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Jackson Arnold Settles UNLV QB Controversy
UNLV coach Dan Mullen told the press earlier this week that the Rebels would use both Auburn transfer Jackson Arnold and Alex Orji in the opening game against Memphis. Arnold played so well that Orji rarely saw the field and didn't attempt a pass. Arnold completed 25-of-37 passes for 291 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 27-21 loss to Memphis. Arnold also led the Rebels with 54 rushing yards on 21 carries. He added another score on the ground. Arnold should be picked up in all fantasy leagues. UNLV plays Hawaii next Saturday. The Warriors allowed three rushing touchdowns to Stanford's Micah Ford in the opener.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Stanford RB Micah Ford Scores 3 TD vs. Hawaii
Stanford opened the 2026 season with a 37-27 win over Hawaii in Palo Alto. RB Micah Ford ran 25 times for 99 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Ford only had four rushing touchdowns in 12 games in 2025. Ford was the 70th RB off the board in Yahoo fantasy drafts this year. It might be worth checking waivers to see if Ford is available in your league. Stanford faces No. 7 Miami on September 4. Ford should remain on your bench for that matchup, but he has easier games on the horizon against Duke and Wake Forest over the next month.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
NC State QB CJ Bailey Struggles Against Virginia
North Carolina State fell flat in its 2026 season opener at Charlottesville, Virginia. The home team dominated the Pack in a 34-8 defeat. QB CJ Bailey, who accounted for 3,320 yards and 31 touchdowns last year, struggled in this one. Bailey completed only 12 of his 23 pass attempts for 84 yards and an interception. He also led the team with 33 rushing yards. North Carolina State's offense only mustered 168 yards of offense in the loss. It's too soon to panic on Bailey yet. He should get back on track in North Carolina State's next game. The Pack host Richmond on September 11.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
TCU RB Jeremy Payne A Bright Spot In Otherwise Stagnant Offense
TCU opened the season with a 15-10 loss to North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland. Carolina's defense held TCU to 286 yards of offense. RB Jeremy Payne had 142 of those yards on 25 carries. Payne showed why he was a first-round pick in every draft with his tough running in a losing effort. Jon Denman poached a touchdown, denying Payne an even better day. TCU has an off week next week. The next game for the Horned Frogs is on September 12 against Grambling. Payne should be in your starting lineups for that game.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
North Carolina TE Jelani Thurman Has Big Game In Dublin
North Carolina's offense sputtered in 2025, but that was likely to change with former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino coming in as the offensive coordinator. The star of the offense was former Ohio State TE Jelani Thurman. Thurman caught four passes for 94 yards in his UNC debut. He was featured early in the game and in key situations in North Carolina's season-opening 15-10 win over TCU in Dublin, Ireland. TE is going to be a crapshoot in college. From what we saw in this game, Thurman should be added in all leagues. He looks like he will be a big piece of the offense after leading the Tar Heels in receptions and yards in the opener.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
USC Freshmen Receivers Have Big Games In College Debuts
News came down earlier this week that star USC Receiver Tanook Hines would likely miss the game against San Jose State. That left a lot of targets open for USC's gaggle of true freshmen receivers. Both Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt started the game for No. 14 USC. Mosley had a huge game, with seven receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown. He also notched 56 yards on punt returns. Dixon-Wyatt hauled in four passes for 36 yards and a score in USC's 42-26 win. Ethan "Boobie" Feaster, who was the star of camp, only caught one pass for eight yards. Mosley should be added in most fantasy leagues. Dixon-Wyatt is worth a look as long as Hines is out.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Arizona State Names Cutter Boley As Starting Quarterback
As expected, Arizona State is going into the 2026 season with Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley as the starting quarterback. Boley started 11 games as a redshirt freshman for Kentucky last season, completing 65.8% of his 301 passing attempts for 2,160 yards. He threw 15 touchdowns, but offset that with 12 interceptions. Boley won the job over former UCF/Fresno State/Michigan transfer Mikey Keene. The Sun Devils open the season on September 5 with a home game against Morgan State. If your quarterback has a bye or a bad matchup, Boley is a very good streaming option against the Bears.
Source: Pete Thamel on X
Source: Pete Thamel on X
Justin Jefferson's Upside Remains Capped by Quarterback Situation
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson may have trouble reaching his ceiling once again in 2026. Jefferson went from the WR2 in 2024 to the WR21 in 2025, with the main difference being that he was catching passes from a mix of J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer. This upcoming season, Jefferson will be on the receiving end of passes from Kyler Murray. While the two have demonstrated a decent rapport this preseason, we're a bit concerned about what will happen when Murray starts to face defenders in a game environment. Both Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson were somewhat quiet when they had Murray as their quarterback, so we can't quite guarantee that the ex-Cardinal will be an upgrade over McCarthy. At the very least, though, it's a fresh look for an offense that wants to return to its pre-2025 form. Jefferson is currently the WR6 in RotoBaller's redraft rankings, which indicates that the rankings experts are expecting him to bounce back in a huge way. It seems like most of the fantasy football community would agree, as Jefferson currently has an ADP of 12.4 (WR6).
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Nico Collins' Price Tag Falls in Line with Ranking for 2026
Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins is coming off a remarkable 2025 season that saw him post the best fantasy finish of his career as the overall WR8 in PPR leagues. It was a shaky year for the Texans and C.J. Stroud, but that didn't stop Collins from totaling 71 catches, 1,117 yards, and six touchdowns. Last season, he didn't have to share any targets with Tank Dell (knee), but he did share some volume with Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins, and Jaylin Noel. This year is mostly similar, with the main difference being that Higgins is done for the year with a knee injury and Dell should return midseason. Because of Higgins' injury, the Texans also went out and added Kayshon Boutte via trade. By themselves, none of Dell, Noel, or Boutte should be a major threat to Collins' volume and production, but collectively, it's starting to look like a fair number of mouths to feed. Now that fantasy draft season is in full swing, Collins has an ADP of 23.8 (WR9), while RotoBaller has him ranked as the WR10 for redraft leagues.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Quarterback Situation Baked Into Breece Hall's Current ADP
New York Jets running back Breece Hall is incredibly talented, but the subpar state of the team's offense has had a negative impact on his fantasy production in recent years. Hall went from the RB2 in 2023 to ranking outside the top 15 fantasy running backs in each of the last two years. Last season, he missed just one game but was held to 1,065 rushing yards, 350 receiving yards, and five touchdowns, which were modest numbers by his standards. We don't expect a huge change in Hall's volume and yardage this upcoming season, but we'd love to see him score more than five touchdowns. His exact scoring tendencies should likely depend on quarterback Geno Smith, whose play will be a main reason why the Jets score a certain number of touchdowns. If the offense is due for another iffy season, Hall will be a mid-range RB2. If you expect the Jets to get him closer to 8-10 touchdowns, he'll jump to low-end RB1 territory. As it stands, he ranks as RotoBaller's RB16 and has an ADP of 33.9 (RB16).
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
DeVonta Smith Taking on WR1 Responsibilities in 2026
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith will occupy a much bigger role this season following the departure of former teammate A.J. Brown via trade. Smith has been a top-20 fantasy receiver in three of his last four seasons, including a finish as the overall WR20 in PPR leagues last year. He was healthy for all 17 games in 2025, catching 77 passes for 1,008 yards and a career-low four touchdowns. We're not expecting a major bump in touchdowns since the Eagles like to run the ball around the goal line, but Smith certainly should earn more targets, catches, and yards with Brown gone. Plus, as one of the most talented No. 2 receivers in years past, Smith should have no trouble adapting to the No. 1 role, even though it means he'll be going up against other teams' top cornerbacks. Smith has jumped to WR13 in RotoBaller's latest redraft rankings, and he currently has an ADP of 32.1 (WR14).
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Harold Fannin Jr. Has Position All to Himself, Comes with a Steep Price Tag
Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. faces minimal competition within his position group, setting him up for another big year in fantasy football. Fannin excelled as a rookie last year, despite dealing with inconsistent quarterback play and losing some volume to David Njoku. He finished his first pro season with 72 catches, 731 yards, and six touchdowns, ranking as the overall TE6 in PPR leagues. While subpar quarterback play likely awaits Fannin again in Year 2, he now has the tight end room all to himself after Njoku left in free agency. As a result, we can expect the Bowling Green product to rank as a mid-range TE1 once again this year. The only bad news is that his price tag has already adjusted to these 2026 expectations; he currently has an ADP of 80.6, which corresponds to the seventh round and makes him the eighth tight end off the board. You're not getting him at a discount, but you're not necessarily overpaying either. Fannin is being drafted ahead of George Kittle, Travis Kelce, and Dallas Goedert, so managers will have some difficult decisions to make at the tight end position in the middle rounds of drafts this year.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Worth the Investment in First Round of Fantasy Drafts
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is fresh off a spectacular 2025 season in which he was named Offensive Player of the Year. He was in a tight race with Puka Nacua for the title of top-scoring fantasy receiver, and although those honors ultimately went to the Rams receiver, Smith-Njigba was still a fantasy league winner with 119 catches, 1,793 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns. Heading into 2026, Smith-Njigba should continue to be viewed as an elite option at the wide receiver position. His price tag has adjusted to his remarkable year, but even at an ADP of 6.1, we'd still feel confident drafting the Seahawks' superstar. He has quarterback stability with Sam Darnold returning to feed him the football, and he has a legitimate chance to finish as the overall WR1 in fantasy leagues if Nacua ends up being suspended for his off-the-field actions. Smith-Njigba's current ADP makes him the third receiver off the board behind Nacua and Ja'Marr Chase. Fantasy football experts seem to agree with this price tag, as he checks in as the WR3 in RotoBaller's latest redraft rankings for 2026. You're not getting Smith-Njigba at a discount right now, but you're also not overpaying. He's a very talented, high-upside option in the middle of the first round.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Colston Loveland Has a Premium Price Tag in Fantasy Drafts
Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland should offer TE1 upside in fantasy football this season, but it will come at a high price. Loveland currently has an ADP of 40.8, which corresponds to the fourth round of drafts and makes him the third tight end off the board. Loveland had a slow start to his career, but he turned things around and impressed during the second half of his rookie season. From Weeks 9-18, he scored six touchdowns and ranked as the overall TE2 behind only Trey McBride. In addition to possessing raw talent, Loveland should continue to benefit from playing in an upward-trending system led by offensive mastermind Ben Johnson. As it stands, he ranks as the overall TE3 in RotoBaller's latest redraft rankings, which falls in line with his current ADP. He's priced appropriately, so while managers will have to make a significant investment in order to draft Loveland, it should pay off with a top-five finish in fantasy football.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Saints Expected to Keep Spencer Rattler Despite Trade Interest
The New Orleans Saints have received trade interest in Spencer Rattler, but they expect to keep him on their 53-man roster, according to Jeremy Fowler. The former fifth-round pick will offer quality depth as the backup quarterback behind Tyler Shough. Rattler, 25, started the first eight games of the 2025 season before being benched for Shough. In those eight games, he completed 67.7% of his pass attempts for 1,586 yards, eight passing touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also tallied 167 rushing yards, 18 sacks, and two lost fumbles. Rattler's mobility gave him occasional QB2 appeal in fantasy football, but for the most part, managers wanted no part of starting him. That will remain the case if he's thrust into action due to a Shough injury in 2026.
Source: Jeremy Fowler
Source: Jeremy Fowler
