Jun 28, 2026, 3:48 PM ET

Across 17 games in 2025, Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (undisclosed) recorded 52 catches for 519 yards and six touchdowns on 68 targets. The 24-year-old started all 17 games for Seattle and emerged as a key red zone target for Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, finishing second on the team in touchdown catches behind only superstar wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. However, there may be reason to believe that Barner's production will regress in 2026. For one, the tight end underwent two different undisclosed offseason surgeries that kept him from participating in OTAs. Secondly, Barner averaged just four targets per game in his breakout campaign a season ago and could see his target volume fall even further if the Seahawks choose to feature 2025 second-round tight end Elijah Arroyo more heavily this season. In dynasty formats, managers may want to explore selling high on Barner.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 28, 2026, 3:36 PM ET

A second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III recorded 47 catches for 652 yards and two touchdowns on 60 targets across 15 games (five starts). The 22-year-old's production took off down the stretch of the season, as he averaged five catches for 71 yards on six targets over his final five games played. Entering 2026, Burden III should see an even larger role in the Bears' passing game following the team's offseason trade of wideout DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills. Burden III also drew rave reviews from onlookers during OTAs, while fellow Bears wideout Rome Odunze (foot) expressed that the foot issues that plagued him in 2025 may linger into 2026 and beyond. Although Burden III's dynasty stock is rising, dynasty managers may still have a chance to buy in on him before a potential superstar breakout in 2026.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 28, 2026, 3:28 PM ET

After spending the last four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, veteran wide receiver A.J. Brown is entering his first campaign with the New England Patriots in 2026. Across 15 games with Philadelphia in 2025, Brown recorded 78 receptions for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns on 121 targets, finishing as the WR11 in per-game PPR scoring. Brown's target volume in the Eagles' run-heavy offense was a point of discussion all year long, as the wideout publicly agitated for more opportunities at multiple points throughout the season. While Brown profiles as the clear number one option in the Patriots' passing game, New England was also a run-heavy offense in 2025, ranking 25th in the NFL in pass rate. Brown is also entering his age-29 season and has had durability issues in recent years, missing six games over the last two seasons due to knee and hamstring issues. While Brown should be a productive player for fantasy managers in 2026, he may be slightly overvalued as the WR8 by current average draft position.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 28, 2026, 3:18 PM ET

Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright had the start of his 2025 season disrupted by a knee injury, and he finished the year with 332 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 75 touches. As long as star Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (shoulder) makes a full recovery from offseason shoulder surgery and is ready for the start of 2026 as expected, Wright's production upside is limited. However, Wright may have emerged as the primary RB2 in Miami ahead of fellow Dolphins back Ollie Gordon II down the end of last season. Following the Dolphins' Week 12 bye, Wright matched or exceeded Gordon II's snap count in five out of six games. For dynasty managers looking to roster Achane's handcuff option, Wright could be the player to target.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 28, 2026, 3:09 PM ET

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (foot/ankle) is still working his way back from the gruesome foot/ankle injury that ended his 2025 season in Week 3. While Conner should be available to play in 2026, the landscape around him in Arizona has shifted dramatically. The Cardinals overhauled their coaching staff, signed running back Tyler Allgeier in free agency, and then used the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on running back Jeremiyah Love. Entering 2026, Conner likely profiles as the Cardinals' RB3. However, the 31-year-old remained a highly productive player in his last full season in 2024, recording 1,508 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns on 283 touches across 16 games. If Conner proves he's healthy over the summer, he may end up being moved to a running back-needy team before the start of the regular season. Given that his average draft position has plummeted to RB67 in redraft leagues, Conner could be worth taking a flier on in the late rounds of drafts.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 28, 2026, 10:00 AM ET

In case the Detroit Lions' trading of David Montgomery to the Texans was not enough of a signal that fourth-year running back Jahmyr Gibbs was going to be the team's bell-cow back for the 2026 season, head coach Dan Campbell said the words clear as day in one of his first media sessions of organized team activities, telling reporters, "He's going to be our bell-cow now," and then later, "We're going to hang our hat on him quite a bit. We're going to do a lot of things we feel like he does well." Running backs coach Tashard Choice, who has known Gibbs since he was a high school recruit, has since expressed belief that the 2023 first-round pick is in the best shape of his life, and having already finished as the RB4 and the RB2 in his past two seasons (while Montgomery was still averaging more than 200 touches of his own), expectations are through the roof for 2026. The Lions signed former Chief Isiah Pacheco to a one-year deal in free agency, but after averaging more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage over his first two years in the league, the 2022 seventh-round pick has struggled through injuries and has been held to only 952 yards and three touchdowns across the past two seasons. While he will undoubtedly play a role in keeping Gibbs fresh, all the rhetoric out of Detroit suggests that the backfield is ready to be fully handed over to one of the most explosive playmakers in the league. As such, Gibbs has earned the top overall spot in RotoBaller's 2026 single-quarterback fantasy rankings.--Patrick McGrath
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 28, 2026, 9:50 AM ET

Washington Commanders tight end Ben Sinnott was a popular sleeper pick after being drafted in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but through two years in the league, he's caught only 16 passes for 142 yards. While the final four games of his second season saw the most sustained involvement of his young career, following the season-ending ACL injury to veteran Zach Ertz, that usage uptick still amounted to only 1.8 catches, 18.3 yards, and 2.7 fantasy points per game. With an opening at the top of the depth chart heading into the 2026 league year, calls for a Sinnott breakout briefly resurfaced but were quickly silenced when the team signed former Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo to a three-year, $27 million deal in the opening hours of free agency. Already an early adopter of the league's growing trend toward multi-tight end usage, the Commanders could lean even further in that direction with first time offensive coordinator David Blough expected to borrow elements from the Ben Johnson offense he ran as a backup quarterback in Detroit, but veteran John Bates remains with the team and could continue to see the field ahead of Sinnott due to what he provides as a blocker. Still only 24 years old, the athletic tight end out of Kansas State wouldn't be the first of his position to see slow development before a third-year breakout, but Sinnott has fallen to RotoBaller's dynasty TE54 ahead of what is likely a make-or-break 2026 season.--Patrick McGrath
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 28, 2026, 9:37 AM ET

When the Kansas City Chiefs sent a sixth-round pick to acquire veteran quarterback Justin Fields from the New York Jets, it opened a brief sell window for dynasty managers who have held the disappointing former first-round pick through his latest stints with the Jets and Steelers. Chiefs starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in Week 15 of the 2025 season, and at the time of the trade, his availability to begin the year was in doubt, putting Fields in line to make a Week 1 start for his fourth team in as many seasons. Since then, optimism about Mahomes' recovery has led many to believe that the two-time MVP will be ready to start the year, and he and the Chiefs recently agreed to a reworked contract that added two years to his existing deal, making him the NFL's first half-billion-dollar man. While the chance of reinjury and Fields' own fantasy-friendly play style still keep the former Bear, Steeler, and Jet among the most valuable backup quarterbacks in superflex dynasty leagues, his overall value continues to dwindle year after year, and Fields is now RotoBaller's QB41.--Patrick McGrath
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 28, 2026, 9:25 AM ET

While much of the Philadelphia Eagles offense struggled through inconsistency in the 2025 season, tight end Dallas Goedert scored a career-high 11 receiving touchdowns en route to a TE4 finish, more than doubling his previous high from 2019. While he still figures to be a major part of the team's new-look unit, touchdown regression is almost certain to lower his ceiling, and a reworked depth chart has the potential to chip away at what's been a relatively safe fantasy floor for most of his career. While the most notable change to the Eagles' offense is the loss of three-time Pro Bowler A.J. Brown, the team added Hollywood Brown through free agency, traded for Dontayvion Wicks, and spent first and second-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on Makai Lemon and tight end Eli Stowers. How the distribution of targets now shakes out behind incumbent DeVonta Smith is somewhat up in the air under first-time offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. Mannion is the Eagles' fifth coordinator in as many seasons, but under head coach Nick Sirianni, the team has ranked no higher than 26th by passing percentage. With a potentially lower target share in another low-volume offense, Goedert may not see weekly fantasy viability in 2026, and as such, he is RotoBaller's TE16.--Patrick McGrath
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 28, 2026, 9:12 AM ET

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson has yet to play a full 17-game season, and for most of his four-year career, he's been part of a muddled depth chart. As a result, he has never topped 41 catches or 620 receiving yards in a season, but 2026 is set up for a true breakout. Watson is now approximately 18 months removed from the ACL injury that kept him sidelined for the first seven weeks of the 2025 season, and after the Packers moved on from two of their more heavily involved receivers from a year ago, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, the team committed to Watson in the form of a four-year, $92 million extension. Throughout his career, in games where Watson has seen at least a 75% route share, he has averaged 14.1 half-PPR fantasy points per game, which would have ranked as WR7 in 2025 and no lower than WR12 over the past four seasons. Set to see a full-time role in 2026, the 27-year-old Watson is one of the most high-upside buy candidates as RotoBalller's dynasty WR37, and it should surprise nobody if he flirts with WR1 status over the coming seasons.--Patrick McGrath
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 27, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

Across 15 games in 2025, New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson recorded 45 catches for 528 yards and five touchdowns on 74 targets. Despite the solid production, Johnson's dynasty value has plummeted over the offseason following the Giants' free agent acquisition of former Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely. New York's financial commitment to Likely and Likely's familiarity with new Giants head coach John Harbaugh both indicate that Johnson is most likely the team's TE2 entering 2026. Still, Johnson remains an intriguing young player with some production upside and established chemistry with Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. New York also has significant questions in its wide receiver room outside of Malik Nabers (knee), which could lead the team to utilize multiple-tight-end personnel regularly. In dynasty formats, managers should be willing to take a flier on Johnson as a buy-low depth piece.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 27, 2026, 3:49 PM ET

A seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai recorded 947 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns on 187 touches across 17 games. Monangai split backfield work with Bears veteran D'Andre Swift in 2025, and both backs remain on Chicago's roster entering 2026. While Swift's presence could continue to limit Monangai's workload ceiling, Monangai profiles as the more physical downhill rusher of the two and may take on a larger early-down and goal-line role in his second NFL season. Even if the Bears continue to operate with a backfield split in the short term, 2026 is Swift's final season under contract with Chicago. If the competition between the two backs is close, it would not be surprising to see the Bears' coaching staff push more onto the plate of Monangai. Given Monangai's status as an up-and-coming back in a strong Chicago running game, he may be undervalued by redraft ADP as the RB33.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 27, 2026, 3:37 PM ET

After recording 101 catches for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns across 13 games in his final collegiate season at UConn, wide receiver Skyler Bell was selected in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. Entering his rookie season, Bell will be part of a crowded wide receiver room in Buffalo and is not guaranteed to emerge as a regular contributor. However, outside of veteran DJ Moore and steady slot wideout Khalil Shakir, the Bills do not have any wideouts who are definitively ahead of Bell on the depth chart. With a strong showing in training camp and the preseason, Bell could establish himself as a favorite target of star Bills quarterback Josh Allen. As the 83rd wide receiver off the board by ADP, Bell is a sneaky sleeper for redraft fantasy managers to target.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 27, 2026, 3:29 PM ET

New York Jets wide receiver Adonai Mitchell put together the best stretch of his young career in the second half of the 2025 season after New York acquired him from the Indianapolis Colts. Across eight games with the Jets, Mitchell hauled in 24 catches for 301 yards and two touchdowns on 58 targets. However, Mitchell will be facing significantly increased competition for targets in 2026. Star Jets wideout Garrett Wilson will be back from the knee injury that forced him to miss 10 games in 2025. New York also added a pair of high-profile young pass catchers in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft in wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and tight end Kenyon Sadiq. The Jets should get improved quarterback play this season from veteran quarterback Geno Smith, but the team's overall offensive ecosystem remains highly questionable. In dynasty formats, managers may want to explore selling high on Mitchell ahead of potential regression in 2026.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 27, 2026, 3:17 PM ET

Across 16 games (13 starts) in 2025, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington recorded 31 catches for 364 yards and a touchdown on 43 targets. While Washington's numbers won't jump off the page for fantasy managers, he's slowly become more involved in the Steelers' passing game in each season since being drafted in the third round by the team in 2024. Pittsburgh also made a significant commitment to the 24-year-old this offseason, signing him to a four-year, $42 million contract extension. Pat Freiermuth still profiles as the top receiving tight end in Pittsburgh entering 2026, but the team let tight ends Jonnu Smith and Connor Heyward walk in free agency. In deeper dynasty leagues, Washington could be a buy-low target with some untapped upside for fantasy managers.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller