Fantasy Football News

The Denver Broncos waived running back Jaleel McLaughlin on Sunday as they trimmed their roster down to reach the league-mandated 53-player roster limit, according to Aric DiLalla of the team's official website. The Broncos went with Tyler Badie, who plays more of a role on special teams, over McLaughlin as the No. 4 RB behind J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, and rookie Jonah Coleman to begin the 2026 season. McLaughlin operated as a depth back for the Broncos in each of his three seasons with the team, but although he had limited opportunities, he was productive when he touched the football. In 41 games (nine starts) for Denver, McLaughlin had 4.8 yards per carry for 1,093 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 226 rushing attempts, adding 59 receptions on 69 targets for 263 yards and four additional touchdowns as a receiver. It is possible that the 25-year-old former undrafted free agent from Notre Dame returns to the Broncos' practice squad if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate didn't catch a pass in the preseason, but his August was better than that box-score line makes it look. The fourth overall pick finished with zero receptions on six targets in three exhibitions, then closed camp with one of his best practices of the summer. Tate caught a team-high seven passes and scored twice in the Aug. 27 joint session with Chicago, with Cam Ward repeatedly coming back to him. That wasn't an isolated day. Tate scored three times in practice on Aug. 9, twice more on Aug. 15 and finished Tennessee's 15 open camp practices with 33 catches. The Titans also list him as a starter alongside Calvin Ridley and Wan'Dale Robinson. There is still reason to keep expectations under control. Tate has plenty of competition for targets, and the preseason production was empty. Still, the role is there and his connection with Ward improved as camp went along. The rookie enters Week 1 with more redraft appeal than his exhibition stat line suggests.

Seattle Seahawks rookie first-round running back Jadarian Price is ready to lead the team's backfield while it waits for Zach Charbonnet (knee) to return from the torn ACL he suffered last postseason, ESPN's Brady Henderson writes. Outside of a week that he missed with a minor injury, Price had a strong summer during training camp, showing the vision, decisiveness, and athleticism that made him the 32nd overall pick back in April. Price "has looked as good as advertised -- and in some ways better." "He's done a great job. He really has -- all three downs," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "He's a rookie in terms of, there's going to be things that we're going to attack in his game that will show itself in games. We haven't been afforded the luxury of having the bodies right now at running back to give him the reps in a [preseason] game that we would normally give to a rookie runner." Henderson adds that "the best guess is that the Seahawks are planning, for now, to roll with Price as their lead back while mixing in a heavy dose of George Holani." Holani seems better suited for third-down work because of his pass-blocking skills. Emanuel Wilson (undisclosed) is the power complement, but he has been sidelined the final two weeks of camp with an undisclosed injury. Price's sizable role entering his rookie campaign will make him a low-end RB2 target in fantasy drafts, but just know that Seattle's entire backfield picture could change drastically once Charbonnet returns.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown finished August about as well as he could have. He was already coming off 117 catches for 1,401 yards and 11 touchdowns on a career-high 172 targets, and nothing in camp suggested that volume is about to disappear. Tim Twentyman wrote on Aug. 15 that St. Brown looked better than he ever had and had been nearly impossible to cover. The strong finish kept coming. He turned a fourth-and-two catch from Jared Goff into a 32-yard touchdown on Aug. 26, then caught four passes on one late-camp drive the next day, including a 16-yard score. Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs and Isaac TeSlaa will all get their share, so another 172 targets is no guarantee. St. Brown has been Detroit's steady answer anyway. RotoBaller currently has him as the WR4 for 2026, and his camp did nothing to loosen that grip. For a receiver already going in the first round, that's enough to count as a win.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs was already set for more work after David Montgomery was traded to Houston. August made that setup look even better. Dan Campbell called Gibbs the Lions' bell cow back in June, and there is no established Montgomery-type partner waiting behind him. Isiah Pacheco was signed for the No. 2 role, but he missed most of camp with a sprained MCL and is now also dealing with a back injury. His Week 1 status is still up in the air. Campbell said Saturday that he would be comfortable using Jacob Saylors as Gibbs' primary backup if Pacheco can't go. Gibbs, meanwhile, finished camp making plays, including a 59-yard touchdown run during Detroit's final practice. He totaled 1,839 scrimmage yards and 18 touchdowns last season while playing a career-high 67% of the offensive snaps. RotoBaller still has Gibbs as its RB1 and No. 1 overall player in PPR. He was already an elite pick. The backfield around him now makes an even bigger workload easier to picture.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor isn't falling because his role suddenly changed. It's the price after a season that will be tough to repeat. Taylor led the NFL with 323 carries and scored 20 total touchdowns in 2025, finishing with 1,585 rushing yards and another 378 through the air. Indianapolis has openly spent camp looking for a dependable No. 2 back who can help keep him fresh after that workload, with DJ Giddens and Seth McGowan making the initial 53-man roster behind him. Taylor is still the clear starter, and the Colts signed him to an extension in August. This isn't a playing-time scare. The risk is paying a first-round price after he handled more carries than anyone in football. RotoBaller's Aug. 30 early-round avoids piece also noted how much game script mattered last year: Taylor averaged 31.5 PPR points in Colts wins and 12.4 in losses. He's still an elite fantasy back. There's just less margin for error at the current cost.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Dameon Pierce is returning to the organization on the practice squad, according to Jeremy Fowler. The Eagles released Pierce on Sunday while setting their initial 53-man roster, but he wasn't gone for long. Philadelphia kept Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley as its three active running backs, leaving Pierce as experienced depth behind that group. The 26-year-old has rushed for 1,684 yards and eight touchdowns across 43 NFL games, with 939 of those yards coming during his rookie season with Houston in 2022. His workload has dropped considerably since then, including just 36 rushing yards in five games split between Houston and Kansas City last season. Pierce did finish his first Eagles preseason on a good note, running four times for 44 yards against Cincinnati on Friday. He won't have an immediate fantasy role, but Philadelphia now has a veteran option already familiar with the offense if it needs another back.

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry has scored double-digit touchdowns in eight straight seasons, and despite being 32 years old, he still has the second-highest odds to lead the league in rushing scores in 2026, behind only Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs. In an era of PPR prevalence, Henry is one of the few running backs to build a career of fantasy dominance with almost no receiving profile to speak of. Only twice in his 10-year career has Henry topped 20 receptions, and yet he has finished as an RB1 in six of the past seven seasons, four times cracking the top four, and still finishing as the RB16 in an injury-shortened 2021 season in which he played only eight games. Henry has been as automatic as they come, and in new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle's system, which is expected to put Lamar Jackson under center more frequently, he will be able to play with a head of steam that should only make him more dangerous. Ravens rookie Adam Randall (undisclosed) will begin the season on injured reserve, and with veteran Justice Hill once more expected to work as Henry's primary backup after handling 1.8 carries per game in 2025, there are no indications that Henry's workload will be lightened in 2026, making him a potential bargain as the RB12 by current ADP.

While the discovery of a blood clot in his lung kept New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave out of the final game of the year and prevented him from completing his first 17-game season, his health and availability were major storylines of what would become a career year and a WR6 finish. While his frightening history of concussions hasn't suddenly gone away, seeing Olave at his peak for a full season has made him an easier click in the early rounds of 2026 drafts, particularly after the way he finished the year with rookie Tyler Shough under center. Shough took over as starter in Week 9, and after a week of adjustment, Olave was the WR2 on a points per game basis from Week 10 through the end of the year, trailing only Puka Nacua. With first-round pick Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) slated to miss at least the first four games of his rookie season after starting the year on injured reserve, Olave could again be hyper-targeted in one of the league's most high-volume, up-tempo offenses, making him a potential week-winner to begin the season. At RotoBaller's WR11, there is still considerable injury concern baked into his profile, but for the risk-tolerant, he is capable of providing WR1 upside while often found closer to a WR2 cost.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans (groin) could ultimately prove to be the biggest boom-or-bust pick in 2026 drafts. Already struggling through availability concerns before a game has even been played, the six-time Pro Bowler is 33 years old and has missed 12 games over the past two seasons. When on the field, however, he remains a dominator, particularly in the way it's easy to envision him being used by the 49ers. Operating with a fullback on the field more than any other team over the past two seasons, two-receiver sets have become a staple of Kyle Shanahan's offense, and since 2022, Evans has earned 2.97 yards per route run with fewer than three receivers on the field, a number that would have ranked third in the league among qualified receivers last year. Evans also remains a significant scoring threat for an offense that made the eighth most red zone trips in the league in 2025. Despite true WR1 upside, Evans' warranted health concerns have pushed him to WR28 by current ADP, putting him into a range of the draft that makes it slightly easier to overlook his obvious red flags, as when healthy he should help decide matchups.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride set the single-season positional record with 126 receptions in 2025, and while his talent has been obvious since coming into the league as a second-round pick in 2022, a departure from the near-perfect scenario he found himself in could lead to significant regression in 2026. After Jacoby Brissett took over as the starting quarterback in Week 6, only Bo Nix came within five pass attempts per game of his near record-setting pace, essentially adding an extra game or two worth of production for McBride and the Cardinals' pass-catchers. The Cardinals also saw Marvin Harrison Jr. in and out of the lineup with a string of unfortunate injuries, including a mid-season appendectomy, but in games in which he saw at least a 50% snap share, he actually led the team in targets, and McBride's fantasy production dropped by 3.5 points per game. McBride's 11 scores in 2025 were nearly double his total from the previous three seasons combined, and with the added question of who might be under center for the Cardinals by the time the fantasy playoffs come around, regression is almost certainly inevitable. While still highly capable of a top three fantasy finish, McBride should not be counted on for another record-breaking campaign, especially at a spot in most drafts where running back talent begins to dry up.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers finished his third season with a career-high 86 receptions for 1,211 yards, finishing as the fantasy WR7 despite scoring only five touchdowns. With an aggressive new offensive system and numbers closely in line with his past production trends, another WR1 season is well within Flowers' reach. While Rashod Bateman and rookie Ja'Kobi Lane have both garnered training camp buzz, All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews is another year older, and Flowers remains the unquestioned focal point of the Ravens' passing attack, which is expected to see more under-center concepts and first-down pass attempts under first-year offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. Flowers could be featured not only as a reliable chain-mover but as a legitimate big-play threat, giving him one of the higher floor and ceiling combinations outside the opening rounds of drafts and making him a potential value at RotoBaller's WR14.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Emmett Johnson ran hard in three preseason contests, averaging 4.7 yards per carry while bringing in six of his seven targets, showing enough for the team to comfortably move on from veteran Emari Demercado, who was just signed to a one-year deal in free agency. The Chiefs kept only three running backs on their initial 53-man roster, hinting at a potential three-down role for Kenneth Walker III and one of the league's most valuable insurance roles for Johnson. Brashard Smith adds versatility and special teams prowess, but Johnson figures to serve as the team's primary change-of-pace back and is capable of handling a bell cow role if needed after seeing more than 300 opportunities in his final year at Nebraska, turning in one of the most productive seasons of any back in the nation. While Walker's projected usage is likely to limit the rookie's standalone value, Johnson has quickly become one of the most important handcuffs in fantasy and is worthy of a late-round selection in deeper leagues.

After a disappointing sophomore season, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey is primed for one of the biggest fantasy bouncebacks of 2026. The departure of Keenan Allen, who led the team in targets and receptions a year ago in an overlapping role, and the arrival of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, whose speed and spacing-based system suits McConkey to a T, could open the path for a big year from the 2024 second-round pick. While the Chargers have already suffered a significant loss on the offensive line following the season-ending ACL tear of center Tyler Biadasz (knee), the returns of tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater should help to keep quarterback Justin Herbert on his feet and the offense on schedule. McConkey has already demonstrated WR1 upside, finishing as the WR12 as a rookie, and with an expanded role in an improved offensive environment, he could prove to be a league-winning selection at RotoBaller's WR15.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson has been a popular breakout candidate heading into his fifth season, and early-season uncertainty in the Packers' backfield could lead to even more involvement to begin the year. The Packers have had one of the run-heaviest offenses in the league over the past two seasons, but after Josh Jacobs was placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List as a result of misdemeanor charges stemming from his May arrest, Green Bay is prepared to begin the season with MarShawn Lloyd and his six career carries in the starting role. Backing up Lloyd will be veteran Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson, who was acquired via trade from the Steelers on Sunday, and a potential fall-off at the position could lead to a philosophical shift and more passing to begin the year. Watson has already been pegged as the most obvious benefactor of the offseason departures of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, and higher passing volume to begin the year could allow him to repeat or even surpass the WR13 pace at which he played after returning from injury halfway through the 2025 season.

A rash of injuries has limited Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd to only one game since being drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but his return to health could not have come at a better time. Starting running back Josh Jacobs was placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List on Sunday after being formally charged with two misdemeanor counts stemming from his May arrest, and with the roster being trimmed down to 53 players on the same day, the Packers are poised to enter the season with Lloyd as the number one running back. He will be backed up by Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson, who was acquired via trade on cutdown day and could take some time to get up to speed in a new offense. Lloyd has looked sharp throughout training camp and the preseason, and if he can stay healthy to begin the year, he has RB1 upside in Matt LaFleur's run-heavy offense, with Jacobs' return date entirely in the hands of Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens enjoyed a career year in 2025, but he might soar even higher during the 2026 season. In his first campaign with Dallas, Pickens caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. He ranked as the overall WR5 in PPR leagues and outproduced teammate CeeDee Lamb -- not only in total, but also on a points-per-game basis. At first glance, it seems like Lamb, who missed three games last year but is now healthy, should step back up as the top pass catcher in Dallas this year, but that's not guaranteed. Recently, an audio clip went viral of DallasCowboys.com writer Nick Eatman saying that Pickens could end up being the No. 1 receiver ahead of Lamb in 2026. "This might cause some issues, but it does seem like Pickens has kind of elevated as the dude," Eatman said. "CeeDee is really good, but Pickens is the one that defensive coordinators are going to have even more of a problem with." In a similar vein, there has been plenty of chatter in recent weeks that Pickens had a better training camp than Lamb. To be clear, this is not an anti-Lamb sentiment, but rather excitement about the potential for Pickens to take an even bigger step forward in 2026. If it seems like he could repeat or even surpass his WR5 finish from last year, then he's somewhat of a steal at his current ADP of 25.4, which corresponds to the third round of fantasy drafts and makes him the 10th receiver off the board.

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane should be the primary playmaker on offense this season. Miami parted ways with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Tua Tagovailoa during the offseason, leaving Achane as the only returner from an offense that has featured some star power in recent years, despite underperforming. Miami also ushered in this fresh start with a new head coach, new general manager, and new quarterback. The new signal-caller for Miami is Malik Willis, who has a fair arm but makes a much bigger impact with his ability to run the football. The Dolphins have a pretty weak receiver room, so we expect them to emphasize running the football with Willis and Achane this year. Head coach Jeff Hafley previously said that Achane could get 40+ touches in a game this year, and while that comment was clearly an exaggeration, it's also evident that the Dolphins aren't going to place any restrictions on his workload. We do envision him consistently getting at least 20-25 touches per game, and given his speed and receiving upside, he should emerge as one of the lone bright spots in this otherwise underwhelming Miami offense. Touchdowns may be harder to come by in Miami this season, but we're still banking on Achane as a mid-range RB1 option in redraft leagues.

Baltimore Ravens running back Adam Randall (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve ahead of Sunday's 53-man roster deadline. The rookie had 17 carries, 71 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown across two preseason games, and he also caught four passes for an additional 47 receiving yards. We don't know exactly what ailment Randall is dealing with, but it was evidently severe enough to sideline him for at least the first four games of the 2026 regular season. The Clemson product occupies one of the two IR spots for players who are designated to return, so he's now eligible to be activated as early as Week 5. In the meantime, Rasheen Ali should operate as the Ravens' No. 3 running back behind Derrick Henry and Justice Hill.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Christian Kirk (calf) was placed on injured reserve ahead of Sunday's 53-man roster deadline, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports. Kirk injured his calf in late July and wasn't able to play in any of the 49ers' preseason games. Now, he'll also miss at least four regular-season games before being eligible to return starting in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks. Wide receiver injuries are nothing new for the Niners, who already placed Ricky Pearsall (knee) on season-ending IR. The injuries to Kirk and Pearsall should pave the way for De'Zhaun Stribling (shoulder) to open the year as the No. 2 wide receiver alongside Mike Evans. Kirk will presumably slot into the second or third receiver spot when he's healthy enough to play again.