January 29, 2026
Atlanta Falcons quarterback
Michael Penix Jr. (knee), who had ACL reconstruction on his left knee on Nov. 25, is hoping that he'll be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season this fall, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta-Journal Consitution. "I've been doing great," Penix said. "Each and every day, just trying to get better. I feel like my confidence has been building." The 25-year-old signal-caller was given a nine- to 12-month timetable at the time of his surgery, the third ACL surgery of his career. There's optimism right now from Penix and the Falcons, but Penix's availability for the start of next season is still very much up in the air. It sounds like new head coach Kevin Stefanski is fully committed to Penix as the team's starter going forward, but his lengthy injury history -- he also suffered two season-ending shoulder injuries in college -- makes him an extremely volatile dynasty asset in fantasy football. In his 14 games (12 starts) in his first two NFL seasons, Penix has completed only 59.6% of his passes for 2,757 yards with 12 TDs and six interceptions.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - D. Orlando Ledbetter
January 29, 2026
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver
A.J. Brown voiced his frustration with his involvement in a lackluster offense throughout the 2025 campaign. The 28-year-old three-time Pro Bowler went quiet for long stretches, but he still finished with a team-high 121 targets and caught 78 passes for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 regular-season games. Brown has scored exactly seven times in each of the last three years. Despite all the drama between Brown, quarterback
Jalen Hurts, and head coach Nick Sirianni, he still finished as the WR12 in half-PPR scoring and averaged 12.1 fantasy points per game. He has gone over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his four seasons in Philly and in six of his seven NFL seasons. Brown should remain in the WR1 conversation in fantasy going into 2026, but he's becoming more volatile, and he could be traded this offseason. The three-time Pro Bowler had a career-low 12.9 yards per catch in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Buffalo Bills tight end
Dalton Kincaid (knee) said on Thursday that he doesn't need surgery on his knee this offseason, according to Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News. Kincaid missed time in 2025 with knee and hamstring issues, which limited him to a career-low 12 games played during the regular season. It was a disappointing year for the 26-year-old, although he did have a career-high five touchdown catches. Kincaid had a career-low 39 receptions on 49 targets for 571 yards during the regular season to finish as the TE18 in half-PPR scoring. The disappointing campaign makes more sense after it was announced that the former 25th overall pick in 2023 out of Utah played most of the year with a PCL tear, which was the same injury he suffered in November of 2024. Concerns about Kincaid's long-term durability will keep his fantasy price low in 2026, but if he can put together a fully healthy season, he could easily wind up as Buffalo's leading receiver as one of quarterback
Josh Allen's favorite targets.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Buffalo News - Jay Skurski
January 29, 2026
Updating a previous report, Buffalo Bills quarterback
Josh Allen (foot) confirmed on Thursday at a press conference that he had surgery on a broken bone (fifth metatarsal) in his right foot, according to Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network. Doctors took out his broken bone and cleaned it up. Allen suffered the injury to his foot in the Week 16 win over the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 21, but he didn't miss any time after that, although he did acknowledge that it wasn't ideal and was painful during the week. The 29-year-old former MVP was on crutches and wearing a walking boot on Thursday, but he's expected to be healed up in time for organized team activities this spring. Allen surely wasn't 100% the rest of the way, but he still ran the ball 23 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns in two postseason games. Despite having offseason foot surgery, Allen should still be considered the top fantasy QB going into his ninth NFL season in 2026.
UPDATE: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Allen was given a recovery timeline of eight to 10 weeks.--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Cameron Wolfe
January 29, 2026
New York Giants wide receiver
Wan'Dale Robinson made a statement in 2025 in his contract year with the G-Men, catching 92 of his 140 targets for a career-high 1,014 receiving yards and a career-high four touchdowns in 16 games played. Robinson was especially valuable for fantasy managers in PPR formats, with his 92 receptions ranking seventh among all wideouts. After a previous career high of 699 receiving yards in 2024, the 25-year-old finished as the WR16 in overall half-PPR points. It certainly helped that WR1
Malik Nabers (knee) suffered a season-ending torn ACL early in the year, but then again, Robinson also had 93 catches and 140 targets in 2024. Robinson finished the year on Injured Reserve due to fractured ribs, but he should be fully healthy in 2026 as he enters free agency for the first time. Staying in New York will probably be the most favorable outcome for his 2026 fantasy value, but even so, his 2025 breakout may very well be Robinson's ceiling.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Even with Houston Texans quarterback
C.J. Stroud struggling for the second straight year in 2025, wide receiver
Nico Collins managed a third straight 1,000-yard season in his fifth year in the NFL. Collins caught 71 of a career-high 120 targets for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns in 15 regular-season games to finish as the WR9 in half-PPR scoring. His season finished on a sour note, though, as he was unable to play in the Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots due to a concussion that he suffered in the Wild-Card round of the playoffs. The 26-year-old pass-catcher ranked 15th among all WRs with his 120 targets, and his 12.7 half-PPR points per game were 10th in the league. Collins could see more competition for targets from young wideouts
Jayden Higgins and
Jaylin Noel in 2026, but he should still be Stroud's unquestioned top target in the passing game.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Cincinnati Bengals running back
Chase Brown has been a workhorse for the team the last two seasons, combining for 461 rushing attempts for 2,009 yards and 13 touchdowns while also catching 123 of his 153 targets for 797 yards and nine more trips to the end zone in 33 regular-season games. In a quick-strike offense led by quarterback
Joe Burrow and with one of the top receiver duos in the league in
Ja'Marr Chase and
Tee Higgins, it makes Brown extremely attractive in fantasy football. The 25-year-old produced his first 1,000-yard season in 2025, going for 1,019 yards and six TDs on a career-high 232 carries over 17 games to finish as a top-10 fantasy RB in half-PPR scoring. Brown has totaled 11 touchdowns (rushing and receiving) in each of the last two years. He'll be locked into the RB1 role again in Cincy in 2026 in the final year of his contract, giving him clear RB1 upside in fantasy football.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Buffalo Bills quarterback
Josh Allen (foot) was on crutches while wearing a walking boot on his right foot at a press conference on Thursday, according to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Additional details on Allen's foot are scarce, but general manager Brandon Beane said that Allen "went and got his foot fixed." It appears that the former MVP had a procedure after the season on a foot injury that was bothering him late in the year. The 29-year-old never missed any games, though, and it shouldn't impact his availability for the start of the 2026 campaign. We'll have additional details on his foot when they become available. Allen should be present for organized team activities in the spring, too. In his eighth NFL season in 2025, Allen was the QB1 in fantasy after throwing for 3,668 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 picks in 17 regular-season starts. He set himself apart as a runner, adding 579 rushing yards and 14 more TDs. Despite his foot injury, Allen should be the first QB off the board in 2026 fantasy drafts this fall.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Buffalo News - Lance Lysowski
January 29, 2026
The Las Vegas Raiders plan to interview Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak over the weekend and then make a decision on their head-coaching vacancy, sources told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. "It's probably (Kubiak's) job to lose," one candidate predicted. Kubiak's interview with the Raiders will be his second with the organization. The Raiders cannot officially hire Kubiak until after Super Bowl LX is played on Sunday, Feb. 8. The Raiders are also looking at Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach/passing-game coordinator
Davis Webb and Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for the head-coaching job, but Kubiak appears to be the clear front-runner. Under Kubiak in 2025, Seattle finished third in points per game (28.4) and eighth in total yards per game (351.4). If hired by the Raiders, Kubiak will likely be tasked with developing Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
January 29, 2026
Philadelphia Eagles running back
Saquon Barkley carried the Eagles to a Super Bowl championship and a lot of fantasy managers to a championship as well in 2024 in his first year with the team, when he ran for a league-high 2,005 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns on a whopping 345 rushing attempts in 16 regular-season games to win Offensive Player of the Year honors. The 28-year-old was a consensus top-three fantasy pick in drafts last fall, but he ended up being a bust (mainly because of Philly's lackluster offense) as the RB15 in half-PPR scoring with 1,140 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 280 carries in the regular season. Barkley added 37 receptions for 273 yards and two scores through the air. The three-time Pro Bowler will still be in the RB1 conversation in 2026 as a workhorse, but his ability to bounce back as a high-end fantasy RB will depend on whether the Eagles' offense can return to its 2024 form.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Chicago Bears wide receiver
Rome Odunze was a popular preseason breakout candidate in fantasy football going into his sophomore campaign in 2025, mainly because of new head coach Ben Johnson. Fantasy managers who drafted Odunze were stoked early on, as he caught 20 of his 35 targets for 296 yards and five touchdowns in the first four weeks. That's where the good news last season ended, as the 23-year-old second-year pass-catcher only had one 100-yard game and scored just one more touchdown all year to finish with a 44-661-6 line in 12 games. Odunze missed the final five games of the regular season due to a stress fracture in his foot, and he caught four of his 12 targets for 88 yards in two postseason contests. It was a disappointing end to what could have been a second-year breakout. The good news is that he won't need surgery on his foot, and his chemistry with rising young quarterback
Caleb Williams is strong. There's still a lot of upside with Odunze, but the emergence of young receiver
Luther Burden III and tight end
Colston Loveland could cap his ceiling in the years to come.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Carolina Panthers running back
Rico Dowdle had a second straight 1,000-yard season in 2025 in his first year with the Panthers. Dowdle had a nearly identical campaign to the one he had with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024, although he had a career-high seven touchdowns (six rushing, one receiving) in 17 regular-season games. The 27-year-old had a career-high 236 rushing attempts (one more than last year) for 1,076 yards and six rushing scores. Dowdle had a stretch from Week 5 to Week 9 when backfield mate
Chuba Hubbard was injured, where he was one of the most productive backs in the NFL, handling 103 carries for 652 yards and three touchdowns while also catching 10 passes for 112 yards and another TD in five games. Dowdle struggled to produce meaningful numbers for fantasy managers the rest of the way while sharing touches with Hubbard, and he only had five carries for nine yards while losing a fumble in the playoff loss to the Rams. Dowdle proved the last two seasons that he can handle a heavier workload. He's looking for a bigger role and seems likely to depart in free agency in 2026. Dowdle's fantasy value next season will depend entirely on where he's playing.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
The Baltimore Ravens requested to interview Denver Broncos defensive passing-game coordinator and assistant head coach Jim Leonhard for their defensive-coordinator job, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Leonhard played for the Ravens in 2008 and has already interviewed for the Chargers' defensive-coordinator job. He's also expected to interview for the same position with the Buffalo Bills. Before working with the Broncos the last two seasons, Leonhard was in the collegiate ranks, mostly at the University of Wisconsin. He has drawn a lot of attention with the Broncos' defense becoming one of the best units in the league over the last two seasons. If he were to land in Baltimore, Leonhard would be working under new head coach Jesse Minter, who was previously the DC for the Los Angeles Chargers. He is expected to be the front-runner to land the DC job in Buffalo.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 29, 2026
The Los Angeles Chargers are hiring Western Michigan defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary as their defensive coordinator on Thursday, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN. O'Leary will be returning to the Chargers after working under Jesse Minter as the safeties coach in 2024. Before working in L.A., he coached the secondary at Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman. O'Leary is replacing Minter, who got the head-coaching job with the Baltimore Ravens. He spent six seasons with the Fighting Irish, and his defense at Western Michigan was one of the best scoring defenses in college football in 2025. While this isn't the sexiest hire for the Chargers, it makes sense because of O'Leary's already deep knowledge of the team's roster on the defensive side. When he was with the Bolts in 2024, they led the league in scoring defense and allowed just 17.7 points per game.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 28, 2026
Former Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich has interviewed for the New York Jets' offensive-coordinator position, according to the team. In addition to Reich, the Jets have interviewed Darrell Bevell, Ronald Curry, Greg Roman, and Lunda Wells as they look to replace Tanner Engstrand, who was fired earlier this week. Reich, 64, is currently a senior adviser at Stanford University. He has more than a decade of NFL coaching experience, most recently as the head coach of Carolina in 2023. Before that, he was the head coach for the Colts for six years from 2018 to 2022. Reich won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016-17. He spent 14 seasons in the NFL as a player after being taken by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 1985 NFL Draft. Recent reports suggest that Reich is the favorite to become the Jets' next OC.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Jets
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