Fantasy Football News

The Pittsburgh Steelers restructured tight end Pat Freiermuth's contract on Sunday to free up some salary cap space for the 2026 season, multiple sources told Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live. Freiermuth's salary cap hit this year will decrease to $11.2 million. The 27-year-old should see more volume in Pittsburgh in his sixth year in the league with both Jonnu Smith and Connor Heyward no longer in town, and it's a positive that veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers is back in the Steel City for one more season. In his fifth year with the Steelers in 2025, Freiermuth caught 41 of his 54 targets for 486 yards and four touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (eight starts) to finish as the TE24 in half-PPR scoring. While the former second-rounder's volume should increase at least slightly, he'll now have to battle for targets with new wideout Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie receiver Germie Bernard. Freiermuth has never had more than 732 receiving yards or seven touchdowns in a single season, so the ceiling is pretty low in fantasy, and RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 24 TE for the 2026 campaign.

Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason was a popular breakout candidate after the team acquired him from San Francisco in the 2025 offseason, but he was a top-20 fantasy back in only two weeks and finished the year as the RB35. His 4.8 yards per carry, while representing the lowest mark of his career, was still solid, but he never saw the volume needed to sustain fantasy success. With Aaron Jones missing five games, Mason exceeded 15 carries only twice all season, and even then, topped out at 16. Seven times, he was held to single-digit attempts. The Vikings spent a sixth-round pick on running back Demond Claiborne in the 2026 NFL, but at only 5'10" and 195 pounds, he's more likely to impact Jones' role on third downs, while Mason should remain the early-down thumper. With a healthier offensive line and improved quarterback play, his second season with the Vikings could be marginally more productive even if his role remains largely unchanged. At 27 years old, Mason is RotoBaller's dynasty RB52, and while the breakout calls have quieted, he is still capable of playing out the final year of his contract as an occasional flex option with notable insurance upside.

Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks became part of the team's new-look offense when Philadelphia sent two Day 3 picks to Green Bay to acquire him in April. The trade occurred shortly after the Eagles signed receiver Hollywood Brown to a one-year deal, and before spending first and second-round picks on Makai Lemon and tight end Eli Stowers in the 2026 NFL Draft. With the assumption that three-time Pro Bowler A.J. Brown will be dealt on or after June 1st, Wicks could soon be the closest piece the Eagles have left to a prototypical X-receiver. Others on the roster have spent more time on the boundary, but few have the size or strength to consistently face press coverage. Wicks has seen his downfield usage rise over the past two seasons with the Packers, though with it, his efficiency has dropped precipitously from the 2.04 yards per route run that put him on fantasy maps as a rookie. He has yet to top his 580 receiving yards of that 2023 season, but in moving from one crowded, run-heavy offense to another, he at least now stands out physically from the rest of the room at 6'1" and 206 pounds. While it's unlikely the soon-to-be-25-year-old Wicks takes a massive step forward for fantasy, he has a chance of being a regular presence in three-receiver sets along with Lemon and DeVonta Smith, and at RotoBaller's dynasty WR103, he's at least worth holding onto until a new pecking order is established in Philadelphia.

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard has seen his dynasty value fluctuate wildly since coming into the league as a fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma State in the 2021 NFL Draft. After beginning his career as a backup to Christian McCaffrey, Hubbard broke out with an RB15 finish in 2024 in a year that most presumed the Carolina backfield would run through second-round pick Jonathon Brooks. With Brooks missing the entire 2025 season after re-tearing the ACL in his right knee, presumptions shifted again, and Hubbard came into the year as the RB19 in consensus dynasty rankings. Unfortunately, injuries and inefficiency saw him take a backseat to Rico Dowdle for much of the year while he averaged less than four yards per carry and fell as low as RB42 in those same rankings. With Dowdle signing a two-year deal with the Steelers in free agency, lead back duties in Carolina again appear to belong to Hubbard. That said, little has gone as planned for Panthers running backs of late, and Brooks should be close to full health to begin a season for the first time in his professional career. Hubbard is in the second season of the four-year extension he signed in 2024, and while the team could save $6 million by moving on from him before 2027, he appears to be part of the team's plans both presently and moving forward. At RotoBaller's dynasty RB33, the soon-to-be-27-year-old sixth-year veteran finally feels appropriately priced.

New Orleans tight end Juwan Johnson will turn 30 at the start of the regular season, and with the Saints spending four of their first seven picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on pass-catchers, including Georgia tight end Oscar Delp in the third round, he has seen his dynasty stock take a hit. Ahead of his seventh professional season, Johnson has fallen to RotoBaller's TE25, making him a low-cost trade target for contending managers. He has finished as the TE10 in half-PPR formats in two of his last three healthy seasons, and in year one in Kellen Moore's up-tempo, high-volume offense, he was one of only seven tight ends to see triple-digit targets in 2025. While Delp and first-round pick Jordyn Tyson will eat into his target share, there is optimism that the Saints offense as a whole takes another step forward after 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough led the team to a 5-4 record down the stretch while topping 300 passing yards in two of his final three starts. Johnson was often overlooked by the dynasty community even while performing at the top of his game, so if the perception is that he's fallen even further in New Orleans' new-look offense, his buying window is wide open.

Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal led the team in carries and rushing yards in 2025, with Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris missing a combined 22 games. While Harris remains unsigned, Hampton is back and healthy, with the presumption that the 2025 first-round pick will handle close to a bell-cow role in his second season. The team added former Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell, bringing an element of speed coveted by new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, and he is likely to serve as the primary change-of-pace back while Vidal becomes more of a true handcuff to Hampton. Without an injury ahead of him, Vidal could struggle to find standalone value before becoming an exclusive rights free agent in 2027. However, with McDaniel calling plays and the Chargers' offensive line expected to be healthy again in 2026, Los Angeles' offense should provide one of the league's best situations for a runner to be dropped into, making him one of the more valuable insurance backs in fantasy and a must-roster player. Vidal is RotoBaller's dynasty RB57, making him an easy throw-in as part of a larger deal.

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders has quietly flown below fantasy radars for much of his first two seasons in the league, and while it's entirely possible that is where he'll remain, he's shown just enough to consider throwing a late-round dart his way in dynasty startups or inquiring about his acquisition cost in existing leagues. Since coming into the NFL as a 2024 fourth-round pick out of Texas, Sanders leads all Panthers tight ends with 62 receptions and 532 yards. While the competition is not particularly steep in dedicated blocker Tommy Tremble and 2025 fifth-rounder Mitchell Evans, the Panthers obviously felt strongly enough about the room to bypass the position entirely in a 2026 NFL Draft in which they made seven total selections. It's possible that Dave Canales' Carolina offense simply isn't designed to involve its tight ends in the passing game, but with the Panthers depth chart thinning quickly behind 2025 Offensive Player of the Year Tetairoa McMillan and the exciting, but still relatively unproven Jalen Coker, there is an opportunity to be had. At only 23 years old, if Sanders can stay healthy in 2026, something he was unable to do last season, he could see his usage spike, and with it his dynasty value.

New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith is RotoBaller's dynasty QB41, and following a disastrous season with the Raiders in which he threw for barely over 3,000 yards and nearly as many interceptions as touchdowns, the 35-year-old veteran has become one of the most easily acquirable starting quarterbacks in fantasy. With New York's offensive line notably stronger than the unit he played behind in Vegas, and the Jets boasting an exciting group of young pass catchers even behind 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson, if Smith has anything left in the tank, his production should improve dramatically in 2026. While he should be capable of plugging in as a startable bye week or injury filler in superflex leagues, how much value he can provide if needed in a pinch during fantasy playoffs is a different question entirely. The Jets spent a fourth-round pick on Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, and with three first-round picks in a loaded 2027 NFL Draft and an eye toward the future, there's no certainty that Smith will be the one starting games to finish the season. For quarterback-desperate managers, Smith is still capable of exceeding his current trade value, but should he end 2026 riding the bench for another bad Jets team, any remaining dynasty value will fully disintegrate.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was once viewed as the QB2 in consensus dynasty rankings, fresh off an incredibly efficient 2023 rookie campaign in which he threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns to only five interceptions. Following two disappointing seasons, and last seen in arguably the worst game of his career in a Divisional Round playoff loss to the Patriots, he has fallen to QB18 in RotoBaller's dynasty rankings. With the Texans exercising his fifth-year option back in April, Stroud will spend at least the next two seasons with a Houston team that has a strong enough surrounding cast to keep him fantasy relevant even without the safety of a rushing floor. Stroud has not topped 233 rushing yards through his first three years in the league, and with that type of immobility, his yearly fantasy finishes will be intrinsically linked to his touchdown totals. While he finished 2025 with only 19 passing touchdowns, he was on pace for more than 30 and was the fantasy QB14 through the first half of the year before a concussion knocked him out of a Week 9 loss to the Broncos and ultimately cost him three starts. While he is unlikely to ever return to top two dynasty status, Stroud's ceiling when things break right is still higher than his current ranking would suggest, and as a more than capable second quarterback in superflex leagues, he's become an undervalued trade target who has yet to turn 25.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten was a fourth-round pick in a running back-heavy 2025 draft class, and although he only produced 386 yards from scrimmage as a rookie, he clearly showed enough for the team to bypass the position entirely in the 2026 NFL Draft, despite the departure of Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency. Etienne led the team with more than 300 opportunities in 2025, and to help fill some of the void he leaves behind, Jacksonville brought in Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Ameer Abdullah, but the former has never exceeded 115 total touches in a season, while the latter hasn't hit that mark since 2017. Rodriguez has a connection to head coach Liam Coen from their time together at Kentucky, and he offers sneaky upside as a goal-line back, but Tuten is expected to see a significant usage increase in 2026 and, as such, has risen to RB23 in RotoBaller's dynasty rankings. At 209 pounds, Tuten possesses elite speed. While he was unable to spring a single run of more than 15 yards as a rookie, if explosive plays eventually become a bankable part of his game, the 23-year-old speedster will be considered a steal at his current acquisition cost.

Free agent running back Joe Mixon has all but fallen off the fantasy radar following a mysteriously deleted 2025 season stemming from a foot/ankle injury first reported during organized team activities with the Houston Texans. To this day, little information has been provided about the injury, with Texans general manager Nick Caserio calling it a freak situation earlier this offseason without adding any additional details. Mixon turns 30 before the start of the 2026 season, and since being released by the Texans in early March, his name has scarcely come up in free agent conversations, suggesting his NFL career may have already come to an unceremonious end. In his lone healthy season with the Texans, he finished as the RB13 in half-PPR formats. He now clings to the RB73 spot in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings, but if he fails to latch onto a team by the time training camps are in full force, dynasty managers still holding out hope of a return can safely drop him to open up a roster spot where needed.

Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey had a strong first season in the NFL after the Broncos took him 60th overall in the second round out of Central Florida, totaling 896 scrimmage yards and 12 total touchdowns (seven rushing, five receiving). It certainly helped that J.K. Dobbins missed half of the season with a foot injury, thrusting the 5-foot-8, 205-pounder into a significant role much earlier than Denver had anticipated. Harvey had 146 rushing attempts for 540 yards (3.7 yards per carry) on the ground and added 47 receptions (58 targets) for 356 receiving yards in 17 regular-season games to finish as the RB21 in half-PPR scoring. He lacks the size to be a true workhorse back in the NFL, and his long-term fantasy value took a major hit this offseason when the Broncos brought back Dobbins and selected Jonah Coleman in the fourth round. Both Dobbins and Coleman are more suited for early-down, between-the-tackles usage, potentially relegating Harvey to more of a strict third-down, passing catching role in 2026 and beyond. While Harvey has fallen to the RB26 ranking at RotoBaller in dynasty setups, he's not a bad buy candidate as a PPR complement as he heads into just his second year in the NFL.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is as gutsy as they come on the football field, and he had back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons in 2023 and 2024 in his first two years with the organization. However, he went from being the QB4 in fantasy in 2024 to the QB12 last year after finishing with 3,693 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 17 starts. The 31-year-old signal-caller is as tough as they come, but injuries have to be a concern because of the way he plays and always grinds for the extra yard. The biggest knock on Mayfield's dynasty stock in the future is the loss of future Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans, who departed in free agency. Mayfield will also be learning a new scheme under offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. There's hope that Robinson can unlock the version of Mayfield from 2023 and 2024, but with Evans gone, Mayfield won't be as attractive as a QB1 streamer in single-year fantasy football leagues. In dynasty, it feels like Mayfield's best years are probably behind him, and he has dropped in RotoBaller's rankings to QB19, one spot behind the Houston Texans' C.J. Stroud. In superflex leagues, Mayfield can still be a serviceable No. 2, but we wouldn't want to be relying on the aging QB as a No. 1 in a new offensive scheme without his most reliable weapon from years past.

Running back Brian Robinson Jr. went from backing up San Francisco 49ers All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey in 2025 to backing up All-Pro RB Bijan Robinson in Atlanta after signing a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Falcons in free agency in March. The 27-year-old former third-round selection by the Washington Commanders in 2022 out of Alabama saw a career-low workload behind CMC last year, seeing only 92 carries for 400 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and adding eight catches for 25 yards through the air through 17 regular-season games. In Atlanta, he'll have the opportunity for a much larger workload if the Falcons remain a run-heavy offensive unit under new head coach Kevin Stefanski -- backup Tyler Allgeier had 143 carries and eight touchdowns behind Bijan Robinson in 2025. B-Rob has averaged just over 4.0 yards per carry in his four-year career and is a capable all-around back as depth for the Falcons. Long-term, he doesn't have a ton of fantasy appeal in dynasty leagues, but for those who have Bijan rostered, B-Rob will be a valuable handcuff to have in 2026. He's currently ranked as the No. 58 RB at RotoBaller in dynasty/keeper formats.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (back) burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2023 and immediately became a high-end TE1 in fantasy, catching 86 of 120 targets for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns in 17 regular-season games to finish as the overall TE1 in half-PPR scoring. Unfortunately, the 25-year-old former second-rounder (34th overall) out of Iowa took a step back in 2024 (60-726-7 line as the TE7 overall), and he played in a career-low nine games in 2025 due to a disc injury in his back that required surgery. Despite the lost year last season, LaPorta had a career-high 54.3 yards per game and 12.2 yards per catch before being shut down for the year. He also had an 81.6% catch rate on 49 targets in nine games. It's obvious that LaPorta's dynasty stock is down coming off back surgery, and although he's in Detroit's high-powered offense, there are still plenty of mouths to feed. LaPorta is expected to be healthy for training camp and the start of the 2026 regular season. With 20 touchdowns in three seasons in a high-scoring offense, savvy fantasy managers should look to buy low on LaPorta now that his value is at an all-time low. At RotoBaller, he's still ranked as the TE6 in dynasty formats.

New Orleans Saints rookie first-round wide receiver Jordyn Tyson practiced on only one day of the Saints' two-day rookie minicamp, and head coach Kellen Moore said he was one of several players on a "maintenance plan" to build them up after a significant time away from football, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN. Tyson, who was the eighth overall pick in April out of Arizona State, dealt with a hamstring injury during the pre-draft process, so the Saints aren't going to put too much on his plate right away. The 21-year-old wideout battled several different injuries in college, and his biggest challenge in the NFL will be staying healthy. If healthy, though, Terrell lists Tyson as an immediate starter for the Saints' offense, and he'll get significant snaps next to Chris Olave and whoever wins the No. 3 WR job. Tyson had 1,821 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns on 136 catches in his final two seasons with the Sun Devils, and he has intriguing yards-after-the-catch ability. If he can stay healthy, he should be a nice upside WR3/flex in single-year fantasy leagues in 2026 in the Saints' up-tempo offense.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III has had a storybook run over the past three-plus months, signing a three-year, $43 million deal shortly after earning Super Bowl MVP honors, and those accomplishments have not been ignored by dynasty managers. Walker's consensus dynasty ranking has risen more than ten spots since January, and he lands at RB10 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings. After sharing a Seattle backfield with 2023 second-round pick Zach Charbonnet for the past three seasons, Walker has a chance to handle a true bellcow role in a Kansas City offense looking to rebound from a disappointing 2025 season, and capable of doing so if two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes can return to form after a season-ending ACL injury. The Chiefs spent fifth-round draft capital on pass-catching running back Emmett Johnson, but aside from Walker, no back on the roster has ever cracked 60 carries in a season. While he has yet to top the RB16 finish from his 2022 rookie campaign, at only 25 years old, Walker is one of the easiest calls for a true fantasy breakout in 2025, and the 29-touch, 161-yard performance he last put forth in a Super Bowl-winning effort could become a repeatable statline in Andy Reid's offense.

Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift has finished as the RB23 or better in each of his six seasons in the league, including a career-best RB15 finish in 2025, but at RotoBaller's dynasty RB25, he remains one of the league's perpetually underappreciated fantasy assets. 2025 seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai drew praise for a mid-season stretch in which he averaged 79.9 yards and scored five times from Weeks 7 through 13, including a Week 9 start in which he stepped in for an injured Swift and topped 175 rushing yards on 26 carries. On the season, though, Swift was the more effective runner both before and after contact; he forced more missed tackles per attempt, and he nearly doubled Monangai's production in the passing game. While the platoon could see a more even distribution of work in their second season together, Chicago is projected to be one of the highest scoring teams in the league in year two under Ben Johnson, and Swift should maintain a larger share of the high-value work after converting eight of his red zone carries into touchdowns in 2025. Currently priced below what he has consistently proven to be his floor, the 27-year-old Swift is a relatively low-cost dynasty target for managers in need of short-term running back depth.

Buffalo running back Ray Davis has done very little through his first two seasons in the league, but he remains a frustrating dynasty hold unless the Bills make a move to prove otherwise. Davis recorded only 275 rushing yards in his second season, with more than half of that coming in a career-best Week 18 performance in which the team rested its starters, providing a glimpse of what he could do with a lead role, even if it did come against a gutted Jets team playing for draft position. For most of the season, veteran Ty Johnson served as the primary change-of-pace back behind James Cook III, largely for what he offers as a receiver. While Johnson is still with the team, it would likely be Davis who steps in as the primary ball carrier should Cook miss extended time, making him a must-stash. The three-time Pro Bowler Cook has been extremely durable to this point, missing only two games across his first four seasons, but with Buffalo running the ball at one of the league's highest rates in Joe Brady's offense, the lead back role is capable of providing week-winning volume for whoever is handling it. Davis is an unproven but important insurance back, but his ranking of RotoBaller's dynasty RB66 reflects his lack of standalone value.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is 36 years old and coming into his 14th season as RotoBaller's dynasty TE19. After failing to top 985 receiving yards or five touchdowns in any of his last three seasons, it's clear that his days of league-winning dominance are behind him, but he's still a steadfast producer at a position of scarcity, finishing no lower than TE6 since 2015 and all the way up at TE3 in 2025. Outside of Kelce and wide receiver Rashee Rice, the Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is trending towards a Week 1 return after suffering a season-ending ACL tear in Week 15, lack reliable pass catchers. Though, with Rice's off-field behavior continuing to grab headlines, questions have arisen about his own reliability. Kelce signed what was originally reported as a new three-year deal this offseason, but the contract gives him the option to retire by the summer of 2027, leading many to believe this will be his final season in the league. His yards per reception have dropped to under 10 yards since 2023 after topping 12.2 yards per catch in each of his first nine active seasons, but he has continued to earn triple-digit targets, with that streak now sitting at 10 consecutive years, while only Trey McBride has seen more looks at the position across his three "down" years. For contending dynasty managers, Kelce is no longer the piece needed to push a team over the top, but he's not priced that way either, making him a worthwhile trade candidate who should provide at least one more year of above-average fantasy production.