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San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan James, a fifth-round pick last year out of Oregon, appears to be the "front-runner" to be the top backup behind star Christian McCaffrey in 2026, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Brian Robinson Jr., who was CMC's primary backup in 2025, signed a one-year deal to join the Atlanta Falcons, leaving James, Isaac Guerendo, and Patrick Taylor Jr. as San Fran's options behind McCaffrey with the 2026 NFL draft looming next month. Head coach Kyle Shanahan noted that James was injured last summer and fell down the RB depth chart as a result, but his strong finish to the season makes him a candidate to back up McCaffrey to begin next season. The 22-year-old didn't have a single carry in three regular-season games in his rookie season, but he saw six rushing attempts for 28 yards in the playoff loss to the Seahawks. Given McCaffrey's lengthy injury history, if James sticks as San Fran's RB2 following the draft, he'll have plenty of fantasy value as a handcuff in single-year fantasy formats.

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Atlanta Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham isn't ruling out the possibility of trading tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., who is currently set to play the 2026 season on the franchise tag, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic. "It's my job as the general manager to do what's best for the organization," Cunningham said. "Kyle is a great player. We've seen his skill set. Also, it's my job to listen. We're excited to have Kyle. We're excited for his future." Pitts finally broke out for his fantasy managers in 2025, catching 88 of his 118 targets for 928 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in 17 starts in his fifth year in the NFL to finish as the TE2, behind only Trey McBride, in half-PPR scoring. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues must be careful not to overvalue Pitts, though, as new head coach Kevin Stefanski "will explore" using multi-tight-end sets with Pitts, Austin Hooper, and Charlie Woerner all on the field together. The 25-year-old has clear high-end TE1 upside, but if he stays in Atlanta, he could quickly disappoint fantasy managers again, especially with a potential shift to new quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel didn't rule out the possibility of the team trading for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. "We've talked about this since last January. We're going to try to do everything we can to strengthen our roster through the draft, through free agency, multiple ways of player acquisition," Vrabel said at the NFL's annual meeting. The Eagles continue to say that Brown remains a member of the team, but the Eagles are financially incentivized to wait until June 1 to trade the Pro Bowl wideout. The Eagles will take a dead-cap hit of more than $40 million if they trade Brown before then, compared to around $20 million after June 1. The Pats released Stefon Diggs in early March and then signed Romeo Doubs in free agency, but apparently, they are still serious about adding Brown, who would immediately become quarterback Drake Maye's top target in the passing game. Brown played for Vrabel with the Titans from 2019 to 2021. The 28-year-old had his sixth 1,000-yard season in 2025 with the Eagles, but he was clearly upset with the direction of the offense. A move to New England to work with one of the best young QBs in the game could invigorate Brown.

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ESPN's Adam Schefter said on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday that "it does sound like Aaron Rodgers back in Pittsburgh is happening." "That would be my guess right now," Schefter added. Rodgers technically is still a free agent, but the fact that he's been speaking with new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy frequently is a hint that the future Hall of Fame signal-caller is leaning toward re-signing with the team for a 22nd season in the NFL. The 42-year-old has become notorious for taking his time in the offseason to decide on his playing future, but owner and president Art Rooney II recently said the organization is hoping that Rodgers will make his decision by the NFL draft at the end of April. If Rodgers returns for a second season in Pittsburgh, he'll have a new weapon in receiver Michael Pittman Jr., but for fantasy purposes, he'd still be a low-end QB2 with limited upside in what will very likely be his final year in the league. The four-time MVP finished as the QB19 in fantasy in 2025 with 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 16 regular-season games. A reunion with McCarthy won't suddenly make Rodgers a QB1 in fantasy again.

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ESPN's Matt Bowen believes that Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. would fit in well with the Seattle Seahawks, given their needs at the position ahead of the 2026 NFL draft. Washington is projected to be a late Day 2 pick in April's draft, and Seattle could use the backfield depth with Kenneth Walker III now gone and Zach Charbonnet (knee) recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered in the playoffs in January. Washington has the lateral agility to fit new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury's scheme, which is expected to lean on motion and movement in both zone and gap concepts. Washington is quick (4.33-second 40-yard dash) and also has the frame (6-foot-1, 223 pounds) to hold up to increased volume. In his fifth collegiate season with the Razorbacks, Washington produced his first 1,000-yard season and scored eight rushing touchdowns for the second straight season. He also had 28 catches for 226 yards and one score as a receiver. Landing in Seattle would give Washington a path to immediate fantasy value in 2026 in redraft leagues.

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The Los Angeles Rams don't have a major need at the tight end position, but ESPN's Matt Bowen thinks Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq should be viewed as a potential "matchup player" for head coach Sean McVay's offense. The Rams would have to take Sadiq with the 13th overall pick in the first round next month. The 6-foot-3, 241-pounder would be a "seam stretcher" for quarterback Matthew Stafford with his 4.39-second 40-yard dash speed. McVay could also use Sadiq as a backside X receiver/power slot to "draw favorable man matchups." The young TE would also fit in nicely as a "catch-and-run target" on boot play-action concepts that Stafford runs often. Sadiq is seen as the top TE target in this year's draft class, and landing in L.A. would make him even more attractive to fantasy managers in rookie-only dynasty drafts this year. Sadiq has an incredibly high fantasy ceiling after catching 51 passes and scoring eight times for the Ducks in his final collegiate season in 2025.

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Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who is one of the top players at his position going into the 2026 NFL draft, has scheduled top-30 visits with the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, and Cleveland Browns, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Simpson already had a private workout with the New York Jets. ESPN's Adam Schefter said recently that it is likely to be a first-round pick at the end of April as the consensus No. 2 QB prospect this year, behind only Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, who should go first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. In his first full year as the starter for Alabama in 2025, Simpson threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 15 games. The Dolphins just signed Malik Willis to a big contract in free agency, so the Jets, Browns, and Cardinals all make a little more sense as possible landing spots for Simpson. From a dynasty/keeper perspective in fantasy, landing in Arizona might be the best possible outcome for Simpson's long-term value.

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Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard isn't ruling out the possibility of quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. (eye) remaining with the team in 2026, according to Stephen Holder of ESPN. "There's definitely a scenario there. He's a good dude, and he's talented," Ballard said on Monday. With Daniel Jones (Achilles) becoming the starter in 2025 and with Richardson suffering a freak season-ending eye injury, the former fourth overall pick's future in Indy has been very cloudy since late last season. The Colts gave Richardson and his representation permission to seek a trade in late February, but no deal is imminent, and it's unclear if one will ever materialize. The Green Bay Packers are among the teams most interested as they search for a replacement for Malik Willis behind starter Jordan Love. Richardson's inability to stay healthy and the emergence of Riley Leonard as a backup option to Jones have made Richardson a prime candidate for a new start elsewhere. The 23-year-old's dynasty value would most likely benefit from a change of scenery and potentially a better shot at earning a starting role again.

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said that he talked to veteran free-agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Monday night, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show. There has been no resolution on the Rodgers front yet this offseason, but owner and president Art Rooney II said recently that the organization expects the future Hall of Famer to decide whether he wants to re-sign with the team before the NFL draft at the end of April. Right now, the only QBs on Pittsburgh's roster are Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. The Steelers are very high on Howard, but if Rodgers decides he wants to run it back in the Steel City in 2026, he'll obviously be the team's QB1 this fall. The 42-year-old four-time MVP and 10-time Pro Bowler has stayed healthy the last two years after tearing his ACL with the Jets in 2023, but he's been very mediocre for fantasy football managers. Last year, Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions to finish as the QB19. He'll have a new receiver in Michael Pittman Jr. if he returns, but even so, Rodgers would still be more of a low-end QB2 with limited upside at the end of his illustrious career.

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Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh said that the mechanical tweaks for quarterback Cameron Ward will be focused on his footwork, as opposed to his throwing motion, according to Turron Davenport of ESPN. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll also acknowledged that he doesn't want to mess with Ward's throwing mechanics too much, as different QBs have different throwing motions. Unsurprisingly, Ward, the first overall pick last year out of the University of Miami, struggled in his first year in the NFL with the Titans. The 23-year-old completed under 60% of his 540 pass attempts for 3,169 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 17 starts. He added 39 rushing attempts for 159 yards and two more scores. Although he did injure his right shoulder in the series finale, Ward should be just fine for Week 1 of the 2026 campaign. Ward could be an intriguing QB2 with upside in his sophomore season if his mechanics lead to better accuracy on the field with a new receiving weapon in wideout Wan'Dale Robinson.

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New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said new quarterback Geno Smith is "the guy that's going to lead us to the promised land," according to ESPN's Rich Cimini. The Jets failed miserably with their free-agent acquisition of QB Justin Fields in 2025, and now they will turn to Smith, who led the NFL with 17 interceptions last year in his lone season with the Las Vegas Raiders. If Glenn is referring to the "promised land" as the No. 1 overall draft pick for 2027, we might believe him. Smith was a Pro Bowler in 2022 and 2023 with the Seattle Seahawks, but he's regressed significantly over the last two years and will now lead a Jets offense that doesn't have many playmakers behind running back Breece Hall and receiver Garrett Wilson. The 35-year-old veteran won't have much upside as a low-end QB2 option in superflex leagues. He completed 67% of his passes in 2025 for 3,025 yards and 19 touchdowns. After becoming a legitimate QB1 in Seattle, Smith is now looking more like the journeyman backup that he was earlier in his career.

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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said that new wide receiver Jaylen Waddle will play both the slot and on the outside in his first year with the team in 2026, according to Luca Evans of The Denver Post. Payton also said the Broncos will have "speed packages" for him. The Broncos acquired Waddle in a trade from the Miami Dolphins in March in exchange for three draft picks, including Denver's first-rounder next month. With the move to the Mile High City, the 27-year-old's fantasy stock should improve in a pass-happy offense under quarterback Bo Nix. Courtland Sutton will still demand plenty of targets, but Waddle may lead the Broncos in receiving in 2026, especially given Nix's strength as a short and intermediate passer over the middle. Using Waddle all over the field is even better news for his fantasy managers in dynasty/keeper formats. The Broncos didn't trade for him to not use him. The former sixth overall pick in 2021 by Miami out of Alabama began his NFL career with three straight 1,000-yard seasons. Waddle has fallen short of that mark the last two years, but if he stays healthy in Denver, he should have a great shot of totaling 1,000 receiving yards yet again.

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New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn expects tight end Mason Taylor to make a big jump and have a "hell of a year" in his second season in the NFL in 2026, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. Taylor ended his rookie season on Injured Reserve due to a neck injury, but it's not expected to impact his availability at the start of the 2026 campaign this fall. In 13 games for the Jets last year, Taylor caught 44 of his 65 targets for 369 yards and only one touchdown. It wasn't exactly what dynasty managers were hoping for, but it also wasn't completely Taylor's fault. He missed the final four games with a neck injury, and New York's passing attack was brutal with quarterbacks Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, and Brady Cook. Taylor didn't have much of a chance to get going in his rookie season, and he was the TE35 overall in half-PPR scoring. Going into Year 2, the former second-rounder could be handcuffed again by a poor offense, which will now be run by veteran Geno Smith, who led the league with 17 interceptions in 2025 with the Raiders. Take Glenn's statement this week about Taylor with a grain of salt.

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Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner faces newfound competition in the backfield ahead of the 2026 season. Conner previously had the backfield essentially to himself, and it looked like he would return to the starting role over Trey Benson in 2026. However, the Cardinals addressed the running back position in free agency, signing Tyler Allgeier to compete with Conner. If Arizona is anything like Atlanta, Allgeier will be more of a complementary piece, stealing carries and touchdowns here and there but lacking standalone value. We don't expect that to be the case, though. It's more likely that we'll see a conventional competition throughout training camp, allowing Conner, Allgeier, and even Benson to push for the starting job. Conner may be the incumbent, but he's also coming off a season-ending foot injury. Benson is the youngest of the group, but he's also coming off an injury that sidelined him for 13 games. Allgeier may end up being the favorite to start at running back, especially since he's the only player in this backfield that the new regime, led by head coach Mike LaFleur, went out and actively signed. Conner is a sell-high in dynasty leagues this offseason, and managers can likely still salvage modest compensation given his experience and name value.

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New Orleans Saints running back Devin Neal (hamstring) entered this offseason as one of the most appealing risers in dynasty fantasy football leagues. However, the Saints' unexpected decision to sign Travis Etienne Jr. shook up their backfield, and now, it looks like Neal could be ticketed for the third-string role. In addition to the Etienne signing, it was recently reported that the Saints don't plan to trade Alvin Kamara. He previously expressed his desire to remain in New Orleans for the rest of his career, even threatening retirement if he were traded. Therefore, it looks like both Etienne and Kamara will be ahead of Neal, who had 163 rushing yards, 10 catches, 83 receiving yards, and two touchdowns from Week 12-15 as a rookie last season. There's clearly talent and production there, but his lack of a track record in the NFL will leave him third in the pecking order behind the two veterans. Backfield injuries could open the door for Neal to be a decent handcuff, but otherwise, he has a very difficult path to fantasy relevance.

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans went through a massive change of scenery this offseason. After 12 years in Tampa Bay, the veteran pass-catcher inked a new contract with the 49ers, pairing him with talented quarterback Brock Purdy. While it's not necessarily a major quarterback upgrade or downgrade for Evans, the change of scenery could be valuable for his NFL career and fantasy outlook. His role was slipping a little in Tampa Bay as Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. took on larger roles. In San Francisco, Evans will be the clear No. 1 receiver, with Ricky Pearsall not serving as too much of a threat. Staying healthy will be the biggest key for Evans, who missed nine games last year and finally saw his streak of 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons come to an end. We would not be surprised to see Evans finish 2026 as a mid-to-high WR2, and he even has WR1 upside. Even at 32 years old, he's an intriguing buy-low candidate in dynasty leagues where his current manager is bothered by last year's injury issues.

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Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs is a strong candidate to earn more targets during the 2026 season. The Colts traded away Michael Pittman Jr. earlier this month, bumping Downs up to No. 2 on the depth chart. He might not be as heavily involved as Alec Pierce, who just fetched a $114 million deal, but he still has a chance to surpass his previous career-high of 107 targets. He was just the WR51 in half-PPR leagues with Daniel Jones (Achilles) healthy, but he also missed two games during that window. On a more compelling note, he caught at least six passes in four of his first eight games last season, adding three touchdowns along the way. Pittman's 111 vacated targets have to go somewhere. Presumably, they'll mostly be split among Pierce, Downs, and Tyler Warren. We wouldn't be surprised to see Downs return to his 2024 form, which included a top-36 finish at the wide receiver position in fantasy football. He's an intriguing buy-low in dynasty leagues as he takes on a larger role and gets his quarterback back from injury.

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall entered this offseason as a candidate for more targets with Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk both expected to depart. However, the 49ers' rather unexpected decision to sign Mike Evans has left Pearsall right back where he started this offseason: in the No. 2 receiver role. Operating in that same role last season, Pearsall caught 36 passes for 528 yards and zero touchdowns across nine games. He never played in more than four consecutive games due to injury, and he was held to fewer than five catches in two-thirds of his contests. All in all, Pearsall likely projects best as a No. 2 receiver, so we're not surprised to see that the 49ers signed a new No. 1. Still, it certainly limits Pearsall's floor and ceiling. Plus, it's not just Evans who will steal volume from Pearsall. Tight end George Kittle (Achilles) will fetch a boatload of targets when healthy, and running back Christian McCaffrey remains the centerpiece of this offense. There's not a lot of momentum behind Pearsall's name in dynasty fantasy football, so it's tough to sell high on him at this point. Managers are better off holding him and trading him at his peak value if Evans misses time due to injury.

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Free agent wide receiver Jauan Jennings remains unsigned as of March 31. The new league year started several weeks ago, but none of the 32 NFL teams have been able to reach a deal with the former San Francisco 49ers receiver. While a return to the Bay Area isn't impossible, it seems likely that he'll be donning new threads in 2026. The 49ers have indicated they'll probably move on from Jennings, especially after signing Mike Evans. That leaves some uncertainty ahead for Jennings, who is coming off back-to-back top-34 finishes at the wide receiver position in fantasy football. Just last season, he caught 55 passes for 643 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns in 15 games. Jennings can be a high-end No. 2 receiver on most NFL rosters, and perhaps even a No. 1 on some others. With that being said, we wouldn't be surprised if he waits to sign until after the NFL Draft, when there's more clarity about the depth chart within each organization.

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Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the league meetings this week that "everything's good" with All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons' (knee) rehab from the torn ACL that he suffered in the Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos, according to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Parsons had surgery on his knee on Dec. 30, which was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Gutekunst would not put a timeline on when Parsons might be back for Green Bay. "No, we're really early in this," Gutekunst said. "Obviously, we invested quite a bit in him, so we will be very protective of that investment as we go forward." The Packers sent two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys for Parsons, who is a game-wrecking sack artist when he's at full strength. Parsons earned first-team All-Pro honors for the third time in 2025 and had 12.5 sacks and 79 QB pressures in 14 games before his knee injury. The 26-year-old will come at a discounted price in 2026 in IDP fantasy formats because of his left-knee injury and the fact that he's expected to miss at least the first three or four weeks of the 2026 regular season.

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