Sep 4, 2026, 4:26 AM ET

WR KJ Duff, who was one of the first WRs off the board in college fantasy drafts, lived up to his billing in Week 1. The 6-foot-6 Duff hauled in nine passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns. The rest of the Rutgers players caught seven passes for 46 yards in arguably the most disappointing loss in school history. Rutgers lost 37-21 to a UMass team that came into the game with the longest losing streak in FBS. UMass hadn't beaten a current Power 4 team since BYU in 2017 and had never beaten a team that was a member of a power conference. BYU was still independent in 2017, as was Boston College when UMass pulled upsets in 1972 and 1978. Even RB Antwan Raymond, a first-round fantasy pick, struggled. Duff is worth using in any matchup, but the rest of the Rutgers offense should likely be avoided. --Mike Marteny - RotoBaller
Source: ESPN

Sep 4, 2026, 4:21 AM ET

Former Mississippi quarterback Austin Simmons was excellent in his Missouri debut Thursday night. Simmons completed 17 of his 19 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns went to Donovan Olugbode. Simmons was named the starter for Mississippi last year, but was hurt in Week 2. Trinidad Chambliss was excellent filling in for Simmons and took his job. Simmons threw four interceptions in two games for Ole Miss last year, but was very sharp in Missouri's 54-14 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Simmons has a couple more easier games in September and is worth a look in fantasy leagues if you don't trust your quarterback matchups. --Mike Marteny - RotoBaller
Source: ESPN

Sep 4, 2026, 4:15 AM ET

A court in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, granted a temporary injunction against the SEC and NCAA to allow former Cleveland Browns TE Dae'Quan Wright and former New Orleans Saints DL Zxavian Harris to return to college football. The case was brought by LSU against the NCAA to allow Wright and Harris to play in college football for 2026 under the new "five for five" rules. Wright and Harris both played for new LSU coach Lane Kiffin at Mississippi last year. This lawsuit went even further by saying that LSU cannot use the threat of SEC sanctions against the school as a reason not to add them to the team. Both Harris and Wright are expected to be on the roster for LSU's game against Clemson on Saturday night. The SEC is planning an appeal, but it likely won't come before Saturday. --Mike Marteny - RotoBaller
Source: On3

Sep 4, 2026, 12:05 AM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery's fantasy stock is on the rise, and he is the clear favorite for saves of late after shutting the door yet again in Thursday's 5-2 win over the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park. Montgomery threw a clean ninth inning with one strikeout to pick up his eighth save of the year. Right-hander Luke Weaver worked the eighth frame for his 18th hold of the season. It looked like Weaver might take over the closing duties in the Steel City over lefty Gregory Soto when the Bucs acquired him in a deadline deal with the New York Mets, but it has been Montgomery who has been the preferred ninth-inning choice. The 26-year-old southpaw has converted eight straight save chances while giving up two runs in his last 26 innings pitched to lower his ERA for the year to 2.97. He also has a 1.06 WHIP with 90 strikeouts and 22 walks over his 57 2/3 total innings in 2026. The hard-throwing lefty should see his ownership continue to climb with the fantasy postseason approach. Right now, Montgomery is rostered in just 34% of Yahoo leagues.--Keith Hernandez
Source: MLB.com

Sep 4, 2026, 12:02 AM ET

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed is likely headed for a larger role on offense in 2026. Not only is Reed fully healthy after recovering from last year's injuries, but he also faces slightly less competition for targets after Romeo Doubs departed for New England in free agency. Injuries limited Reed to just 19 catches, 207 yards, and one touchdown last year, but he finished as the WR29 or higher in PPR leagues in both 2023 and 2024. Even if he doesn't return to his top-30 receiver form, he can still be a WR3/flex in fantasy leagues with 12+ teams. His biggest competition for targets is Matthew Golden, and the good news is that Reed has more experience in the NFL than Golden. Plus, Golden still needs to prove that he's worthy of a larger role after catching just 29 passes with zero touchdowns as a rookie last year, whereas Reed has more of an established track record. For now, it seems like Reed has the edge over Golden. He currently has an ADP of 117.3, which corresponds to the 10th round of fantasy drafts and makes him the 31st receiver off the board.--Andersen Pickard
Source: RotoBaller

Sep 3, 2026, 11:57 PM ET

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane doesn't have a very strong supporting cast around him, but he should still prevail as a top-10 fantasy running back with elite upside this season. Miami's offense will look quite different this year with Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, and Tyreek Hill gone. The only truly familiar face is Achane, who has been the RB5 in PPR leagues for each of the last two years. In 2025, he tallied 1,350 rushing yards, 67 catches, 488 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns. He offers game-changing speed and athleticism while still offering impressive touchdown potential, even if the Dolphins' offense isn't expected to see a ton of scoring opportunities. We're also excited about Achane's volume, assuming he can stay healthy. Head coach Jeff Hafley previously said that Achane could get 40+ touches per game. That's obviously hyperbole, but fantasy managers should be excited that the head coach doesn't plan to limit Achane's workload at all. Not only does he project as the Dolphins' workhorse back, but he's really the only flashy option in this offense. We would not be surprised to see him finish as the RB5 (or higher) once again this year. He's currently being drafted near the start of the second round in most leagues, which means managers at the one-two turn could pair him with someone like James Cook, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Chase Brown, or Saquon Barkley.--Andersen Pickard
Source: RotoBaller

Sep 3, 2026, 11:46 PM ET

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is poised to have another very productive season in 2026. Taylor ranked as the overall RB4 in PPR leagues last year, and even that finish was somewhat underwhelming relative to how dominant he started the season. Through the first 10 weeks last year, he scored a whopping 17 touchdowns while ranking as the RB1 in PPR leagues. In fact, during that span, he scored 25.1 points more than the RB2, Christian McCaffrey. He also had a torrid stretch where he recorded five different three-touchdown games within eight weeks. In other words, Taylor was playing at an MVP level before cooling off after the bye week (and after quarterback Daniel Jones went down with an Achilles injury). Jones is healthy again, restoring a semblance of life to this offense and potentially reigniting Taylor's upside as the overall RB1 if he can stay healthy. He is currently being drafted in the middle of the first round of fantasy drafts, typically as the fourth running back off the board.--Andersen Pickard
Source: RotoBaller

Sep 3, 2026, 11:42 PM ET

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks is expected to occupy a starting role when the regular season gets underway next week. Wicks was traded from the Packers to the Eagles this offseason, and he'll immediately occupy a significant role following the departure of A.J. Brown. All signs point to the 25-year-old opening the regular season as Philly's No. 2 receiver, starting opposite DeVonta Smith. His track record in Green Bay was iffy, but there was never any doubt about his role with the Eagles. After all, he was held out of all three preseason games due to his status as a projected starter. We expect the Eagles' offense to trend upward under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, which bodes well for Wicks' upside as a low-end WR3/flex. For now, he's an extremely affordable option in fantasy drafts. The latest ADP has him as a fringe draft pick in 12-team leagues and a 14th-round pick in 14-team leagues.--Andersen Pickard
Source: RotoBaller

Sep 3, 2026, 11:35 PM ET

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence had an impressive 2025 season, but he could take yet another step forward with a very strong supporting cast at his disposal in 2026. Lawrence has a stacked wide receiver room featuring Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington, and (sometimes) Travis Hunter. Meanwhile, tight end Brenton Strange is expected to make a big Year 4 leap, and Bhayshul Tuten projects as another key target for Lawrence in the short-yardage passing game. Last year, Lawrence completed 60.9% of his pass attempts for 4,007 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He was arguably even more impressive with his legs, rushing for an additional 359 yards and nine touchdowns. Throughout the course of the year, he totaled 38 touchdowns, allowing him to rank as the overall QB4 in fantasy football. He has a chance to replicate (or even improve upon) that career-best fantasy finish from last year. The current rankings are on the safer side, though, as RotoBaller's experts have Lawrence as the QB9 in redraft. He currently has an ADP of 93.7, which corresponds to the eighth round of drafts and makes him the 10th quarterback off the board.--Andersen Pickard
Source: RotoBaller

Sep 3, 2026, 11:30 PM ET

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith could be headed for a breakout season in 2026. The 27-year-old is poised to handle a significantly larger target share after teammate AJ Brown was traded to the New England Patriots. Smith had a total of nine catches and 136 yards across the two games that Brown missed last year, which likely represents his floor for the upcoming season. He is the undisputed No. 1 target in Philadelphia, offering a high-upside weapon for Jalen Hurts in all parts of the field. Perhaps the biggest question mark is whether Smith will take on a larger role around the goal line. He tallied a career-low four touchdowns last year, but he'll presumably get more goal-line targets following the departure of Brown, who scored seven touchdowns in 2025. As it stands, Smith has jumped to WR13 in RotoBaller's latest redraft rankings for 2026. He has an ADP of 31.4, which corresponds to the third round of fantasy drafts and makes him the 14th receiver off the board.--Andersen Pickard
Source: RotoBaller

Sep 3, 2026, 11:00 PM ET

Philadelphia Eagles' second-round rookie tight end Eli Stowers, out of Vanderbilt in the 2026 NFL Draft, has struggled in camp. He has faced heavy criticism and struggled to stand out as a receiver or blocker during practices, including a tough joint practice against the New England Patriots. Ultimately, the learning curve has been steep for him, and while he flashed some upside at the combine with his athleticism, recent reports from camp suggest he's not ready to play at the NFL level. He has also been slowed down by a hamstring injury, and Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice reported that he could be a healthy scratch on Sundays. During his senior season at Vanderbilt, he had 62 receptions, 769 yards, and four touchdowns. At this point, Stowers is a dynasty stash at best. RotoBaller ranks Stowers as the TE64 and 377th player off the board, making him undraftable in most standard-sized redraft formats.--Nicho Roessler
Source: RotoBaller

Sep 3, 2026, 10:46 PM ET

2025 Super Bowl-winning quarterback Sam Darnold enters his second season with the Seattle Seahawks with a chance to emerge as a high-end QB2, alongside star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the emergence of Rashid Shaheed, with a full offseason under his belt to build chemistry with Darnold. Shaheed was brought over to the Seahawks in Week 9 of the 2025 season. Darnold finished the 2025 season as the QB13, throwing for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. This was followed by a season with the Vikings in 2024, where he finished as the QB9. Although he lost his offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, who was brought on to be the head coach for the Raiders, RotoBaller currently ranks Darnold as the QB23 and the 140th player taken off the board. Fantasy managers in superflex formats could look to target Darnold as their QB2, as he has finished in the top 15 at the position in back-to-back seasons.--Nicho Roessler
Source: RotoBaller

Sep 3, 2026, 10:43 PM ET

After missing the previous three games with an elbow injury, Boston Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman broke a recent slump and returned with a bang on Thursday to help beat his former team, the Baltimore Orioles, by a score of 6-5 at Camden Yards. Rutschman went 2-for-4 at the plate with two solo home runs and three RBI on the night to raise his season average to .240 and his OPS to .741. It was a much-needed turnaround for a player who has never really been able to hit his stride in 2026 due to injuries. The 28-year-old switch-hitter and former first overall pick in 2019 from Oregon State came into Thursday's series opener against Baltimore with a weak .237/.318/.400 slash line with a .718 OPS, only nine home runs, 51 RBI, and 35 runs scored in 300 at-bats. The three-time All-Star had been even worse in 15 games since being traded to the BoSox, going 9-for-59 (.170) with a homer, six walks, and 15 strikeouts. The Red Sox gave up a lot to secure Rutschman as their catcher of the future, and they are hoping his bat begins to heat up as they push to make the postseason.--Keith Hernandez
Source: MLB.com

Sep 3, 2026, 10:37 PM ET

Minnesota Twins infielder Brooks Lee is suddenly up to a career-high 22 home runs entering play on Thursday after homering again in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Athletics. In his last 11 games, the switch-hitting infielder has hit .319 (15-for-47) with a .930 OPS, four home runs, two doubles, 10 RBI, and eight runs scored to boost his overall 2026 slash line to .250/.299/.435 with a .734 OPS, 77 RBI, 62 runs scored, and seven stolen bases in his second full season in the big leagues. The 25-year-old former eighth overall pick from Cal Poly in 2022 has been much better as a lefty against right-handed pitchers, going 91-for-345 (.264) with 19 of his 22 homers, as opposed to a .218 average (34-for-156) with just three long balls as a right-handed hitter against southpaws. With eligibility at second base, third base, and shortstop, Lee is also valuable for his infield versatility in fantasy baseball, and he's available in 40% of Yahoo leagues with the playoffs approaching quickly.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Baseball Reference