January 29, 2026
Chicago Bears wide receiver
Rome Odunze was a popular preseason breakout candidate in fantasy football going into his sophomore campaign in 2025, mainly because of new head coach Ben Johnson. Fantasy managers who drafted Odunze were stoked early on, as he caught 20 of his 35 targets for 296 yards and five touchdowns in the first four weeks. That's where the good news last season ended, as the 23-year-old second-year pass-catcher only had one 100-yard game and scored just one more touchdown all year to finish with a 44-661-6 line in 12 games. Odunze missed the final five games of the regular season due to a stress fracture in his foot, and he caught four of his 12 targets for 88 yards in two postseason contests. It was a disappointing end to what could have been a second-year breakout. The good news is that he won't need surgery on his foot, and his chemistry with rising young quarterback
Caleb Williams is strong. There's still a lot of upside with Odunze, but the emergence of young receiver
Luther Burden III and tight end
Colston Loveland could cap his ceiling in the years to come.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Carolina Panthers running back
Rico Dowdle had a second straight 1,000-yard season in 2025 in his first year with the Panthers. Dowdle had a nearly identical campaign to the one he had with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024, although he had a career-high seven touchdowns (six rushing, one receiving) in 17 regular-season games. The 27-year-old had a career-high 236 rushing attempts (one more than last year) for 1,076 yards and six rushing scores. Dowdle had a stretch from Week 5 to Week 9 when backfield mate
Chuba Hubbard was injured, where he was one of the most productive backs in the NFL, handling 103 carries for 652 yards and three touchdowns while also catching 10 passes for 112 yards and another TD in five games. Dowdle struggled to produce meaningful numbers for fantasy managers the rest of the way while sharing touches with Hubbard, and he only had five carries for nine yards while losing a fumble in the playoff loss to the Rams. Dowdle proved the last two seasons that he can handle a heavier workload. He's looking for a bigger role and seems likely to depart in free agency in 2026. Dowdle's fantasy value next season will depend entirely on where he's playing.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
The Baltimore Ravens requested to interview Denver Broncos defensive passing-game coordinator and assistant head coach Jim Leonhard for their defensive-coordinator job, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Leonhard played for the Ravens in 2008 and has already interviewed for the Chargers' defensive-coordinator job. He's also expected to interview for the same position with the Buffalo Bills. Before working with the Broncos the last two seasons, Leonhard was in the collegiate ranks, mostly at the University of Wisconsin. He has drawn a lot of attention with the Broncos' defense becoming one of the best units in the league over the last two seasons. If he were to land in Baltimore, Leonhard would be working under new head coach Jesse Minter, who was previously the DC for the Los Angeles Chargers. He is expected to be the front-runner to land the DC job in Buffalo.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 29, 2026
The Los Angeles Chargers are hiring Western Michigan defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary as their defensive coordinator on Thursday, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN. O'Leary will be returning to the Chargers after working under Jesse Minter as the safeties coach in 2024. Before working in L.A., he coached the secondary at Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman. O'Leary is replacing Minter, who got the head-coaching job with the Baltimore Ravens. He spent six seasons with the Fighting Irish, and his defense at Western Michigan was one of the best scoring defenses in college football in 2025. While this isn't the sexiest hire for the Chargers, it makes sense because of O'Leary's already deep knowledge of the team's roster on the defensive side. When he was with the Bolts in 2024, they led the league in scoring defense and allowed just 17.7 points per game.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 28, 2026
Former Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich has interviewed for the New York Jets' offensive-coordinator position, according to the team. In addition to Reich, the Jets have interviewed Darrell Bevell, Ronald Curry, Greg Roman, and Lunda Wells as they look to replace Tanner Engstrand, who was fired earlier this week. Reich, 64, is currently a senior adviser at Stanford University. He has more than a decade of NFL coaching experience, most recently as the head coach of Carolina in 2023. Before that, he was the head coach for the Colts for six years from 2018 to 2022. Reich won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016-17. He spent 14 seasons in the NFL as a player after being taken by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 1985 NFL Draft. Recent reports suggest that Reich is the favorite to become the Jets' next OC.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Jets
January 28, 2026
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said on ESPN Cleveland on Wednesday that he expects new Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken to add to a quarterback room that already includes
Deshaun Watson (Achilles),
Shedeur Sanders, and
Dillon Gabriel. "I think the shake-up will be there regardless of whether it was Monken or someone else," Fowler said. If the Browns add, Fowler mentions
Malik Willis as an option in free agency and Ty Simpson as an option through the draft. It's unlikely that Monken, who has a head-coaching job for the first time in his NFL career, views the Browns' QB room as particularly attractive right now. Watson didn't play at all in 2025. He's likely to remain on the roster due to his massive salary cap hit, and he will face stiff competition for the starting job this summer. Gabriel and Sanders both struggled as rookies, but perhaps Monken will be beneficial in their development. Cleveland's QB picture is a giant question mark as things currently stand.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
January 28, 2026
Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter interviewed in-person on Tuesday for the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive-coordinator job, a league source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Cooter has been with the Colts since the 2023 season. Before landing in Indy, he was the passing-game coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022, and before that, he was an offensive consultant in Philly in 2021. Cooter has worked in various offensive coaching roles since 2009 in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, and New York Jets. The Eagles are struggling to replace Kevin Patullo after his disappointing first year at the helm as the OC. Under Cooter in 2025, the Colts' offense ranked eighth in passing and scoring. A year after winning the Super Bowl, the Eagles' offense struggled to 22.3 points a game and led the NFL in three-and-outs.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
January 28, 2026
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver
Jake Bobo (hand) drew a limited tag on Wednesday's estimated injury report, according to The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar. Bobo is dealing with a hand injury, but he'll have an extra week to rest before the Super Bowl kicks off against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Feb. 8. The 27-year-old pass-catcher caught his first touchdown of the year in the NFC Championship win over the division-rival Los Angeles Rams on Sunday on a 17-yard reception in the third quarter. Bobo should be fine to play in the big game in a couple of weeks, but you shouldn't be expecting much from a player who only had two catches for 20 yards during 11 regular-season games for Seattle. In the NFC Championship, he played only 13 offensive snaps. Bobo is a long shot to find the end zone in back-to-back weeks.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Michael-Shawn Dugar
January 28, 2026
Seattle Seahawks quarterback
Sam Darnold (oblique) was listed as a limited participant on the team's Wednesday practice estimation, according to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. Darnold suffered a left-oblique injury in practice leading up to the Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers, but he ended up playing. The 28-year-old wasn't really needed in the 41-6 blowout win, but he bounced back for fantasy managers in the NFC Championship victory over the Los Angeles Rams to throw for a season-high 346 yards and three touchdowns on 25-for-36 passing. Darnold has plenty of time to rest his oblique before the Super Bowl showdown against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Feb. 8. Seattle is the favorite over New England, and Darnold's oblique injury shouldn't be an issue at all as he looks for his first Super Bowl ring.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Michael-Shawn Dugar
January 28, 2026
New England Patriots wide receiver
Mack Hollins (abdomen), who was activated from Injured Reserve last week, was listed as limited on Wednesday's estimated injury report, according to Patriots.com. The Patriots are bringing Hollins along slowly following his IR stint, but he should have no problem suiting up for the Super Bowl versus the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Feb. 8. The 32-year-old wideout returned in the AFC Championship against the Denver Broncos on Sunday for the first time since getting injured in Week 16, and he caught both of his targets for a team-leading 51 yards. Offense was hard to come by on a snowy afternoon in the elevation in Denver, as quarterback
Drake Maye threw for under 100 yards. Hollins had 550 receiving yards and only two touchdowns on 46 receptions during the regular season. He'll be a boom/bust deep threat for Maye in the Super Bowl against a very good Seattle secondary.
--Keith HernandezSource: Patriots.com
January 28, 2026
New England Patriots quarterback
Drake Maye (shoulder) was listed as a limited participant on the team's estimated injury report on Wednesday, according to the team's official website. Maye appeared to injure his right (throwing) shoulder in the AFC Championship game win over the Denver Broncos, but all signs point to him being fine to play in the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Feb. 8. Head coach Mike Vrabel downplayed the injury, and the 23-year-old second-year signal-caller will have an extra week to heal up. Maye, who is in the MVP conversation in just his second year in the NFL, has not been as good in his first three playoff games as he was during the regular season, when he threw for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and eight picks in 17 games. His completion percentage is down from a league-best 72% to 55.8% in the playoffs, and he's also fumbled six times (three lost) and taken a league-high 15 sacks. Maye should be healthy enough to play on Super Sunday, but he'll be facing another difficult test against a strong Seahawks defense.
--Keith HernandezSource: Patriots.com
January 28, 2026
Denver Broncos quarterback
Bo Nix (ankle) said he will be back to training in four to six weeks after a quick surgery on a simple bone break in his right ankle that he suffered in the Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills, according to Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. The Broncos really missed Nix in their 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. Nix won't end up missing any time in the offseason, though, so he should be fully healed in time for organized team activities this spring. In his second full season in the NFL, the 25-year-old Oregon product completed 63.4% of his pass attempts for 3,931 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 17 starts. Nix led the league with 612 pass attempts and also seven game-winning drives. He added 356 rushing yards and five scores on 83 rushing attempts. Nix was the overall QB7 for fantasy managers and will be in play as a midrange QB1 target in 2026 as he heads into his third NFL season.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Denver Post - Parker Gabriel
January 28, 2026
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback
Baker Mayfield will have a third different offensive coordinator in Zac Robinson in 2026 in his third year with the organization. Mayfield had his least productive year in Tampa in 2025, although a midseason left-shoulder injury may have been to blame. The 30-year-old veteran had 3,693 passing yards, 26 touchdown passes, 11 interceptions, and a 63.2 completion percentage in 17 starts. He added 55 carries for 382 yards and a touchdown on the ground to finish as the QB12 in fantasy scoring. Mayfield's passing yards, completion percentage, and touchdowns were his fewest in his three years in Tampa. The two-time Pro Bowler plays with as much passion at the QB position as anyone else in the league, but his reckless playing style leaves him open to injury. Mayfield will have plenty of weapons again in 2026 to make him worth consideration as a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 in fantasy football.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 28, 2026
Many fantasy managers were worried about Detroit Lions quarterback
Jared Goff going into the 2025 season since he'd be without offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The Lions took a slight step back offensively with Johnson gone and failed to make the playoffs, but it was still a successful fantasy campaign for Goff, who completed 68% of his passes for 4,564 yards, 34 touchdowns, and only eight interceptions in 17 starts. It was Goff's fourth straight season playing in all 17 games and his fourth straight year with over 4,000 passing yards. The 31-year-old veteran signal-caller has had at least 30 touchdown passes in each of the last three years and in four of his 10 NFL seasons. Goff was the QB6 in fantasy scoring, and should have QB1 upside again in 2026 with Drew Petzing as the new OC. Petzing had a pass-happy approach in Arizona and could be a great fit for Goff.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 28, 2026
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers talked with former Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott to check about joining head coach Todd Bowles' staff, but he's expected to take this year off and reassess his options in 2027, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. McDermott overlapped with Bucs general manager Jason Licht during their time from 2003 to 2007 with the Philadelphia Eagles, and McDermott interviewed for Tampa's head-coaching job back in 2016. Buffalo surprisingly fired McDermott after nine years with the organization. He led the franchise to eight playoff wins during that time, but he was never able to get over the hump in the postseason and lead them to a Super Bowl appearance. Given his success with the Bills, McDermott should be one of the best head-coaching candidates in 2027 for the next coaching carousel.
--Keith HernandezSource: FOX Sports - Greg Auman
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