over from Green Bay, where he caught 55 passes for a career-high 724 yards and six touchdowns last season. He followed that with eight catches for 124 yards and another score in the playoffs. A.J. Brown will command plenty of targets, and DeMario Douglas and Hunter Henry aren't going away, so Doubs doesn't need to be forced into fantasy lineups immediately. RotoBaller has him at WR48 for the opener in Seattle. That ranking shouldn't stop managers from adding him, though. Doubs has enough of a role and enough production behind him to be more than a speculative stash, making him a priority pickup in 10-team leagues and deeper.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee) will be inactive for Sunday's season opener against Pittsburgh, head coach Kevin Stefanski said, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter. Tua Tagovailoa will start, with Cooper Rush serving as Atlanta's No. 2 quarterback. Penix spent most of the offseason and training camp working his way back from ACL surgery before finally being cleared for full-team work in late August. He did not play in any of Atlanta's three preseason games. Stefanski declined to put a timeline on what comes next for Penix, but said he is "very, very confident" in the team's plan for him and feels good about where he is right now. Penix started nine games last season, throwing for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant turned plenty of heads during training camp and could be in line for more work in Year 2. According to Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post, Sean Payton keeps coming back to one fairly simple trait when talking about Bryant: he rarely has to leave his feet to make a clean catch. That allows him to stay in stride and create more after the catch. Payton has also praised Bryant's strong hands, intelligence, size and consistency after what he called a "heck of a camp." Bryant caught 31 passes for 378 yards and one touchdown across 15 games as a rookie, starting seven of them. Denver still has Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle and Marvin Mims Jr. ahead of him on the current depth chart, but Bryant can work outside or from the slot. After the summer he just put together, finding him more snaps shouldn't be difficult.

New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) remains uncertain for Wednesday night's opener against Seattle. Asked Monday about Henderson's status, head coach Mike Vrabel said the team will see how he feels and whether he can do anything at practice, according to Alex Barth. Vrabel added that Henderson has been working "extremely hard" to get back. Henderson was officially listed as a non-participant Sunday and has not practiced since injuring his ankle Aug. 24. The second-year back ran for 911 yards and nine touchdowns on 180 carries as a rookie while adding 35 catches for 221 yards and another score. New England has not yet issued Monday's official practice designation, so Henderson's status remains up in the air with the opener only two days away.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jakobi Meyers had a very productive second half of his 2026 season after being traded from Vegas to Jacksonville. Meyers finished last year as the WR32 in PPR leagues, but he jumped to the overall WR17 spot after joining the Jaguars' offense. Additionally, he scored zero touchdowns with the Raiders, then went on to score three with the Jags. Meyers benefitted significantly from playing in an improved offense with Trevor Lawrence as his quarterback, and he was able to maintain WR2 value despite competing for targets with Parker Washington, Brian Thomas Jr., and Brenton Strange. Those three players will continue to push for volume this year, but Meyers has already established that he's going to get the ball and produce regardless of the players around him. Plus, there should be enough targets to go around. This was already a high-volume passing offense last year, and now, we would expect to see even more emphasis on throwing the ball after running back Travis Etienne Jr. departed in free agency. Right now, managers are drafting Meyers as the 50th receiver off the board. There's a massive discrepancy between his price tag and his outlook, which creates a great opportunity for managers to pick up Meyers off the waiver wire after drafts end. He should be a priority waiver wire target in 10+ team leagues.

Los Angeles Chargers running back Keaton Mitchell remains available in roughly 83% of fantasy football leagues. He's not going to be a workhorse running back this season, but his incredible explosiveness gives him a very high ceiling for 2026. Mitchell is coming off a three-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens that was riddled with injuries. When he was healthy, though, he was somewhat unstoppable. So far in his career, he's averaging a whopping 6.3 yards per carry. He doesn't usually have a huge role in the receiving game, but his speed and athleticism translate very nicely to the running game. The most encouraging part about rostering Mitchell is that the Chargers went out and made a concerted effort to sign him in free agency. In other words, they wouldn't have spent money to sign him if they didn't plan to get him involved. He's now paired up with offensive mastermind Mike McDaniel, who extracted elite fantasy value from a similar-profile running back, De'Von Achane. Mitchell will be the No. 2 running back in Los Angeles as long as Omarion Hampton is healthy, but that doesn't mean he can't carve out fantasy relevance in deeper leagues. Mitchell is a high-upside waiver wire target in 12+ team leagues. He should open the year on your bench, but he could quickly earn a lineup spot if he racks up big yardage early in the season.

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson is coming off an impressive TE8 finish in PPR leagues, and he has the potential to finish among the top 12 once again this year as the Saints' offense continues to trend upward. He was healthy for all 17 games last year, catching 77 of 102 targets for 889 yards and three touchdowns. The targets, catches, and yards all represent career-highs, and it was impressive to see him finish so high in fantasy scoring despite finding the end zone just three times. If he can replicate his volume stats and increase his touchdown total in 2026, he'll finish even higher. Fantasy managers should also feel encouraged that Johnson performed better with Tyler Shough as his quarterback (11.5 PPR points per game) than with Spencer Rattler (9.5 PPR points per game). Shough is the starter for New Orleans, which bodes well for Johnson. Finally, there's a clear path to targets for Johnson in New Orleans. Not only does he face minimal competition at the tight end position, but he could also handle an increased target share with Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) opening the year on injured reserve. With Tyson sidelined, Johnson projects to be Shough's second-favorite target behind Chris Olave. The 29-year-old tight end should be targeted on the waiver wire in all leagues.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby is a handcuff to target on the waiver wire as the 2026 regular season gets underway. Managers in 10+ team leagues who already have Saquon Barkley on their roster should make it a priority to add Bigsby off the waiver wire. Losing Barkley, a fantasy RB1, to an injury would be brutal, but being able to plug-and-play Bigsby as a solid RB2 would take away a lot of the sting of losing Barkley. Managers in 12+ team leagues who don't even have Barkley on their roster should consider adding Bigsby, too. There's not a ton of standalone value here week after week, but he does get into the mix when the Eagles are leading by a lot. Plus, he'd jump to the RB2 tier if Barkley missed any time. With all that being said, he's a bench stash as long as Barkley is healthy, which means he's not worth starting in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker enters the 2026 season as the undisputed No. 2 target for quarterback Bryce Young. Coker is behind Tetairoa McMillan on the depth chart, but other than that, he faces no real competition for volume. The 24-year-old is coming off his second pro season, during which he played 11 games and tallied 33 catches, 394 yards, and three touchdowns. With decent quarterback play, a clearly defined role with little competition for targets, and an offense that could throw the ball a lot, Coker is emerging as a priority waiver wire target in 12+ team leagues, especially for managers in half-PPR or full-PPR formats. He has a chance to produce right away, as he faces off in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, who allowed the third-most fantasy points to wide receivers last season.

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears enters the season as No. 2 on the depth chart, but he still has the potential to carve out standalone value, especially in PPR leagues. The Titans have Tony Pollard set to handle early-down work and Nicholas Singleton at the bottom of the depth chart to offer a change of pace. However, Spears is a pass-catching specialist who should consistently work his way onto the field on passing downs. Through 13 games last year, he tallied 283 rushing yards, 45 catches, 264 receiving yards, and two total touchdowns. He finished as the RB44 in PPR leagues, but if he had been healthy for the full season, he likely would've cracked the top 36. Spears gets somewhat of a fresh start this year with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and he also opens the season with a softer matchup against the New York Jets. There's legitimate RB3/flex appeal here for managers in 10+ team PPR leagues.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy enters the 2026 season in a strong position. After a shoulder injury, Worthy struggled, hauling in 42 of 73 targets for 532 yards and one touchdown in 14 games. He suffered the injury on the first drive of the 2025 season, and it was reportedly "serious" and should have required season-ending surgery. Now that he and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes are healthy, Worthy hopes to regain form in 2026. With Eric Bieniemy back in Kansas City, Worthy hopes to be the new "Tyreek Hill" in this offense. With Rashee Rice not looking great in training camp, Worthy could be the lead receiver in 2026. He faces a tough Week 1 matchup against the Denver Broncos, but a big game on Monday night will make him a top addition on the waiver wire next week.

San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Kaelon Black is a priority addition off the waiver wire, as Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) did not participate in the team's first practice in Australia ahead of the Week 1 contest on Thursday against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams. Black emerged as the clear backup to McCaffrey late in training camp, despite an adductor injury early in the summer. In his only preseason action, Black had four carries for 28 yards and played every snap with the offense, with Jordan James coming in afterward. With McCaffrey not participating in team drills on Monday, Black could be in line for a heavy workload if McCaffrey is unable to play on Thursday against the Los Angeles Rams. While he will still face one of the NFL's best run defenses, Black is a priority waiver-wire addition because any injury to McCaffrey would make him the starter.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson enters Week 1 with a chance to be the team's leading receiver in 2026. Last season with the New York Giants, Robinson had a career year, hauling in 92 of 140 targets for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games. Robinson cashed out, signing a four-year, $70 million contract with the Titans in free agency. He performed well in training camp, leading the team in targets, and has been a security blanket for second-year quarterback Cam Ward. In Week 1, he faces an ideal matchup against the New York Jets, who allowed the fifth most fantasy points to slot receivers in 2025. While he's a risky start given the team's uncertainty around its passing game, Robinson should be rostered in all formats as we approach the season.

Arizona Cardinals running back Tyler Allgeier could see a substantial workload in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers. In 2025, Allgeier had 157 attempts for 610 yards and eight touchdowns with the Atlanta Falcons. Now in Arizona, Allgeier is expected to split carries with sensational rookie Jeremiyah Love, the third-overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, with Love dealing with a high-ankle sprain from the opening preseason game and reportedly 50/50 to play in Week 1, Allgeier could see a workhorse role with James Conner (ankle) on injured reserve. He faces a tough Chargers defense, which ranked sixth-best against running backs last season. Workhorse running backs on the waiver wire should be added immediately, and Allgeier should be rostered in all formats.

Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. put on a show during the preseason and is expected to have a role in the backfield this season. In three preseason games, Washington totaled 23 carries for 168 yards and a touchdown, averaging a whopping 7.3 yards per carry. There were reports that head coach Klint Kubiak was "jumping on the table" to draft the former Razorback running back. With Kubiak's history in Seattle running a two-back committee, Washington will have a role this season. While things are trending up for second-year back Ashton Jeanty (ankle), who suffered what appeared to be a serious injury in practice on August 23rd, Washington should still produce against the Miami Dolphins, who allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to running backs last season. While he's not a startable option for fantasy managers if Jeanty is active, the rookie running back offers upside as a handcuff option behind the already banged-up Jeanty.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. could see a larger workload in Week 1, with LeQuint Allen Jr. questionable due to a soft tissue injury. Allen suffered an undisclosed injury during training camp more than two weeks ago and has not practiced since. He was expected to handle obvious passing downs, but with him questionable, Rodriguez could take on more of that role given his knack for pass protection. With the Commanders last season, Rodriguez had 112 carries for 500 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games. Now with Jacksonville, he is expected to be the short-yardage back while second-year back Bhayshul Tuten handles early-down work. A short-yardage back could have a strong day against the Cleveland Browns, who are the biggest underdogs in Week 1. With plenty of scoring opportunities in Jacksonville, Rodriguez could be a low-end FLEX in Week 1, and fantasy managers should consider adding him, especially as a handcuff to Tuten.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Atlanta Falcons have named quarterback Tua Tagovailoa their starter for their Week 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The former Miami Dolphins quarterback joined the Falcons in the offseason and was competing alongside Michael Penix Jr. for the starting job. However, with Penix still recovering from a torn ACL, Tagovailoa had the edge for much of the competition. Despite this, fantasy managers should keep a close eye on his production, as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported last week that the Falcons may not give Tagovailoa a long leash if he were to struggle early in the season. In 2025, Tagovailoa appeared in 14 games for the Dolphins and posted a modest 20:15 TD:INT while averaging 190 passing yards per game. Given his inconsistencies last season, Tagovailoa should be viewed as a low-end QB3 in Superflex formats in Week 1.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles) participated in practice on Monday, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports. For clarification purposes, the 49ers are overseas preparing for Week 1, so this practice occurred on Monday in Australia but lined up with the waning hours of Sunday in the United States. Time zone logistics aside, fantasy managers should be encouraged that Kittle was able to practice on Monday. There's still a chance that he has some sort of snap count for Week 1, but at this point, it looks like he'll at least be active for the season opener. This falls in line with a previous report from ESPN.com's Adam Schefter that said Kittle should be able to play. The 32-year-old is a top-three fantasy tight end when healthy, and he'll be tasked with occupying a major receiving role once again this year. Managers looking for additional updates on Kittle's status should check back in approximately 24 hours when the 49ers release their first official injury report of the regular season.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) did not participate in the portion of Monday's practice that was open to the media, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports. For clarification purposes, it's worth noting that this practice occurred on Monday in Australia, where the 49ers currently are, but it technically lined up with the waning hours of Sunday evening on the United States west coast. McCaffrey had been dealing with an undisclosed injury throughout camp, but it wasn't always serious enough to keep him out of practice. Therefore, there's at least a little bit of concern that he didn't participate in practice on Monday. The good news is that the 49ers still have three more days of practice ahead of them, so he could upgrade to a limited or even full participant by the time the first official injury reports come out on Tuesday in Australia (or Monday night in the United States).