Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown opened the 2025 season with a bang, hauling in 10 catches for 99 yards on 16 targets in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the 28-year-old was not able to maintain his hot start and saw his role in the Chiefs' offense gradually fade over the course of the season. Across 16 games overall, Brown recorded 49 receptions for 587 yards and five touchdowns on 74 targets. Heading into his age-29 season, Brown is now set to hit unrestricted free agency. Chiefs WR1 Rashee Rice is currently being sued by the mother of his children for alleged physical abuse and is being investigated by the NFL for violations of the league's personal conduct policy. As a result, there could be an opening for playing time in Kansas City if the team chooses to bring Brown back on a new contract. Still, Brown's production has been on a gradual decline since his banner 2021 season, when he recorded 1,008 yards and six touchdown catches as a member of the Baltimore Ravens. His fantasy outlook is likely trending in the wrong direction heading into 2026, regardless of where he signs in free agency.

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After being acquired by the New York Jets from the Indianapolis Colts at the 2025 trade deadline, wide receiver Adonai Mitchell saw the best opportunity for consistent playing time of his young career. The 23-year-old recorded 32 receptions for 464 yards and zero touchdowns across the first 25 games of his career with the Colts. Across eight games with the Jets after the trade, Mitchell hauled in 24 catches for 301 yards and two scores. Mitchell played at least 80% of New York's offensive snaps in six of his eight contests, and he averaged over seven targets per game. In 2026, the Jets will welcome back star wideout Garrett Wilson (knee) from the knee injury that ended his 2025 season prematurely. Wilson will be the team's clear number one pass-catcher, but the Jets appear to have plenty of opportunity for secondary pass-game options to emerge. As a former second-round pick who has flashed upside at different points in his first two NFL seasons, Mitchell could have the inside track on the team's WR2 job heading into 2026.

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New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said that the team is "trying to see every possible avenue we can go next year at quarterback" and that incumbent quarterback Geno Smith is "definitely one of those options." Smith battled through a miserable season in his first year with the Raiders in 2025. Across 15 starts, the 35-year-old completed 67.4% of his pass attempts for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. The Raiders went 2-13 in Smith's starts, and Las Vegas fired former head coach Pete Caroll at the conclusion of the year. Smith is just one year removed from throwing for over 4,300 yards with the Seattle Seahawks in 2024, and he made back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances in 2022 and 2023. He could have more in the tank in a more favorable offensive environment than the one he experienced in 2025. However, the Raiders are widely expected to select University of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the number one overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. If that happens, Smith would likely profile as a temporary starter in Las Vegas at best, if he even remains on the team's roster.

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New Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken said Wednesday that he thinks the team's starting quarterback job is "an open competition" and said he "doesn't know why it wouldn't be" when questioned by the media, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic. Jackson reports that Monken said he sees "elite playmaking ability" in Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, but remained noncommittal about Sanders' status as the QB1 favorite. As a rookie in 2025, Sanders completed 56.6% of his pass attempts for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions across eight games (seven starts). Sanders took over as the team's starter in Week 12, replacing fellow rookie signal-caller Dillon Gabriel. In 10 games (six starts), Gabriel completed 59.5% of his pass attempts for 937 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions. While Sanders could very well open 2026 as the starter in Cleveland, it appears as though the team is leaving the door open to the possibility of bringing in another quarterback over the offseason or simply staging more internal competition.

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Across 15 games in 2025, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin hauled in 26 receptions for 396 yards and two touchdowns on 38 targets. After logging a career-high 52 targets in 2024, Turpin fell back into a gadget role in the Cowboys' offense in 2025 behind wideouts CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Ryan Flournoy. Turpin brings some fantasy upside with his rushing ability, as he's racked up 308 yards and a touchdown on 47 career carries. However, he's yet to hit 20 rush attempts in a season, so his ability to bolster his production for fantasy managers is limited. The Cowboys could be headed for a contractual standoff with Pickens this offseason, which could throw their wide receiver room into flux to some degree. Still, assuming Pickens is eventually brought back, Turpin will likely remain buried on the team's depth chart in 2026.

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Three years into his NFL career, Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson has established himself as arguably the best all-around player at his position in the NFL. Across 17 games played in 2025, Robinson recorded a league-leading 2,298 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns on 366 touches. He made big strides as a receiver out of the backfield this past season. After failing to crack 500 receiving yards in either of his first two seasons, Robinson hauled in 79 catches for 820 yards on 103 targets in 2025. Falcons RB2 Tyler Allgeier is now set to hit free agency, which could mean Robinson is in line for more short-yardage and goal-line opportunities in 2026. Even if Allgeier returns or Atlanta brings in another back, the team's willingness to rotate running backs could be a positive for Robinson overall. He's yet to miss a game to this point in his NFL career. At just 24 years old, Robinson should have a long window of production ahead of him and profiles as a worthy 1.01 player across all fantasy formats heading into 2026.

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Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni thinks running back Saquon Barkley will "be exceptional" in the new offensive system in 2026, according to Zach Berman and Brooks Kubena of The Athletic. Barkley had a down year by his standards in 2025, coming off a season in which he led the league in carries (345), rushing yards (2,005), and rushing yards per game (125.3). The 29-year-old had 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns on 280 rushing attempts in 16 regular-season games last year, when the Eagles had lows in yards per rush (4.2), average yards before contact (1.52), total rush EPA (minus-24.81), and rush-success rate (39.1) under Sirianni. The new offensive staff under Sirianni, led by offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, is expected to install "more zone-blocking concepts" that originate from the Shanahan tree. Barkley should still be considered an RB1 in fantasy despite his down 2025 season, and a bounce-back could be coming if he stays healthy.

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Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said on Tuesday that running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) is "making a lot of progress" in his rehab from the torn right ACL that he suffered in December of 2024, according to Darin Gantt of Panthers.com. The Panthers are cautiously optimistic that Brooks will be able to contribute to their backfield in 2026 after he appeared in just three games in his two NFL seasons due to multiple ACL tears. The 22-year-old could have a path to being Carolina's RB2 behind Chuba Hubbard next season, too, if Rico Dowdle departs in free agency. Brooks, a former second-rounder in 2024 out of the University of Texas, will need to prove he still has the same pre-injury explosiveness, and the Panthers will undoubtedly ease him back in when he returns to the field. Brooks will be a big question mark going into the 2026 season.

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San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said on Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine that "nothing will happen until the new league year" when discussing parting ways with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee), according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. We already know that Aiyuk won't be playing for the Niners in 2026, but he won't be officially released until the start of the new league year next month. The 27-year-old former first-rounder signed a four-year, $120 million contract with the team in August of 2024 and then played in only seven games that year, catching 25 of 47 targets for 374 yards and no touchdowns. Aiyuk didn't play at all in 2025 due to his knee injury and wasn't going to return to the Bay Area after the team voided guarantees in his contract. He'll certainly attract attention on the open market, but fantasy managers will be wary after all the missed time.

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Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard said on Tuesday that he's "hopeful" the team will be able to re-sign impending free-agent wide receiver Alec Pierce and quarterback Daniel Jones (Achilles) to new contracts before either of them can potentially hit the open market in mid-March. The Colts have until March 3 to decide if they will use the franchise or transition tag on either Pierce or Jones. At the moment, Ballard said the Colts aren't planning on tagging either player. If Pierce or Jones aren't signed by March 9, they can begin negotiations with all 31 other teams. Pierce, 25, led the NFL in yards per catch (21.3) for the second straight year and had his first career 1,000-yard season in 2025 while leading the team in receiving. He became the third player in the last 30 years to have 1,000 yards on 50 or fewer receptions. Pierce's fantasy stock is obviously rising after his big season in 2025, and he might have an even higher ceiling if he leaves Indy.

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San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch reiterated the team's desire to keep backup quarterback Mac Jones at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. "He's really good for us, and we value that. And so somebody would have to come with something fairly strong for us to consider (trading him). And then I don't know what we do. Obviously, there's always something that would make you (do it), but I think we're a better team with him on it and we just like having him around," Lynch said. The 27-year-old signed a two-year, $8.41 million deal with San Fran in March of last year and ended up playing in 11 games (eight starts) with Brock Purdy missing a good chunk of the season with a turf-toe injury. Jones played well, too, throwing for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six picks while going 5-3. QB-needy teams will come calling, but it sounds like the Niners will need to be blown away by a trade offer to even consider dealing him.

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Carolina Panthers impending free-agent running back Rico Dowdle wasn't happy with the way the 2025 season ended and seemed like a man not interested in re-signing, but he "has sent out social-media messages since then suggesting he might," according to Darin Gantt of Panthers.com. General manager Dan Morgan said the "door was open" for Dowdle to return, but they will let him test the free-agent market. If Dowdle doesn't re-sign, the Panthers are happy with the rest of the RB room, which includes Chuba Hubbard, former second-rounder Jonathon Brooks, and last year's fourth-rounder, Trevor Etienne. The 27-year-old Dowdle led Carolina in rushing last year, running for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns on 236 carries over 17 regular-season games. It was his second straight 1,000-yard season. He was involved in more of a timeshare down the stretch with Hubbard, though, and Dowdle has made it clear he wants an opportunity to be a lead back. That's unlikely to happen if he stays with the Panthers.

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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said that offensive coordinator Davis Webb will be the team's offensive play-caller in 2026, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. It's an interesting and notable move for Denver's offense and for Payton, who has always called the offensive plays as a head coach in the NFL. Webb, 31, is a former backup quarterback in the NFL and was a head-coaching candidate for a few teams this offseason before the Broncos fired former OC Joe Lombardi and promoted Webb, who was formerly the QBs coach. If the Broncos' offense goes backwards under Webb, Payton can always take back over. If Webb has a very tight relationship with QB Bo Nix (ankle), this could ultimately be a good thing for the Broncos' offense moving forward. One of the top priorities for Webb in his first year as the OC will be to fix a running game that has been subpar the last two years.

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The Minnesota Vikings have had trade talks with teams regarding two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, sources told Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. If the Vikings don't find any takers for the 33-year-old veteran on the trade market, they are fully expected to release him this offseason. In the first year of his two-year, $30 million contract that he signed with Minnesota in March of last year, Hargrave had 52 tackles (18 solo), 3.5 sacks, six QB hits, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 16 games played. He wasn't all that productive, but he did stay healthy for the Vikings after playing in only three games the year prior with the San Francisco 49ers due to a triceps injury. The two-time Pro Bowler could be running out of gas after originally being a third-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016 out of South Carolina State.

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The Dallas Cowboys have an offer on the table that would make impending free-agent kicker Brandon Aubrey the "highest-paid kicker in the NFL," a source told Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS Sports. A deal isn't done, though, and Aubrey "wants more than they offered." Aubrey, 30, is a restricted free agent this offseason and will most likely be back with Dallas one way or another. In Dallas' high-scoring offense, Aubrey continues to be a high-end option in fantasy football. He had another strong campaign in 2025, making 36 of his 42 field-goal tries (85.7%) and 47 of his 48 extra-point attempts to finish as the No. 3 kicker in overall fantasy points in 17 games. Aubrey has been a Pro Bowl kicker in all three of his NFL seasons and has made 35-plus field goals in all three years. Dallas should have another strong offense in 2026, making him an easy call as a top-five fantasy kicker.

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Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek said on Tuesday that he expects All-Pro pass-rusher Maxx Crosby to be with the team in 2026, according to Kevin Patra of NFL.com. Crosby is going to have to want to be in Vegas, though, and that's still up in the air after the Raiders shut the 28-year-old down against his wishes at the tail end of last season due to a knee injury that required offseason surgery. "Maxx is an elite player, and I've been very upfront from the start when I got here that we're in the business of having really good players on the team, and we need a lot more of them," Spytek said. The Raiders are going to have a sky-high asking price on Crosby -- potentially two first-round picks and an impact player -- so it's uncertain if any team would be willing to meet those demands. Regardless of where he's playing in 2026, if Crosby is healthy, he'll be a must-start defensive lineman in IDP fantasy leagues. Crosby has been a Pro Bowler each of the last five seasons and has 52.5 sacks in 78 games played in that span.

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The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan M. Alexander writes that "all signs point to a potential break between" running back Joe Mixon (ankle, foot) and the Houston Texans this offseason. Mixon ran for over 1,000 yards and had 11 touchdowns in 2024, but he didn't play at all in 2025 due to a freak ankle/foot injury last offseason. There are no injury updates on the 29-year-old this offseason after he had surgery, and general manager Nick Caserio said that Mixon's future with the club is "day-to-day." The Texans originally were hoping that Mixon would return last year, but he never did, and he sought treatment outside of the team's facilities. Mixon is entering the final year of a three-year deal he signed back in 2024, but the final year of the deal isn't guaranteed. The Texans, who are currently $4.9 million over the salary cap, could save $8.5 million in cap space by cutting him. Regardless of where Mixon is playing in 2026, his fantasy stock will be way down, and it's not even a guarantee he'll be ready for Week 1.

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There have been rumblings that the Indianapolis Colts will release wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason to free up salary cap space, but it doesn't sound like a foregone conclusion. "Pure hypothetical (Michael Pittman Jr.) won't be here," general manager Chris Ballard said at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday. Pittman did have a career-high seven touchdowns in 17 games in 2025 in his sixth year in the league, but his 784 receiving yards were his fewest since his rookie year in 2020. His 2026 fantasy value will hinge on where he's playing in the upcoming season. If the Colts restructure his contract and also re-sign Alec Pierce, Pittman will be more of a WR3/flex. The best-case scenario would be staying in Indy and having Pierce leave in free agency. The Colts have a lot of balls up in the air this offseason, but it sounds like they prefer to keep Pittman, if possible.

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Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes said that he's "been in touch" with running back David Montgomery and his agent and that they've had "healthy dialogue," according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN. "Those conversations are still fluid, and we'll just see how it goes," Holmes said during the NFL combine. Releasing the 28-year-old would save the team $3.5 million. Monty's role has shrunk in each of the last two years, and he really saw his involvement evaporate down the stretch in 2025. In 17 games played, the former third-rounder by the Chicago Bears in 2019 out of Iowa State had a career-low 158 carries for a career-low 716 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He added 24 catches for 192 scoreless yards as a receiver. Montgomery might be more of a distant No. 2 behind Jahmyr Gibbs in 2026 if he sticks around, but a RB-needy team might be willing to trade for him this offseason.

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Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider said at the NFL combine on Tuesday that the team "obviously would love" to re-sign Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III instead of letting him get to free agency. However, it will depend on how he fits into the team's plans for the upcoming season. Schneider would not comment on whether the team will use the franchise tag on Walker. Despite winning Super Bowl MVP, the Seahawks are not expected to use the franchise tag on the 25-year-old. Playing into the decision will be the torn ACL that fellow RB Zach Charbonnet (knee) suffered in the playoffs, but an extension for receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will likely be the priority. Walker, a former second-rounder, has had trouble staying healthy in the past, but he played in all 17 regular-season games in 2025, rushing for 1,027 yards and five TDs on 221 carries. If Walker makes it to free agency, he'll be one of the top RBs available this offseason.

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