Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets - RB/WR Buys for 2026

February 26, 2026

Fantasy football wide receivers and running backs to trade for in dynasty leagues --buy these WRs and RBs ahead of 2026 fantasy football dynasty league drafts.

The 2025 NFL season is over, but dynasty fantasy football managers never sleep, or so the saying goes. While the NFL Scouting Combine is sure to draw plenty of eyes, it's also worth exploring veteran players whom you should invest in moving forward. There are plenty of reasons a player could see increased production that will raise their value moving forward.

In 2025, we saw Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens' value skyrocket after joining his new team. Even when he shared the field with WR CeeDee Lamb, he handily outproduced the longtime Cowboy to the point that many see Pickens as the true WR1. Sometimes, players' value can go up in surprising situations.

The wide receiver and running back positions are the most interesting and generally the most prone to change, as they score more than tight ends and tend to move between teams more regularly than quarterbacks. So, let's dive into four players -- two WRs and two RBs -- who you should target in trades ahead of the 2026 season!

Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

A consistent theme of my offseason analysis will be glazing the Los Angeles Chargers lead running back, who will be entering his second season in 2026. An injury cut short his 2025 breakout campaign, as he looked to be on pace to smash in fantasy football before he fractured his ankle on a fluky play in Week 5. He didn't return until Week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

When he returned, he shared playing time too evenly with backup Kimani Vidal for comfort. That shouldn't be an issue in 2026. His injury was reported as a high-ankle sprain -- we can't expect Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh to be forthcoming with such information -- but his injury was serious enough that we should assume he wasn't 100 percent. He'll be back to full strength well before the 2026 season starts.

Omarion Hampton scored a touchdown and you can see him limping after that https://t.co/nrrsgAfiE9 pic.twitter.com/D0X6YtXe8m

— ChargersMuse (@ChargersMuse) January 7, 2026

There's evidence to suggest he was clearly never at full strength. So, it's also reasonable to expect him to detonate (not literally) in 2026, according to my analysis. It's hard to overstate just how massive the upgrade in offensive coordinator he got will be.

OC Greg Roman was kicked to the curb for Mike McDaniel, one of the premier offensive minds in the NFL. McDaniel's good enough that he'll almost certainly get head coach offers after 2026.

Additionally, the offensive line will be at full strength again. Fingers crossed. Left tackle Joe Alt and right tackle Rashawn Slater, both incredibly important pieces of the Chargers offensive line, both missed significant time in 2025, with Slater not playing at all. The Chargers had multiple second- and third-string linemen fill in for injured starters. It was tough for Hampton to find room to run.

Thought that Craig Woodson played a terrific ballgame on Sunday.

Here he sheds a blocker and makes a tackle for a loss on Omarion Hampton.

He has really started to developed well under Vrabel and the defensive staff. pic.twitter.com/D374HrweQb

— Boston Buzzer (@TheBostonBuzzer) January 13, 2026

Yet, Hampton showed flashes of major talent, has ideal size for a workhorse running back, has elite speed for his size, great strength and contact balance, and should get a massive workload moving forward. McDaniel will find ways to get him in space and work him into the passing game. He should be a top-5 RB in fantasy football next year.

Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

Who the Saints end up picking in the 2026 NFL Draft could have quite the impact on Olave's potential value moving forward. But they traded away WR Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks last season, and as a result, Olave's target volume skyrocketed. Receivers with so many targets are tough to find in fantasy football.

They may choose a coveted WR early in the 2026 draft. It's probably a good idea to do so, as a high-quality WR to take attention away from your WR1 helps the offense overall. But if they don't do so, we could see Olave flirt with the NFL lead in targets per game next season, which would make him fantasy dynamite.

Taysom Hill to Chris Olave extends the Saints lead!

NYJvsNO on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/BtGSwXSho2

— NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2025

It's been known for some time that Olave is an excellent talent. But he had two middling seasons after a promising rookie campaign, thanks to poor quarterback play, very questionable offensive coaching, the presence of Shaheed, and several serious injuries. The 2024 offensive coordinator was Klint Kubiak, so that wasn't an issue, as a disclaimer.

Still, the Saints are in good hands with their head coach, Kellen Moore, being a proven excellent offensive play designer and schemer. And quarterback Tyler Shough, a rookie the team drafted in 2025, has proved to be able to support huge games from Olave as a pass-catcher, like in the fantasy playoffs, when Olave scored 20.5, 36.8, and 25.9 PPR fantasy points.

This is an elite Man-Beater from Kellen Moore

TE Exit Motion to make Chris Olave the new #3 + Double Rub Wheel 🔥 pic.twitter.com/MpLxZtyMVT

— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) December 22, 2025

Olave is right around spot 25 in keeper league rankings, which feels a bit too low if he's to be the featured WR1 without a very compelling WR2 to take targets away from him. New Orleans has extremely pressing needs along the offensive line, but it wouldn't be wild for it to pick a receiver like Jordyn Tyson, Carnell Tate, or Makai Lemon at No. 8.

It'll be up to you if you want to jump the gun here, as if the Saints don't pick a WR early, Olave's dynasty value is likely to rise quickly.

Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants

Skattebo's very short rookie season was quite impressive, even if you don't consider everything working against him. He showcased excellent power and elusiveness in his five games as the featured back before he had his ankle broken. His statement performance against the Eagles solidified him as a top-10 running back option for the rest of 2025.

CAM SKATTEBO WITH ANOTHER TD! GIANTS LEAD THE EAGLES BY 10! pic.twitter.com/7ZDRUkUtsC

— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) October 10, 2025

He quickly became the featured workhorse back for the Giants. But he only got to play in three full games with QB Jaxson Dart as his starter and was on a team that was showing signs of disarray. Next season, the Giants will have Dart, Skattebo, and wide receiver Malik Nabers back to full strength.

I'm a bit skeptical of new Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy's ability to put together a top-tier offense, but Skattebo should be able to put up big numbers regardless. Dart's creativity helps extend plays and gives defenses another dimension to worry about, and the offensive line is sufficiently good at run blocking when it is not dealing with key injuries.

Jaxson Dart's 1st NFL play is a 24 yard Cam Skattebo run! pic.twitter.com/vFKls7kjOu

— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) September 14, 2025

Skattebo's best traits are being built like a tank, having ridiculous contact balance, and the ability to power through tackles. It all but guarantees he'll be given a huge workload next season if the offensive coaching staff doesn't want to be fired quickly.

Alec Pierce, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Wherever Pierce lands for the 2026 season, he's likely to be handed a fat contract and get a featured role. He's a big-play machine with elite speed and excels in making big plays downfield. While he might not become a top-tier X receiver for any team, he could be one of its more productive WR2s as he's developed nicely over the past few seasons.

Should the #Commanders be willing to pay $25m annually for Colts WR Alec Pierce?

Here are two minutes of him being the best deep ball receiver in the NFL#RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/6peEQLZElE

— Full Command (@CommandersHtt) February 19, 2026

Pierce is most talented as a deep-ball specialist, but his route running has progressed enough that he has a lot of utility on short and intermediate routes, too. He's priced outside the top-40 wide receivers in the NFL, though, which feels inappropriate. He should be much higher, according to my analysis.

With the Colts, he had to share targets with WRs Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs and tight end Tyler Warren. If he lands somewhere with less target competition, he could see yet another breakout. Multiple 1,000-yard seasons could reasonably be on the horizon here. He did finish as the WR28 in 2025 and is an every-week starter in dynasty fantasy leagues.

While most dynasty managers who have him are likely to demand a steep price for him, it's worth looking into buying him in any leagues where you don't have him. He'll be 26 years old for the 2026 season, so he should have at least five more years of good production ahead.

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