March 1, 2026
University of Oklahoma wide receiver Deion Burks ran an official 4.30-second 40-yard dash at Saturday's NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, which was the fastest 40 among receivers this year, according to NFL.com. The 23-year-old was the fastest wideout in a year that had the fastest composite 40-yard time in NFL history. That's saying something. Burks probably isn't going to be a first-rounder in 2026, but his speed out of the slot will make him interesting on Day 2 or 3. In his final collegiate season in 2025 for the Sooners, he caught a career-high 57 passes for 620 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games played. The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder can do plenty of damage after the catch because of his elite speed. He had 151 catches for 1,669 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in 48 collegiate games over five years with Oklahoma and Purdue.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL.com
March 1, 2026
Arkansas running back
Mike Washington Jr. ran an official 4.33-second 40-yard dash on Saturday at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, which was the fastest time among all RBs, according to NFL.com. Making it even more impressive, Washington isn't small at 6-foot-1, 223 pounds. In his final collegiate season with the Razorbacks last year, he ran for a career-best 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns on 167 rushing attempts, adding 28 catches for 226 yards and another score in 12 games played. Washington may have solidified his place as one of the top RB prospects in this year's draft class, as he has speed, agility, and quickness out of the backfield after five collegiate seasons that also included stops at Buffalo and New Mexico State. Washington has been projected as more of a mid-round pick, but depending on where he lands in the NFL, he could be in line for notable first-year touches out of the backfield.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL.com
March 1, 2026
Notre Dame running back
Jeremiyah Love, the consensus top RB in this year's draft class, turned in an official 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Saturday, according to NFL.com. Even though there could be plenty of high-end options available at the position in free agency this offseason, Love could be a top-10 pick in April's draft. The 20-year-old was highly productive in his junior season with the Fighting Irish in 2025, carrying the ball 199 times while leading the NCAA in rushing yards (1,372), yards per carry (6.9), and rushing touchdowns (18) in 12 games played. Love also led all collegiate rushers in 2024 in yards, yards per attempt, and rushing touchdowns. He had 27 catches for 280 more yards and three touchdowns as a receiver in 2025. Love should be in the mix for lead-back duties right away in his first NFL season, but his fantasy value will ultimately depend on the landing spot.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL.com
March 1, 2026
Arkansas quarterback
Taylen Green, who is considered a top-10 QB prospect in this year's draft class, ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash, had a 43 1/2-inch vertical jump, and an 11-foot, two-inch broad jump at the NFL scouting combine on Saturday, which are all records for QBs since at least 2003, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN. Green measured in at 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds. His sub-4.4-second 40 time for a QB is the first since at least 2003. Beyond Indiana QB
Fernando Mendoza, who is the heavy favorite to go to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 1 overall, the QB position is in flux. Green spent two years at Boise State and two years at Arkansas. He threw for 2,714 yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last year, adding 777 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. His dual-threat abilities and excellent combine results certainly will increase his draft stock as he heads to the next level.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Legwold
March 1, 2026
Ohio State wide receiver
Carnell Tate ran an official 4.53-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine on Saturday in Indianapolis, according to NFL.com. Tate, who stands at 6-foot-2, 192 pounds, is considered one of the top players at his position for the upcoming 2026 NFL draft, but his 40 times were disappointing, all things considered. He's expected to run again at Ohio State's pro day on March 25, so perhaps he can beat his combine time. Most likely, Tate's 40-yard dash times won't negatively impact his draft stock as an expected first-round selection. He helped the Buckeyes win the national championship in 2024, when he had a career-high 52 catches for 733 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games. Last year, Tate had 51 catches for 875 yards and nine scores in just 11 games played.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL.com
March 1, 2026
ESPN's Rich Cimini writes that the New York Jets are a team to watch involving Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who reportedly is available for trade this offseason. Jets defensive coordinator Brian Duker was the Dolphins' passing-game coordinator and is familiar with Fitzpatrick. The 29-year-old five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro had 82 tackles (59 solo), his first career sack, one interception, six pass breakups, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in 14 starts in 2025 in his first year back with Miami and his eighth season in the NFL. The Jets need a lot of other help on both sides of the ball going into the 2026 season, but Fitzpatrick would certainly be a veteran presence for a secondary and defense that made history by becoming the first team ever without an interception for the entire season in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN New York - Rich Cimini
March 1, 2026
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler writes that Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro pass-rusher Maxx Crosby (knee) "probably wouldn't garner a Micah Parsons-like trade package." The Dallas Cowboys sent Parsons to the Green Bay Packers last fall for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. A team source said a few weeks ago that Crosby's chances of returning in 2026 "were relatively small," but Crosby doesn't plan on requesting a trade. "I think the price is too high. I'm not sure they really want to move him at this point. But that could change," an executive from an NFC team said. Fowler reports that at least a dozen teams have shown interest in Crosby in recent weeks. Crosby is three years older than Parsons and is coming off a knee injury that caused the Raiders to shut him down for the final couple of weeks in 2025. The 28-year-old five-time Pro Bowler should be healthy entering Week 1 of the 2026 season, and wherever he's playing, he'll be a strong No. 1 defensive end in IDP fantasy formats.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
March 1, 2026
The Tennessee Titans are "seeing if there's interest and whether they can get trade value out of" quarterback
Will Levis (shoulder), according to Dan Graziano of ESPN. Levis, who missed all of the 2025 season after having right-shoulder surgery, is heading into the final year of his four-year, $9.54 million contract that he signed in July of 2023. The 26-year-old has no clear path to returning to starting QB duties in Tennessee after the club drafted
Cameron Ward with the first overall pick last April. Levis was drafted by the Titans' previous front office and coaching staff, so they don't have much invested in him. If his shoulder injury is a thing of the past, QB-needy NFL teams could have some interest in bringing Levis on board, at least as a QB2 option for depth. The former second-rounder in 2023 out of Kentucky displayed questionable decision-making and mostly struggled in his 21 starts in two seasons, throwing for 3,899 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Dan Graziano
March 1, 2026
Former New Orleans Saints quarterback
Derek Carr retired abruptly last offseason, but he made it clear recently that he'd be willing to come out of retirement to play for a Super Bowl contender. However, the New Orleans Saints haven't heard from a team that wants to make a deal for Carr, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio believes that Carr's best chance to chase a Super Bowl ring in 2026 is to wait for a season-ending injury to a QB playing for a contender, and then hope that team has interest in trading for him. If nothing happens before this year's trade deadline, Carr might need to ask the Saints to release his rights, which would make him a free agent. The 34-year-old veteran is a four-time Pro Bowler, but he went to the postseason only twice in his 11 NFL seasons. In a career-low 10 games with the Saints in 2024, Carr completed 67.7% of his passes for 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Talk - Mike Florio
March 1, 2026
Rival teams expect the Buffalo Bills to "strongly address wide receiver in the coming weeks," according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Multiple league executives are linking Green Bay Packers wideout
Romeo Doubs and Seattle Seahawks receiver/return man
Rashid Shaheed to the Bills. The Indianapolis Colts'
Alec Pierce will likely be out of Buffalo's price range, and he's also not expected to reach the open market. Shaheed is also being linked to the Las Vegas Raiders, with new head coach Klint Kubiak looking to bring him over after coaching him in Seattle in 2025. Doubs could be a good fit with the San Francisco 49ers. Doubs will probably be the more consistent fantasy option in 2026, and a move to Buffalo would make him very intriguing after he put up a 55-724-6 line in 16 regular-season games last season. He'd be the favorite for WR2 duties for the Bills behind
Khalil Shakir.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
March 1, 2026
As of Saturday morning, "it doesn't sound close" as far as the Indianapolis Colts and quarterback
Daniel Jones (Achilles) on a long-term contract extension, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN. If the Colts can't get a deal done with Jones by Tuesday's tag deadline, it "sounds like they'll put the transition tag on him." However, that means wide receiver
Alec Pierce could hit free agency, and another team could sign Jones to an offer sheet. Graziano thinks the Colts will still push to get a long-term deal with Jones done. Jones would receive $43.9 million on the franchise tag and $37.8 million on the transition tag. Locking Jones into a long-term deal is also the best way to get Pierce to want to return in 2026 and beyond. Even though the 28-year-old signal-caller suffered a torn Achilles in the second half of last year, he'd be in high demand if he were to reach the open market after having a bounce-back campaign in Indy before his injury.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Dan Graziano
March 1, 2026
The Miami Dolphins would prefer to trade quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa, although that would mean picking up a significant portion of his $54 million in fully guaranteed salary this year. ESPN's Dan Graziano expects the Dolphins to release Tagovailoa by the third day of the new league year, when $3 million of his 2027 salary would become fully guaranteed, based on conversations with other teams. Graziano goes on to explain that Miami will "almost certainly designate him as a post-June 1 cut" to help defray some of the $99.2 million in dead money it will cost to release him. If he's traded, the Minnesota Vikings might make the most sense as they look for an insurance policy for
J.J. McCarthy. Tagovailoa, the fifth overall pick in 2020 out of Alabama, threw for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns, and a career-high 15 interceptions in 14 starts in 2025 before being benched for
Quinn Ewers. At best, Tagovailoa, who might be one concussion away from retirement, will be competing for a starting gig elsewhere in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Dan Graziano
March 1, 2026
There have been "zero indicators" that the Jacksonville Jaguars will use the franchise tag on impending free-agent running back
Travis Etienne Jr., sources with knowledge of the situation told John Shipley of Sports Illustrated. It doesn't mean that the Jaguars aren't open to re-signing him, but it's becoming pretty clear that Etienne is going to test the market this offseason. After the Dallas Cowboys signed RB
Javonte Williams to a deal that guarantees him $16 million over the next two seasons, Etienne's market will "likely be north of $8 million a year." The 27-year-old had arguably the best year of his career in 2025, and he's one of just four players to have over 3,750 rushing yards and 1,300 receiving yards since debuting in 2022. Last year, Etienne rushed for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns on 260 carries (4.2 yards per tote), and he added 36 catches for 292 yards and six TDs in the regular season. He could have even more fantasy appeal in 2026, depending on where he lands and what his role will be.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sports Illustrated - John Shipley
March 1, 2026
The Miami Dolphins are expected to work on long-term contract extensions for running back
De'Von Achane, center Aaron Brewer, and linebacker Jordyn Brooks this offseason, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN. The Dolphins have a new general manager and a new coaching staff and are "likely entering something of a rebuild," but they want to build around core players like Achane. Wide receiver
Jaylen Waddle is also viewed as a core player, but he's already signed long-term. The 24-year-old Achane was easily the team's most productive offensive player in 2025 in another disappointing season. He was a first-time Pro Bowler after rushing for a career-high 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns on 238 carries over 16 games. Achane added 67 catches for 488 yards and another four scores on 85 targets. He led the league with 5.7 yards per carry and should firmly be in the RB1 mix in 2026 for the heavy volume as Miami's clear lead back.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Dan Graziano
March 1, 2026
The Minnesota Vikings informed defensive tackle Javon Hargrave that, barring a trade, he will be released at the start of the league year this month, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Hargrave's release will save the Vikings $10.9 million against this year's salary cap. The 33-year-old veteran was set to enter the final year of the two-year, $30 million contract he signed with the team in March of last year. The former third-rounder of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016 out of South Carolina State did not live up to expectations in his first year in Minnesota, recording 52 tackles (18 solo), 3.5 sacks, six QB hits, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble in 16 games played. Hargrave is a two-time Pro Bowler and had 18 total sacks from 2022 to 2023, so he should be able to latch on pretty quickly with another team that is looking for interior defensive linemen.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
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