February 20, 2026
A sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cincinnati Bengals running back
Tahj Brooks played a minimal role on offense in his first professional season. Across 16 games, the 23-year-old recorded just 54 yards from scrimmage on 17 total touches. Bengals running back
Chase Brown has logged nearly 600 touches over the past two seasons combined and is locked in as the RB1 in Cincinnati for at least 2026, blocking Brooks off from significant playing time. The Bengals also have steady veteran back
Samaje Perine under contract for the 2026 season. Perine recorded 469 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns across 15 games with Cincinnati in 2025, and his reputation as a solid pass blocker and receiver should keep him secure in the team's third-down role. Post 2026, Brooks could have a pathway to more playing time in Cincinnati. However, it appears unlikely that he will have a chance to prove himself in the short term, barring an injury to Brown or Perine. Brooks' value in dynasty formats should be trending downward after his quiet rookie campaign.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
February 20, 2026
A fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Indianapolis Colts running back
DJ Giddens failed to make much of an impact in his rookie season. Across nine games played, the 23-year-old recorded 26 carries for 96 yards and failed to reach the end zone. Giddens struggled to crack the Colts' active roster on game days for a sizable portion of the season, with veteran backs
Tyler Goodson and
Ameer Abdullah serving as the team's primary backups behind star running back
Jonathan Taylor. As long as Taylor remains healthy, it will be difficult for any other Colts running back to see the field consistently. Giddens also did not record a single reception and earned just two targets in his rookie season, so he may not be positioned to play a complementary third-down role alongside Taylor. Giddens could be given a larger opportunity to prove himself in his second NFL season, but his dynasty value is trending in the wrong direction after his quiet rookie year.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
February 20, 2026
New Orleans Saints running back
Kendre Miller (knee) had his 2025 season cut short after he suffered a torn ACL in Week 7. Before getting injured, the 23-year-old had recorded 223 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 52 touches across seven games played. A third-round pick by New Orleans in 2023, Miller appeared in just 14 games and recorded 454 total yards from scrimmage in his first two years in the NFL. His 2025 injury was an unfortunate setback, as Miller had just begun to carve out a real role in the Saints' backfield alongside veteran New Orleans back
Alvin Kamara. Given the timing of Miller's injury, he should have a chance to be ready for the start of the 2026 season. However, he will have to fight for touches with Kamara and 2025 sixth-round rusher
Devin Neal, as well as anyone else New Orleans brings in over the offseason. Fantasy managers in dynasty formats may want to downgrade Miller's value heading into 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
February 20, 2026
Atlanta Falcons president of football
Matt Ryan and new general manager Ian Cunningham are non-committal on whether quarterback
Michael Penix Jr. (knee) will be the guaranteed starter when he returns from the torn left ACL he suffered last November, according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN. "I've been up at the facility the last three weeks, and Michael's been in there attacking that, and he's in a good space right now, so we're excited about where he is. But certainly, a lot of discussions for us about the entire roster," Ryan said. The previous front office and coaching staff were adamant that Penix was their guy. But after a serious knee injury and poor results in 2025 prior to his injury, the new front office is taking more of a wait-and-see approach. The 25-year-old says he expects to be ready for Week 1 and is eager to prove he's the guy, but time will tell if Atlanta brings in serious competition for him via a trade, free agency, or the draft. Questions about Penix's durability have significantly lowered his dynasty stock.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Marc Raimondi
February 20, 2026
The Los Angeles Rams are promoting passing-game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase to offensive coordinator, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Scheelhaase interviewed for five head-coaching jobs during this hiring cycle, but he'll stay with the Rams and take over OC duties after Mike LaFleur left to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. The Rams are also making quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone the co-offensive coordinator/QBs coach. The 35-year-old Scheelhaase is one of the brightest young offensive minds in the NFL and is with a team with lots of offensive firepower now that we know MVP quarterback
Matthew Stafford is coming back for another season. It's a promotion for Scheelhaase for the second straight year, but the expectation is that head coach Sean McVay will continue to call the offensive plays. Scheelhaase could very well leave the Rams next offseason for a head-coaching gig.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
February 19, 2026
The Pittsburgh Steelers were in desperate need of someone to step up behind wide receiver
DK Metcalf, and second-year wideout
Roman Wilson was expected to make a major leap in Year 2. That did not happen, as the 24-year-old former third-rounder out of Michigan finished the 2025 campaign with just 12 receptions on 21 targets for 166 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games played (four starts). Wilson was a healthy scratch in four of the team's final six regular-season games, and he finished eighth on the team in receiving yards. The Steelers will head into the 2026 season with a new head coach in Mike McCarthy and with questions as to whether future Hall of Fame quarterback
Aaron Rodgers will return. Pittsburgh will most likely look for additional receiver help in free agency, which will not help Wilson's cause as he seeks to become more involved on offense in 2026. In dynasty leagues, Wilson is a clear cut candidate.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
February 19, 2026
New England Patriots wide receiver
DeMario Douglas had a disappointing third year in the NFL, even though his team advanced all the way to the Super Bowl. The 25-year-old pass-catcher had career lows in catches (31), targets (46), and receiving yards (447) while scoring just three touchdowns for the second straight season in 17 regular-season games. Quarterback
Drake Maye was in the running for MVP honors in his second season, but Douglas just couldn't stand out in a crowded receiving corps that also included
Stefon Diggs,
Kayshon Boutte,
Mack Hollins, and rookie
Kyle Williams. His 447 receiving yards were fifth on the team, and he added seven carries for 21 yards on the ground. Douglas will be in a contract year in 2026, but with all of the above-mentioned receivers returning to New England, it's hard to envision Douglas becoming a strong weekly fantasy football option.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
February 19, 2026
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver
Jordan Whittington was more productive on offense in his rookie campaign in 2024 in two fewer games than he was in 17 regular-season contests in 2025. The 25-year-old former sixth-round pick out of the University of Texas caught just 18 passes for 171 yards and no touchdowns on 25 targets in his sophomore season in an explosive Rams offense. On special teams, he returned 17 kickoffs for 434 yards. Even though
Cooper Kupp left, the addition of
Davante Adams in L.A. left very few targets for Whittington and
Tutu Atwell. Whittington has a total of 40 catches on 53 targets for 464 yards and no touchdowns in his first 32 NFL games (nine starts), and nothing points to him having a drastically bigger role going into the 2026 season, barring significant injuries to either Adams or
Puka Nacua. In dynasty leagues, Whittington is a cut candidate.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
February 19, 2026
Green Bay Packers impending free-agent running back
Emanuel Wilson once again served in a backup role to starter
Josh Jacobs in 2025, finishing his third year in the NFL with 496 rushing yards and three touchdowns on a career-high 125 rushing attempts through 17 regular-season contests. The 26-year-old added a career-high 15 receptions on 17 targets for 99 yards through the air. Wilson will be a restricted free agent in March, and if he returns to Green Bay, he'll likely be the top backup option again, depending on the health of
MarShawn Lloyd. In his first start of the year in Week 12 against the Minnesota Vikings with Jacobs sidelined, Wilson ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, rewarding fantasy managers who used him as a plug-and-play RB2. If he returns to the Packers in 2026, Wilson will probably need an injury to Jacobs to become a weekly fantasy option at RB.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
February 19, 2026
After starting games for both the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals in 2025, veteran quarterback
Joe Flacco enters 2026 as an unrestricted free agent. The 2008 first-round draft pick, who has now started for six different teams, recently turned 41, but he has no plans to retire anytime soon. While a handful of teams could be in the market for a bridge quarterback when free agency opens in March, Flacco will likely find more suitors as one of the most reliable backups in the league. He has expressed a willingness to resign with Cincinnati to play behind
Joe Burrow, which, outside of a starting role, might be his most valuable landing spot from a fantasy perspective. Flacco finished as a QB1 in four of his six starts with the Bengals, including a stretch of three straight weeks inside the top five, while Burrow has missed meaningful time in three of his first six seasons. As such, Flacco is worth holding through the offseason in superflex dynasty leagues.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 19, 2026
Buffalo Bills second-year running back
Ray Davis saw his workload reduced drastically from Year 1 to Year 2, as the team finally gave
James Cook the workhorse duties fantasy managers have been clamoring for for years. Cook saw the highest snap count of his career and obliterated his previous-high usage total, seeing a total of 348 opportunities on the way to his first career rushing title. Meanwhile, Davis saw his opportunities drop from 131 as a rookie to only 71 in year two. With Buffalo's offense still among the highest scoring in the league, Davis' value purely as a handcuff is enough to keep him rostered in deeper dynasty leagues. However, with
Ty Johnson still working ahead of him in the passing game, he is by no means a must-hold for managers facing a roster crunch.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 19, 2026
Following a 65-reception, 665-yard campaign in his first year with the Bengals, tight end
Mike Gesicki signed a three-year extension before the 2025 season. Missing parts of five games with a pectoral injury, the 30-year-old vet turned in his second-lowest yardage total since his rookie season, topping seven Half-PPR points only twice. With a relatively low-cost out to his existing contract, Gesicki could find himself as an offseason or training camp cut, but regardless of where he lands in 2026, his best fantasy days look to be safely behind him. Since his TE11 finish with Miami in 2021, he's seen fantasy finishes of TE23, TE37, TE14, and TE40, and he can be treated as a cut candidate as dynasty managers make space for the incoming rookie class.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 19, 2026
A first-round pick in 2024, Carolina wide receiver
Xavier Legette has yet to top 500 receiving yards or four touchdowns in either of his professional seasons. While he has shown the occasional flash, he looks to be heading in the wrong direction on the Panthers ' depth chart heading into 2026. Offensive Rookie of the Year
Tetairoa McMillan led the team in almost all statistical categories in 2025, while
Jalen Coker has been prioritized over Legette whenever he's healthy. With Coker seeing career highs in targets, receptions, and yards in Carolina's Wild Card playoff loss, and the Panthers regularly tied to the position in a wide receiver-heavy draft, Legette's value continues to slide. Quarterback
Bryce Young has yet to hit 3,300 yards or 25 passing touchdowns through his first three seasons, making a meaningful fantasy impact nearly impossible for any receiver that dips too far from the top of the depth chart.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 19, 2026
Twenty-four-year-old Baltimore Ravens running back
Keaton Mitchell has shown explosiveness almost every time he's been given an opportunity, but through the first three seasons of his career, those opportunities have been limited to 130 total touches. At only 5-foot-8 and under 200 pounds, durability has already been an early-career concern, but with a lifetime average of 6.3 yards per carry, he still has too much game-breaking talent to move on from. A restricted free agent heading into 2026, he'll likely return to a Ravens running back room with the soon-to-be 32-year-old
Derrick Henry and a dedicated pass catcher in
Justice Hill, who averaged fewer than two carries per game in 2025. Currently priced outside the top 60 running backs in dynasty startups, Mitchell remains a stash, with new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle coming from a Ben Johnson coaching tree that values explosives.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 19, 2026
It makes sense for the Seattle Seahawks to keep as much of their offense the same going into the 2026 season after winning Super Bowl LX, and new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury said on Thursday during a press conference that the team's "offense will have continuity from 2025." Fleury also plans to have a dynamic running game while keeping things friendly for quarterback
Sam Darnold in the red zone. Maintaining a dynamic ground attack in Seattle could be difficult if the team doesn't re-sign impending free-agent running back
Kenneth Walker III, who was named Super Bowl MVP. Fleury was the San Francisco 49ers' run-game coordinator and tight ends coach in 2025, and previous OC Klint Kubiak (now the Raiders' head coach) previously served as the Niners' passing-game coordinator. It won't be easy for Fleury to fill Kubiak's shoes, especially since this will be his first time as an offensive play-caller.
--Keith HernandezSource: Seattle Seahawks
RADIO
