Fantasy Football News

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy continues to have some dynasty appeal, but he faces an uphill battle to earn immediate playing time. The Vikings brought in Kyler Murray to essentially light a fire under McCarthy, in hopes that he'll strengthen his candidacy for the starting role, either short-term or long-term. Although the Vikings are still optimistic that McCarthy can be their franchise quarterback for years to come, it's unlikely that he'll start right away in 2026, which means he lacks short-term fantasy appeal. He missed all of his rookie campaign in 2024, and he's coming off a frustrating 2025 campaign in which he totaled 1,632 passing yards, 15 total touchdowns, and 14 turnovers across 10 games. It's too early to consider dropping McCarthy in dynasty leagues, but we acknowledge that managers will need to exercise patience as they stash him on the bench while he occupies the backup role behind Murray.

Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. finished his rookie season in 2025 as the overall TE6 in fantasy football, and he's only trending up. Fannin is expected to have the tight end role in Cleveland all to himself next year after David Njoku departed in free agency. If Fannin was able to finish as the TE6 with 72 catches, 731 yards, and six touchdowns while Njoku was in the mix, he could legitimately push for 100 catches and 1,000 yards in the post-Njoku era. Fannin's dynasty stock also gets a boost from his age. He's only 21 years old, which means he could be a top fantasy tight end option for many years to come. For now, he ranks as the TE5 in RotoBaller's dynasty fantasy football rankings, but he could jump into the top three if he finishes as the TE6 or higher once again in 2026. With that trajectory, he's an intriguing trade target in dynasty leagues, but it's probably too late for managers to acquire him at any sort of discount.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle's dynasty stock is trending up after an offseason trade that put him in a stronger offense and paired him with a more talented quarterback. Waddle was traded from the Dolphins to the Broncos, and while he will face some competition for targets from Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin, this is a much better scenario for the Alabama product and his skill set. He projects as the No. 1 receiver in an upward-trending offense led by talented quarterback Bo Nix. Waddle's upside was limited for several years in Miami due to the inconsistent play of Tua Tagovailoa, but Nix offers him a very strong chance to post more than 1,015 yards for just the second time in his career. In addition to projecting as a high-volume receiver with high yardage totals, he should remain a solid weapon around the goal line, giving him touchdown upside in fantasy football. Despite finishing as the WR24 or lower in each of his last three seasons, Waddle's trade gives him top-15 receiver upside in dynasty fantasy football leagues. He's a very intriguing buy-low target for managers this offseason.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs has been trending up in dynasty leagues. The 24-year-old receiver's dynasty stock has benefitted from the Colts' decision to trade Michael Pittman Jr., which should leave Downs in line to start alongside Alec Pierce. While Pierce projects as the Colts' top receiver after his big payday, Downs has the potential to carve out a fantasy-relevant role. This offense is good enough to support two fantasy-relevant receivers for several years to come, especially as long as Daniel Jones is under center. Downs has ranked between WR35 and WR44 in each of his three NFL seasons, but we wouldn't be surprised to see him take a big step forward and post the best fantasy finish of his career in 2026. Downs set a new career low in catches, yards, and fantasy points last year, softening his price tag in dynasty leagues. Managers should take advantage of this discount and send out trade offers for the UNC product before his potential Year 4 breakout.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan looked "slightly better" than teammate Emeka Egbuka during OTAs this past week, according to Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com. Fantasy managers shouldn't invest too much stock into one week of practices, as it's not uncommon for different players to exceed expectations from time to time. With that being said, McMillan's improvements could be something worth monitoring going forward. McMillan is entering his third year with the Bucs, and if he continues to put together a strong summer, he'll be in the mix for a prominent fantasy football role. It's also worth noting that this report should only be viewed as an encouraging sign for McMillan, and not a slight toward Egbuka. Reynolds made it clear that Egbuka had a very strong week, too. All in all, it sounds like the Bucs' top three receivers -- Egbuka, McMillan, and Chris Godwin Jr. -- are all trending in the right direction as they look to provide more support to quarterback Baker Mayfield in 2026. McMillan could be a steal at his current ADP of 173 (WR62).

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans will be 33 to begin the 2026 season and is coming off a disappointing injury-tarnished year in which he failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career. Starting fresh with a new team for the first time since the Buccaneers made him the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, he has fallen all the way to WR40 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings, making him a strong bounce-back candidate and a lower-cost trade target for contending managers. Evans has been one of the league's most efficient pass-catchers with two or fewer receivers on the field, and in moving from one of the league's heaviest rates of 11 personnel to a Niners team that ran the highest percentage of plays with a fullback on the field, those opportunities should only increase. A growing history of soft tissue injuries should not be ignored, but if Evans can stay healthy in 2026, he's capable of returning immediate value as a short-term dynasty buy.

Following an Offensive Rookie of the Year win in 2020 and a 5,000-yard passing season in year two, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert peaked as high as the QB1 in consensus dynasty rankings. Since then, he's had fantasy finishes as the QB11, QB17, QB12, and QB10, and had nearly fallen out of dynasty's top 10 by the end of his second season in Greg Roman's run-heavy offense. Heading into 2026, the Chargers hired former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel to run the offense and have begun shaping the roster to match his scheme. Los Angeles added quality pieces at fullback and tight end, which should, in theory, create more one-on-one opportunities for Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston, while free agent Keaton Mitchell and fourth-round pick Brenen Thompson add game-breaking speed. With a healthier offensive line, the Chargers could have one of the most improved offenses in 2026, and yet Herbert's dynasty stock has been relatively unimpacted, as he still sits at QB9 in RotoBaller's latest rankings. Only 28 years old and likely priced close to his floor, he has become one of this offseason's most attractive buy candidates.

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II had an eye-opening mid-season stretch as a rookie in which he caught 24 passes for 377 yards across four games. While he was unable to maintain that torrid pace down the stretch, he was one of the most popular breakout candidates of the early offseason. Since then, the team has added Charlie Kolar and David Njoku in free agency, and with Gadsden's blocking ability viewed as the primary reason he couldn't stay on the field as a rookie, the increased competition in that regard could make it difficult for him to find a full-time role. Even with the league trending toward heavier personnel usage, new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has not strictly relied on tight ends to get bigger bodies on the field. Only the 49ers ran a higher percentage of plays with a fullback on the field than McDaniel's 2025 Dolphins, and with former Pro Bowler Alec Ingold following his coach West, there's a strong indication that tendency could hold up in Los Angeles. Gadsden has obvious talents that McDaniel will look to take advantage of, but if he's viewed as more of a gadget piece than an every-down mainstay in the Chargers' new offense, it could be difficult for him to live up to his billing as RotoBaller's dynasty TE10.

Los Angeles Chargers tight end David Njoku was one of the latest additions to the team, signing a one-year deal in mid-May, but he has a chance to make a legitimate fantasy impact in his tenth professional season. New Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has found great success in recent seasons by involving his tight ends, and the room he has already helped to build in Los Angeles boasts a variety of skill sets. Free agent acquisition Charlie Kolar is one of the league's most impactful blockers, while second-year player Oronde Gadsden II flashed game-breaking athleticism as a rookie, but with Njoku being the most well-rounded of the three, he could become the most difficult to pull from the field. Coming off a down year and turning 30 before the start of training camp, he has fallen to dynasty TE26, making him a low-cost trade target. Having finished as the TE13 or better in three of the past four seasons, while playing in a low-scoring Browns offense, Njoku offers obvious short-term upside to contending managers.

At times in his 2025 rookie campaign, New Orleans running back Devin Neal was the top option on the team, though the fact that his two rushing touchdowns led all Saints running backs adds further context to the level of competition he was up against. New Orleans spent big to land Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency, and with veteran Alvin Kamara still currently on the roster after missing six games in 2025, Neal's path to a meaningful workload is sufficiently blocked heading into his second season. Still yet to turn 23, he is RotoBaller's dynasty RB70, and should the Saints find a way to move on from Kamara before the start of the season, Neal could see a brief value spike and a potential sell window. For the time being, though, he remains a dynasty hold with little standalone value but a chance to position himself as a top fantasy handcuff.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has struggled to stay on the field through his first two seasons in the league, but some of the flashes he's shown in brief spurts have demonstrated the abilities that made him a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and suggested that a fantasy breakout could be lurking if he can piece it all together for a full season. All-Pro tight end George Kittle is expected to miss time after rupturing his Achilles in the 2025 postseason, and there is a belief that Christian McCaffrey's workload could be dialed back after handling a league-high 440 opportunities in his age-29 season. Although the team spent an unexpected second-round pick on Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling, Pearsall's primary target competition in two-receiver sets will be a 33-year-old Mike Evans who has dealt with soft tissue injuries in the past and most recently missed nine games with hamstring issues, a concussion, and a broken collarbone. While Pearsall has missed 14 games of his own to a variety of injuries, including a gunshot wound before he'd ever taken an NFL snap, he has finished as the fantasy WR26 or better in 35% percent of his games. Still only 25 years old, Pearsall has both the ability and the opportunity to turn in week-winning performances, and if he can find health and consistency in year three, he has a strong chance of rising dramatically from his current spot of dynasty WR47 in RotoBaller's latest rankings.

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell continues to recover from the devastating knee injury that ended his 2024 sophomore campaign and cost him the entirety of the 2025 season, and while he is present at the team's organized team activities, he is not yet participating. The gruesome nature of the injury that resulted in a dislocated kneecap and multiple torn ligaments has the Texans taking a cautious approach to his recovery and has understandably brought about questions of how Dell will look when he finally returns to action. As a rookie in 2023, he was the fantasy WR38 in half-PPR formats, and before the injury in 2024, he was trending towards another top-45 finish. Now at only 26 years old, he has fallen to RotoBaller's dynasty WR64, and while any manager who has held him to this point is unlikely to sell at that price, Dell is an intriguing upside dart throw in the later rounds of dynasty startups.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker led the team with seven rushing touchdowns in 2025, and he could see meaningful goal-line work once more in his fourth professional season. Presumed starter Bucky Irving is still recovering from the shoulder injury that cost him seven games and impacted his efficiency in 2025. Irving returned to the field in Week 12, still clearly hampered by the injury, and Tucker handled almost 90% of the Buccaneers' carries from within the five-yard line from that point forward. Irving's recovery timeline has been vague, but if the team opts to keep him fresh by limiting him to mostly between-the-20s work, Tucker would be the most likely benefactor over the 5'9", 200-pound Kenneth Gainwell. Tucker went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft due to a congenital heart condition, but whenever he's seen the field, he's looked the part of an NFL running back, and at RotoBaller's dynasty RB75, he represents overlooked value if he's able to hold onto the dedicated goal-line role in what should again be a high-scoring Buccaneers offense.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has had one of the most dominant starts to a career in NFL history. Only Justin Jefferson and Odell Beckham Jr. have topped his 95.3 receiving yards per game through the first three seasons in the league, with fourth-place Anquan Boldin more than 10 yards per game behind. Playing in 16 games in 2025, Nacua finished as the WR1 in half-PPR formats. His physical play style will always put him at risk of missing time, but when on the field, his ceiling is as high as any player in the league. At 25 years old, he is RotoBaller's dynasty WR3 as he enters the final season of his rookie contract. With reigning MVP Matthew Stafford committed to at least two more years with the team, an extension signed by Nacua could be the exact catalyst needed to push him into the top spot, but regardless of where he stands in the rankings, the future is bright for one of the NFL's best young players.

For the first time since 2013, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepare to play a season without six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans, but local media member Scott Reynolds believes the adjustment could go just fine, in part due to the versatility of third-year professional Jalen McMillan. McMillan was a fantasy league-winner down the stretch of his 2024 rookie season, and while a scary preseason neck injury limited him to only four games in 2025, he again topped 100 receiving yards in Week 17. Reynolds believes his ability to play all three receiver spots could lead to similar results across his 2026 campaign. With Zac Robinson arriving from the Falcons as the new offensive coordinator, Tampa will likely see fewer three-receiver sets after deploying 11-personnel at the league's second-highest rate in 2025, and with Emeka Egbuka unlikely to leave the field with any regularity in his second season, a potential rotation between McMillan, Chris Godwin Jr., and 2026 third-round pick Ted Hurst could make those 100-yard performances difficult to predict. As such, McMillan projects as a more useful piece in best ball formats, but at RotoBaller's dynasty WR71, there is still potential to land him well below his actual value with an opportunity for him to see a larger-than-expected workload.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (ankle) posted the most productive season of his career in 2025, recording 47 catches for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns on 84 targets across 15 games. The Colts rewarded him in the offseason, handing him a four-year, $114 million contract. The new money comes with new responsibility as well, as Pierce could shift into Indy's WR1 role following the team's offseason trade of wideout Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pierce showed signs of becoming a more well-rounded wide receiver in 2025, but he's still never averaged more than 5.6 targets per game in a season and is heavily reliant on downfield production. Pierce is also recovering from offseason ankle surgery, which isn't expected to impact his availability to open 2026 but could be a limiting factor on his performance. If the Colts' passing game as a whole takes a step back in quarterback Daniel Jones' (Achilles) first year back from a torn Achilles, Pierce's production may not take the leap many are expecting. In dynasty formats, managers may want to look to capitalize on the growing hype around Pierce with a sell-high trade.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London had the second half of his 2025 season derailed by a PCL strain in his left knee, which caused him to miss time. Even still, the 24-year-old finished the year with 68 receptions for 919 yards and seven touchdowns on 112 targets across 12 games. London's fantasy value has consistently been impacted by shaky quarterback play in Atlanta. That issue could persist in 2026, as the Falcons enter the season with the questionable quarterback duo of Michael Penix Jr. (knee) and Tua Tagovailoa. However, London has a track record of steady production, and he figures to absolutely dominate targets in a Falcons offense that currently features Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus as the next wide receivers up on the depth chart. Given his injury in 2025 and the quarterback uncertainty in Atlanta, dynasty managers may be able to take advantage of a buy-low window on London entering 2026.

Across 14 games in 2025, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams recorded 60 receptions for 789 yards and 14 touchdowns on 114 targets. Adams developed immediate red zone chemistry in his first season with Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, leading the NFL in touchdown catches despite missing three games with a hamstring injury. However, Adams failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season for the first time since 2019 and is blocked from being the number one option in his team's passing game by the presence of Rams wideout Puka Nacua. While Los Angeles projects to once again have a prolific passing offense, any slippage from the team's aerial attack may make it difficult for Adams to buoy his production with touchdowns in 2026. As Adams enters his age-34 season, dynasty managers may be wise to cash in on his value with a sell-high trade.

Despite being limited to 14 games by a toe injury, New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson recorded 948 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns on 162 touches in 2025. It was a major step forward from an efficiency perspective for Stevenson, who recorded just 21 more scrimmage yards on 78 more touches in 2024. Heading into 2026, Stevenson's workload figures to be limited by the presence of fellow Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson. Stevenson was New England's feature back during its run to the Super Bowl last season, which can't be forgotten. Still, Henderson was a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft who flashed big-play upside as a rookie and could take over more of a true RB1 role in his second season. Even if the workload remains split between the two backs, Stevenson's pathway to consistent fantasy production may require a Henderson injury. In dynasty formats, managers may have one final window to sell high on Stevenson ahead of the 2026 season.

Across 17 games in 2025, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (ankle) threw for 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for 356 yards and five scores. The 26-year-old's season ended in disappointing fashion when he suffered a broken bone in his ankle in the AFC Divisional Round, but he's expected to be ready to go for the start of 2026. While Nix hasn't been particularly efficient (6.5 yards per pass attempt) to this point in his career, he's averaged nearly 35 pass attempts per game across his two seasons playing for Broncos head coach Sean Payton. In 2026, Nix's high-volume approach could get an efficiency boost from the presence of new star wideout Jaylen Waddle, whom the Broncos acquired from the Miami Dolphins over the offseason. If Nix can take even a small step as a passer while maintaining his solid contributions with his legs, he could be poised for a breakthrough into mid-tier fantasy QB1 territory in 2026 and beyond.