Fantasy Football Winners and Losers of 2026 NFL Free Agency

March 11, 2026

Joey identifies some of the biggest fantasy football winners and losers coming out of the 2026 NFL free agency period. His seven free agency winners and losers.

It has been a wild start to NFL free agency so far. Several players have already agreed to deals with a new team, and there were plenty of unexpected deals on the first day of the tampering period. With many of the big moves already happening, this is a good time to evaluate where certain players stand heading into the 2026 season.

In this article, we will look at some of the top fantasy football winners and losers from the start of the 2026 NFL free agency period. While there are still players yet to agree to a deal, most of the big agreements have already occurred.

So, let's dive into the biggest fantasy football winners and losers from free agency.

Fantasy Football Winners of NFL Free Agency

Kenneth Walker III, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

Kenneth Walker III was the best running back available this offseason after the Seattle Seahawks decided not to franchise tag him. The Kansas City Chiefs then made a big move to land Walker on a massive three-year, $45 million contract in free agency. This landing spot in Kansas City couldn't get any better for the Super Bowl MVP.

The Chiefs desperately needed to acquire a top running back in free agency. Isiah Pacheco left for the Detroit Lions, and Kareem Hunt is currently a free agent. Neither really helped out Kansas City's offense last year. Now comes Walker, who should see the majority of snaps out of this backfield in 2026. The team didn't pay him $15 million to not see the field.

This was nasty by Kenneth Walker III

LARvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/9V7pJ3DQCd

— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2026

As a result, Walker should find himself going within the first three rounds of fantasy football drafts. He is the only main running back on this Kansas City roster right now and gets to play under offensive guru Andy Reid. Reid is one of the best offensive coaches in the league, meaning Walker could be in for a career year out of the backfield. This was the perfect landing spot for him.

Isaiah Likely, TE, New York Giants

Fantasy managers were waiting years for Isaiah Likely to take over the TE1 role with the Baltimore Ravens. While that never turned out to be the case, Likely will now be the top tight end in the New York Giants offense in 2026. The 25-year-old agreed to a three-year, $40 million deal with the Giants on the first day of the tampering period. The tight end joins his former coach (John Harbaugh) in New York.

This move makes Likely one of the bigger winners to start free agency. He is an upgrade over Theo Johnson at the TE position in New York, and Jaxson Dart heavily targeted his tight ends in his rookie season.

Johnson saw at least six targets in five of his 10 games with Dart last year. Additionally, the free agency loss of Wan'Dale Robinson opens up more targets in the middle of the field. That's where Likely comes in.

So, Likely's fantasy value has risen this offseason. He is no longer blocked for snaps at the position and is simply a better playmaker than Johnson. The talent is definitely there for the 25-year-old to finish as a low-end TE1 in 2026. That's how much potential he could have in this Dart-led offense this upcoming season.

Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

We won't know if Bhayshul Tuten is a definite winner until after the NFL Draft. But as it stands now, Tuten is one of the bigger winners heading into the 2026 season. The former Virginia Tech running back started his NFL career in a major committee with Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby. One year later, both running backs are no longer with the team.

Bigsby was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2025 season, and Etienne agreed to a four-year deal with the New Orleans Saints this offseason. That paves the way for Tuten to have a massive role in this Jacksonville offense this year. After a solid rookie campaign in which he ran for 307 yards and five touchdowns, the 24-year-old could be the RB1 out of this backfield.

Now, a lot still has to play out for Tuten to earn that RB1 role. However, the Jaguars have yet to add a running back after losing Etienne to the Saints. If the speedy running back is indeed a top option in this offense, he will skyrocket up draft boards. This is a player who ranked 16th among all running backs in fantasy points per opportunity (0.91) in his rookie campaign.

Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

One of the biggest surprises of the start of free agency was Mike Evans leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His departure, though, makes second-year wide receiver Emeka Egbuka one of the bigger fantasy winners. He will operate as one of the top two wide receivers in this Tampa Bay offense and will likely now be drafted in the early-to-middle rounds of drafts.

Fantasy managers saw what life looked like without Evans in this offense last year. The veteran missed 10 games last year, which led to Egbuka seeing more opportunities in the passing game. From Week 4 to Week 14, the Ohio State product saw at least eight targets in eight of those 10 games. His 89 total targets during this stretch ranked tied for fifth among all pass-catchers in the NFL.

EMEKA EGBUKA TD! WOW.

PHIvsTB on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/6Rt4dP7jGc

— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025

With Evans officially gone, expect Egbuka to take off in fantasy. He should post better all-around numbers in his second year with Baker Mayfield. The 23-year-old will have WR1 upside in this Tampa Bay offense and is a top wide receiver for the Buccaneers. Chris Godwin Jr. will also see his fair share of targets, but Egbuka is clearly the most talented playmaker on this offense.

Honorable Mentions: Alec Pierce, Mark Andrews, Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride

Fantasy Football Losers of NFL Free Agency

Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson hasn't really gotten many opportunities to show his potential in the NFL. He sat behind James Conner in his first season in 2024 and only appeared in four games last year due to a meniscus injury. Unfortunately, Benson is expected to take a backseat once again in this Arizona offense during the 2026 season.

Not only have the Cardinals reworked Conner's deal to keep him around for another year, but they also added Tyler Allgeier in free agency. Allgeier agreed to a two-year, $12.3 million deal this offseason. That means Benson will now be sharing work with Conner and Allgeier out of Arizona's backfield throughout the 2026 season. That kills his fantasy value.

just a reminder we have Trey Benson on our team

@trey_uno1 | @FSUFootball pic.twitter.com/BFbNxmRaZI

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 8, 2025

Therefore, Benson won't have much fantasy value this season. There is a strong chance that he begins the season as the RB3 in this Arizona backfield and likely won't see many chances when both Conner and Allgeier are healthy. Unfortunately, Benson wasn't able to stay healthy to show his potential last year.

Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

Last season was the first time that New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara showed that he is no longer at his peak. He averaged just 3.6 yards per carry on the ground and totaled career lows in receptions (33), receiving yards (186), and receiving touchdowns (zero). Kamara also missed the final six weeks of the season due to an MCL injury.

Following those struggles in 2025, the Saints have found Kamara's replacement at the running back position. New Orleans landed Etienne on a big four-year, $52 million contract in free agency. That $13 million annual average value suggests that the team is fully confident in the former Jaguars running back to handle the majority of reps out of the backfield.

Etienne will no doubt be the top running back in this New Orleans offense in 2026. He is coming off one of his better rushing seasons and is just a lot more talented than Kamara at this point in their careers.

Unless the Saints decide to eventually release or trade away the veteran, Kamara is one of the biggest fantasy losers from free agency. He won't be a consistent fantasy option if he stays in New Orleans.

Kaleb Johnson, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Things were looking up for Kaleb Johnson when Kenneth Gainwell agreed to a multiyear contract with the Buccaneers at the start of free agency. A few hours later, though, the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a deal with running back Rico Dowdle. With the addition of Dowdle, Johnson now faces an uphill battle to see significant snaps this upcoming season.

The hope all offseason was that Johnson would be a bigger part of Pittsburgh's offense with Mike Tomlin gone and Gainwell set to become a free agent. However, Gainwell was replaced with Dowdle, who just put together the best rushing numbers of his career in 2025. The former Panthers running back ran for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns across 17 games last year.

Fantasy managers are likely looking at another year of limited snaps for Johnson. The Steelers will primarily lean on Jaylen Warren and Dowdle out of their backfield this season. That leaves the Iowa product on the outside looking in in this running back rotation to begin the year. He will almost certainly go undrafted in every fantasy league.

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