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
February 19, 2026
Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round wide receiver
Emeka Egbuka came out of the gates as a clear favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year, racking up 445 receiving yards and five touchdowns in the first five games of his career. Unfortunately, a Week 6 hamstring tweak and an inexplicable lack of chemistry with quarterback
Baker Mayfield limited him to only 493 yards and one touchdown over his next 12 games. While neither Egbuka nor Mayfield missed a start, they were both clearly affected by injury at points throughout the year. With
Chris Godwin Jr.,
Mike Evans, and
Jalen McMillan in and out of the lineup with injuries of their own, Egbuka was never able to find a late-season rhythm as he worked to break through the rookie wall. Mike Evans has recently suggested he would be open to continuing his career outside of Tampa Bay, which could open a massive opportunity for Egbuka in year two. However, if the Buccaneers run it back in 2026 with the same foursome atop the depth chart, he may still struggle to find a consistent role and be viewed as a better-in-best-ball wideout.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 19, 2026
Since signing with the New England Patriots in 2021, tight end
Hunter Henry has turned in a top-12 finish in three of five seasons, never finishing below TE21. While he lacks the big game consistency to stay off the waiver wire in redraft formats, he's the exact type of player drafters should be targeting in the later rounds of best ball drafts, especially in three-tight-end builds. Henry has become a trusted red zone weapon for
Drake Maye and has five multi-touchdown games in his career, providing occasional week-winning spikes that can be difficult to predict when streaming the position. Henry finished as the TE7 in 2025 and is currently going outside the top 12 at the position in early best ball drafts.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 19, 2026
Washington Commanders running back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt was a seventh-round pick in 2025 following an unorthodox finish to his college career, and he became a popular sleeper pick heading into his first season. With the Commanders' running back room lacking obvious star talent, the path was there for the explosive young back to claim the top spot. Following an early-season injury to
Austin Ekeler, Croskey-Merritt was given multiple chances to secure the role. While he was never able to take a stranglehold of the position, injuries and ineffectiveness around him never let him stray too far from relevance. With Ekeler set to hit the open market and
Chris Rodriguez Jr. a restricted free agent, Washington will likely bring in another back to compete for touches. However, after putting up two of his best games against divisional foes over the final month of the season, Croskey-Merritt should have every chance to compete for a primary role again in 2026.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 19, 2026
Third-year Jacksonville wide receiver
Parker Washington led all Jaguars pass catchers with 58 receptions for 847 yards in 2025, while his five touchdown grabs trailed only running back
Travis Etienne Jr. With rumblings that second overall pick
Travis Hunter will be used primarily on the defensive side of the ball in year two, the Jaguars' wide receiver room is wide open heading into 2026.
Brian Thomas Jr. was unable to follow up on his Pro Bowl rookie season, while veteran
Jakobi Meyers became an integral piece of Jacksonville's offense following a mid-season trade. With either just as capable as Washington of leading the room, and Hunter unlikely to be entirely phased out of the offense, whoever ends up as the de facto number one could still struggle to crack 1,000 yards or double-digit touchdowns, and will be difficult to trust week-in and week-out, making all of them more valuable in best ball formats.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 19, 2026
The Los Angeles Chargers selected running back
Omarion Hampton 22nd overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, but ankle injuries limited the talented rookie to only nine regular-season games. Even still, the 22-year-old out of North Carolina showed enough in his first season to make him a popular breakout candidate heading into 2026. Following a season-ending injury to
Najee Harris in Week 3, Hampton exploded for his best game of the season, with 165 total yards and a touchdown in a Week 4 loss to the Giants. While he would play only five more games for the rest of the year, mostly behind an injury-ravaged offensive line, he continued to run hard, averaging 4.4 yards per carry while staying steadily involved in the passing game. Assuming a full return to health by both Hampton and the line in front of him, the second year back could be knocking on a top-five fantasy finish in Mike McDaniel's offense in 2026.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 19, 2026
Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson (foot) told The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane on Thursday that he is officially returning for a 14th season with the Eagles. It will be big to have the future Hall of Fame right tackle back as head coach Nick Sirianni alters the offense under new offensive coordinator
Sean Mannion in 2026. On top of that, Philly will have a new offensive-line coach after Jeff Stoutland resigned. Chris Kuper will be taking over responsibilities, and the scheme on the O-line is likely to change. The 35-year-old Johnson missed the final eight games of last season, including the loss in the postseason to the San Francisco 49ers, with a Lisfranc foot injury. He has continued his rehab early this offseason as he works to regain full strength, and he should be ready to go by Week 1 this fall. Johnson's return is excellent news for the Eagles' offense in 2026, primarily for quarterback
Jalen Hurts and running back
Saquon Barkley.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Philadelphia Inquirer - Jeff McLane
February 19, 2026
Seattle Seahawks impending free-agent wide receiver/return man
Rashid Shaheed told NFL Network's Judy Battista and Bridget Condon on Wednesday that he "would love" to return to the Seahawks. Seattle acquired Shaheed at last year's trade deadline, and the 27-year-old was an underrated piece of the Seahawks' Super Bowl-champion squad. He provided an additional deep threat for quarterback
Sam Darnold while also returning three kicks for scores on special teams, including one in the Divisional Round blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers. He was more of a threat for fantasy managers with the New Orleans Saints before the trade, though, as he caught only 15 of 26 targets for 188 yards and no touchdowns in nine regular-season games in Seattle. Shaheed was averaging career bests in catches per game (4.9) and receiving yards per game (55.4) before the trade. Wherever he lands in free agency this offseason, Shaheed will most likely be a boom/bust WR4/flex for fantasy.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Judy Battista and Bridget Condon
February 18, 2026
Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl offensive guard Wyatt Teller, who will be a free agent in March, announced on Instagram on Wednesday that he will not return to Cleveland and will sign elsewhere, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Teller was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round in 2018 out of Virginia Tech, but he has spent seven of his eight years in the NFL with the Browns. The 31-year-old veteran was a Pro Bowler for three straight seasons from 2021 to 2023, but he appeared in only 13 games in each of the past two seasons in Cleveland. A calf injury limited him this past season. Teller figures to draw plenty of interest on the open market for teams that are looking for a dependable starting right guard. He has started 101 of the 109 games he's appeared in during his eight seasons in the league.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
February 18, 2026
The Los Angeles Rams announced on Wednesday that they re-signed offensive lineman David Quessenberry to an undisclosed one-year deal. Quessenberry was in his first year with the Rams in 2025, and he appeared in 13 regular-season games (zero starts). The 35-year-old veteran offensive tackle only played 18 snaps on offense, though, and 73 snaps on special teams. The former sixth-round pick out of San Jose State in 2013 will return to L.A. next season as offensive-line depth. Quessenberry has bounced around the league in his eight years in the NFL, having already played for five different teams.
--Keith HernandezSource: Los Angeles Rams
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