Fantasy Football News

Will Ragatz of Sports Illustrated writes that he saw enough eye-popping throws from new Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray in offseason practices that "make it hard to imagine" J.J. McCarthy "having a realistic chance to win this competition." It's still only OTAs, but so far, Murray has looked sharper throwing the football than McCarthy. McCarthy still has plenty of zip on his passes and has shown signs of mechanical improvement from a year ago (his first as a full-time starter in the NFL), but Murray "looks like a veteran quarterback who can make all the throws." "His physical talent throwing the ball has been on display every day," head coach Kevin O'Connell said of Murray. "The ability to throw to all three levels, layer the ball, anticipation that veteran players bring to the position." McCarthy, who was the 10th overall pick in 2024 out of the University of Michigan, struggled mightily with accuracy and decision-making, and also struggled to stay healthy, completing 57.6% of his pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 starts after missing his entire rookie season due to knee surgery. It's still early in McCarthy's career, but it's quickly looking like he's falling out of favor as Minnesota's QB of the future.

After a disappointing sophomore season in 2025, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. appears to be developing new chemistry with quarterbackTrevor Lawrence during OTAs this offseason, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN. Thomas has been the subject of numerous offseason trade rumors, but instead, he's expected to stick around in Duvall and could be headed for a bounce-back in Year 3. Lawrence missed seven games during Thomas' impressive rookie season, so most of his production came with backup Mac Jones throwing him the football. Then, both players were learning new head coach Liam Coen's offense last year, with Lawrence limited while coming off shoulder surgery. Thomas had five drops in his first seven games in 2025 and also missed four games with ankle and shoulder injuries. The 23-year-old former 23rd overall pick out of LSU finished with a 48-707-2 line in 14 regular-season starts after catching 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 TDs as a rookie. It hasn't helped Thomas' cause that the Jags acquired Jakobi Meyers in a midseason trade, or that Parker Washington took on an expanded role. Those two receivers are still on the roster, but it doesn't mean that Thomas can't bounce back from his disappointing showing in 2025 with better chemistry with Lawrence. Coen said the coaching staff is "trying to get a true connection" going between Thomas and Lawrence. It's something to watch for fantasy managers with Thomas certainly coming at a discount in 2026 drafts.

New Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis' chemistry with his receivers in Miami is a "work in progress," according to head coach Jeff Hafley. Willis, who spent the past two years as a backup for the Green Bay Packers, needs to build chemistry with all of the Dolphins' wideouts, whom he has never worked with before in his career. "I just think it's going to take time. I think it's improved. It's going to be a work in progress, and it's going to take a lot of reps, just like it would with any new quarterback and new wide receiver group. It's just going to take time with the rhythm," Hafley said. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said it's an "ongoing process" that will go all the way up until the start of the 2026 regular season in September. Willis hasn't exactly been great during OTAs, but he also hasn't had star running back De'Von Achane (shoulder) working out of the backfield. The 27-year-old Willis will be Miami's starter after signing a three-year, $67.5 million deal in March, but at best, he'll be a low-end QB2 in superflex leagues in what could again be a frustrating and inefficient Dolphins offense with a lack of established wideouts at Willis' disposal. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 21 signal-caller for the upcoming campaign.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield said that current contract talks "are not anywhere close to what we were thinking," but he's "gonna do everything he can to help his team win a Super Bowl," according to Jenna Laine of ESPN. Mayfield wants to stay in Tampa long term, but he doesn't want to focus on negotiations once training camp hits at the end of July. The 31-year-old veteran is entering the final year of a three-year, $100 million deal he signed in 2024, and his fantasy stock is on the decline due to mounting nagging injuries and the fact that he lost future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans to free agency this offseason. Mayfield finished as the QB12 in fantasy in 2025, throwing for 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 17 starts in his third year with the Bucs. It was a big dropoff after Mayfield threw for a career-high 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and a league-leading 16 picks in 17 starts in 2024 to earn his second Pro Bowl berth. The Bucs still have weapons around him, but fantasy managers should be pegging Mayfield as more of a high-end QB2 than a surefire QB1 as he enters what could be his final season in Tampa.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (undisclosed) has not been taking part in OTAs due to an undisclosed reason, according to John Shipley of Sports Illustrated. The Jags' backfield has plenty of uncertainty heading into the 2026 season after Travis Etienne Jr. joined the New Orleans Saints in free agency, and Rodriguez's absence during voluntary offseason workouts adds to the unknown. In addition to C-Rod, the Jags have Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. as their top-three RBs for the upcoming campaign. We should have a better idea of how the RB touches might shake out in Jacksonville this year once the 25-year-old Rodriguez rejoins the team, hopefully for mandatory minicamp this month. Most likely, Rodriguez and Tuten will share the early-down work for head coach Liam Coen's offense, with Allen primarily working on passing downs. In his first three NFL seasons with the Washington Commanders after being a sixth-round pick in 2023 out of the University of Kentucky, Rodriguez averaged 4.6 yards per carry and totaled 920 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 198 carries over 35 games (seven starts). Tuten is the more explosive, higher-upside fantasy target in 2026 with clear RB2 upside, but C-Rod could also carve out a role for fantasy managers as an RB3/flex play.

After spending the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens, tight end Isaiah Likely signed a three-year, $40 million contract in free agency with the New York Giants this past March. Likely routinely flashed high upside during his time in Baltimore, but his path to consistent fantasy production was blocked by the presence of fellow Ravens tight end Mark Andrews. In New York, Likely may now be facing another playing time split with incumbent Giants tight end Theo Johnson. However, the team's sizable financial commitment to Likely indicates that he is the Giants' TE1, as does Likely's familiarity with new Giants and former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. Additionally, Likely could conceivably open 2026 as the number one target in New York's passing game with star Giants wideout Malik Nabers (knee) facing an uncertain recovery timeline from the serious knee injury that ended his 2025 campaign. Likely's fantasy profile still lacks certainty, but his dynasty upside is significant as he enters his first season with his new team.

After spending the first three seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers, running back Emanuel Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks for the 2026 season in March. The 27-year-old was productive in a backup role behind Josh Jacobs in Green Bay, recording 1,145 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns on 254 touches across 34 games over the past two seasons. With Seahawks RB1 Zach Charbonnet (knee) expected to miss the start of the 2026 regular season while recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in mid-January, Wilson could open the year as Seattle's lead rusher. However, the Seahawks also added Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price with the 32nd overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, likely capping Wilson's production upside. Wilson carries some short-term production upside, but he likely still profiles long-term as a handcuff running back option for dynasty managers.

Across 17 games as a rookie in 2025, Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel hauled in 26 receptions for 292 yards and two touchdowns on 35 targets. Noel profiles primarily as a slot receiver, so his path to playing time last season was largely blocked by veteran wideout Christian Kirk. While Houston let Kirk walk in free agency, Noel may not be in a better position in 2026 due to the impending return of Texans wideout Tank Dell (knee) from the knee injury that caused him to miss the entire 2025 season. Dell is recovering from a dislocated kneecap and multiple torn ligaments, making both his return and ability to produce uncertain at best. However, if Dell is healthy, Noel could project as the WR4 in Houston behind Dell, Nico Collins, and Jayden Higgins. Noel profiles as a player to hold in dynasty formats for the time being, but his future in Houston is likely largely dependent on Dell's health status going forward.

Across 15 games as a rookie in 2025, Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson recorded 446 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 98 touches. While fellow Browns rookie Quinshon Judkins (ankle) emerged as the team's clear lead rusher, Sampson established himself as a pass-catcher out of the backfield by hauling in 33 receptions for 271 yards and two scores on 40 targets. Cleveland did not make any notable additions to its running back room over the offseason and let veteran back Jerome Ford walk in free agency. As a result, Judkins and Sampson appear to be locked in as the Browns' top two rushers for 2026. As long as Judkins fully recovers from the ankle injury that ended his 2025 season and remains healthy in 2026, Sampson's production upside is limited. Still, Sampson carries dynasty handcuff appeal and could offer some standalone value in PPR-scoring formats if he continues to dominate passing-down work. Fantasy managers may want to consider attempting to buy low on Sampson ahead of his second NFL season.

Across 11 games in 2025, Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani recorded just 88 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 24 touches. The 26-year-old spent the year blocked from regular playing time by Seattle's potent running back duo of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet (knee). Walker III departed Seattle in free agency, and Charbonnet's status for the start of 2026 is in doubt as he works his way back from the torn ACL that he suffered during Seattle's NFC Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers in mid-January. However, Holani's place on the depth chart remains uncertain following the Seahawks' use of a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on running back Jadarian Price and their free agent acquisition of running back Emanuel Wilson. With Charbonnet expected to miss the beginning of the upcoming season, Holani could carve out a regular role in Seattle. However, he could also remain limited to RB3 duties if he cannot beat out Wilson and/or Price emerges as a star. Holani could be worth rostering in deeper dynasty leagues, but his profile comes with risk.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby could see an increase in snaps in his second year with the team, according to Geoff Mosher of PhillyVoice. Mosher speculates that Bigsby's one-cut running style may actually be a better fit for new Eagles play-caller Sean Mannion's offensive scheme than star running back Saquon Barkley's "freelance" approach. Philadelphia acquired Bigsby one week into the 2025 season, and he finished the year with 344 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 58 carries across 16 games. In games where Barkley is available, the Eagles have typically leaned on him heavily as a three-down workhorse. However, Bigsby was highly efficient as a rusher (5.9 yards per carry) when given the opportunity in 2025. If he earns more touches in 2026, he could carve out some standalone fantasy value. Either way, he carries significant upside as a high-end handcuff running back option for fantasy managers.

New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller has yet to reach 115 offensive snaps, 50 carries, or 200 rushing yards in any of his three seasons in the league. Hampered by injury and inefficiency, he's spent his early career clinging to a roster spot since the Saints selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. With New Orleans spending big to acquire Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency, and veteran Alvin Kamara still on the roster through the opening stages of organized team activities, Miller is left battling 2025 sixth-round pick Devin Neal for the third spot in a top-heavy rotation. With Miller still recovering from the torn ACL that ended his third season after only seven games, the early edge could go to Neal, who turned in a serviceable effort in his lead-back duties to finish the year. Still just on the verge of turning 24, Miller's best hopes of finding fantasy relevance are tied squarely to the fate of Kamara. If the 10th-year veteran sticks in New Orleans for one more season, Miller may not even be guaranteed a roster spot in 2026, but if the Saints eventually find a way to move on from their all-time leading rusher, there may still be a slim chance of retribution for RotoBaller's dynasty RB95.

When the Philadelphia Eagles signed veteran wide receiver Hollywood Brown to a one-year deal in mid-March, it was the first of several steps taken to prepare for life without three-time Pro Bowler A.J. Brown. The team has since traded for Dontayvion Wicks and has spent first and second-round picks on Makai Lemon and tight end Eli Stowers. With the latter Brown being dealt to New England on June 1st, incumbents DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert are the last remaining pillars of a receiving core that prepares to play under its fifth offensive coordinator in as many seasons. Himself no stranger to change, the Eagles mark Hollywood Brown's fourth team in six years, but unable to top a WR45 fantasy finish at either of his last two stops, it's unlikely he takes a significant step forward in his new environment. With Smith and Lemon projected to lead the team in targets, Brown could be dealing with a limited workload in what still projects to be a run-first offense, and at 29 years old, he has fallen to RotoBaller's dynasty WR104.

When veteran wide receiver Darnell Mooney signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants in March, he joined what looked to be one of the thinnest receiver rooms in the league. The Giants have since used a third-round pick on big-bodied boundary wideout Malachi Fields and opened June by handing out contracts to Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Braxton Berrios. While the signings were perhaps an indictment of the health of presumed starters Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton, the infusion of depth is enough to make dynasty managers bearish on Mooney after he failed to top 450 receiving yards in his final season in Atlanta despite playing starter's snaps alongside players like David Sills V and Casey Washington, while Drake London missed five games with a sprained PCL. In what projects to be another run-heavy offense under John Harbaugh and Matt Nagy, Mooney already faced an uphill climb to reestablishing fantasy value, but with his situation now considerably murkier than it was at the time of his signing, the undersized 28-year-old has fallen to RotoBaller's dynasty WR98.

Since 2021, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Christian Kirk has taken more than 75% of his snaps out of the slot, but in signing with the Niners in free agency, he landed with a team that deployed 11 personnel at the league's sixth-lowest rate in 2025. In the Kyle Shanahan era, no team has more regularly removed a receiver from the formation in favor of a fullback than the 49ers, putting Kirk at a disadvantage before even factoring in the team's splashier free agent signing of six-time Pro Bowler Mike Evans or the surprise selection of De'Zhaun Stribling with the 33rd overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. There's a slim possibility of a tendency shift to lighter personnel early in the year as the team awaits a return to health from All-Pro tight end George Kittle, but even in this unlikely scenario, Kirk could still find himself fighting for playing time behind Evans, Stribling, and 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall. Once partly responsible for resetting the wide receiver free agent market, Kirk is now 29 years old, and at RotoBaller's dynasty WR97, he is no longer a player who needs to be rostered in shallower leagues.

Inconsistency and a lack of a true bell cow atop the Chiefs' running back depth chart allowed ample opportunity for Brashard Smith to carve out a meaningful role as a 2025 rookie, but the seventh-round pick out of SMU was never able to capitalize. Appearing in all 17 games, Smith ran for only 151 yards on a 3.4-yard-per-carry clip, adding another 172 yards through the air and scoring his only touchdown of the season in a Week 17 loss to the Broncos. Kansas City added the top free agent running back on the market in Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III before spending a fifth-round pick on arguably the best receiving back in the 2026 rookie class, Emmett Johnson. The Chiefs rounded out their depth chart with the low-cost addition of veteran Emari Demercado, who had been hyper-efficient in his limited work with the Cardinals, averaging almost 7.9 yards per attempt over the past two seasons. Smith has accordingly been pushed to the bubble of most dynasty rosters, and with no clear path to fantasy relevance, he has fallen to RB74 in RotoBaller's dynasty rankings, making him a drop candidate in all but the deepest leagues.

Atlanta Falcons rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch, who was the 79th overall pick in the third round of this year's draft out of the University of Georgia, has been quickly learning the team's offense and building chemistry with his teammates in OTAs this offseason, according to Will McFadden of AtlantaFalcons.com. The 22-year-old proved to be one of college's most explosive playmakers in 2025 with the Bulldogs, leading the SEC with 81 catches and gaining 811 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 14 games played. He has drawn the attention of new quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who played with two elite speed receivers in Miami in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. "I mean, dude's fast," Tagovailoa said. "Dude can play very shifty. Kind of reminds me of Waddle." Branch caught 159 passes for 1,634 yards and nine touchdowns in his three collegiate seasons (two at USC), and he did most of his damage after he already secured the football. He was targeted 96 times and caught 92 passes behind the line of scrimmage in college. Speed is not in question with Branch, but his durability at 5-foot-9, 177 pounds, and his role in his rookie season are up for debate. Expect him to compete with Olamide Zaccheaus and Jahan Dotson for the WR2 role in Atlanta in 2026 behind WR1 Drake London.

Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (undisclosed) hasn't taken part in on-field workouts during the offseason program after having two undisclosed surgeries, but he's "feeling good" and is expected to be back on the field for training camp this summer, according to John Boyle of the team's official website. The 24-year-old was on the weekly injury report for Seattle regularly late last season, being listed with hip, elbow, shoulder, knee, ankle, and calf injuries. He still made 20 starts, including the postseason, and he finished with 52 receptions (68 targets) for 519 yards and six touchdowns in 17 regular-season starts in his second year in the NFL. "I'm going to feel much better, and I'm already feeling much better, and I think that's where I'll see strides," Barner said. "I'm feeling good, and I'm chomping at the bit trying to get back out there." The third-year TE should remain a threat in the red zone for the defending Super Bowl champs in 2026, but the expected emergence of Elijah Arroyo will certainly cap his fantasy ceiling in 2026. RotoBaller has Barner ranked as the No. 27 fantasy TE going into the upcoming season.

Chicago Bears second-year wide receiver Luther Burden III appears to be the one ready to step up after Chicago traded DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills this offseason. According to former NFL tight end Clay Harbor, Burden is "doing everything you'd think a No. 1 receiver would do" during OTAs this offseason. The 22-year-old former second-rounder (39th overall) out of the University of Missouri looks bigger and faster and is playing both inside and outside in head coach Ben Johnson's offense. Johnson even said himself last week that he's "buying Burden stock right now." He finished his rookie year as a real weapon in Chicago's offense, catching 47 of his 60 targets for 652 yards and two touchdowns in 15 regular-season games (five starts). Former first-rounder Rome Odunze remains in town, but he may never be the same after heel issues that could continue to be a concern for him. Burden looks like the real deal and is quickly becoming one of the top breakout candidates at the receiver position in 2026. RotoBaller currently has him ranked as the No. 19 fantasy WR for the 2026 season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers recently gave edge rusher Nick Herbig a four-year, $100 million contract extension, which has led to more speculation that the Steelers could trade one of linebackers T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith, this offseason. The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday that Watt "isn't going anywhere this year, and he's going to play for the Steelers." Rapoport also doesn't "get the sense" that Highsmith is going anywhere either. Watt, 31, signed a three-year, $123 million contract with Pittsburgh in July of last year. It doesn't sound like he's a realistic trade candidate this offseason, but that could be a different story come next year, when the Steelers will have a decision to make either way. The eight-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro can still be a difference-maker on defense when he's healthy, but he's not getting any younger, and durability is becoming a bit more of a concern for the Steelers and fantasy managers in IDP formats. Watt played in 14 regular-season games in 2025 and had just seven sacks, the second-fewest total of his nine-year NFL career.