January 29, 2026
The Athletic's Josh Kendall writes that it's clear from new head coach Kevin Stefanski's past that running back
Bijan Robinson can "expect his heavy workload to continue" in 2026. Kendall even thinks that Robinson's workload could increase as he enters his fourth year in the NFL. The 23-year-old led the league in scrimmage yards (2,298) in 2025, putting him firmly in the running for the Offensive Player of the Year award. Robinson has been the only player in the league with more than 1,000 combined rushes and receptions since he was drafted eighth overall in 2023. He finished behind only
Christian McCaffrey and
Jonathan Taylor in half-PPR points last season, carrying the ball 287 times for 1,478 yards and seven touchdowns. Robinson added 79 receptions for 820 yards and four more TDs on 103 targets over 17 games. There's an argument to be made for Robinson being the No. 1 overall pick in 2026 fantasy football drafts.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Josh Kendall
January 29, 2026
Not many fantasy football managers would have predicted Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Michael Wilson being a top-12 wideout at the start of the 2025 season. Thanks to injuries to quarterback
Kyler Murray and receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr., Wilson took over as the team's WR1 in the second half of the season and finished with career-highs across the board in catches (78), targets (126), receiving yards (1,006), and touchdowns (seven) in 17 games played. In the first nine games of the year, Wilson had only 22 receptions for 231 yards and one score on 38 targets. In the final eight contests, he soared with 56 catches on 88 targets for 775 yards and six touchdowns in a pass-happy Cardinals offense. Backup QB
Jacoby Brissett peppered Wilson with targets as much as possible, and he scored in each of the final five games. Despite the impressive breakout, Wilson's 2026 fantasy value will be shaky with a giant question mark at QB and under a completely new coaching staff.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Dallas Cowboys tight end
Jake Ferguson didn't have much of a chance in 2024 after quarterback
Dak Prescott's season-ending hamstring injury, finishing his third year in the NFL with 59 catches, 494 yards, and zero touchdowns in 14 starts. Ferguson was able to bounce back in 2025, though, with a career-high 82 receptions on 102 targets for 600 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns in 17 contests. It wasn't all great for the 27-year-old, though, as he didn't go over 20 receiving yards in any of his final four games while also finishing with a career-low 7.3 yards per catch. All in all, it was a successful fourth year in the NFL. Ferguson was the TE7 in half-PPR scoring, and he will be a no-doubt TE1 target in fantasy football drafts this fall as the top pass-catching tight end in the Cowboys' high-scoring offense. Despite receivers
CeeDee Lamb and
George Pickens seeing their fair share of targets, Ferguson was one of only eight TEs who saw over 100 targets in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Cincinnati Bengals running back
Chase Brown said his representation is in talks with the team about a new long-term contract extension, according to Ben Baby of ESPN. Brown, 25, is eligible for an extension after completing his third year in the NFL in 2025. "I would love to do something and be a part of this team," Brown said. "I don't want to go anywhere else." The 25-year-old finished 11th in the NFL last year with a team-high 1,456 scrimmage yards. He was also sixth among all RBs with 437 receiving yards, and he had his first 1,000-rushing campaign (1,019 yards). Given all of the other financial commitments to key players on the offensive side of the ball in Cincy, and the fact that the Bengals' defense needs a lot of help, it remains to be seen if the Bengals will extend Brown going into the final year of his deal. Regardless of his contract going into the 2026 season, Brown should at least be viewed as a low-end RB1 target as the team's No. 1 backfield option in a high-scoring offense.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Ben Baby
January 29, 2026
The New York Giants are scheduled to meet with Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter to discuss their vacant offensive-coordinator position, according to Peter Schrager of ESPN. Cooter has also interviewed for the offensive-coordinator job with the Philadelphia Eagles. The 41-year-old has been the Colts' OC since 2023, but he hasn't called plays while working under offensive-minded head coach Shane Steichen. Moving to either New York or Philly would allow Cooter to call plays. Under Cooter in 2025, the Colts' offense ranked eighth in points per game and yards per play. He was also the OC for the Detroit Lions from 2015 to 2018. Cooter has previous ties to the Eagles after serving as an offensive consultant in 2021. The Giants were expected to go with Todd Monken as their OC, but he took the job as the next head coach for the Browns.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Peter Schrager
January 29, 2026
New England Patriots quarterback
Drake Maye (shoulder) did not throw the football around during the period of practice open to the media on Thursday, according to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. Maye injured his right (throwing) shoulder in the AFC Championship victory of the Denver Broncos last weekend and was listed as limited on Wednesday's estimated injury report. The Patriots have downplayed the second-year QB's injury and said he should be fine for the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Feb. 8. With an extra week off before the big game, the Pats are likely just resting their star signal-caller to make sure that he's closer to full health next week. The North Carolina product was the QB3 in overall fantasy points during the regular season in his first full year as the starter, completing a league-high 72% of his pass attempts for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and eight picks. He hasn't been nearly as good in his first three career playoff games, though, completing 55.8% of his passes for 533 yards, four TDs, and two interceptions while fumbling six times (three lost).
--Keith HernandezSource: Boston Herald - Doug Kyed
January 29, 2026
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back
Rachaad White had his worst statistical season in 2025, even though
Bucky Irving missed seven games due to injury. White was the RB35 in half-PPR scoring with 132 carries for 572 yards (4.3 yards per tote) and four touchdowns in 17 games played. He added a career-low 40 receptions on 45 targets for 218 yards through the air. White failed to score a receiving TD for the first time in his four NFL seasons. Even with Irving sidelined with injury, White wasn't given a workhorse role, as
Sean Tucker saw plenty of involvement in a committee approach. The 27-year-old just didn't have a big enough role in Tampa's backfield when Irving was healthy, and he voiced his frustration about that at the end of the year. White will almost certainly look to sign elsewhere as a free agent, although a new location won't necessarily guarantee him a lead-back role in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Detroit Lions wide receiver
Jameson Williams was slightly more productive in his fourth year in the league in 2025 despite the loss of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Williams, the 12th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, set new career highs in catches (65), targets (102), and receiving yards (1,117) while scoring seven times for the second straight season in 17 starts. The 24-year-old only played in six games in his rookie campaign in 2022 as he recovered from an ACL tear, and Detroit struggled to find a role for him in Year 2. But Williams has reached his true potential over the last two years with 1,000-yard seasons, and he could have an even higher ceiling in new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's scheme in 2026. Williams finished as a top-12 fantasy wideout in half-PPR scoring and will definitely have WR1 upside again for the Lions in 2026 as a big-play threat all over the field.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Atlanta Falcons quarterback
Michael Penix Jr. (knee), who had ACL reconstruction on his left knee on Nov. 25, is hoping that he'll be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season this fall, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta-Journal Consitution. "I've been doing great," Penix said. "Each and every day, just trying to get better. I feel like my confidence has been building." The 25-year-old signal-caller was given a nine- to 12-month timetable at the time of his surgery, the third ACL surgery of his career. There's optimism right now from Penix and the Falcons, but Penix's availability for the start of next season is still very much up in the air. It sounds like new head coach Kevin Stefanski is fully committed to Penix as the team's starter going forward, but his lengthy injury history -- he also suffered two season-ending shoulder injuries in college -- makes him an extremely volatile dynasty asset in fantasy football. In his 14 games (12 starts) in his first two NFL seasons, Penix has completed only 59.6% of his passes for 2,757 yards with 12 TDs and six interceptions.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - D. Orlando Ledbetter
January 29, 2026
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver
A.J. Brown voiced his frustration with his involvement in a lackluster offense throughout the 2025 campaign. The 28-year-old three-time Pro Bowler went quiet for long stretches, but he still finished with a team-high 121 targets and caught 78 passes for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 regular-season games. Brown has scored exactly seven times in each of the last three years. Despite all the drama between Brown, quarterback
Jalen Hurts, and head coach Nick Sirianni, he still finished as the WR12 in half-PPR scoring and averaged 12.1 fantasy points per game. He has gone over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his four seasons in Philly and in six of his seven NFL seasons. Brown should remain in the WR1 conversation in fantasy going into 2026, but he's becoming more volatile, and he could be traded this offseason. The three-time Pro Bowler had a career-low 12.9 yards per catch in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Buffalo Bills tight end
Dalton Kincaid (knee) said on Thursday that he doesn't need surgery on his knee this offseason, according to Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News. Kincaid missed time in 2025 with knee and hamstring issues, which limited him to a career-low 12 games played during the regular season. It was a disappointing year for the 26-year-old, although he did have a career-high five touchdown catches. Kincaid had a career-low 39 receptions on 49 targets for 571 yards during the regular season to finish as the TE18 in half-PPR scoring. The disappointing campaign makes more sense after it was announced that the former 25th overall pick in 2023 out of Utah played most of the year with a PCL tear, which was the same injury he suffered in November of 2024. Concerns about Kincaid's long-term durability will keep his fantasy price low in 2026, but if he can put together a fully healthy season, he could easily wind up as Buffalo's leading receiver as one of quarterback
Josh Allen's favorite targets.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Buffalo News - Jay Skurski
January 29, 2026
Updating a previous report, Buffalo Bills quarterback
Josh Allen (foot) confirmed on Thursday at a press conference that he had surgery on a broken bone (fifth metatarsal) in his right foot, according to Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network. Doctors took out his broken bone and cleaned it up. Allen suffered the injury to his foot in the Week 16 win over the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 21, but he didn't miss any time after that, although he did acknowledge that it wasn't ideal and was painful during the week. The 29-year-old former MVP was on crutches and wearing a walking boot on Thursday, but he's expected to be healed up in time for organized team activities this spring. Allen surely wasn't 100% the rest of the way, but he still ran the ball 23 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns in two postseason games. Despite having offseason foot surgery, Allen should still be considered the top fantasy QB going into his ninth NFL season in 2026.
UPDATE: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Allen was given a recovery timeline of eight to 10 weeks.--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Cameron Wolfe
January 29, 2026
New York Giants wide receiver
Wan'Dale Robinson made a statement in 2025 in his contract year with the G-Men, catching 92 of his 140 targets for a career-high 1,014 receiving yards and a career-high four touchdowns in 16 games played. Robinson was especially valuable for fantasy managers in PPR formats, with his 92 receptions ranking seventh among all wideouts. After a previous career high of 699 receiving yards in 2024, the 25-year-old finished as the WR16 in overall half-PPR points. It certainly helped that WR1
Malik Nabers (knee) suffered a season-ending torn ACL early in the year, but then again, Robinson also had 93 catches and 140 targets in 2024. Robinson finished the year on Injured Reserve due to fractured ribs, but he should be fully healthy in 2026 as he enters free agency for the first time. Staying in New York will probably be the most favorable outcome for his 2026 fantasy value, but even so, his 2025 breakout may very well be Robinson's ceiling.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Even with Houston Texans quarterback
C.J. Stroud struggling for the second straight year in 2025, wide receiver
Nico Collins managed a third straight 1,000-yard season in his fifth year in the NFL. Collins caught 71 of a career-high 120 targets for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns in 15 regular-season games to finish as the WR9 in half-PPR scoring. His season finished on a sour note, though, as he was unable to play in the Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots due to a concussion that he suffered in the Wild-Card round of the playoffs. The 26-year-old pass-catcher ranked 15th among all WRs with his 120 targets, and his 12.7 half-PPR points per game were 10th in the league. Collins could see more competition for targets from young wideouts
Jayden Higgins and
Jaylin Noel in 2026, but he should still be Stroud's unquestioned top target in the passing game.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 29, 2026
Cincinnati Bengals running back
Chase Brown has been a workhorse for the team the last two seasons, combining for 461 rushing attempts for 2,009 yards and 13 touchdowns while also catching 123 of his 153 targets for 797 yards and nine more trips to the end zone in 33 regular-season games. In a quick-strike offense led by quarterback
Joe Burrow and with one of the top receiver duos in the league in
Ja'Marr Chase and
Tee Higgins, it makes Brown extremely attractive in fantasy football. The 25-year-old produced his first 1,000-yard season in 2025, going for 1,019 yards and six TDs on a career-high 232 carries over 17 games to finish as a top-10 fantasy RB in half-PPR scoring. Brown has totaled 11 touchdowns (rushing and receiving) in each of the last two years. He'll be locked into the RB1 role again in Cincy in 2026 in the final year of his contract, giving him clear RB1 upside in fantasy football.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
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