January 30, 2026
The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to have a new starting running back for the 2026 season, according to Nate Taylor of ESPN. The Chiefs had one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL last year with RBs Isaiah Pacheco and
Kareem Hunt. Pacheco didn't have a single rush of 20-plus yards, while Hunt had only one. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who is returning to the franchise, will be tasked with improving the rushing attack in KC, although head coach Andy Reid will remain the offensive play-caller. Both Pacheco and Hunt will be free agents in March, leaving
Brashard Smith as the only RB on the roster under contract. It means that the Chiefs' backfield could look drastically different in 2026, and they will most likely be in play for one of the top free-agent RBs. Hunt led the Chiefs in rushing in 2025 with only 611 yards on 163 carries (3.7 yards per tote), while Pacheco had only 462 yards on 118 carries (3.9 YPC).
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Nate Taylor
January 30, 2026
The Tennessee Titans are hoping that new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll will help young quarterback
Cam Ward, who struggled in his first year in the NFL after the Titans took him first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. During Daboll's time in New England under Bill Belichick, he learned the Erhardt-Perkins system, which employs a concept-based passing scheme and runs to set up the pass. ESPN's Turron Davenport points out that Daboll has also used play-action, with vertical passing concepts, which match Ward's skill set. Ward had plenty of success using run-pass-option plays in college, and the Giants used RPOs at a 12.6% rate last year under Daboll, the fourth-highest rate in the league. The 23-year-old plans to clean up his mechanics after throwing for 3,169 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in his first 17 games. Ward must fix his accuracy issues to take the next step, but he should be in good hands with Daboll.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Turron Davenport
January 30, 2026
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that wide receiver
Jalen Coker will enter the offseason as the team's No. 2 wideout behind 2025 first-rounder
Tetairoa McMillan, according to David Newton of ESPN. Newton also writes that the Panthers' top offseason priority is locking Coker down long term. He's an exclusive-rights free agent, so the team could tender him an offer for the league minimum to ensure that he's around in 2026 at a low cost. The 24-year-old came on strong late in 2025 and had nine catches for 134 yards and one touchdown in the Wild-Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. If the Panthers truly believe in Coker, they could look to lock him up long-term at a reasonable price. Injuries have limited Coker to 22 regular-season games in his first two years in the NFL, but when on the field, he's been productive, catching 65 passes for 872 yards and five touchdowns on 89 targets. If he can finally stay healthy in Year 3, Coker has true breakout potential.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - David Newton
January 30, 2026
ESPN's David Newton writes that unless Carolina Panthers running back
Rico Dowdle wants to "return at a bargain price," he "appears headed to this third team in three seasons." General manager Dan Morgan said he had a good meeting with Dowdle after the season, but Dowdle was unhappy with the way the year ended -- he had seven carries for 10 yards in the Week 18 regular-season finale and only five carries for nine yards in the Wild-Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The 27-year-old has produced back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and was Carolina's leading rusher (1,076 yards), but he'd likely be in a committee backfield again with
Chuba Hubbard if he were to re-sign. Hubbard is locked in through the 2028 campaign on a four-year, $33.2 million deal he signed in 2024. "I just want to be a guy who can go out there and just get the bulk [of the carries]," Dowdle said.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - David Newton
January 30, 2026
The Green Bay Packers announced on Friday that they signed general manager Brian Gutekunst and executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball to multi-year contract extensions, according to Bobby Kownack of NFL.com. The announcement comes around two weeks after it was reported that the Packers reached a multi-year extension with head coach Matt LaFleur. Gutekunst has been with the organization since starting as a scout in 1999, before rising to the title of GM in 2018. Ball has worked in the team's front office since 2008 and earned his current title in 2018. LaFleur, Gutekunst, and Ball have led the Packers to six playoff appearances, twice reaching the NFC Championship game. However, Green Bay has gone 3-6 overall in the playoffs in that span. The Packers should be in playoff contention again in 2026, but they won't have a first-round pick in this year's NFL Draft.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL.com - Bobby Kownack
January 30, 2026
The Baltimore Ravens are hiring Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to be their offensive coordinator, a source told Dianna Russini of The Athletic on Friday. Doyle will call plays for the Ravens offense in 2026 under new head coach Jesse Minter. Doyle was also a candidate to run the Philadelphia Eagles' offense, but he withdrew his name from that search. Before moving to Chicago, Doyle worked on Sean Payton's staff with the Denver Broncos. Doyle is an up-and-coming young offensive mind in the NFL, but this will be his first time calling plays. Minter is a defensive-minded coach, so Doyle will have a pretty big job in trying to turn two-time MVP quarterback
Lamar Jackson around after a disappointing 2025 campaign. It's a pretty big risk for Baltimore. Doyle became the league's youngest offensive coordinator at 28 when he joined the Bears in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Dianna Russini
January 30, 2026
New York Giants running back
Cam Skattebo (ankle) burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2025, recording 617 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns on 125 touches across eight games played. However, the 23-year-old had his first NFL campaign cut short in Week 8 when he suffered a dislocated right ankle that required season-ending surgery. While Skattebo will be coming off a significant injury, Giants general manager Joe Schoen recently said that the team expects him back for organized team activities in the spring. That bodes well for Skattebo's 2026 outlook, as he should have a full training camp to re-integrate himself into New York's offense. Before getting injured, Skattebo had surpassed fellow Giants back
Tyrone Tracy Jr. on the team's depth chart. While New York will have an entirely new coaching staff in 2026, Skattebo feels like a safe bet to re-assume a lead rushing role, particularly around the goal line. As long as he progresses as expected in his rehab, Skattebo's fantasy stock in both redraft and dynasty formats should be trending upwards after his encouraging rookie year.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 30, 2026
Baltimore Ravens tight end
Mark Andrews had his least productive season since his rookie year in 2025, recording 48 receptions for 422 yards and five touchdowns on 70 targets across 17 games played. Following Baltimore's Week 7 bye, Andrews played fewer than 70% of his team's offensive snaps in every game. He also earned four or fewer targets in 11 contests. Part of Andrews' drop in production can be attributed to missed time from Ravens' quarterback
Lamar Jackson, which impacted the team's offensive output overall. However, the veteran tight end's numbers were only slightly better in the 13 games Jackson was active for in 2025. Heading into 2026, Andrews will be entering his age-31 season and may simply be slowing down. Baltimore will also have an entirely new coaching staff in place, which could lead to changes across the roster. From a fantasy perspective, Andrews profiles as an increasingly difficult tight end option to trust in both redraft and dynasty formats.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 30, 2026
Arizona Cardinals running back
James Conner (ankle) had his 2025 season cut short when he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 3. The veteran running back was a productive player as recently as 2024, when he recorded 1,508 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns on 283 touches across 16 games played. However, he will enter the 2026 season at 31 years old and less than a year removed from significant ankle surgery, bringing his future fantasy viability into question. The Cardinals spent most of the 2025 season without both of their top running backs, as 2024 third-round pick
Trey Benson (knee) did not play after Week 4 due to a knee injury. While Benson's injury status clouds his future outlook as well, Arizona appears headed for a backfield split. The team could also bring in additional talent at the position through free agency or the draft heading into 2026. Given his age and unclear health status, Conner's fantasy value in both redraft and dynasty formats is currently trending in the wrong direction.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 30, 2026
Given his status as the No. 6 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, expectations were high for Las Vegas Raiders running back
Ashton Jeanty coming into his rookie season. Despite having a miserable supporting cast around him in Las Vegas, the 22-year-old managed to rack up 1,321 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns on 321 touches. Still, he left a lot to be desired from an efficiency perspective. Jeanty averaged just 3.7 yards per carry and 4.1 yards per touch in 2025. Heading into 2026, the Raiders will have a new coaching staff and potentially a new quarterback in place, which could help to maximize Jeanty's talent. However, the team may struggle to completely overhaul its offensive line, which profiled as one of the league's worst this past season. Jeanty remains an ultra-high-upside fantasy running back in dynasty formats, but both he and his organization will enter 2026 with plenty to prove.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 30, 2026
After playing in just four games in 2024 due to injury, San Francisco 49ers running back
Christian McCaffrey bounced back in a major way in 2025. The 29-year-old recorded 2,126 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns on a league-leading 413 touches across 17 games played. McCaffrey did not have his most efficient season as a rusher, averaging just 3.9 yards per carry. However, he more than made up for it with his work as a receiver, hauling in 102 receptions for 924 yards and seven scores on 129 targets. In 2026, McCaffrey will be in his age-30 season and will be coming off a massive workload, which are both valid reasons for fantasy managers to be concerned. Still, as long as McCaffrey is on the field, he's proven to be an elite running back option for fantasy managers in PPR-scoring formats. Additionally, with tight end
George Kittle (Achilles) set to miss time in 2026 and wide receiver
Jauan Jennings hitting free agency, San Francisco could lean even more heavily on its star running back.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 30, 2026
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said that quarterback
Drake Maye (shoulder, illness) missed practice on Friday, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. Maye was listed as limited in the first two practices of the week on Wednesday and Thursday due to a right-shoulder injury that he suffered in the AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The 23-year-old was held out on Friday because of his illness, otherwise he would have practiced. Vrabel said on Thursday that the team isn't worried about Maye's status for the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Feb. 8. The second-year QB out of North Carolina still has another full week to get his shoulder closer to 100%. Maye led the NFL with a 72% completion percentage during the regular season and was the QB3 in fantasy scoring, but he has struggled in his first three career playoff games, completing 55.8% of his passes for 533 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions while fumbling six times (three lost).
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN Boston - Mike Reiss
January 30, 2026
Former Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton (foot) suffered a broken foot during Thursday's Senior Bowl practice, according to Rich Scarcella of The Reading Eagle. Singleton broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and will have surgery early next week in Alabama. He's expected to attend the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis from Feb. 23 to March 2, but he won't be able to participate in on-field activities now. Injuries have been an issue for Singleton over the last year, as he also had surgery on his thumb last January to fix a torn ligament. It's unclear if his foot injury will change anything, but Singleton has been projected as one of the top-five RBs available in the 2026 NFL Draft. He is Penn State's all-time leader in all-purpose yards (5,586) and total touchdowns (55), and he ranks fourth with 3,461 career rushing yards.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Reading Eagle - Rich Scarcella
January 30, 2026
The Minnesota Vikings announced on Friday that long-time executive Rob Brzezinski will lead the team's football operations through the 2026 NFL Draft after the organization fired former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, according to Will Ragatz of Sports Illustrated. The Vikings won't have an immediate search for a new GM. Brzezinski has been in the Vikings organization since 1999, first serving as the vice president of football administration and later as the executive vice president of football operations. Depending on how things go during this year's draft, Brzezinski may be a candidate for the full-time GM role moving forward. The Vikings went 14-3 with
Sam Darnold as their quarterback in 2024, but they failed to make the postseason with young QB
J.J. McCarthy struggling in his first NFL season. Meanwhile, Darnold led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sports Illustrated - Will Ragatz
January 30, 2026
The Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday, sources told Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. This is a big surprise after the Vikings gave Adofo-Mensah a multi-year contract extension just last offseason. He had been the team's GM since the start of the 2022 season. The Vikings went 14-3 thanks to the help of quarterback
Sam Darnold in 2024, but they decided to let him leave in free agency and ride into the future with
J.J. McCarthy, who was taken in the first round in 2024. That decision alone could have cost Adofo-Mensah his job, with Darnold leading the Seattle Seahawks to another 14-win season and a Super Bowl appearance this year, while McCarthy struggled with consistency and health. The Vikings also announced on Friday that Rob Brzezinski will operate as the interim GM.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
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