RADIO
Gunnar Helm a Prime Dynasty Buy-Low Candidate Ahead of Potential Year Two Breakout
A fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Tennessee Titans tight end Gunnar Helm recorded 44 receptions for 357 yards and two touchdowns on 55 targets across 16 games as a rookie. Given where he was drafted and the underwhelming offensive environment around him in Tennessee, Helm's production was an encouraging sign for dynasty managers. He also spent the entire season splitting playing time with fellow Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo, who signed with the Washington Commanders in free agency earlier this spring. While Tennessee backfilled its tight end room by signing veterans Daniel Bellinger and Kylen Granson, Helm now profiles as his team's clear TE1. He should also be playing in a more productive Titans offense in quarterback Cam Ward's second NFL season and the team's first under the command of new play-caller Brian Daboll. In dynasty formats, Helm profiles as a clear buy-low candidate ahead of what could be a breakout year.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Pat Freiermuth's Role in Pittsburgh Set to Shrink Again in 2026?
Across 17 (eight starts) games in 2025, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth recorded 41 catches for 486 yards and four touchdowns on 54 targets. The 27-year-old's final line represented a production decline from his 2024 performance, when he hauled in 65 receptions for 653 yards and seven touchdowns on 78 targets. His drop-off was partially due to the Steelers addition of tight end Jonnu Smith, who is no longer on the Pittsburgh roster heading into 2026. However, Freiermuth also lost playing time to Steelers blocking tight end Darnell Washington. Pittsburgh signed Washington to a four-year, $42 million extension in early June, which could be a sign that the team is planning to expand his role. The Steelers also traded for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. earlier this spring, who could soak up most of Freiermuth's targets in the intermediate area of the field. Even though Freiermuth is coming off an underwhelming season, dynasty managers may want to consider selling him ahead of what could be another decline in performance in 2026.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Breece Hall Set to Be Part of a "Three-Headed Monster" in Jets Backfield?
New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said he's planning to use running backs Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, and Isaiah Davis as a "three-headed monster" in the team's backfield, per ESPN's Rich Cimini. While there was similar buzz around the Jets' backfield situation last summer, Allen suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. Hall emerged as the team's clear lead back, recording 1,415 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns on 279 touches across 16 games. New York also made a significant investment in Hall this offseason, signing him to a three-year, $43.5 million contract extension. Still, it appears as though the team is planning to split backfield touches more evenly in 2026. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor the situation throughout training camp, as more reports of a backfield split could create a buy-low window for Hall.
Source: ESPN - Rich Cimini
Source: ESPN - Rich Cimini
Quentin Johnston Set for Career Season with New Play-Caller?
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston could be in line for a breakout season in his first year working with new Chargers play-caller Mike McDaniel, according to Thomas Martinez of Sports Illustrated. Martinez speculates that McDaniel will help weaponize Johnston's speed by putting him in better situations to rack up yards after the catch. Johnston got off to a scorching start to the 2025 season, recording 22 catches for 337 yards and four touchdowns on 36 targets across his first four games played. However, his production tailed off over the course of the season, and he finished the year with 51 receptions for 735 yards and eight touchdowns on 84 targets across 14 games. The 24-year-old has always flashed big-play and big-game upside, but he's struggled to string together consistent production on a week-to-week basis. There's no guarantee that will change in 2026, but Johnston could have a better chance to reach his ceiling now that McDaniel is in Los Angeles.
Source: Sports Illustrated - Thomas Martinez
Source: Sports Illustrated - Thomas Martinez
Jalin Hyatt Showed Well at Giants Minicamp
New York Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt had a "strong" minicamp earlier this month, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN. A third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Hyatt is entering the final year of his rookie contract and has struggled to carve out a consistent role with the Giants to this point in his career. Across eight games in 2025, the 24-year-old recorded just five receptions for 35 yards on 14 targets. However, New York enters the 2026 season with a seemingly open competition for playing time at wide receiver, particularly with star wideout Malik Nabers (knee) still recovering from a knee injury. Hyatt will also will be working with a new coaching staff in 2026, which could offer the fresh start he needs. In deeper league formats, fantasy managers may want to consider throwing a dart at Hyatt if he continues to draw rave reviews throughout the rest of the summer.
Source: ESPN - Jordan Raanan
Source: ESPN - Jordan Raanan
Kenneth Gainwell Standing Out During OTAs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenneth Gainwell has been a standout in his team's offense during OTAs, per Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report. Gainwell is entering his first season in Tampa after signing a two-year, $14 million contract with the team in free agency. The 27-year-old put together a breakout season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025, recording 1,023 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns on 187 touches across 17 games. Gainwell recorded 73 catches on 85 targets last season, and Reynolds reports that he has "excelled as a receiver out of the backfield" early on with the Bucs. Entering 2026, Gainwell appears to be carving out a 1B role alongside the 1A in the Tampa Bay backfield, Bucky Irving.
Source: Pewter Report - Scott Reynolds
Source: Pewter Report - Scott Reynolds
Has Jordan Mason Become a Classic Post-Hype Sleeper?
Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason ran for a disappointing 758 yards and six touchdowns in 2025 after an offseason of dynasty breakout calls following his trade from the 49ers. Even with veteran Aaron Jones Sr. missing five games with a hamstring injury, both Minnesota backs ended the year within 50 total snaps and five opportunities of one another. Jones handled the majority of the third-down and up-tempo work while Mason served as an early-down bruiser. With the most notable addition to the running back room coming in the form of the 195-pound Demond Claiborne in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, Mason's role appears largely unthreatened, and with seismic improvements expected for the Vikings offense as a whole, that role could carry considerably more weight. With efficiency becoming a hallmark of his game, Mason averaged 4.8 yards per carry in 2025, and with the opportunity to close out more games with a lead, the first 1,000-yard campaign of his career would not be out of the question. At RotoBaller's dynasty RB52, the disappointment of last season has driven his cost down, but at 27 years old, in an offense seemingly prepared to get back on track, Mason has again become a player to target for low-cost upside.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Can Dontayvion Wicks Emerge as Anything More Than a Dynasty Depth Piece?
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks has yet to top the 39 catches or 580 receiving yards of his 2023 rookie season, but in his first season with the Eagles, he could find himself in a new role with the potential for some spike performances. While nobody will soon mistake him for the 226-pound A.J. Brown, in a receiving quartet with DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon, and Marquise Brown, Wicks is the only one to top 6'0" and 200 pounds and is the most likely candidate to inherit Brown's outside X-role. While Wicks has never taken more than 63% of his snaps on the boundary, a number closer to 90% for Brown last year, the former Packer was a player specifically targeted by the Eagles as trade talks around their own three-time Pro Bowler were heating up. Smith and Lemon are likely to have the more fantasy-friendly roles, but the soon-to-be-25-year-old Wicks is a low-cost dynasty depth piece. At RotoBaller's WR104, his value remains higher in best ball formats, but his multiple injury-related paths to increased opportunity should not be discounted.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Chuba Hubbard a Worthy Trade Target With his Dynasty Cost Driven Down
Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard is no stranger to ambiguous backfields, but what he faces heading into the 2026 season may be the most unsettled room of his six-year career. Conflicting reports seem to emerge almost weekly about how Hubbard and unproven third-year back Jonathon Brooks will split work. Brooks was a second-round pick and the first running back off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft, while Hubbard was given a four-year, $33 million extension that same year after Brooks tore his right ACL for the second time in just over a year. With Brooks sitting out the entire 2025 season, Hubbard was slowed by his own nagging ailments and eventually overtaken in the starting role by Rico Dowdle, who has since signed a two-year deal with the Steelers. While Brooks has arguably the brighter future in Carolina, uncertainty about how things might look in 2026 has driven down the cost of both players, and at RotoBaller's dynasty RB33, the 27-year-old Hubbard is an affordable trade target who could offer depth and a number of usable starts for contending managers.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Juwan Johnson an Affordable Trade Target for Contending Dynasty Managers
New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson topped double-digit fantasy points seven times in 2025 in half-PPR formats, and in the second season of the Kellen Moore and Tyler Shough era, the Saints are in the conversation of the most improved offenses heading into 2026. New Orleans paid up to acquire running back Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency and spent the eighth overall pick in the NFL Draft on Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. While both are more than capable of siphoning targets from Johnson, the trade-off could be more sustained drives and scoring opportunities for one of the league's fastest-paced offenses, which should only grow more efficient with another year of development. While the end result could be something close to a wash for the 29-year-old Johnson, the seventh-year veteran heads into 2026 as RotoBaller's dynasty TE26, fresh on the heels of a TE10 finish, making him an undervalued trade target with weekly starting potential.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Kimani Vidal a Dynasty Insurance Back with Week-Winning Upside
Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal has become one of the more unheralded insurance backs in dynasty. With the Chargers' signing of former Raven Keaton Mitchell in free agency, the fourth-year undrafted runner out of East Carolina was quick to earn sleeper status in Mike McDaniel's speed and spacing-based offense, but in a true emergency situation, it is Vidal who is more likely to take on something closer to an every-down role should presumed starter Omarion Hampton miss extended time with injury. As a rookie in 2025, Hampton missed eight games with a fractured ankle, and with veteran Najee Harris already lost for the year by that point with a torn Achilles, it was the 2024 sixth-round pick Vidal who led the Chargers in rushing attempts and yards, turning in four top-10 fantasy finishes in his 10 starts. In what appears to be a vastly improved offense heading into 2026, the 24-year-old Vidal remains a must-roster handcuff with legitimate week-winning potential as an injury fill-in.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Is C.J. Stroud Currently Undervalued by Dynasty Managers?
Since bursting onto the fantasy scene as a rookie in 2023, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has struggled to live up to the hype. Across 14 games in 2025, the 24-year-old completed 64.5% of his pass attempts for 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Stroud's fantasy upside is capped by his lack of rushing ability, as he's averaged 200 rushing yards per season in his NFL career and has four career rushing touchdowns. However, there may be reason to believe that 2026 can be his most efficient year as a passer since his rookie season. Houston made some key additions to its offensive line in the offseason, signing tackle Braden Smith and left guard Wyatt Teller in free agency and then using a first-round pick in the 2026 Draft on center Keylan Rutledge. The Texans should also get healthier seasons out of wide receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell (knee) and have a pair of exciting young wideouts in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Stroud may never emerge as a fantasy superstar, but he still offers dynasty managers some upside while providing a solid QB2 floor.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Is Joe Mixon Worth Rostering in Dynasty Formats?
With less than three months remaining before the start of the 2026 NFL season, veteran running back Joe Mixon is currently unsigned. Mixon missed the entirety of 2025 with a mysterious foot/ankle injury and was released by the Houston Texans in March. Mixon was a productive player as recently as 2024, recording 1,325 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns on 281 touches across 14 games with Houston. However, his current health status remains an open question, and he will also turn 30 years old this July. At this point, it seems possible that Mixon's NFL career might be over. Even if he latches on somewhere before the start of 2026, he will likely be in a complementary role. Given the circumstances, dynasty managers are probably safe to move on from Mixon.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Should Dynasty Managers Be Looking to Sell High on RJ Harvey?
A second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey finished his rookie season with 896 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns on 13 touches across 17 games (seven starts). Harvey was more productive as a receiver than a rusher, as he recorded 47 catches for 356 yards and five scores, but averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. He also struggled to carve out a consistent role in the Denver offense until Broncos back J.K. Dobbins went down with a season-ending foot injury in Week 10. Dobbins should be back to full health for the start of the upcoming season, and Denver also selected running back Jonah Coleman in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Harvey profiles as the primary third and passing-down back for the Broncos, but he may be hard-pressed to see much rushing work as long as Dobbins and Coleman stay healthy. Dynasty managers may want to explore selling high on Harvey ahead of a potential workload decline in 2026.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Brian Robinson Jr. Remains a Valuable Dynasty Handcuff Option Entering 2026
After recording 92 carries for 400 yards and two touchdowns across 17 games with the San Francisco 49ers in 2025, veteran running back Brian Robinson Jr. is entering his first season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2026. Robinson Jr. offered little standalone appeal to fantasy managers last season, as he spent the year in a backup role behind 49ers superstar Christian McCaffrey. Ironically, Robinson Jr. finds himself in a very similar situation in Atlanta behind Falcons back Bijan Robinson. There may be slightly more opportunity available to Robinson Jr. this season, as former Falcons back Tyler Allgeier collected eight touchdowns while playing alongside Bijan in 2025. Still, his greatest value to fantasy managers is as a handcuff option. Should Robinson suffer an injury, Robinson Jr. would profile as the clear lead back in Atlanta. He remains stash-worthy in dynasty formats entering 2026.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
