January 29, 2026
New Orleans Saints wide receiver
Chris Olave will be in WR1 territory in 2026 fantasy football drafts in what will be quarterback
Tyler Shough's first full year as the starter. In his fourth year in the NFL in 2025, Olave set career-highs across the board in targets (156), receptions (100), receiving yards (1,163), and touchdowns (nine) despite failing to play in a full season for the fourth time. The 25-year-old former first-rounder missed the Week 18 season finale due to a blood clot in his lung. Thankfully, the expectation is that Olave will be fully ready for the start of next season. If not for an injury last year, Olave most likely would have reached the 1,000-yard mark in all four of his campaigns. Injuries might be a deterrent for fantasy managers, but the chemistry that Olave showed with Shough is a great sign. Olave will come off the board in the early rounds of fantasy drafts later this year.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
In his first year with the Dallas Cowboys in 2025, wide receiver
George Pickens had a career year, catching 93 of his 137 targets for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns in 17 games in his fourth year in the NFL. It earned the 24-year-old former second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 his first Pro Bowl nod. Only
Jaxon Smith-Njigba and
Puka Nacua had more receiving yards than Pickens, and his 93 receptions ranked sixth among all wideouts. Despite
CeeDee Lamb's presence, Pickens was Dallas' leading receiver and had the eighth-most targets among all WRs in the NFL. Because of the big year he had for the Cowboys, they will almost certainly keep him around in 2026, via either a long-term extension or franchise tag. Pickens always had high-end talent, but the move to Dallas with quarterback
Dak Prescott and a pass-happy offense was the perfect fit. Another big year could be in store in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
The Atlanta Falcons are hiring Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham on Thursday as their new general manager, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Cunningham will replace Terry Fontenot, who was fired after the 2025 season. In his first-ever NFL GM job, Cunningham will work closely with former quarterback and president of football
Matt Ryan moving forward. He got his start in the NFL in 2008 as a personnel assistant with the Baltimore Ravens and was promoted to area scout in 2013. Cunningham has also been the Philadelphia Eagles' director of scouting in 2017 before being promoted to director of player personnel in 2020. He has been with the Bears as the assistant GM since 2021. The Falcons went 37-48 in the five years that Fontenot was the GM. Cunningham will now try to help Atlanta get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 29, 2026
New England Patriots wide receiver
Mack Hollins (abdomen) was listed as limited again on Thursday in practice, according to the team's official website. Hollins has been limited in practice so far this week after he was activated from Injured Reserve last week. The 32-year-old veteran made his return in the AFC Championship victory over the Denver Broncos and led the team with 51 receiving yards on two catches on a snowy day in Denver, in which quarterback
Drake Maye threw for under 100 yards. Hollins has some chemistry with Maye deep down the field, but he'll be a boom/bust fantasy asset in the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 8, against a nasty Seattle Seahawks defense. During the regular season, Hollins was merely a bye-week streamer in fantasy, catching 46 of his 65 targets for 550 yards and two touchdowns in his first year in New England.
--Keith HernandezSource: Patriots.com
January 29, 2026
Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach
Davis Webb plans to withdraw from the Las Vegas Raiders' head-coaching search and is considered a prime candidate to be promoted to offensive coordinator in Denver, a source told Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Webb has also received several offensive-coordinator requests around the league, including with the Buffalo Bills. In addition to interviewing for the Raiders' head-coaching job, Webb interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills before they hired Jesse Minter and Joe Brady, respectively. The Broncos fired OC Joe Lombardi earlier this week, likely with the intention of promoting Webb under head coach Sean Payton. A former backup QB, Webb has been a hot name in the coaching cycle this year. Given his experience working with quarterback
Bo Nix (ankle) the last two years, keeping Webb around in 2026 would be a big win for the Broncos.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
January 29, 2026
Seattle Seahawks quarterback
Sam Darnold (oblique) was limited in the team's walkthrough practice on Thursday, according to John Boyle of Seahawks.com. Darnold suffered a left-oblique injury in practice several weeks ago while preparing for the Divisional Round game against the San Francisco 49ers. The 28-year-old played through the injury in the 41-6 win over the 49ers and then threw for a season-high 346 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC Championship game win over the Los Angeles Rams. He was a little sore after last Sunday's game, but Darnold should be completely fine to play in the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 8, against the New England Patriots. During the regular season, Darnold averaged 16 fantasy points per game, and the Patriots' defense allowed 16.1 fantasy points per game to the QB position.
--Keith HernandezSource: Seahawks.com - John Boyle
January 29, 2026
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Terry McLaurin signed a three-year, $96 million contract just before the start of the 2025 season and then had the worst season of his career in his seventh year in the NFL. McLaurin missed valuable time with injuries and played in a career-low 10 games, catching 38 of his 60 targets for 582 yards and three touchdowns. It broke a string of five straight 1,000-yard seasons from McLaurin, who was a third-round pick by Washington in 2019 out of Ohio State. It was indeed a scary year for McLaurin's fantasy managers. The 30-year-old veteran never had a 100-yard performance. It didn't help that starting quarterback
Jayden Daniels only started seven games due to various injuries. With better health, McLaurin should be able to bounce back in 2026, but you shouldn't consider him a lock to return to 1,000 yards with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury no longer around.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Jayden Reed's third season in the NFL was marred by a broken collarbone and a foot injury that limited him to only seven games played. In his seven games, Reed caught 19 of his 22 targets for 207 yards and only one touchdown. The 25-year-old former second-rounder in 2023 out of Michigan State had 119 catches for 1,650 yards and 14 touchdowns on 169 targets in his first two seasons, adding 31 carries for 282 yards and another three TDs. Fantasy managers hoping for more of that production were sorely disappointed, but Reed should bounce back in 2026 with better health as a key piece of Green Bay's offense. The Packers' receiving corps is crowded with
Christian Watson and
Matthew Golden in the mix, but
Romeo Doubs could depart in free agency. Savvy fantasy managers will want to keep Reed's name in mind as a WR sleeper this fall.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Arizona Cardinals running back
Trey Benson (knee) very well could have had a Year 2 breakout season in 2025 had he not injured his knee early on. Benson ended up playing in only four games in his second year in the NFL, carrying the ball 29 times for 160 yards and no touchdowns while catching 13 of 16 targets for 64 yards. Primary RB
James Conner suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 3. Conner is under contract for one more season, so if the 23-year-old Benson is healthy in 2026, he'll likely operate as the RB2 in the desert. Benson never had a major role behind Conner in his rookie campaign, totaling 63 rushing attempts for 291 yards and only one touchdown in 13 games played. On top of Benson's injury concerns -- he also had a major knee injury in college -- the Cardinals will have an entirely new coaching staff next season, and it's unclear what direction they'll go in at quarterback.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Cleveland Browns running back
Quinshon Judkins (ankle, leg) got a late start to his rookie season in the NFL due to a legal matter and ended the year on Injured Reserve due to a fractured right fibula and dislocated right ankle, but when he was healthy, he showed why he was so coveted in the 2025 NFL Draft. Judkins quickly took over RB1 duties in Cleveland and ran for 867 yards and seven touchdowns on 230 carries over 14 starts. He was the RB26 overall in half-PPR scoring and added 26 catches for 171 yards as a pass-catcher. The 22-year-old Ohio State product has intriguing long-term upside because of his combination of power and speed, and all reports suggest he should make a full recovery from his injuries before the start of the 2026 campaign. Judkins might be a popular Year 2 breakout candidate, although Cleveland's quarterback situation could hold him back.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
The Philadelphia Eagles are hiring Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach
Sean Mannion as their new offensive coordinator, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The 33-year-old was drafted in the third round in 2015, and he spent four years with the Rams, three seasons with the Vikings, and one year with the Seattle Seahawks. In 14 career appearances, he made three starts and threw for 573 yards, one touchdown, and three picks. Mannion got his coaching start in the NFL as an offensive assistant under Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, and he was promoted to QBs coach in 2025. He's credited with the development of backup
Malik Willis in Green Bay, and now he'll be asked to help fix an Eagles offense that went stagnant in 2025. It's unclear if head coach Nick Sirianni will leave Mannion in charge of play-calling duties.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
January 29, 2026
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver
Josh Downs followed up a solid second season in the NFL with his worst yet in Year 3. Downs had career-lows in receptions (58), targets (88), and receiving yards (566) while scoring four touchdowns in 16 games played. The 24-year-old pass-catcher also had a career-low 9.8 yards per catch as he operated as the team's No. 3 receiver behind
Alec Pierce and
Michael Pittman Jr. Even with quarterback
Daniel Jones having a career resurgence before his season-ending torn Achilles tendon in the second half, Downs was unable to take advantage. He never clicked with Jones in the passing attack, and it didn't help that rookie tight end
Tyler Warren caught 76 passes for 817 yards. Unless Indy releases Pittman this offseason to give Downs a clearer path to consistent targets, he won't be much more than a late-round dart throw with limited upside in 2026 fantasy drafts.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Tennessee Titans tight end
Chig Okonkwo never really became all that interesting in fantasy football in his fourth year in the NFL in 2025 in a Titans offense that struggled with consistency under rookie quarterback
Cameron Ward. Okonkwo played in all 17 games for the fourth straight year and had career-highs in receptions (56), targets (79), and receiving yards (560) while finding the end zone only two times. In addition to the Titans' offense being one of the worst in the league, Okonkwo shared valuable targets with rookie TE
Gunnar Helm, who finished his rookie season with 44 catches for 357 yards and two touchdowns on 55 targets. Both of Okonkwo's touchdowns came late in the year, but Helm also saw more involvement in the passing game in the second half of 2025. For fantasy purposes, Okonkwo would be better off going elsewhere in free agency, with Helm likely only becoming more of a factor on offense in Tennessee in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Tennessee Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi said that quarterback
Cameron Ward (shoulder) is "doing well" as he rehabs a right-shoulder injury that he suffered in the Week 18 regular-season finale, according to Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. It's unclear yet if Ward will be ready for the start of organized team activities in the spring after the 23-year-old suffered an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Barring some sort of setback, though, he should be fully recovered well before training camp, the preseason, and the 2026 regular season. The first overall pick in last year's draft started all 17 games in his rookie season and completed 59.8% of his passes for 3,169 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions to finish as the QB22 in fantasy. Ward added 159 yards and two TDs on the ground while also fumbling a whopping 11 times (seven lost) and taking a league-high 55 sacks. The Miami product must improve his accuracy, but working with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll should be seen as a plus. Consider him a low-end QB2 with upside going into his second year in the NFL.
--Keith HernandezSource: TennesseeTitans.com - Jim Wyatt
January 29, 2026
Baltimore Ravens running back
Derrick Henry had some issues with ball security and inconsistency in 2025, but overall he remained a highly productive player. Across 17 games, Henry recorded 307 carries for 1,595 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. Going into 2026, Henry will be entering his age-32 season with more than 2,800 career regular-season touches under his belt. Traditional aging curves indicate that Henry is long overdue for a decline in production. Additionally, his PPR fantasy value remains limited by his lack of production as a receiver, as he recorded just 15 receptions for the season in 2025. However, Henry may be enough of a physical outlier that he can continue to stave off father time. He will also presumably get the benefit of playing a full season next to Ravens quarterback
Lamar Jackson, who missed time in 2025 due to multiple injuries. As long as he makes it through the offseason healthy, Henry profiles as a high-end running back option for 2026. In dynasty formats, Henry's long-term outlook is murkier due to his age.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
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