Fantasy Football News

San Francisco 49ers rookie second-round wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling is easier to carry on a rebuilding dynasty roster than one trying to win immediately. The 49ers selected him 33rd overall after he caught 55 passes for 811 yards and six touchdowns during his final season at Ole Miss. He also brings an appealing physical profile at 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds with 4.36 speed. Finding the ball as a rookie may be the problem. Mike Evans has one receiver spot secured, while Stribling is competing with Ricky Pearsall, Christian Kirk, Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Watkins, and Jacob Cowing for the other meaningful snaps. George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey will take their share of the passing game as well. Stribling flashed during the offseason program, and his blocking gives him another way to get on the field, but the weekly volume could be uneven. RotoBaller ranks him WR58 in dynasty. Contenders looking for dependable production may not have room to wait. Rebuilders can be more patient with the second-round pick while his role develops.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray remains more valuable to his real-life team than to most dynasty managers. He played 545 offensive snaps last season, nearly half of Kansas City's total, but turned 37 targets into only 21 catches for 178 yards without a touchdown. That came one year after he posted career highs with 40 receptions, 437 yards, and five scores. The drop was not about getting pushed off the field. Gray simply did not see enough useful targets to repeat the fantasy production. Kansas City still lists him among its primary tight ends entering camp, but Travis Kelce remains the clear focus after catching 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns in 2025. Jared Wiley is also entering his third season after playing only 28 offensive snaps last year. Gray can stay on deep contending rosters, particularly in tight end-premium leagues or as insurance for Kelce managers. Rebuilders have little reason to wait on a 27-year-old whose best season still produced modest volume. He is a hold in very deep formats, not a dynasty target.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer is back on the field, but his redraft case remains difficult to build. An ankle injury wrecked his first year in Buffalo, limiting him to 22 catches for 303 yards without a touchdown in 12 games. He also missed the playoffs and spent part of the spring working off to the side before returning for mandatory minicamp. Palmer said in June that he was feeling much better and getting closer to his pre-injury form. A healthier summer gives him a chance to compete. It does not guarantee much work. DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, and Keon Coleman are all expected to move around the formation, while fourth-round rookie Skyler Bell adds another option inside and outside. Palmer has reached 600 receiving yards once in five NFL seasons and now needs to separate himself in a deeper room than the one he entered last year. RotoBaller ranks him WR105 in PPR leagues. That leaves him as a camp watch in deep formats, not a player standard-league managers need to target.

Carolina Panthers running back Trevor Etienne remains a long shot for useful redraft work after barely touching the offense as a rookie. He appeared in all 17 games, but 20 carries for 94 yards and three catches for 13 yards were the extent of his production. Special teams kept him active. It did not move him any closer to Chuba Hubbard, who enters camp as Carolina's clear lead back. Jonathon Brooks is also back after missing last season with his second ACL tear, and the early camp reports have been encouraging. The Panthers added AJ Dillon, too, although the veteran is fighting for a roster spot rather than walking into a guaranteed role. Etienne still has speed, youth, and fourth-round draft capital on his side. He also has to prove he can earn more than a handful of offensive snaps. RotoBaller ranks him RB84 for redraft, which is where he belongs until the backfield starts opening up. He is a preseason watch-list player in deeper formats, not someone managers need to force into ordinary drafts.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will reportedly have to compete with Michael Wilson for the top spot in the team's receiver room during training camp. Harrison was the fourth overall pick in 2024 and opened his career with 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. His second season never built on that start. Injuries limited him to 12 games, and he finished with 41 receptions for 608 yards and four scores. Wilson moved in the other direction, leading Arizona's wide receivers with 78 catches, 1,006 yards, and seven touchdowns. The competition does not mean Harrison has already lost the job, but the gap between draft status and production has put more pressure on his third season. Several NFL evaluators reportedly view 2026 as a make-or-break year for Harrison. His place in the target order alongside Wilson and tight end Trey McBride will be one of Arizona's biggest camp storylines.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says that the Washington Commanders are an intriguing fit to veteran free-agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs, primarily because they possess a strong young quarterback in Jayden Daniels. Diggs has reportedly attracted interest from at least five teams recently, and he's highly motivated going into the 2026 season since he's not rehabbing an ACL injury like he was last offseason. Despite playing around 55% of the offensive snaps in 2025 with the New England Patriots, the 32-year-old four-time Pro Bowler led the team in receiving and posted his seventh 1,000-yard season while scoring four times on 85 receptions in 17 regular-season starts in 2025. There have been rumors all offseason that the Commanders are looking to sign another receiver to give them more depth behind WR1 Terry McLaurin, but so far, they haven't pulled the trigger. Nothing is imminent with Diggs, but he should land with a new team before the start of the 2026 campaign, which will be his 12th in the NFL. Heading to D.C. will probably give him the best opportunity to regain fantasy football value alongside McLaurin.

The Baltimore Ravens placed star defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) on the Physically Unable to Perform list to begin training camp, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. However, the good news is that Madubuike has been cleared by independent spine and cervical doctors to return to the field, per sources. The Ravens put him on the PUP list to get him reacclimated and for the team to evaluate his conditioning after the former third-rounder in 2020 out of Texas A&M played in only two games in 2025. Zrebiec reports that Madubuike could return to practice as early as next week. The 28-year-old required surgery on his neck, which at the time was considered potentially career-threatening. Madubuike was a Pro Bowler for the Ravens in both 2023 and 2024, combining for 99 tackles (59 solo), 19.5 sacks, 23 tackles for loss, 50 QB hits, and two forced fumbles in 34 starts, so if he can return to his pre-injury form in 2026, the Ravens could have a formidable interior pass-rusher back in the fold.

When asked if safety Nick Emmanwori (ankle) will be ready for the Week 1 season opener on Sept. 9, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said, "I don't know," according to Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune. Emmanwori opened training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, and while the Seahawks are optimistic that he'll be ready to go for the rematch of the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, nothing is guaranteed. The 22-year-old second-rounder in 2025 from South Carolina recently had surgery for an ankle injury that stemmed from days before the Super Bowl. Emmanwori still suited up in the Super Bowl victory over New England, but his recent surgery might push his 2026 season debut back a bit. The good news for the Seahawks' defense is that this isn't expected to be a long-term issue, so Emmanwori shouldn't have to open the regular season on the PUP list. Emmanwori was a key member of Seattle's lockdown defense as a rookie, recording 81 tackles (56 solo), 2.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, an interception, and 11 pass breakups in 14 regular-season games.

The Miami Dolphins spent five 2026 draft picks on offensive skill position players, and despite being the first of that group selected, third-round rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas has flown well beneath the fantasy radar to this point, even in what projects to be a wide-open receiver room. With Dolphins rookies having already reported for training camp, national NFL reporter Cameron Wolfe believes Douglas could earn a starting role and become a necessary target for quarterback Malik Willis in an offense in search of playmakers outside of running back De'Von Achane. A more heralded third-round pick, fellow rookie Chris Bell is beginning the year on the non-football injury list as he continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered in November, while none of the veteran receivers on the roster has a 50-catch NFL campaign under their belt. With one of the lowest projected scoring offenses in the league, it's entirely possible that none of Miami's receivers rise to fantasy prominence in 2026, but at RotoBaller's WR107, Douglas has an obvious path to outperforming expectations as a rookie.

After skipping out on the team's voluntary offseason program and holding in during mandatory minicamp amidst an ongoing contract dispute, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett made headlines by reporting to training with the rest of the Cardinals' veterans, but through the first three practices of camp, he has yet to take part in any team drills, according to ESPN's Josh Weinfuss. Brissett has participated in individual drills and stood with the quarterbacks during 11-on-11 sessions, but has yet to take a rep of his own. Currently in the final season of a two-year pact that would pay him a base salary just shy of $4.9 million, negotiations have been reported as productive, but Brissett may potentially refrain from taking part in team drills until a new deal is done. A fantasy revelation after taking over as starter in 2025, Brissett was the QB6 from Weeks 6 through 18, commanding the pass-heaviest offense in the league, but with more balance expected under first-time head coach Mike LaFleur and uncertainty about his starting role on a team that could be looking to the future early into the year, the 33-year-old veteran is RotoBaller's QB29 for 2026.

Even as his teammate James Cook III has developed into one of the league's true bell cow runners, veteran running back Ty Johnson has maintained an important change-of-pace role, seeing at least 40 carries and 25 targets in each of the past two seasons. While Cook's spot atop the depth chart makes it difficult for any other Buffalo running back to accumulate stats, Johnson's comfort in the passing game could lead to limited fantasy viability should an injury force him into a larger role in 2026. That said, in such a scenario, it would likely be third-year back Ray Davis serving as more of a direct handcuff to Cook, making the soon-to-be-29-year-old Johnson difficult to trust even with a clearing ahead of him. With a lack of standalone value and no obvious path to a substantially increased workload, Johnson is not a player that fantasy drafters will need to consider in 2026.

After showing promising signs in the early stages of his rookie year, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton suffered a season-ending shin injury in Week 9, but he carries no injury designation into his second season, and he was on the field for the Seahawks' first practice of training camp. With a penchant for making timely big plays, Horton scored touchdowns on five of his 13 receptions in 2025, reaching double-digit fantasy points in four of his eight games played. Unfortunately, across the remaining four games, he totaled only one catch for ten yards, making him an untrustworthy boom-or-bust play outside of best ball formats. Following Horton's injury, Seattle traded for Rashid Shaheed, and although the 27-year-old speedster caught only 15 passes across his nine regular season games, he showed up as a difference-making special teams player during the Seahawks' championship run, and with the team locking him up on a three-year, $51 million contract, there are expectations that he'll play a larger offensive role after a full training camp in Renton. The battle for outside reps opposite Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be one to watch throughout camp, but by avoiding the physically unable to perform list, Horton is well positioned to grow into a more consistent fantasy contributor, and he is worth a look in the closing rounds of 2026 drafts.

While he has never finished as a top 70 wide receiver for fantasy, Dallas Cowboys fifth-year veteran KaVontae Turpin is no stranger to making highlight-worthy catches, with the explosive playmaking ability he's long brought to the return game translating offensively whenever he's been given an opportunity. During last season's Week 17 fantasy championship, he housed his only target for an 86-yard touchdown that was enough to make him the WR10 on the week. Unfortunately, a lack of consistent involvement and a stacked depth chart ahead of him make him difficult to trust as anything more than a late-round dart throw in deep best ball leagues. Even there, he has only cracked the top 24 of the position four times over the past two seasons, and having never hit 20 fantasy points in a game, he lacks the true upside to single-handedly win weeks when he does pop off. An older prospect when he came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2022, Turpin will soon turn 30, and he is not a player expected to have a major fantasy impact in 2026.

New England Patriots rookie tight end Eli Raridon has been pointed to as a player who stood out during the team's first practice of training camp on Saturday, with ESPN's Mike Reiss noting how an injury-thinned depth chart has allowed him to take reps behind 11th-year veteran Hunter Henry. Free agent acquisition Julian Hill was placed on season-ending injured reserve after tearing his ACL during OTAs, while 2025 undrafted free agent CJ Dippre opened training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list and was spotted with a brace on his left wrist. Taking advantage of the increased opportunity, Raridon made a deep highlight catch on a pass thrown by backup Tommy DeVito and earned the praise of Henry, who told reporters after practice, "The ceiling is high for him." Raridon is RotoBaller's rookie TE5, and has been pegged as a player to target in the middle rounds of dynasty rookie drafts, with a clear path to fantasy success both long-term and as an immediate contributor.

New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was the subject of trade rumors throughout much of the offseason, but having reported for training camp and taking part as a full participant in the team's first public practice, he has reportedly made quick work of reminding everyone of his value to this offense. ESPN's Mike Reiss credited him with the play of the day, a diving 35-yard catch that had quarterback Drake Maye commenting, "It's nothing new. All year last year and the year before, he just keeps doing things right." Boutte's six touchdown catches in 2025 led all Patriots wide receivers and were second on the team behind tight end Hunter Henry. Still, with the additions of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, he will need to continue maximizing his training camp reps, either to keep a meaningful role on this team or to garner enough attention to make him a buzz-worthy trade candidate.

Houston Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn led the NFL with 44 made field goals in 2025 despite missing two games with a quad injury, and his 12.9 standard fantasy points per game led the position, but changes to the Texans offense could hurt his value in 2026. The Texans scored touchdowns on only 45.9% of their red zone trips last season, better than only the Saints, Jets, and Chargers, but in trading for running back David Montgomery, they have acquired one of the league's most efficient red zone runners of the past three seasons. Since 2023, Montgomery has scored 29 rushing touchdowns from inside the 20-yard line, and his presence could drastically cut down on Fairbairn's scoring opportunities. With a field goal conversion percentage above 91% in three of the past four seasons, Fairbairn is still as reliable as they come, but with fewer projected chip shots, he could struggle to deliver upon his current ADP of K2.

When asked about his expectations for running back Blake Corum ahead of the team's first week of training camp, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay was effusive in his praise of the third-year runner. He spoke of Corum's steady nature, which allowed him to overcome some adverse injury situations as a rookie before breaking out as a sophomore. Projecting forward, McVay told the gathered media, "The way that he approaches it, I'd be surprised if doesn't do anything other than get better and impact the team in a positive way," before putting a point on the topic by saying, "He's a stud, and he's gonna be a big factor in what we're gonna do this year." Corum displayed balance and explosiveness in 2025 as part of one of the league's best offenses, and he ran particularly hot in the touchdown department to end the year, scoring five times over the final six games of the season to pace as the RB17 over that stretch. Heading into his third year, he is RotoBaller's RB33 on standalone value alone, but has league-winning upside as a direct handcuff to Kyren Williams.

The Chicago Bears placed cornerback Kyler Gordon (undisclosed) on the Physically Unable to Perform list and linebacker T.J. Edwards (leg) on the Non-Football Injury list on Saturday, per Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune. It was announced in late May that the 26-year-old Gordon was battling a soft-tissue injury, but the exact nature of his injury is unknown. It's bad news after the former second-rounder in 2022 from the University of Washington played in only three games in 2025 due to multiple soft-tissue injuries. Without knowing the severity of his latest injury, Gordon's availability for the start of the 2026 regular season could be in question. The 29-year-old Edwards is recovering from a broken fibula that he suffered in the team's wild-card playoff win over the division-rival Green Bay Packers, but he was a full participant during mandatory minicamp in early June, making it likely that he'll be ready for the start of the regular season in the fall. The former undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin only played in 10 regular-season games last year, but he had four straight seasons of 100-plus combined tackles before that from 2021 to 2024 with the Bears and Philadelphia Eagles.

The New York Jets placed wide receiver Tim Patrick (undisclosed) on the Physically Unable to Perform list on Saturday due to an undisclosed injury, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The good news for Patrick, who suffered a torn ACL and Achilles in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023 while with the Denver Broncos, is that his injury isn't considered serious, and he could be ready to play in the Jets' preseason opener on Aug. 14 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 32-year-old veteran wideout will probably open the 2026 campaign as the Jets' WR4, at best, behind Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, and rookie Omar Cooper Jr., leaving him little room for fantasy value in all leagues. Patrick had 15 receptions on just 24 targets for 187 yards and three touchdowns in 16 regular-season games (three starts) in a crowded Jacksonville Jaguars' receiving room last year. He had back-to-back 700-yard seasons with a combined 11 touchdowns in Denver in 2020 and 2021 before injuries struck, and Patrick is now a veteran depth option for the Jets heading into his seventh NFL campaign.

Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox still has a place on deep contending rosters, but there is not much mystery left in his dynasty value. He caught 36 passes for 417 yards and four touchdowns last season, his best receiving line since 2022, and Buffalo followed by extending his contract through 2028. The Bills use the position enough to keep Knox involved. Their tight ends combined for 1,210 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2025, and Knox played all 17 games. The problem is that Dalton Kincaid remains the better fantasy bet after posting 571 yards and five scores in only 12 games. Jackson Hawes also played 487 offensive snaps as a rookie and scored three times, giving Buffalo another reason to spread the work around. Knox can still catch a touchdown or step into a larger role when Kincaid is unavailable. That is useful insurance in tight end-premium leagues, especially for contenders already carrying Kincaid. Rebuilders do not need to wait on a 29-year-old secondary option, and Knox is unlikely to offer a comfortable weekly floor while the entire room is healthy.