RADIO
Mark Andrews is Quietly a Solid Start in Week 1
Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews looks to bounce back this season, and his campaign starts in Indianapolis against the Colts in Week 1. Andrews is entering the first year of his three-year, $39.3 million contract extension signed in December and is leading a rebuilt tight end room. Veteran Durham Smythe joined in the offseason, and rookies Matt Hibner and Josh Cuevas each made strong showings during the preseason. Smythe is expected to handle much of the blocking work, while the younger tight ends will develop over the course of the season. Andrews is coming off one of his worst career years, in terms of efficiency, but he had a promising camp and looks healthy heading into his ninth season with the Ravens. Last year, Andrews had a career-low 422 total yards, despite playing all 17 games, and averaged just 24.8 receiving yards per game. He also had career lows in several advanced metrics, including yards per reception (8.8), receiving EPA (-9.2), air yards per target (7.8), and yards after catch over expected (-23). However, the Colts defense was in the bottom 10 against tight ends in 2025, allowing an average of 12.6 points to the position. Andrews should fall right behind wide receiver Zay Flowers in targets on Sunday. Most importantly, the veteran tight end has established trust with quarterback Lamar Jackson, especially in the red zone, which probably makes him a low-end TE1 going into Week 1.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Zay Flowers Set to Lead Ravens Receiving Corps in Week 1
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (hamstring) is off the injury report after logging a limited practice on Wednesday and is ready to take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1. Flowers led the Ravens in targets, receptions, and yards, and is clearly quarterback Lamar Jackson's preferred pass catcher, as he enjoyed a 25% target share in 2025. Moreover, Zay Flowers averaged 2.5 yards per route run last season, the third-most among 76 wide receivers who ran at least 300 routes, according to Next Gen Stats; only Puka Nacua (3.8) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (3.7) averaged more. However, the Colts secondary has gotten healthier over the off-season, and they boast two All-Pro cornerbacks in Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward Sr., which may hinder Flowers' ability to separate downfield. Nonetheless, fantasy managers probably drafted Flowers as their WR2, and he lands within Rotoballer's top 12, making him a borderline WR1 heading into Week 1.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Roman Wilson Has a Tough Path to Week 1 Role Despite Solid Camp
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson reportedly put together an impressive training camp, and we saw him catch three passes for 23 yards throughout the preseason. However, the current state of the Steelers' receiver room will make it very challenging for him to carve out any sort of fantasy relevance this year. Through two seasons in the NFL, Wilson has just 12 catches, 166 yards, and two touchdowns. He was buried on the depth chart last year, and even if he opens this season as the No. 3 receiver on the depth chart, he'll still be stuck behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. in an offense that doesn't have an absurd amount of passing volume available for its depth targets. Plus, there's a chance that Wilson could slip further down the depth chart as rookie Germie Bernard, who had five catches for 64 yards and a touchdown in the preseason, continues to acclimate to the NFL. Fantasy managers can leave Wilson on waivers in all redraft and most dynasty leagues.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Brian Thomas Jr.'s Target Share Uncertain for Week 1
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. took a major step backward in his second pro season last year, and he remains a very uncertain wide receiver for fantasy managers in 2026. Thomas went from ranking as the WR4 in 2024 to the WR44 in 2025. While he did miss three games last year, that brief absence doesn't account for the 45% reduction in receptions, 45% reduction in receiving yards, and 80% reduction in touchdowns from Year 1 to Year 2 in the NFL. More likely than not, we can blame his step backward on a mix of talent and surroundings. Not only did he look like a different, less dominant receiver last year, but he also faced more competition with Travis Hunter's arrival to the NFL, Parker Washington's breakout, and the Jaguars' midseason trade for Jakobi Meyers. Unfortunately for Thomas, those three receivers are back this year, and tight end Brenton Strange could also be on the brink of handling a larger target share. Thomas continues to be plagued by uncertainty in fantasy football, dropping him to the low-end WR3 tier for the time being.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Dylan Laube Off the Fantasy Radar Entirely
Las Vegas Raiders running back Dylan Laube is no longer worth rostering in fantasy football. There was a stretch where Laube had some appeal as a handcuff behind Ashton Jeanty, but he never ended up logging more than four touches in a single game last season. The New Hampshire product now has 10 career offensive touches and two career fumbles, which is not a good ratio, although it's worth noting that he has also earned plenty of returns on special teams. Laube opens the season as the No. 3 running back on the Raiders' roster, and it's hard to see him carving out any sort of offensive role behind Jeanty and up-and-coming rookie Mike Washington Jr. Both backs have generated plenty of buzz throughout the offseason, so they're both on the fantasy radar while Laube is essentially a non-factor. He can be dropped in most leagues.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Luke McCaffrey Slipping Down the Depth Chart in New-Look Receiver Room
Washington Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey is falling down the depth chart ahead of the 2026 NFL season, and as a result, his fantasy outlook has taken a massive hit. McCaffrey, a 2024 third-round pick out of Rice, is the brother of 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. He has never finished higher than WR108 in his two NFL seasons, and he missed eight games due to injury last season. The Commanders beefed up their wide receiver room this offseason with Stefon Diggs and Antonio Williams, who will operate behind Terry McLaurin. That leaves McCaffrey vying for the No. 4 receiver spot at best, although he's also losing ground to Dyami Brown, Treylon Burks, and Jaylin Lane. If not for his special teams value, McCaffrey would probably have found himself on the roster bubble by now. He can be dropped in all fantasy leagues.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Stefon Diggs Projects as Flex Option in Week 1
Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs is set to make his debut in the burgundy and gold in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The 32-year-old wideout spent one season in New England, where he recorded 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns on 102 targets, playing only 55% of the snaps. Now another season removed from the torn ACL, Diggs has proven to be a favorite target for Jayden Daniels throughout training camp and will be a heavily featured piece of Washington's passing attack alongside Terry McLaurin. Diggs and the passing offense will be put to the test in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, who allowed the fewest passing touchdowns in the league last season. Diggs comes in as RotoBaller's WR43 in PPR leagues for Week 1.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Rachaad White in Flex Territory for Week 1
Washington Commanders running back Rachaad White has been a reliable fantasy producer over the last few seasons, with some upside mixed in at times. The 27-year-old finished as high as the RB10 in PPR/G in 2023, recording the fourth most receptions among running backs in the league that season with 64. White's inefficiencies as a runner have limited his overall upside to this point in his career, though he's still one of the most effective pass-catching backs in the league. Washington's offense missed the receiving ability of RB Austin Ekeler after he got injured early last season, which is the role that White is now aiming to fill. Jayden Daniels doesn't throw to his running backs at an extreme rate. Still, Ekeler played 17 total games with the Commanders (including playoffs) and averaged 3.7 targets and 3.1 catches per game, which are similar to White's career numbers. It remains to be seen how White works into the offense alongside Jacory Croskey-Merritt, but White is expected to play an important role early. White has a challenging matchup in Week 1 against the Eagles, ranking as RotoBaller's RB35 in PPR leagues.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jayden Daniels Faces Stiff Test in Philly to Open Season
Washington Commanders third-year quarterback Jayden Daniels is coming off a disappointing sophomore campaign that was derailed by injuries. The 25-year-old started only seven games and only played four full games, and his completion percentage fell from the historic 69% mark in his rookie season to 60.6% in 2025. Daniels enters the 2026 regular season fully healthy and motivated to produce with a revamped pass-catching group, headlined by the addition of veteran WR Stefon Diggs, along with third-round rookie WR Antonio Williams, TE Chig Okonkwo, and RB Rachaad White. The loss of star LT Laremy Tunsil (triceps) is a major blow, but Daniels also led Washington to a top-5 offense without him two seasons ago. The LSU product faces a strong challenge on the road in Philadelphia in Week 1, where he last took the field more than one season ago in the 2024-25 NFC Championship Game. Facing the vaunted Super Bowl-winning Eagles defense three times as a rookie, Daniels averaged 24.29 fantasy points per game in those matchups. The Eagles' defense again looks primed to be one of the best in football after allowing the fewest passing touchdowns last season, but Daniels still projects favorably due to his dual-threat ability. Daniels ranks as RotoBaller's QB12 for Week 1.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
KaVontae Turpin Falling Out of Favor in Dallas
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin's fantasy relevance is quickly slipping away. Turpin has put together back-to-back WR77 finishes in PPR leagues, and he had occasional streaming appeal in 2024 when opportunities opened up for him to take on a bigger role. However, he was never able to establish himself as a dependable target week in and week out. Last season, he fell down the depth chart following the acquisition of George Pickens and the breakout of Ryan Flournoy. At best, he projects as the No. 4 receiver this season behind CeeDee Lamb, Pickens, and Flournoy, but he could also fall as low as sixth on the depth chart. We would not be surprised if Turpin sits out any games as a healthy scratch this season while the Cowboys work to solidify the back half of their depth chart. He should be dropped in all fantasy leagues.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Tyquan Thornton's Fantasy Appeal Slipping Away
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton is trending down in fantasy football ahead of the 2026 NFL season. While Thornton remains in the No. 3 spot on the depth chart for now, he'll likely lose his grasp on that role by midseason. He's already behind Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce, and Xavier Worthy in the passing game order, and soon, he could also be surpassed by up-and-coming rookie Cyrus Allen. The fifth-round pick out of Cincinnati reportedly had a great training camp, earning the trust of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the coaching staff. Thornton, on the other hand, has struggled to emerge as a consistent threat in the passing game throughout his four seasons in the league. Now heading into Year 5, Thornton has yet to finish higher than WR81 in a single season.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Chicago's D/ST Worthy of Consideration Versus Panthers
The Chicago Bears' D/ST is a recommended fantasy option for Week 1 when they take on the Carolina Panthers on the road. For what it's worth, the Bears' defense was one of the worst in terms of yards (fourth-most) and points (tenth-most) allowed per game in 2025. However, the unit also forced the league's most turnovers (33), while the team as a whole had the best differential (+22). This Sunday, they'll face an advantageous matchup against a Panthers offense that scored the sixth-fewest points per game last season (19). This matchup isn't without risk, as Chicago's weakness against the ground game aligns with Carolina's strength. Still, Bryce Young's inconsistencies should leave the door open for an opportunistic Bears defense to make field-flipping plays. As it stands, the unit is a fringey top option, landing as RotoBaller's D/ST12 ahead of the favorable outing.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Cairo Santos in Favorable Week 1 Spot
Chicago Bears veteran placekicker Cairo Santos presents as a strong fantasy asset when his team squares off with the Carolina Panthers on the road in Week 1. The 34-year-old was solid for Chicago in 2025, connecting on 25-of-30 field goal attempts and all 39 of his extra-point attempts. While Santos was nothing more than a middle-of-the-road option last year, he should be afforded plenty of opportunities to be impactful in this campaign. In addition to being tethered to an explosive, exciting offense, the playmakers throughout the defense led the league in takeaways with 33 a season ago. All in all, the veteran is primed to be a useful alternative in fantasy lineups for the duration of the season and can be trusted as a sound start to kick off the 2026 campaign. He's RotoBaller's K9 leading up to the team's first outing.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Kyle Monangai a Full-Go for Opener Vs. Carolina
Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai will head into this weekend's outing against the hosting Carolina Panthers, seemingly healthy after a full week of practice. The second-year back hyperextended his knee roughly a month ago. Considering there's been no update since his return on Monday, it feels safe to assume that Monangai will resume his role as a 1B/change-of-pace option behind incumbent starter D'Andre Swift. While the former's upside is capped for as long as he shares Chicago's backfield, he's one of the league's premier handcuffs. Monangai also has the talent to carve out standalone value on an aggressive offense. In Week 1, he'll get an excellent matchup in a Panthers' defensive front that was a bottom-half unit in rushing yards per game last year. Game script could be favorable if the Bears jump out to an early lead, but Monangai is otherwise a touchdown-dependent option in the early going. For now, he'll rank as the PPR RB42 in RotoBaller's Week 1 rankings.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Colston Loveland Set for Monster First Outing
Chicago Bears second-year tight end Colston Loveland is primed for a strong outing this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers on the road. Loveland's rookie campaign may have started slowly, but he made an impact on an offense loaded with talent and erupted down the stretch. From Week 17 through the divisional round, the former Michigan Wolverine racked up 28 receptions, 378 yards, and two touchdowns on a ludicrous 48 targets (29.1%), notching no fewer than 10 looks in any appearance. Now, heading into his second year, Loveland is the clear leader of Chicago's tight end room and poised to handle a heavy workload in an ascending offense. Even in a unit brimming with capable playmakers, the 22-year-old is a locked-in, high-end asset at his position. Additionally, he could see a bump in volume with several of his teammates dealing with preseason injuries. He's RotoBaller's PPR TE2 for Sunday's opening bout.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
