Fantasy Football News

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has cooled off slightly over the last three seasons, but he remains a high-end scoring fantasy option in fantasy football. After an impressive seven-year stretch in which he delivered six TE1 finishes and one TE2 finish, he has been the TE3, TE5, and TE3 over the last three years, respectively. His reception total dropped to 76 last season (his lowest mark since 2015), but he still mustered 851 yards and five touchdowns. Fantasy managers' biggest complaint was likely that he lacked consistency, ranking outside the top 16 fantasy tight ends in eight of his 17 games. He also took a major step backward near the end of the season; over his final five weeks, he ranked 35th among tight ends in fantasy points per game. Part of that was because Patrick Mahomes (knee) tore his ACL in Week 15, but it was a disappointing stretch nonetheless. Managers pursuing Kelce in redraft leagues next season will have to be okay with his high ceiling and low floor. The conversation in dynasty leagues is a little more complex. Kelce's new three-year deal with the Chiefs has two void years, so it's effectively a one-year deal that will let him retire after 2026. Assuming this is his last year in the league, managers should look to trade away Kelce for some sort of return this offseason.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker is one of the biggest risers this offseason, offering WR3/flex appeal for deeper fantasy leagues in 2026. The 24-year-old missed the first six games of last season but quickly took on a substantial role upon his return. After a reduced role in his first game back, he played at least 66% of the offensive snaps in each of his remaining 10 contests. He supplanted Xavier Legette as the Panthers' No. 2 receiver behind Tetairoa McMillan. Taking on a bigger offensive workload, he averaged 3.7 catches, 46.9 yards, and 0.4 touchdowns per game from Week 11 through Week 18. Coker ranked as the WR26 in PPR leagues during that span, and he kept his momentum going into the playoffs, where he caught nine passes for 134 yards and one touchdown in the Panthers' Wild Card loss. He ranks 173rd overall in RotoBaller's early redraft rankings for 2026, making him a projected 12th-round pick in 12-team leagues. He also ranks as the WR61 in the latest dynasty rankings, but he has top-36 upside and is an intriguing low-cost target in dynasty trades this offseason.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver DJ Moore is coming off a subpar season, but this past offseason's trade should bode well for his fantasy outlook going forward. Moore was held to a modest 50 catches, 682 yards, and six touchdowns as a Chicago Bear in 2025, ranking as the overall WR35 in PPR leagues. That was Moore's worst single-season fantasy finish since his rookie campaign in 2018, when he was the WR39. It seemed as though the 28-year-old simply fell out of favor in head coach Ben Johnson's new-look Bears offense last year. The veteran receiver dropped below Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, and Colston Loveland in the pecking order, so when the Bears were offered a second-round pick for him, they pounced on the opportunity. It was a somewhat pricey addition for the Bills, but it should elevate their offense and give them a true WR1. He'll immediately become Josh Allen's favorite target, surpassing Khalil Shakir on the depth chart. Moore is under contract through 2029, so he has a relatively favorable fantasy outlook. There are worse things than operating as Josh Allen's favorite target for four consecutive years, so as long as he stays healthy, Moore could return to his pre-2025 form going forward. He's an intriguing buy-low candidate in dynasty leagues this offseason.

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry was a top-eight fantasy option at his position for the fourth year in a row last season. He ranked as the overall RB8 in 2025 with 1,745 scrimmage yards and 16 touchdowns. Even at 32 years old, Henry has proven to be a productive and reliable ball-carrier, as well as a high-end option for fantasy managers. While he's certainly more valuable in redraft leagues than dynasty formats given his age, he projects as an RB1 once again in 2026. Fortunately for Henry, the Ravens didn't bring in any major running back competition, leaving Rasheen Ali and pass-catching specialist Justice Hill as his backups. The head coaching change from John Harbaugh to Jesse Minter could have an impact on his future, but we don't expect a massive shift. Henry ranks #12 among running backs in RotoBaller's redraft rankings for 2026, and he ranks #27 among running backs in the latest dynasty rankings.

Los Angeles Rams running back Jarquez Hunter was a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and a popular traits-based dynasty stash. At 5'10" and 209 pounds, Hunter is a near carbon copy of both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, but profiling as the most explosive of the three, there were calls for him to immediately supplant Corum on the depth chart, especially after seeing so little from the latter as a rookie. Unfortunately, Hunter's rookie season was even less eventful, seeing the field in only five games, and even then, limited exclusively to a handful of special teams snaps. The blueprint for a year-two breakout in Sean McVay's system is already on display in what Corum did in 2025. Unfortunately for Hunter, said breakout was strong enough to create a true blockade to fantasy relevance. Williams and Corum are expected to split work again in 2026, and barring injury, there is no clear path to additional involvement, considering 2025 marked the first time in four seasons that McVay gave more than 77 carries to even a second running back. Dynamic abilities are what made Hunter one of the first Day 3 backs selected in a loaded draft class, so he should still be held by dynasty managers with a deep enough bench to do so, but until the environment in front of him changes, expectations should remain low.

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey burst onto the scene as a 2024 rookie, finishing his first season with 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns on a team-leading 82 receptions. He entered his second season priced as a low-end WR1 in both redraft and dynasty leagues as fantasy managers underestimated the impact of a returning Chargers legend. Keenan Allen came back to Los Angeles in 2025 as a 33-year-old veteran and promptly led the team in targets and receptions, operating primarily in the same short-to-intermediate parts of the field as McConkey. Heading into the NFL Draft, Allen remains unsigned, and McConkey should see every chance to thrive in new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel's rhythm-based scheme that will maximize his ability to add yards after the catch. Among players with at least a 60% snap share out of the slot, McConkey's 4.8 yards after catch average through his first two seasons already lands him near the top of the league, but McDaniel should repeatedly motion him into position to make even greater use of his 4.39-speed and return to something resembling his rookie form.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy had some fantasy-relevant moments in his second season as a sixth-round pick out of Southeast Missouri State, namely a six-catch, 114-yard outing in his first start of the season, filling in for the injured CeeDee Lamb. Unfortunately for Flournoy, when the Cowboys are at full health, the path to consistent fantasy contribution is obstructed from all sides. George Pickens was one of the biggest breakouts of 2025, and he appears slated to return for at least one more year on the franchise tag. Jake Ferguson was one of the most targeted tight ends in the league, and Lamb topped 1,000 receiving yards for the fifth straight year, despite missing three games. Impressively, Flournoy did lead the Cowboys in targets and receptions in a wild Week 14 loss to the Lions that saw him finish the game with 115 yards and a score in a week where Dallas had its full complement of pass catchers. Such flashes should not be unexpected from the big-bodied receiver in year three, but until the depth chart ahead of him thins out, Flournoy will be hard to trust with any sort of reliability outside of best ball formats.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young entered the league with all the expectations of a number one overall pick, but through his first three seasons, consistency has evaded him. Carolina has exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, giving the team two more years of affordable control and Young an additional chance to prove he's worthy of a massive pay raise. After a lackluster rookie campaign, Young was able to overcome a second-season benching in 2024, and with an improved surrounding cast, namely Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan, he put up his best statistical season to date in 2025, finishing year three with 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns on a 63.6% completion rate, all career highs. Unfortunately, that increased production, modest as it was, still came with fits and starts. Young topped 200 passing yards only once through the first 10 weeks before throwing for a career high 448 yards in a Week 11 win over the Falcons. He then went on to average 175 yards per game the rest of the way, including a brutal 54-yard outing in fantasy championship week. Carolina will likely look to add more offensive firepower through the upcoming NFL Draft, and Young did establish a late-season rapport with his big-bodied slot receiver Jalen Coker, so the pieces could be in place for yet another step forward. Unfortunately, until he's shown he can regularly string together week-winning performances, he profiles as little more than a QB3 in superflex dynasty leagues.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devaughn Vele was acquired via trade weeks before the start of the 2025 season after seeing scattered success as a rookie with the Denver Broncos. New Orleans gave up a fourth and seventh round pick for the 2024 seventh-rounder, but with so little time to learn the new system, he was rarely used early in the year, garnering only 54 yards on six catches before the team's Week 11 bye, despite the Saints passing at one of the league's highest volumes. In the four weeks coming out of the bye, his involvement increased substantially, twice leading the team in targets, offering a strong complementary option to Chris Olave, and becoming a trusted middle-of-the-field presence for Tyler Shough. Vele's season ended prematurely when a shoulder injury landed him on injured reserve, but in those four post-bye contests, he averaged 4.8 receptions for 59.8 yards, and following his first full offseason with the team, he could see similar usage in 2026. The Saints invested real draft capital into Vele, and he has experience operating both from the slot and out wide, so he should be able to find a useful role even if New Orleans does take a receiver early in the upcoming NFL Draft. It should, however, be remembered that Vele came into the league as an older prospect and will turn 29 midway through his third season, so if he doesn't find sustained fantasy relevance in 2026, the window to do so will close quickly.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was a high-end RB1 and a dark-horse MVP candidate throughout the first half of the 2025 NFL season. Across his first 10 games of the year, he was averaging 113.9 rushing yards, 3.0 receptions, 26.0 receiving yards, and 1.7 touchdowns per contest. He ranked as the overall RB1 in PPR leagues from Week 1 to Week 10, and it wasn't particularly close; he was a full 25.1 points ahead of the RB2 during that span, Christian McCaffrey, and a full 89.9 points ahead of the RB4, Jahmyr Gibbs. Things went downhill from there, though, as the Colts hit their bye week and soon after lost Daniel Jones to a season-ending Achilles injury. The suboptimal quarterback play of Riley Leonard and Philip Rivers made it challenging for Jonathan Taylor to maintain his superstar role. He averaged 12.6 fantasy points per game (23rd-best) the rest of the way. Jones has a strong chance to be healthy in Week 1 of the 2026 season, which would be great news for Taylor. The 27-year-old has proven that he can still be an elite ball-carrier if the offense is in decent shape. He continues to be treated as a top running back option in RotoBaller's latest dynasty football rankings, where he ranks as the overall RB6.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs had another spectacular season in 2025, totaling 1,223 rushing yards, 77 catches, 616 receiving yards, and 18 total touchdowns. He scored a career-high 366.9 fantasy points in PPR leagues, but despite this new personal-best mark, he actually dropped in the overall ranking from RB1 in 2024 to RB3 last year. Moving forward, Gibbs is a strong candidate to jump back up to the overall RB1 spot in 2026. The backfield dynamic looks a little different, which has the potential to help his cause. David Montgomery was traded to Houston, leaving behind 908 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns. Most -- but perhaps not all -- of that vacated volume will go to Isiah Pacheco, who signed with the Lions in free agency. Pacheco is averaging just 4.25 touchdowns per season throughout his career, though, so we wouldn't be surprised to see some of Montgomery's goal-line volume go to Gibbs. If the 24-year-old can stay healthy for a full 17-game season again, he'll certainly be in the mix to finish as the overall RB1 in 2026 and beyond. Fantasy managers are taking notice, as Gibbs ranks as the RB1 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings. That puts him ahead of Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who has been a top-three fantasy running back in back-to-back seasons.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba took another substantial step forward in 2025, catching 119 of his 163 targets for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns. He set new career-highs in all four categories, and he also had the best fantasy finish of his young career, ranking as the overall WR2 in PPR leagues. He and Puka Nacua were neck-and-neck in the race for the WR1 title, with the Rams' receiver ultimately edging out Smith-Njigba by 16.1 fantasy points. Smith-Njigba has certainly lived up to his hype as a former first-round pick, and he has shown that he can produce regardless of which quarterback is throwing him passes. With that said, he'll certainly appreciate the consistency the Seahawks have at the quarterback position for now, with Sam Darnold under contract through 2027. At just 24 years old, Smith-Njigba's youth, productivity, and role in a high-powered offense make him an elite fantasy football option. But is he the best of the best? As it stands, Smith-Njigba ranks #2 among wide receivers in RotoBaller's latest dynasty fantasy football rankings. He's in the top tier, but he ranks one spot behind Ja'Marr Chase and one spot ahead of Nacua.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman is coming off another disappointing season in which he caught a modest 38 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns. He didn't live up to his expectations as a former first-round pick, ranking as the WR60 in PPR leagues. He wasn't a worthwhile fantasy starter, and yet that was still the best fantasy finish of his young career. The second-year pass-catcher ended up missing four games due to performance and disciplinary reasons, falling out of favor with former head coach Sean McDermott. While McDermott is no longer in Buffalo, new head coach Joe Brady was the team's offensive coordinator last year and presumably has similar feelings about Coleman as his predecessor. The elephant in the room is the fact that Buffalo went out and traded for DJ Moore this offseason. At best, Coleman is stuck behind Moore and Khalil Shakir on the depth chart. However, he could also end up behind Tyrell Shavers and any potential rookie draft pick. Furthermore, there's a real chance that he could finish with fewer targets than tight end Dawson Knox, tight end Dalton Kincaid, or both. Just two years into his NFL career, it seems like Coleman needs a new chapter and a fresh start. For now, though, he remains a Bill, and his path to any sort of fantasy relevance is highly improbable. He should be stashed in deeper fantasy leagues and dropped in shallower formats.

The Jacksonville Jaguars went out and signed running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. to a two-year, $10 million deal this offseason. He replaces Travis Etienne Jr. in the Jags' backfield, but that doesn't mean that we should pencil Rodriguez in to acquire all of Etienne's vacated carries (260) and targets (52). Rather, Rodriguez will compete with Bhayshul Tuten for the lead-back role during training camp, and third-string running back LeQuint Allen should also carve out significant volume as a passing-down specialist. Therefore, Rodriguez's ceiling isn't RB10, where Etienne ranked in 2025, but rather a mid-range RB2. The same can be said for Tuten. The good news is that Rodriguez presumably fills a hole the Jaguars' front office believed they had. Otherwise, they wouldn't have actively gone out and signed him to a multi-year deal. He's not a lock to finish 2026 as a top-36 fantasy running back, but there's RB3/flex value here if the backfield ends up split, and he has RB2 upside if he wins the lead-back role.

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington should take over exclusive responsibility of the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Pat Freiermuth, but his lack of ties to the new coaching staff could complicate the situation. Washington was drafted by former head coach Mike Tomlin, and he had the best season of his young career in 2025 under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Both Tomlin and Smith are gone, being replaced by Mike McCarthy and Brian Angelichio. That's not to say that McCarthy and Angelichio won't utilize Washington; the Steelers' lack of tight end moves this offseason suggests they're satisfied with the position. However, the new staff has no attachment to Washington, and they could opt to use him less than Smith did in 2025, when he caught 31 passes for 364 yards and one touchdown. That's just one possibility amidst a large range of possible outcomes, so fantasy managers shouldn't necessarily panic. He's a speculative hold in most dynasty leagues at the moment.

Dallas Cowboys safety Markquese Bell was arrested on Friday and charged with possession of a controlled substance and marijuana, according to Collin County jail records. The possession of a controlled substance is a felony, while the marijuana possession is a Class B misdemeanor. Bell is now subject to a penalty from the NFL under its personal-conduct policy. The 27-year-old defensive back is entering the second year of a two-year, three-year, $9 million deal with Dallas. Bell went undrafted out of Florida A&M before joining the Cowboys for his NFL debut in 2022. In his four years with the team, he has 142 tackles (86 solo), one interception, seven pass breakups, and three forced fumbles in 48 games played (11 starts). He played in 17 games (eight starts) last year and had 41 tackles (20 solo), his first career interception, and a forced fumble. Bell could face a short suspension in 2026 to open his fifth year in the NFL.

New York wide receiver Adonai Mitchell was acquired in the mid-season deal that saw the Jets ship cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Colts, and over eight inconsistent games with his new team, he showed a handful of flashes, scoring twice and topping 100 yards for the first time in his career in a Week 13 win over the Falcons. For the duration of Garrett Wilson's career, the Jets have been trying to pair him with another receiver capable of drawing coverage, something they had briefly with Davante Adams, but Mitchell now represents the most capable option currently on the roster. The Jets have two of the first 16 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, including number two overall, and they have been regularly tied to some of the top names in a deep receiver class. However, with three picks in the first round of the 2027 draft, they could opt to continue shoring up the trenches and wait to make their splashier moves in a draft expected to be richer in talent. Should New York choose to ignore the receiving room until later in the draft, Mitchell would have every opportunity to claim the role opposite Wilson in two-receiver sets, clearing a path to a modest year-three breakout.

Following a 2024 season in which he topped 2,000 rushing yards and garnered MVP buzz for much of the year, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley saw his yardage and touchdown numbers nearly cut in half in his second season with the team. Barkley ended 2025 as fantasy's RB14, his lowest finish in any season in which he played at least 15 games, and his first time finishing outside the top six under such circumstances. Injuries to the Eagles' offensive line and turmoil between quarterback Jalen Hurts and receiver AJ Brown left the offense as a whole looking out of sorts for much of the season, and Barkley's 378 total touches from the previous season rarely went unmentioned when discussing the struggles of a now 29-year-old running back with a history of durability concerns. The silver lining is that Barkley is a true athletic outlier in every sense of the word. Even at his worst, he still topped 1,400 yards from scrimmage while scoring nine touchdowns. The Eagles' offensive line is another year older, but when healthy, they remain among the top units in the league, and they could benefit from an increase in the zone-blocking schemes that new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is expected to bring from the McVay coaching tree. Additionally, loudening rumors have suggested that the Eagles are prepared to ship out AJ Brown after June 1st, with the recent additions made to their receiver room doing little to dissuade the notion. Barkley will be 30 by Super Bowl LXI, but for contending dynasty managers, he still has the ability to far outperform his current RB10 dynasty ranking.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson was a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and despite playing his college ball in Stanford's low-passing-volume offense, he came into the league with a dynamic set of traits that made him a popular dynasty stash. In 2025, he rewarded patient managers with a third-year breakout that saw him top 1,000 yards for the first time in his career and finish as the fantasy WR2 from Week 11 through the end of the season. Opinions are now split as to how targets will be distributed in Arizona, creating an interesting market for Wilson in which he could be viewed as a buy-low in one league or a sell-high in another. Few would argue that tight end Trey McBride will again be the focal point of Arizona's offense, but outside of that, constants are limited in the desert. The Cardinals return Jacoby Brissett as their starting quarterback after his 41.6 pass attempts per game led the league after taking over at starter in Week 6, putting him on a 17-game pace for the fourth-highest total in NFL history and nearly 250 attempts more than his previous high. Running backs James Conner and Trey Benson are both expected to return to full health after playing in a combined seven games in 2025, and the team added Tyler Allgeier through free agency, which should see that outlier passing rate regress to the mean. Additionally, most of Wilson's best games in 2025 came with Marvin Harrison Jr. either sidelined or playing through injury, and the former led the latter in targets only twice in the 12 games they played together. Wilson's late-season breakout could be a legitimate superstar turn, or it could be the product of circumstance, but it is up to savvy dynasty managers to determine how their own leagues feel about him and act accordingly.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson caught 82 passes for 600 yards on his way to a TE8 finish in 2025, but the path there wasn't always a straight line. Ferguson began the year as the overall TE1 through the first seven weeks, but played out the rest of the season as TE22, catching only two of his eight total touchdowns from that point forward. The 27-year-old former fourth-round pick has shown flashes of week-winning potential, but the biggest hindrance to consistent fantasy production is that he plays on a team with two certified target earners in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, both of whom saw over 7.7 targets per game in their first season together. Despite a recent infusion of youth at the position, the value of tight ends is still a curve that runs relatively flat outside of the true difference makers, so Ferguson managers should continue to feel good about a player who can provide a relatively safe floor while offering the occasional spike week to outperform his current TE12 dynasty ranking.