February 21, 2026
Across 13 games in 2025, Arizona Cardinals running back
Emari Demercado recorded 413 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown on 57 touches. Demercado opened the year as the RB3 in Arizona behind
James Conner (ankle) and
Trey Benson (knee). However, Conner suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 3, and Benson went down for the year with a knee ailment in Week 4. Despite the injuries ahead of him, Demercado was unable to carve out a lead role in Arizona and ended up splitting playing time with running backs
Michael Carter and
Bam Knight. Demercado is now set to hit restricted free agency, so there is no guarantee he will be back with the Cardinals in 2026. Even if he gets a new contract in Arizona, it seems clear that the team views him as a complementary piece. The Cardinals should also get Benson back in time for the start of next season, and could look to add more talent in either free agency or the draft. In dynasty formats, Demercado may no longer be worth rostering after his underwhelming 2025 showing.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
February 21, 2026
A fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Carolina Panthers running back
Trevor Etienne played a minimal role on offense in his rookie year. Across 17 games, the 21-year-old recorded 107 yards from scrimmage on just 23 touches. Etienne spent the entire year buried on the depth chart behind veteran Panthers backs
Chuba Hubbard and
Rico Dowdle. Dowdle is a free agent heading into 2026 and may not return to Carolina. However, the Panthers may be getting back 2024 second-round running back
Jonathon Brooks (knee), who missed the entirety of 2025 while rehabbing from a torn ACL. Even if Dowdle signs elsewhere and Brooks' injury issues continue, Etienne did little as a rookie to prove he should be part of Carolina's long-term plans. Depending on league size and format, Etienne may not be worth stashing on dynasty rosters after his underwhelming 2025 campaign.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
February 21, 2026
Across 16 games in 2025, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
Kendrick Bourne recorded 37 receptions for 551 yards on 53 targets. A significant chunk of Bourne's production came in a two-game stretch in Weeks 5 and 6, when he hauled in 15 receptions for 284 yards on 20 targets. As the 49ers' pass-catching corps got healthier in the later part of the season, Bourne's role faded out of fantasy relevance. Bourne is now set to hit free agency ahead of 2026, which will be his age-31 season. Fellow 49ers wideout
Jauan Jennings is also a free agent, and star San Francisco tight end
George Kittle (Achilles) could miss a chunk of 2026 with a torn Achilles tendon. As a result, a return to San Francisco could mean Bourne has a role in the team's passing game, especially early in the year. However, the veteran wideout's best days appear to be behind him, and he may not play a fantasy-relevant role in 2026 and beyond.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
February 21, 2026
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver
Jaxon Smith-Njigba isn't in a rush to sign a new deal after winning Super Bowl LX, but the 2025 Offensive Player of the Year did say that he thinks he deserves to "be the highest-paid in my position," according to ESPN's Brady Henderson. It would mean an extension worth more than $40 million in new-money average. The Seahawks can exercise a fifth-year option on the former first-rounder's contract by May 1, but they plan to work out a new deal with JSN this offseason. The 24-year-old picked a great time to have the best year of his career, setting a franchise record and leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards despite the fact that the Seahawks ran the ball more than any other team. Smith-Njigba also had 10 touchdowns and went for 199 yards and two touchdowns in three playoff games. He finished second to only
Puka Nacua in overall fantasy points in 2025 and will surely be a first-round fantasy selection in drafts this fall.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Brady Henderson
February 20, 2026
The Miami Dolphins have a new front office and coaching staff and are looking to get younger heading into the 2026 season. The NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe reports that plenty of teams will be eager to talk to Miami to see which players they might be willing to trade. We already know that the Dolphins want to try to trade quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa, but Wolfe says that they prefer not to get rid of running back
De'Von Achane and wide receiver
Jaylen Waddle, two of their top offensive playmakers. Achane was by far the team's most consistent offensive player in 2025, finishing as the RB6 in half-PPR scoring thanks to a career-high 1,350 rushing yards and eight TDs on 238 carries. He also had 67 receptions for 488 yards and four more scores. Waddle fell short of 1,000 receiving yards for the second straight year, but he bounced back with 910 yards and six TDs on 64 catches. Despite questions at QB and with a new coaching staff, the Dolphins should continue to lean heavily on both Achane and Waddle in 2026 if they stick around.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Cameron Wolfe
February 20, 2026
Tennessee Titans quarterback
Cameron Ward (shoulder) is "recovering well" from his right-shoulder AC sprain that he suffered in the Week 18 regular-season finale, according to Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network. Ward has been working with the team's quarterbacks coach on his lower body, and the plan is for him to resume throwing the football in March. Before he resumes throwing, the Titans want to work on the former first overall pick's base after he picked up some bad habits in his rookie season. The 23-year-old is excited to work with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and believes he'll allow him to be the playmaker he was in college at the University of Miami. Wolfe says that Daboll and Ward hit it off during the pre-draft process last year, and Daboll tried to trade up to get Ward as the Giants' head coach. Time will tell if Daboll will help in Ward's development. He predictably struggled in Year 1 in a Tennessee offense without many high-end weapons. Going into Year 2, Ward will be a low-end QB2 target in fantasy with upside.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Cameron Wolfe
February 20, 2026
The Kansas City Star's Pete Sweeney reports that Jacksonville Jaguars impending free-agent running back
Travis Etienne Jr. has "legitimate interest" in signing with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency this offseason, according to sources. Chiefs RBs
Kareem Hunt and
Isiah Pacheco are both scheduled to hit free agency, too, so KC is definitely in the market for backfield help. Etienne, the former 25th overall pick by the Jags in 2021 out of Clemson, had a nice bounce-back campaign in 2025, reaching the 1,000-yard mark for the third time in his four NFL seasons. The 27-year-old had 260 carries and added seven rushing touchdowns while catching 36 passes for 292 yards and a career-high six receiving TDs in 17 regular-season games. Etienne would be a significant upgrade for a Chiefs offense looking to become more explosive after failing to make the postseason last year for the first time in a decade. Etienne was the RB10 in half-PPR scoring in 2025 and would have clear RB1 upside if he joined the Chiefs.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Kansas City Star - Pete Sweeney
February 20, 2026
Seattle Seahawks running back
Zach Charbonnet (knee) posted on his Instagram account on Friday that he underwent surgery to fix a torn ACL, according to Corbin K. Smith of Emerald Spectrum. Smith explains that it's not uncommon for such a surgery to happen several weeks after the injury occurred, but it pushes Charbonnet's recovery clock even further into the 2026 season. The 25-year-old tore his ACL in the Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks have not given a firm timetable for when Charbonnet might return in 2026, but he almost certainly won't be ready for the start of the regular season this fall. Not only will Seattle most likely not have Charb ready in Week 1, but
Kenneth Walker III, the Super Bowl MVP, will hit the free-agent market in March. Charbonnet saw a bigger role alongside Walker in 2025, setting career-highs across the board in carries (184), rushing yards (730), and rushing TDs (12) in 16 regular-season games. However, his 2026 fantasy stock will take a big hit since he most likely won't have a full season coming off his torn ACL.
--Keith HernandezSource: Emerald Spectrum - Corbin K. Smith
February 20, 2026
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that quarterback
Patrick Mahomes (knee), who has been rehabbing the last two months after having surgery to fix the torn ACL and LCL in his left knee, is "already showing progress," according to ESPN's Nate Taylor. "He's around here all the time," Reid said of Mahomes. "He spends a ton of time here, seven hours a day. He's in there cranking away and making progress every day. It's great to see." The three-time Super Bowl MVP and six-time Pro Bowler still has a lot of rehab left, but if he keeps making great strides, he will have a shot to be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season this fall. Even before his late-season knee injury, Mahomes and the Chiefs offense had taken a step back, and he finished with 3,587 passing yards, a career-low 22 touchdown passes, and 11 picks in 14 games. Coming off major knee surgery, Mahomes will no longer be in consideration as a high-end QB1 in fantasy in 2026 as he heads into his 10th year in the NFL.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Nate Taylor
February 20, 2026
Buffalo Bills tight end
Dalton Kincaid took a step forward as a pass-catcher in 2025, which was pretty impressive considering he played most of the year through a torn PCL in his knee. The 26-year-old former first-rounder played in a career-low 12 regular-season games due to knee and hamstring injuries, catching 39 of his 49 targets for 571 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. Kincaid's production was still somewhat of a disappointment for fantasy managers, but he was at least more efficient with a 67.3% success rate, and he showed improvement in the red zone. Kincaid will not have offseason surgery, so he should have a normal offseason as he enters an important contract year. If he can finally get over the knee issues that have plagued him the last two years, Kincaid will have the motivation that could easily lead to a fourth-year breakout.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
February 20, 2026
The Dallas Cowboys waived linebacker Logan Wilson on Friday, according to Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News. With the release, the Cowboys will create $6.5 million in salary cap space for the 2026 season. Wilson was traded from the Cincinnati Bengals to the Cowboys midway through the season last year, but he didn't see much playing time in Dallas, with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus using Kenneth Murray over Wilson. The 29-year-old linebacker had 70 total tackles (34 solo) in 15 combined games in 2025 after reaching 100-plus total tackles in the four previous seasons with the Bengals. Wilson has struggled in pass coverage in the NFL and only has 5.5 sacks in his six seasons, but he's proven he's a reliable tackler when given enough playing time. In the right fit in 2026, he could put himself back on the IDP fantasy radar as a tackling machine.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Dallas Morning News - Calvin Watkins
February 20, 2026
The Athletic's Jesse Newell writes that Kansas City Chiefs impending free-agent running back
Isiah Pacheco is "likely to sign elsewhere" in free agency this offseason. Pacheco did not show his pre-injury burst out of the backfield in 2025, averaging 3.9 yards per carry while rushing for 462 yards and just one touchdown on 118 rushing attempts in 13 games played. He ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL scouting combine, but he hasn't shown that same speed after a productive first two seasons in the NFL. In addition to his declining speed, he hasn't established himself as a receiving threat out of the backfield, with his 44-catch season in 2023 looking like an outlier. On top of injuries the last two seasons, Pacheco's fantasy stock is down as he enters free agency. Pacheco's 2026 fantasy value will depend on where he's playing, but most likely, he'll be involved in some sort of timeshare after struggling the last two seasons.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Jesse Newell
February 20, 2026
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said on Friday that the team has been communicating with impending free-agent tight end
Travis Kelce, according to Nate Taylor of ESPN. "There is communication. That's the main thing. That means people want to move forward. I [think] that's where Travis is," Reid said. The 36-year-old 11-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro is contemplating retirement for the second straight offseason, but if he decides to return for a 14th season in the NFL, he'll most likely re-sign with KC. The Chiefs have made it clear that they want Kelce back if he doesn't hang up his cleats. Despite his age, Kelce remained productive for fantasy managers in 2025, finishing as the TE4 in half-PPR scoring with 76 catches for 851 yards and five touchdowns on 108 targets. If Kelce comes back, he'll be a midrange TE1 target in fantasy with more risk of injury because of his age.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Nate Taylor
February 20, 2026
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that "nothing is happening there" when discussing whether the Chiefs were in contact with free-agent wide receiver
Tyreek Hill (knee), according to Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star. "I don't know if Tyreek is healthy right now to do anything. I'm sure he's working hard on that part of it to get that straightened out," Reid said. The 31-year-old eight-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro dislocated his knee and tore multiple ligaments in Week 4 of last year, but he plans on continuing his playing career in 2026 as he heads into free agency. Hill was originally a fifth-round pick by the Chiefs in 2016 and spent the first six years of his career in KC, but as of right now, it doesn't sound like the Chiefs have interest in a reunion with the Cheetah, at least until they know more about his health. Hill's fantasy value going into his 11th NFL campaign will depend on his health and where he lands, but it sure would be intriguing to see him back in KC working with quarterback
Patrick Mahomes.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Kansas City Star - Sam McDowell
February 20, 2026
For the second straight season, the Denver Broncos are going into the offseason with a priority to boost their running game, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN. The Broncos were third in the league win run-block win rate (73.9%), but it didn't result in much production on the ground in 2025. Denver was 15th in plays of 20-plus yards (run and pass combined), 15th in runs of 10-plus yards, and 11th in runs of 20-plus yards. They were 21st in the NFL in rushing yards over expected. Losing lead back
J.K. Dobbins to a season-ending foot injury midway through the year likely played a part, and rookie RB
RJ Harvey rushed for 540 yards and averaged 3.7 yards per tote. The Broncos were first in run-block win rate in 2024 and also struggled to run the football. Specifically, running the ball under center will be a "point of emphasis," per head coach Sean Payton. Dobbins is a free agent this offseason, so if he doesn't come back, Harvey could be the Broncos' RB1 in 2026. Quarterback
Bo Nix could also be given more designed runs next season as Denver looks to become more effective running the football.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Legwold
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