March 29, 2026
A fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver
Dont'e Thornton Jr. struggled to establish himself as a rookie. Across 15 games (eight starts), the 23-year-old recorded just 10 catches for 135 yards and zero touchdowns on 30 targets. However, Thornton Jr. should have a significantly improved offensive ecosystem around him in Las Vegas in 2026. The Raiders hired former Seattle Seahawks play-caller Klint Kubiak as their new head coach and are also widely expected to select University of Indiana quarterback
Fernando Mendoza with the number one overall pick in the upcoming draft. Additionally, the Las Vegas wide receiver depth chart currently looks like an open competition for playing time between incumbents Thornton Jr.,
Jack Bech, and
Tre Tucker, as well as free agent additions
Jalen Nailor and
Dareke Young. Thornton Jr. did not show much reason for optimism as a rookie, so fantasy managers should proceed with caution. However, he also stands out as a buy-low candidate who could likely be acquired on the cheap after his underwhelming 2025 campaign.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
March 29, 2026
New York Jets running back
Braelon Allen (knee) suffered through a lost season due to injury in 2025 after he went down with a season-ending MCL sprain in Week 4. Leading into 2025, Allen was one of the buzzier running back names in fantasy circles due to reports that the Jets were planning for a more even workload split between him and fellow back
Breece Hall. That obviously never came to fruition, and Hall wound up logging over 1,400 yards from scrimmage across 16 games. However, the Jets placed the franchise tag on Hall earlier this offseason, and the two sides have yet to come to a long-term extension agreement. If he can get back to full health, Allen could still feature heavily in New York's future plans at the running back position. For dynasty managers, now might be the best time to buy low on Allen.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
March 29, 2026
The 35th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Las Vegas Raiders right end
Michael Mayer flashed some upside by hauling in 27 receptions for 304 yards and two touchdowns on 40 targets as a rookie. However, Las Vegas drafted superstar tight end
Brock Bowers in the first round in 2024, blocking Mayer from the Raiders' lead receiving tight end role. Even in a season in which Bowers missed five games due to injury in 2025, Mayer still finished the year with just 35 catches for 328 yards and one touchdown on 50 targets. The 24-year-old is now entering the final year of his rookie deal with Las Vegas and has yet to establish himself as a tight end who is worthy of a significant role in his team's passing game. In the deepest of dynasty leagues, Mayer could be worth buying low on in case he winds up on a different team in 2027. Still, his dynasty value has never been lower than it is entering 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
March 29, 2026
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver
KaVontae Turpin has established an NFL role for himself as an All-Pro return man and a gadget piece on offense. Across 15 games in 2025, the 29-year-old recorded 26 receptions for 396 receiving yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 89 yards on 17 attempts. However, Turpin has not cracked 50 total touches in any of his four NFL seasons, limiting his fantasy utility. Heading into 2026, the Cowboys have three wideouts firmly ahead of Turpin on the depth chart in
CeeDee Lamb,
George Pickens, and
Ryan Flournoy. Dallas also made a significant free agent commitment to running back
Javonte Williams, who profiles as a three-down workhorse. While Turpin's role on the Cowboys' roster is safe, he may not have a path to a consistent role in the Dallas offense in 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
March 29, 2026
Buffalo Bills quarterback
Josh Allen (foot) required surgery to fix a broken bone in his right foot following his eighth season in the NFL, but new head coach Joe Brady told NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero that Allen is "good to go." Allen should be fine for all of Buffalo's offseason workouts as the Bills look to finally get over the postseason hump and to the Super Bowl in 2026. The 29-year-old has come short of the 4,000-yard passing mark in each of the last two seasons, but he should have more help in the passing game with the offseason acquisition of receiver
DJ Moore. The four-time Pro Bowler and former MVP was still the QB1 overall in fantasy scoring in 2025, thanks to his elite rushing abilities. In 17 regular-season starts, Allen threw for 3,668 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while adding a league-high 579 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground on 112 carries. Allen's rushing prowess will make him the top QB off the board in fantasy football drafts again this year.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
March 29, 2026
The NFL Network's Mike Garafolo thinks that Cleveland Browns quarterback
Deshaun Watson (Achilles) is in the "pole position" to be the team's starter for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season.
Shedeur Sanders finished his rookie season as the Browns' starter under center, but he was very inconsistent down the stretch and has plenty to prove after dropping into the fifth round in the 2025 NFL draft. On the flip side, Watson, 30, missed all of last year while recovering from multiple surgeries to fix a torn Achilles tendon. Due to injury and suspension, the three-time Pro Bowler has played in just 19 games since he joined Cleveland in 2022. Watson will be competing with Sanders in training camp this summer, but there's still the possibility the Browns add another signal-caller in the draft or via trade/free agency. If Watson were to enter training camp fully healthy and win the starting job outright, he'd be a low-end QB2 with upside and plenty to prove to fantasy managers.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Mike Garafolo
March 28, 2026
Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback
Kyler Murray's (foot) fantasy football value in dynasty/keeper leagues was trending down in recent years and fell to a low point in 2025, when he appeared in just five games due to a sprained foot. The 28-year-old former first overall pick in 2019 out of Oklahoma threw for just 962 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions while rushing for 173 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Despite injury-riddled seasons in two of the last three years, Murray should enter training camp this summer as the slight favorite to win the starting duties in Minnesota over
J.J. McCarthy. If Murray stays healthy and plays up to his abilities (primarily as a rusher for fantasy purposes), he will have the weapons in Minnesota to become a favorite for Comeback Player of the Year in 2026. A fresh start in a new city could be just what the doctor ordered for Murray, a two-time Pro Bowler in 2020 and 2021, especially with a QB guru as head coach in Kevin O'Connell. If Murray ends up winning the QB job, he'll have QB1 upside in single-year fantasy leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
March 28, 2026
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back
Rachaad White wanted a bigger role in the backfield, which is why he left the Buccaneers in free agency, and he could get his wish in 2026 with the Washington Commanders. The 27-year-old former third-rounder (91st overall) in 2022 out of Arizona State averaged 3.9 yards per carry for 2,656 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns on 677 rushing attempts in his first four seasons with the Bucs. He also added 205 catches for 1,450 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns, so White does have a three-down skill set. The problem for his fantasy value is that the Commanders also signed
Jerome Ford, and second-year back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt could be pushing for a bigger role in Year 2. At the very least, though, White could be a very useful RB in point-per-reception leagues as Washington's primary pass-catching option out of the backfield as the Commanders' offense looks to bounce back in 2026. Last year in Tampa, White had 132 carries for 572 yards and four touchdowns, adding a career-low 40 catches for 218 yards through the air in 17 games (eight starts). White's dynasty stock should see a slight boost with his move to D.C.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
March 28, 2026
The New England Patriots released veteran wide receiver
Stefon Diggs on March 11, and the 32-year-old veteran pass-catcher remains on the open market at the tail end of March. The Patriots are reportedly open to Diggs returning at a reduced cost, but that's unlikely to happen after they signed former Green Bay Packers receiver
Romeo Doubs in free agency. Diggs, a former fifth-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2015 out of Maryland, had his seventh 1,000-yard receiving campaign in 17 regular-season games in 2025, adding 85 receptions (102 targets) and four touchdowns. The four-time Pro Bowler with the Buffalo Bills from 2020 to 2023 has been greeted with a cold market so far this offseason, but he should eventually latch on with another NFL team, although it might not happen until after the draft at the end of April. At this point in Diggs' career, it's unlikely that he'll be a bona fide WR1 for any team that he signs with.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
March 28, 2026
New Orleans Saints running back
Alvin Kamara (knee), who has been the team's lead back for the last eight seasons, finished the year on Injured Reserve again in 2025 and appears headed for a drastically reduced role in 2026 after the Saints signed
Travis Etienne Jr. to a four-year, $52 million contract in free agency. Kamara, 30, played in a career-low 11 games last season and averaged a career-low 3.6 yards per carry for 471 rushing yards and just one touchdown. He added a career-low 33 receptions for 186 yards on 39 targets. Not only is durability now a major concern for the nine-year veteran with plenty of tread on his tires (1,674 rushing attempts), but if he's healthy and stays in New Orleans, he's likely headed for a complementary role behind Etienne in head coach Kellen Moore's offense. Etienne is four years younger than Kamara, and the Saints have a financial incentive to make him the new lead back. There have even been reports of Kamara potentially retiring this offseason, so his fantasy football value is dropping in a hurry in both redraft and dynasty/keeper leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
March 28, 2026
Arizona Cardinals running back
Trey Benson (knee) had a golden opportunity to take over his team's backfield in 2025 after fellow Cardinals back
James Conner (ankle) went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 3. However, Benson suffered a knee injury that ultimately ended up being season-ending as well in the Cardinals' next game in Week 4. Now entering his third NFL season, the 23-year-old has compiled 574 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown on 111 touches across 17 career games. Conner should be back in the mix this season for Arizona, and the team also made a move to upgrade in the offseason by signing former Atlanta Falcons running back
Tyler Allgeier to a two-year, $12.25 million contract. As a result, Benson could be completely blocked off from playing time with the Cardinals in 2026. He still carries some dynasty upside, but Benson's stock is trending in the wrong direction after Arizona's offseason moves.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
March 28, 2026
Washington Commanders running back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt had a bit of a rollercoaster campaign as a rookie in 2025, finishing the year with 873 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns on 184 touches across 17 games (seven starts). Croskey-Merritt recorded four touchdowns across his first five NFL games, but then cracked 40 rushing yards just once across eight contests between Week 6 and Week 14. Still, Croskey-Merritt closed the year on a tear, recording 255 rushing yards and four scores over the season's final four weeks. Heading into 2026, the 24-year-old should have a chance to emerge as Washington's RB1. However, the Commanders also added veteran backs
Rachaad White and
Jerome Ford in free agency. At the very least, White and Ford are trusted third-down backs who will prevent Croskey-Merritt from seeing much receiving work in his second NFL season. Croskey-Merritt's clear upside as a rusher provides him with long-term upside for dynasty managers, but it does not appear as though Washington is ready to fully hand him the keys to its backfield in 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
March 28, 2026
After back-to-back first-team All-Pro selections in 2023 and 2024, Baltimore Ravens quarterback
Lamar Jackson struggled through an injury-marred down year in 2025. The 29-year-old missed four games due to back and hamstring injuries and finished the year with 2,549 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Perhaps due to his injury issues, Jackson also had the least productive rushing season of his career, totaling 349 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 67 attempts. However, Jackson should be fully healthy heading into 2026. When he's on the field, the two-time MVP remains perhaps the most dangerous dual-threat quarterback in the NFL. Across 17 games in 2024, Jackson threw for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns while rushing for 915 yards and four scores. Jackson still profiles as an elite quarterback option in dynasty formats heading into 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
March 28, 2026
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back
Sean Tucker showed flashes of high-level production upside in 2025, recording 354 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns on 94 touches across 17 games played. However, most of Tucker's chances came with fellow Bucs running back
Bucky Irving sidelined by injury. When Irving was healthy, Tucker was largely limited to RB3 work behind both Irving and
Rachaad White. White departed Tampa Bay in free agency for the Washington Commanders, but the Bucs brought in even stiffer competition for Tucker in the form of former Pittsburgh Steelers back
Kenneth Gainwell. As long as Irving and Gainwell are healthy, Tucker's pathway to regular playing time in Tampa Bay is hard to see. The 24-year-old remains a slightly intriguing depth option for fantasy managers, but his dynasty value is fading as he enters his fourth NFL season and remains without a clear role in his team's offense.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
March 28, 2026
After failing to record a catch over his first two NFL seasons, San Francisco 49ers tight end
Jake Tonges emerged as a quality contributor in 2025. Across 17 games, the 26-year-old hauled in 34 receptions for 293 yards and five touchdowns on 46 targets. Tonges' performance was enough to earn him a new two-year contract worth $8 million from San Francisco in free agency. The majority of his production in 2025 came when fellow 49ers tight
George Kittle (Achilles) was sidelined by injury between Week 2 and Week 6. However, Tonges may have another chance to work as the 49ers' lead tight end to open 2026, as Kittle is currently recovering from a torn Achilles tendon that he suffered in the playoffs and is likely to miss time next season. Tonges could be a solid sleeper tight end option for fantasy managers to target heading into 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
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