RADIO
Rashid Shaheed Will Take on a Bigger Role in 2026
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed is expected to be "more of a complete receiver" this season, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Fowler pointed out that Shaheed didn't have a huge offensive impact after being acquired from the Saints at last year's trade deadline, but that should change going forward. The 28-year-old had a "killer offseason," according to Fowler, and he's expected to eat into Jaxon Smith-Njigba's workload. This isn't any sort of indictment on Smith-Njigba, but rather a result of the Seahawks wanting to spread the ball around so that the former Offensive Player of the Year doesn't have to be relied on for a 36% target share again this year. The exact workload for Shaheed remains unclear, but we wouldn't be surprised to see him have weekly WR3/flex appeal, especially in a Seahawks offense that is expected to be firing on all cylinders following their Super Bowl victory.
Source: Jeremy Fowler
Source: Jeremy Fowler
Seahawks Expected to Feature Both A.J. Barner and Elijah Arroyo
The Seattle Seahawks' new-look offense is expected to feature plenty of two tight end sets, which will result in a large role for both A.J. Barner and Elijah Arroyo, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. "Barner and Arroyo are going to be major parts of this offense," Fowler said. Seattle's offense is now led by coordinator Brian Fleury, who comes from the San Francisco coaching tree. Fleury has spent four years as the tight end coach with the Niners, leading an impressive unit headlined by superstar George Kittle. While we don't expect Kittle-caliber production from either Barner or Arroyo, it does sound like one or both tight ends will get on the fantasy radar. The incumbent starter is Barner, who had 52 catches, 519 yards, and six touchdowns last year. However, managers shouldn't sleep on Arroyo, comes with high draft capital after being a second-round pick in 2025. As it stands, Barner is RotoBaller's TE25, while Arroyo ranks as the TE47.
Source: Jeremy Fowler
Source: Jeremy Fowler
Giants Sign Jon Runyan to a Two-Year Extension
The New York Giants have signed guard Jon Runyan to a two-year, $22 million contract extension, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The deal includes $21.5 million guaranteed. Runyan provided key protection to Jaxson Dart last season, posting an 84.5 PFF pass-blocking grade. However, he needs to improve in run blocking, where his PFF grade dropped to a woeful mark of 49.1. The veteran lineman was slated to hit free agency next offseason, so the new deal will tack on one additional year. Having him under contract for two more years will provide some stability within a revamped offensive line that will be tasked with keeping Dart and Cam Skattebo upright.
Source: Adam Schefter
Source: Adam Schefter
Cardinals Expected to Ease Jeremiyah Love Back Into the Offense
The Arizona Cardinals are expected to "ease" rookie first-round running back Jeremiyah Love (ankle) back into the offense, according to Donnie Druin of Sports Illustrated. Love suffered a high-ankle sprain during the Cardinals' preseason opener, putting his status for Week 1 up in the air. Druin expects that Love will be active, but that the Cardinals will lean on Tyler Allgeier more than the rookie during the regular-season opener on Sept. 13. This makes sense from both an injury and developmental standpoint. There's no need to rush Love back to a full workload before he's ready, especially since Allgeier has proven that he can be a lead back in the NFL. The Cardinals are taking it week by week with Love, but we wouldn't even be surprised if Allgeier gets a few starts before Love gets back up to full speed. Love is a high-end RB2 in fantasy leagues this season, but we'd be hesitant to start him for at least the first week or two. Meanwhile, Allgeier is more of a handcuff long-term, but he should get onto the RB2 radar for the first game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Source: Donnie Druin
Source: Donnie Druin
Puka Nacua Expected to Play Week 1 in Australia
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (groin) is expected to play in the season opener in Australia, head coach Sean McVay said, according to Nate Atkins. Nacua has been facing the possibility of discipline under the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy, but no suspension has been announced. McVay also expects offensive tackle Alaric Jackson, who has been dealing with his own potential discipline, to play. Nacua caught 129 passes for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns across 16 games last season, leading the NFL in receptions. The Rams open against San Francisco in Melbourne on Sept. 10. McVay's comments are a strong sign that Nacua will be available for Week 1, though there has been no public indication that the NFL's review of his situation is finished.
Source: Nate Atkins
Source: Nate Atkins
Kalif Raymond Making Noise in Bears Camp
Chicago Bears wide receiver Kalif Raymond has spent the summer making a stronger case for offensive work than most expected when he signed in March. The veteran caught a 54-yard touchdown from Caleb Williams during an early camp practice, and the connection kept showing up from there. Williams found Raymond deep again on Aug. 18, hit him for a touchdown during the joint practice with Cincinnati and connected with him on another difficult downfield throw in padded work Sept. 3. Ben Johnson has praised what Raymond has brought to Chicago, while the Bears themselves noted that he excelled throughout camp. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III still sit ahead of him in the receiver pecking order, so this isn't suddenly a high-volume fantasy role. Raymond caught only 24 passes for 289 yards and one touchdown with Detroit last season. Still, he's looked like more than just a return specialist this summer. RotoBaller has him at WR101 in half-PPR formats, keeping him mostly in the deep-league conversation for now.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jameis Winston Lands Two-Year Extension With Giants
New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston has agreed to a two-year, $13 million contract extension, according to Jordan Schultz. The new deal keeps Winston with the Giants through the 2028 season after he originally signed a two-year, $8 million contract with New York in 2025. Schultz reports that Winston has become an important part of the quarterback room as a leader and in the development of starter Jaxson Dart, with the organization viewing him as the best backup quarterback in football. Winston appeared in three games last season and made two starts, completing 37 of 66 passes for 567 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Dart remains firmly established as New York's starter, but the Giants now have their experienced No. 2 locked in for several more seasons.
Source: Jordan Schultz
Source: Jordan Schultz
Shedeur Sanders Slides Further in Dynasty Leagues
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders had a chance to carry last year's starting role into his second season. He couldn't hold onto it. Deshaun Watson won Cleveland's quarterback competition after the two traded first-team reps throughout camp, and the Browns have since confirmed Sanders will open the year as the backup. That's a rough turn for a fifth-round pick who still had plenty to prove after completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a rookie. Sanders went 3-4 across seven starts and added 169 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but Cleveland had a full summer to evaluate him and chose Watson. His dynasty value had already been slipping before the decision. RotoBaller ranked Sanders No. 207 overall in January, No. 258 in June and now has him at No. 269 in its Sept. 1 dynasty rankings. He's still only 24 and sits one injury or poor stretch from another opportunity, but dynasty managers have a lot less certainty than they did entering the offseason.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Darnell Mooney's Path to Targets Keeps Shrinking
New York Giants wide receiver Darnell Mooney is getting squeezed out of the fantasy conversation. He signed in March with a decent path to targets after a 32-catch, 443-yard season in Atlanta, but rookie Malachi Fields has spent the summer making that path a lot less comfortable. Fields caught all three of his targets for 34 yards and a touchdown in the preseason opener, then kept building momentum in camp. SNY reported this weekend that the third-round pick could work in tandem with Malik Nabers, even though the Giants' unofficial depth chart still lists Mooney ahead of him. That's the problem for Mooney. New York also kept Darius Slayton and Odell Beckham Jr., while Nabers is working toward a Week 1 return. RotoBaller now has Fields at WR76 in half-PPR formats and Mooney down at WR106. Mooney still has speed and familiarity with offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, but there just isn't much room left for a dependable target share.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Mack Hollins Re-Enters the Deep-League Conversation
New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins has a little more room to matter in deeper leagues after Kayshon Boutte was traded to Houston. Hollins already found a way onto the field last season, catching 46 passes for 550 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games before adding 129 yards and another score over New England's final two playoff games. His summer was encouraging, too. Patriots.com noted that Hollins worked with the first-team offense in heavier personnel groupings, where Drake Maye found him repeatedly on play-action throws. The Boutte trade clears out one more receiver, but this is still a crowded room. A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas sit ahead of Hollins on the unofficial depth chart, and Kyle Williams earned a role with a strong preseason. RotoBaller has Hollins at WR91 in half-PPR formats, so this is not a standard-league target. In deeper drafts, though, his blocking, size and situational role give him a slightly cleaner path to usable weeks than he had before the trade.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Cole Kmet Has Fallen Off the Fantasy Radar
Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet is still going to play plenty of football. That doesn't mean fantasy managers need to care much anymore. Kmet's receiving work dropped to 30 catches for 347 yards and two touchdowns last season, while Colston Loveland quickly became one of Caleb Williams' most important targets. Loveland finished his rookie year with 58 receptions for 713 yards and six scores, then spent this summer looking every bit like the featured receiving tight end again. Chicago can keep both players on the field in its two-tight-end packages, and Kmet remains useful as a blocker, but that hasn't brought his old fantasy role back. RotoBaller had him at TE38 in half-PPR rankings in August and now has him at TE40, compared with TE3 for Loveland. Kmet is even down at TE47 for Week 1. There will probably be a touchdown or useful game here and there, but he's well outside the group fantasy managers need to chase on draft day.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
TreVeyon Henderson Still Sidelined With Week 1 Nearing
New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) was not present for the media-access portion of Sunday's practice, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. Henderson has not practiced since injuring his ankle on Aug. 24, and New England opens the season Wednesday night in Seattle. If he cannot play, Rhamondre Stevenson and Corey Kiner are the other running backs on the active roster. Reiss noted that Lan Larison and/or Hassan Haskins could be elevated from the practice squad to provide additional depth. Henderson ran for 911 yards and nine touchdowns on 180 carries as a rookie, adding 35 catches for 221 yards and another score. There was optimism late last month that the injury would not keep him out of Week 1, but his continued absence with only a few days left before the opener has made his status much harder to take for granted.
Source: Mike Reiss
Source: Mike Reiss
Darius Cooper Emerging as a Deep-League Sleeper
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper made a strong case for himself throughout August. The second-year wideout was already flashing early in camp, including multiple contested catches from Jalen Hurts, then backed it up in the preseason. Cooper caught two passes for 21 yards against Baltimore and followed with three catches for 44 yards against New England, giving him five receptions for 65 yards across his two appearances. That came after a rookie season in which he caught only nine passes for 92 yards. Cooper also made Philadelphia's initial 53-man roster, which matters in a receiver room that changed quite a bit after A.J. Brown was traded to New England. The path to regular targets is still crowded with DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore around him, so this remains a deep-league situation. Still, Cooper entered the summer fighting for a place in the rotation and did enough to come out of it with more offensive credibility.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Barion Brown Keeps Climbing After Strong Summer
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Barion Brown came into camp with special teams doing most of the heavy lifting for his roster case. That changed pretty quickly. Kellen Moore praised the sixth-round rookie after a standout practice in early August, and Brown kept showing up in New Orleans' camp coverage over the next several days. He carried some of that into the preseason, catching four passes for 53 yards against Jacksonville before scoring on a jet sweep in the finale against Dallas. Jordyn Tyson's hamstring injury has opened the door even wider. Tyson will miss at least four games on injured reserve, and the Saints kept only four receivers on their initial 53-man roster. Their current unofficial depth chart now has Brown with the first team at one receiver spot, along with both return jobs. RotoBaller still has him way down at WR129 in half-PPR formats, so this remains a deep-league play. Brown just looks a lot more likely to see offensive snaps than he did when camp opened.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Baker Mayfield Building Some Bounce-Back Momentum
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has given fantasy managers a few more reasons to buy into a bounce-back. His numbers slipped to 3,693 passing yards and 26 touchdowns last season after the 4,500-yard, 41-score campaign he put together in 2024, but he also played through several injuries and still ran for a career-high 382 yards. Things have gone smoothly enough with new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson that Mayfield said in August the Bucs were in a good place with the new system. Chris Godwin Jr. has helped, too. Tampa Bay's camp coverage said Godwin had returned to peak form, and Mayfield called him the best version of himself after leaning on him throughout camp. There are still questions with Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan banged up and Mike Evans gone, so this is not suddenly a top-end QB1 case. Still, RotoBaller's positional rankings moved Mayfield from QB17 in August to QB16 in the Sept. 3 update. It's a small bump, but the summer has gone well enough to justify it.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
