Fantasy Football News

The Dallas Cowboys restructured defensive tackle Kenny Clark's deal on Tuesday, turning his $11 million roster bonus due next week into a signing bonus to open up around $8.8 million in salary cap space for this year, sources told Todd Archer of ESPN. The Cowboys acquired Clark and two first-round picks last year from the Green Bay Packers in exchange for All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons (knee). In his first year in Dallas, the 30-year-old veteran and three-time Pro Bowler had 36 tackles (17 solo), three sacks, six tackles for loss, and nine QB hits in 17 starts. The Cowboys haven't really made a big splash in free agency yet this week, but their restructuring of Clark's contract could be a sign that they are about to do something. They were interested in trading for All-Pro pass-rusher Maxx Crosby before he was dealt to the Ravens, and they've been connected to impending free-agent pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson as well.

The Buffalo Bills have reached out to pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, a source told Ryan Talbot of Syracuse.com. Plenty of other teams around the league are in the mix for Hendrickson as well, who is expected to walk away from the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency this offseason. Despite playing in only seven games last year and having season-ending core-muscle surgery, the 31-year-old All-Pro defensive end is the top name available on the market after back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons for the Bengals in 2023 and 2024. Hendrickson has every right to think that he deserves somewhere between $30 million and $40 million per season, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that so far, no team has been willing to meet his asking price. Teams are probably hesitant to dole out that much cash for a player on the wrong side of 30 coming off surgery. The Cowboys are another team that has been connected to Hendrickson.

A few teams have called the San Francisco 49ers about quarterback Mac Jones, but many interested teams around the league described the price as "astronomical," according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. The 49ers don't have much incentive to move Jones, who filled in nicely with Brock Purdy missing plenty of time last year with a turf-toe injury. The 27-year-old went 5-3 as a starter while throwing for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 11 total games played. The Niners signed Jones to a two-year, $8.4 million deal last offseason, so he has become an excellent value as the backup for the oft-injured Purdy. The 49ers will have to be blown away by a trade offer to even consider moving Jones as he heads into the final year of his deal. The former first-rounder in 2021 by the New England Patriots out of Alabama has become one of the more steady backup options in the NFL.

The Indianapolis Colts and quarterback Daniel Jones have made progress on a long-term deal, but nothing has been finalized yet, sources told Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. Both sides remain in contact. The Colts placed the transition tag on Jones, which will pay him a fully guaranteed $37.83 million for 2026 if he doesn't sign a long-term extension. Jones' representatives reportedly countered a previous long-term offer by Indy and asked for $50 million per season. The two sides were pretty far apart on the numbers, but it sounds like they're getting closer to a middle ground to lock Jones up as their starter under center for the future. The 28-year-old former sixth overall pick by the New York Giants in 2019 out of Duke was having a career year in his first year in Indy in 2025, throwing for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions before tearing his Achilles in the second half of the year. It sounds like something will eventually get done, and he'll return to the Colts. As far as Jones' fantasy value goes, there will be a lot of skepticism with him spending all offseason rehabbing his Achilles tendon tear.

The New England Patriots are signing former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs to a four-year deal for roughly $70 million on Tuesday, multiple sources told Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. The 25-year-old former fourth-round pick (132nd overall) in 2022 out of Nevada had 202 catches on 320 targets for 2,424 yards and 21 touchdowns in 59 games (50 starts) in his four seasons with the Packers. Doubs had a career-high 724 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 16 regular-season games on 85 targets last year, filling in nicely for the offense with several other wideouts battling injuries throughout the year. He doesn't have the upside of a high-end WR1 in fantasy or real life, but Doubs is a significant signing for New England and for young quarterback Drake Maye to help replace Stefon Diggs. Depending on what else the Pats do at the receiver position in free agency, trades, and the draft, Doubs could have more upside left in an excellent landing spot.

The New York Jets are acquiring veteran quarterback Geno Smith and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round selection, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Going into his 13th year in the NFL, the 35-year-old signal-caller will reunite with the organization that took him 39th overall in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft out of West Virginia. Justin Fields failed miserably as a big free-agent acquisition for the Jets last year, so now they will bring Smith back and have him likely compete with another free-agent veteran addition to the QB room. There has been a lot of smoke about Minnesota Vikings backup QB Carson Wentz as another option. Smith was a Pro Bowler in 2022 and 2023 in Seattle, but he flopped in 2025 with the Raiders, throwing for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and a league-high 17 picks. If Smith wins the starting QB gig in New York in 2026, he'll be a low-end QB2 in superflex leagues, at best.

The Athletic's Saad Yousuf, Dianna Russini, and Mike DeFabo believe that with the addition of new running back Rico Dowdle in free agency, "there's a good shot" that Dowdle will be in the 1A role, and Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jaylen Warren will be the "change-of-pace" back. The 5-foot-8 Warren has been "at his best in a third-down role and out of the shotgun." It means that the 27-year-old will likely take over the pass-catching duties that Kenneth Gainwell had in 2025, when he caught a career-high 73 passes for 486 yards and three touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. Warren was the RB17 in half-PPR scoring last year, going for a career-high 958 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground on 211 carries in 16 games, adding 40 catches for 333 yards and two TDs as a pass-catcher. The addition of Dowdle is definitely a big hit to Warren's overall fantasy value going into 2026, but his role as a pass-catcher shouldn't be taken lightly in PPR formats, especially if veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers returns.

SNY's Connor Hughes reports that "all signs right now are pointing" to former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith returning to the New York Jets this offseason. The Jets failed miserably with the free-agent acquisition of QB Justin Fields last March, so this year, they are looking to bring in two cheap veteran options at the position to compete for the starting job this summer. Other than Smith, the Jets are high on Minnesota Vikings veteran backup Carson Wentz. The 35-year-old Smith was drafted by the Jets back in 2013 out of West Virginia in the second round, and he played the first four seasons of his NFL career in New York. The 35-year-old was a Pro Bowler in 2022 and 2023 with the Seattle Seahawks in a late-career resurgence, but he was one of the worst signal-callers in 2025 with the Raiders, throwing for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and a league-high 17 interceptions in 15 starts. Smith would probably be the favorite if he's competing against Wentz, but not many fantasy managers will want much to do with him, even as a low-end QB2 in superflex formats.

The early projection is "eight to 10" targets a game for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce in 2026, according to Stephen Holder of ESPN. The Colts re-signed Pierce on Monday to a four-year, $116 million contract after he led the team with 1,003 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 47 receptions in 2025. Sources say that the 25-year-old turned down offers from other teams that would have surpassed his deal with the Colts by a "substantive amount." Pierce preferred familiarity and to keep his connection going with quarterback Daniel Jones (Achilles). The Colts traded away Michael Pittman Jr. on Monday, too, so Pierce will be Indy's unquestioned No. 1 wideout in 2026 after his breakout performance last season. Posting a second straight 1,000-yard season might not be easy, but Pierce has solidified himself as a big-play threat for fantasy managers after leading the NFL in yards per catch in each of the last two seasons.

Veteran free-agent kicker Zane Gonzalez agreed to an undisclosed one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday, agent Mike McCartney told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Gonzalez will be joining his sixth team as he heads into his eighth NFL season. The 30-year-old former seventh-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2017 out of Arizona State kicked in nine games for the Atlanta Falcons last year and was solid, making 19 of his 22 field-goal attempts (7-for-9 from 50-plus yards) while missing just one of his 18 extra-point tries. The Dolphins already released long-time kicker Jason Sanders, and Riley Patterson, who filled in nicely in 2025, could leave in free agency, so Gonzalez gives Miami's new coaching staff an experienced fallback option at placekicker. In an offense that will be led by new quarterback Malik Willis, Gonzalez will be a low-end kicking option, at best, in fantasy football leagues if he's the starter this fall.

The Houston Texans are signing kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn to a two-year, $13 million deal on Tuesday, a league source told Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Sports. Fairbairn still had a year left on the three-year, $15.9 million contract he signed with the Texans in March of 2024, but the Texans will extend one of the best kickers in the NFL for another couple of seasons. The 32-year-old veteran led the NFL in both field-goal makes (44) and attempts (48) in 15 regular-season games in 2025, also making all 28 of his extra-point opportunities. He went 9-for-13 on kicks from 50-plus yards out. Fairbairn was second behind only the Seahawks' Jason Myers in overall fantasy points among kickers last year. He has an 87.6% success rate in his career on 291 field-goal attempts over his nine years in the league. Locked in with Houston for another couple of years, Fairbairn will be a high-floor fantasy kicker in 2026.

The Detroit Lions are signing free-agent running back Isiah Pacheco to an undisclosed deal on Tuesday, a source told Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Pacheco will essentially replace David Montgomery, who was traded to the Houston Texans, as the backfield complement to starter Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit. The 27-year-old former seventh-rounder in 2022 out of Rutgers had 1,765 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns on 375 carries for the Chiefs in his first two years in the league, but injuries slowed him down the last two years, as he had a combined 772 rushing yards and only two rushing TDs on 201 carries in 2024 and 2025. The landing spot with the Lions is certainly a good one for a potential bounce-back campaign for Pacheco in his fifth year in the league, and he won't cost much late in drafts this fall as a handcuff for Gibbs.

Free-agent wide receiver Kalif Raymond is signing an undisclosed one-year deal with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The former Detroit Lions wideout will remain in the NFC North and will give the Bears some depth after they lost Olamide Zaccheaus to free agency on Monday. The 31-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Holy Cross started his NFL career back in 2016 with the Denver Broncos. He has been with Detroit since the 2021 campaign, catching 171 passes for 2,185 yards and eight touchdowns on 231 targets in his five years with the Lions. Raymond has mostly been an asset on special teams as a kick and punt returner. He didn't go over 300 yards receiving in each of the last two years in Motown and won't be expected to have a major role on offense in Chicago, making him avoidable in the majority of fantasy leagues.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White is one of the best players remaining on the free-agent market this week, and the NFL Network's Mike Garafolo says he was told that White is one of the fallback options at RB for the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle failed to re-sign Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, and Zach Charbonnet (knee) might not be ready for Week 1 this fall after tearing his ACL in the playoffs. The 27-year-old won't be back in Tampa after the Bucs signed Kenneth Gainwell on Monday, but he could be the perfect fit with an expanded role for the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks in 2026. The former third-round pick in 2022 out of Arizona State is a dual threat out of the backfield and had 1,500 scrimmage yards in his second year in the league in 2023 with the Bucs. If he were to land in Seattle, White could be a sneaky RB selection in 2026 fantasy drafts as the top option out of Seattle's backfield, at least early on.

The Buffalo Bills and Pro Bowl tight end Dawson Knox agreed to a new, undisclosed three-year contract on Tuesday, sources told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Knox was a Pro Bowler for the first time in his career back in 2022, when he caught 48 of 65 targets for 517 yards and six touchdowns in 15 starts. The 29-year-old has been much less intriguing for fantasy football purposes since the Bills drafted Dalton Kincaid in the first round in 2023. In the last three seasons with Knox sharing playing time with Kincaid, the 29-year-old has totaled 80 receptions on 118 targets for 914 yards and seven total touchdowns in 45 games (36 starts). Knox still has plenty of chemistry with quarterback Josh Allen and is a key red-zone asset in the passing game, but unless Kincaid misses time with an injury in 2026, Knox will merely be a touchdown-dependent TE2 with limited upside.

The Athletic's Mike DeFabo believes that newly acquired wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., a player with good size (6-foot-4, 223 pounds), physicality, and pedigree, will be a good fit with the Pittsburgh Steelers. If the Steelers re-sign quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer "seems to prefer veterans who understand the nuances of route running, how to read coverages and what it takes to prepare for an opponent." Pittman, who should slot in as the No. 2 behind DK Metcalf, "checks a lot of those boxes." The 28-year-old will receive a new three-year, $59 million contract with the Steelers after being acquired from the Indianapolis Colts on Monday. Pittman did lead the Colts with 80 catches last year and had a career-best seven touchdowns, but his yardage total (784) was down for a second straight season. His 2026 fantasy value hinges on whether Rodgers returns for another season in Pittsburgh.

The Green Bay Packers are releasing cornerback Nate Hobbs (knee) on Tuesday with a post-June 1 designation, a source told Rob Demovsky of ESPN. With the move, the Packers will save $8 million against the 2026 salary cap. The move doesn't come as a huge surprise, as Hobbs played in only 11 games (five starts) for the second straight season in 2025 and finished the year with a torn MCL that he suffered in Week 17 against the Baltimore Ravens. The 26-year-old signed a four-year, $48 million contract with Green Bay in March of last year. Hobbs was drafted in 2021 by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fifth round out of Illinois. It's unclear if Hobbs will be ready to go for the start of the 2026 season this fall, but if he is, he should be a candidate to start with another team. Injuries have been an issue for him, though, as Hobbs has played more than 13 games in a season just once, back in his rookie season in 2021.

The Buffalo Bills and kicker Tyler Bass (hip, groin) agreed to a revised contract on Tuesday that includes $1 million guaranteed and a chance to earn up to $3.5 million in 2026, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Bass missed the entire 2025 season due to injury, so a pay cut was inevitable. The 29-year-old made 24 of his 29 field-goal attempts (4-for-4 from 50-plus yards) and went 59-for-64 on his extra points in 17 games during the regular season for Buffalo in 2024. The former sixth-rounder (188th overall) in 2020 out of Georgia Southern has made 84.5% of his 155 field-goal attempts in his five years in the NFL, all with the Bills. He has two years left on his contract and should enter the start of the 2026 season this fall as the team's starting placekicker, which will make him attractive again in most fantasy leagues.

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard was one of 2024's most successful fantasy breakouts, finishing his fourth professional season as the RB15, but 2025 brought hardships in the form of injuries and a frustrating timeshare with Rico Dowdle. With Dowdle now agreeing to a two-year pact with the Steelers in the opening hours of the NFL's legal tampering window, Hubbard again finds himself with a chance to claim the top spot on the depth chart. After a day in which the Panthers committed to spending big on the defensive side of the ball, the running backs' room is left with Hubbard, the oft-injured Jonathon Brooks, and 2025 fourth-round pick Trevor Etienne. If the team believes in the receiving prowess of Brooks and Etienne, this very well could be the trio they enter the 2026 season with, perhaps with the addition of a late-round depth piece from a rookie class not necessarily touted for the strength of its running back group.

Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey finished his 2025 rookie campaign as the lead back in the Mile High City, following a Week 10 foot injury that ended J.K. Dobbins' first season with the team. Expected to pursue the position aggressively when the legal tampering window opened on Monday, the Broncos agreed to a new two-year deal with Dobbins, worth up to $20 million with $8 million guaranteed. After handing out one of the larger running back deals of the day, it would appear that Harvey will find himself in a similar position to the one in which he opened his rookie season as the clear 1B in a timeshare with Dobbins. Harvey was able to salvage his fantasy season, with a traditionally unsustainable 12 touchdowns, but he lacked notable explosiveness, and his 128-touch pace through the year's first ten weeks was well below what fantasy managers had hoped for following his lofty second-round NFL Draft capital and rumblings of his usage in Sean Payton's Joker role.