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University of Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson was one of the more productive backs in the country as a junior in 2025, recording 1,821 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns on 297 touches across 12 games. With 85 receptions over his last two collegiate seasons, Johnson can impact games as both a rusher and a receiver. The 22-year-old has a chance to hear his name called in the middle rounds of the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. However, he's not considered to be a high-level athlete relative to other running back prospects, leading some to question whether he can work his way into a lead role in an NFL backfield. Johnson should be able to find a role in the pros due to his well-rounded skill set, but dynasty managers may want to take a conservative approach to projecting his upside. RotoBaller currently ranks Johnson as the 40th-best running back for dynasty formats.

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A seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Miami Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II entered his rookie year as the primary backup to star Dolphins rusher De'Von Achane. Gordon II saw limited playing time over the course of the season, racking up 231 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns on 77 touches. He also ceded some opportunities down the stretch of the season to Miami back Jaylen Wright, who out-snapped Gordon II in three of the team's final six games. The Dolphins have made major organizational changes so far this offseason, replacing head coach Mike McDaniel, trading wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, and releasing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. While the changes have led to speculation around a possible trade of Achane, Dolphins officials have been adamant in their stance that the team is looking to build around the young running back. As long as Achane is in Miami, Gordon II's dynasty upside is limited. However, he could be worth prioritizing as a priority handcuff option just in case the Dolphins do end up making additional moves.

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Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson had the best season of his career in 2025, recording 43 receptions for 408 yards and eight touchdowns on 56 targets across 15 games played. The 27-year-old had recorded just five touchdown grabs across five NFL seasons coming into the year, making his spike in end zone production particularly noteworthy. However, it may be difficult for Parkinson to repeat his breakout year in 2026. The Rams should get more production from veteran tight end Tyler Higbee, who missed seven games in 2025 due to an ankle injury. Los Angeles could also choose to funnel more playing time and targets towards second-year tight end Terrance Ferguson, whom they spent the 46th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on. Given that Parkinson has still never reached the 60-target mark in a season going into his seventh year in the NFL, it seems wise to project a production regression in 2026. RotoBaller currently ranks Parkinson as the 50th-best tight end for dynasty formats.

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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was suspended for the first six games of the 2025 season due to a 2024 hit-and-run incident that resulted in him pleading guilty to two felony charges. Across eight games after returning, the 25-year-old recorded 53 receptions for 571 yards and five touchdowns on 78 targets, missing additional time due to a concussion. While Rice is expected to be healthy heading into 2026, he may be facing yet another suspension due to an unresolved domestic violence lawsuit that was filed against him. When he's on the field, Rice remains a talented pass-catcher who should be a consistent fantasy producer, particularly in PPR formats. However, Rice's legal troubles are adding up, and his consistent issues with availability make him an unreliable player for managers to roster. In dynasty formats, Rice's current value is difficult to gauge while his status with the league office remains uncertain.

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The number 22 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton had his rookie season disrupted by ankle injuries that caused him to miss eight games. However, Hampton was productive when healthy, racking up 737 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns on 156 touches across nine contests. The Chargers made a big addition this offseason by bringing in former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as their new offensive coordinator. Under McDaniel, Miami ranked fourth in the NFL in yards per rush attempt, and he helped steward Dolphins running back De'Von Achane's emergence as a superstar. While Los Angeles signed former Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell in free agency, Hampton still profiles as the team's clear RB1 and possesses a three-down skill set. RotoBaller ranks Hampton as the eighth-best running back for dynasty formats coming off his encouraging rookie year.

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Dynasty | The Titans have signed running back Michael Carter. Dynasty Analysis: There were times with both the Jets and Cardinals where it seemed like Carter was going to be a relatively useful player in dynasty leagues but it just never has come together consistently. Carter will now look to make the Titans roster under Head Coach Robert Saleh, who he worked with in their time with the Jets. Carter could make the team but is miles away from relevance.

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Dynasty | Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has entered a treatment center. Dynasty Analysis: Details are hard to find at the moment but Nacua has had some issues this off-season that include both some antisemitic comments being made and an accusation of him biting a woman on New Year's Eve. This seems somewhat proactive for Nacua but it does raise some red flags here. While dynasty managers shouldn't overreact, it certainly bears watching as Nacua is one of the most valuable players in the game.

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Dynasty | The Raiders have signed free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins. Dynasty Analysis: Cousins signed a five-year, $172 million deal to essentially mentor Fernando Mendoza. In reality, his contract is a one-year deal worth $20 million. It's quite likely we see Cousins at the helm on opening day and leading the Raiders until they're out of contention in 2026. New Coach Klint Kubiak has stated repeatedly he believes it's best for young quarterbacks to learn under a veteran mentor and it clearly looks like that's what Las Vegas is planning to do. This move will at least make Cousins a decent short-term option in 2QB leagues at the beginning of next season unless Mendoza somehow proves ready immediately.

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Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard has made stops at three different schools throughout his college career, and his varied usage has made him one of the more well-rounded receivers in a deep draft class. In 2023 at Washington, while sharing a room with three receivers who have since been drafted into the NFL, along with Denzel Boston from this year's class, Bernard was used almost exclusively from the slot. By his final season at Alabama, he was lined up on the boundary on nearly two-thirds of his snaps. His yards per route run and success rate remained relatively consistent regardless of usage, and he finished his collegiate career with over 30 carries, as his coaches have regularly schemed up ways to get the ball into his hands. The versatility Bernard has shown throughout his collegiate career could help him to find an early role in an NFL offense, and he may be one of the safer prospects from the muddled second or third tiers of the position.

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Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne weighed in at 188 pounds at the NFL Combine, putting him in the 3rd percentile among Combine-invited running backs historically. The saving grace is that he ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash; however, that game-breaking speed did not always show up on his collegiate tape. Claiborne's 6.1% rate of runs resulting in 15+ yards ranks in the bottom half of this year's draft class and is well below the historical average among backs who weighed in below 200 pounds at the Combine. Claiborne's is an archetype that has largely survived on explosive plays, but without seeing such explosiveness on his college tape, a late-round bet in rookie drafts is one that he can become a rare outlier.

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North Dakota State wide receiver Bryce Lance spent five seasons with the FCS Bison. He recorded only one career reception through his first three years, but once the production came, it came in droves. Over his final two seasons, Lance recorded 2,148 receiving yards on a staggering 17 yards per reception while finding the end zone 27 times, and his 3.58 yards per route run in 2025 led all Combine-invited wide receivers. At the Combine, his athleticism was on full display, helping him earn a Relative Athletic Score of 9.98, the seventh highest of any wide receiver since 1987. In a rookie class where most receivers outside of the top tier are not without holes in their profile, Lance has a realistic chance to emerge from the late rounds of rookie drafts as a useful fantasy contributor.

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough emerged as an incredibly strong fantasy option during the second half of his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign in 2025. Across nine starts, he racked up 2,256 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, five interceptions, 174 rushing yards, and three rushing touchdowns. He was particularly dominant following the Saints' bye. From Week 12-18, he had 10 total touchdowns and ranked as the overall QB5 in fantasy football. In addition to his own talent, Shough benefited from the presence of Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson, who will both remain with the team in 2026. Going forward, he also gets another weapon in the form of running back Travis Etienne Jr., who will create opportunities for the offense on the ground and through the air. Given that Shough was the QB9 as a starter and the QB5 during the aforementioned seven-game stretch, there's a very real chance that he can be a top-12 fantasy quarterback during the 2026 season. There's still a window to buy low on him in dynasty leagues, too.

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Baylor tight end Michael Trigg was one of 27 tight end prospects invited to this year's NFL Combine, and while he didn't take part in any on-field testing due to a hamstring injury, he did raise eyebrows with his measurables. At just under 6'4" tall, his 84 and 3/8" wingspan set a new high mark at the position, topping the previous record, held by the nearly 6'7" Darnell Washington, by almost a full inch. That length shows up on tape in his ability to work over and through defenders, and in a tight end class that breaks wide open once you get past Kenyon Sadiq and Eli Stowers, Trigg's is a profile that could translate to early fantasy success. Character concerns could lead to him slipping in the NFL Draft, but in the later rounds of dynasty rookie drafts, Trigg is an intriguing, toolsy player on whom to stake a claim.

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Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum emerged as a standalone RB3/flex option during the 2025 season, and we expect him to handle a similar role in 2026. The Rams publicly acknowledged their desire to reduce Kyren Williams' workload to keep him healthy for a full season, giving some of his snaps and touches to Corum. In his second NFL season, Corum exploded for 746 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, ranking as the overall RB40 in PPR leagues. Most of his success came in the final third of the season; he ranked as the overall RB19 from Week 13-18. Make no mistake about it: Corum's bigger role wasn't only the product of the Rams wanting to keep Williams healthy. Corum was also fantastic with the ball in his hands, averaging 5.14 yards per carry and scoring five touchdowns over four games from Week 13-16. Assuming the backfield dynamic looks similar in 2026, Corum will remain a standalone RB3/flex, and he would become a fringe top-12 fantasy running back if Williams misses any time due to injury.

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New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart had an impressive rookie season, racking up fantasy points on the ground and through the air. Despite making just 11 starts, he still finished as the overall QB14 with 2,272 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, five interceptions, 487 rushing yards, and nine rushing touchdowns. The 2025 first-round pick dealt with adversity during his first season in the league, as Malik Nabers (knee) went down early in the year with a torn ACL, Cam Skattebo (ankle) suffered a season-ending ankle dislocation, and the Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll midseason. The good news for Dart is that Nabers and Skattebo should both be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season, giving him weapons to boost his own fantasy stock. He also got a coaching upgrade as the Giants brought in John Harbaugh as head coach and quarterback whisperer Matt Nagy as offensive coordinator. There's a bit of injury concern with Dart because of how willing he is to put his body on the line when he runs with the football. However, if he can stay healthy for a full 17 games, he has a very strong chance of finishing among the top-five fantasy quarterbacks.

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The Las Vegas Raiders have signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a contract that is essentially a one-year deal with $20 million guaranteed, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The contract is technically for five years and $172 million, but the latter four years will be voided, such that Cousins gets $8.7 million from the Falcons this year, $1.3 million from the Raiders this year, and a $10 million roster bonus from the Raiders on the third day of the 2027 league year. The move is certainly an interesting one for the Raiders, who have the No. 1 pick and are projected to draft quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Head coach Klint Kubiak recently said that in an ideal world, every rookie quarterback would sit on the bench for a few weeks, learning from a veteran. The signing of Cousins indicates that perhaps the Raiders will let Cousins start Week 1 while mentoring Mendoza, before the rookie eventually takes over as the starter midseason. That makes both quarterbacks difficult to trust in redraft leagues. The good news is that both Cousins and Mendoza should be able to support strong fantasy campaigns from Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers.

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Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley signed a restructured deal to return for the 2026 season, but his role will look different this year. Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor are both expected to be significantly more involved, and the Titans also signed Wan'Dale Robinson to be their No. 1 receiver. As a result, Ridley will fall somewhere between second and fourth on the depth chart. He was healthy for just five games before breaking his fibula last year, averaging 3.2 catches, 58.0 yards, and zero touchdowns during that span. We do expect quarterback Cameron Ward to take a second-year leap, which bodes well for all his receivers, including Ridley. However, it remains to be seen whether he can support fantasy-relevant production from more than just Robinson. It's tough to justify dropping him in dynasty leagues quite yet, but it might be necessary as the post-rookie draft roster crunch comes around.

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Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard has held onto the No. 1 role throughout the first few weeks of free agency. The only notable running back signing the Titans have made so far is Michael Carter, who projects as the third-string back behind Pollard and Tyjae Spears. Both Spears and Carter should log some touches, but we expect Pollard to remain in the lead-back role heading into the final portion of his three-year, $21 million contract. The 28-year-old managed to finish as the overall RB23 in PPR leagues last season, largely thanks to a strong second half. From Week 14-18, he was the overall RB11, scoring three touchdowns and delivering three 100-yard performances during that span. Pollard has accumulated 1,000+ rushing yards in each of the last four seasons, and we wouldn't be surprised to see him hit that mark again in 2026, as long as the Titans don't select his replacement in this month's NFL Draft. The veteran ball-carrier is a hold in most dynasty leagues, since his fantasy outlook post-2026 remains murky.

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Houston Texans running back David Montgomery earned high praise from his former head coach at this week's annual NFL meetings. Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell described Montgomery as "unbelievable" and said that the veteran running back will have an opportunity to establish himself as the Texans' bell cow. This could purely be coachspeak as Campbell tries to hype up this offseason's Lions-Texans trade, as we haven't heard the Texans echo his comments (yet). With that being said, we wouldn't be shocked to see Houston feature Montgomery in a very prominent role after actively going out and trading for him this offseason. He's a clear upgrade over rookie Woody Marks, who flashed upside but ultimately showed he's not ready to be an every-down back. Montgomery has been a top-28 fantasy running back in all seven of his NFL seasons, finishing 2025 with 716 rushing yards, 24 catches, 192 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns despite operating as the No. 2 running back behind Jahmyr Gibbs. Now that he's in a lead-back role once again, he should push for north of 1,000 rushing yards, and we can't rule out the possibility of him scoring double-digit touchdowns. After slipping to the RB3/flex tier in 2025, we wouldn't be surprised to see Montgomery bounce back as a mid-to-high RB2 in 2026. As a result, he's an intriguing buy-low candidate in dynasty leagues, despite being 28 years old.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. should be viewed as a low-end WR2 in redraft and dynasty leagues going forward. Now that Mike Evans has departed for San Francisco, Godwin and Emeka Egbuka will share the responsibility of leading the Bucs' receiver room. Either receiver could go off during any given week, but Godwin has a higher floor given his steady target share. The 30-year-old missed eight games due to injury last year, but he was productive when healthy, ranking as the overall WR21 in PPR leagues from Week 13-18. Godwin last eclipsed 1,000 yards in 2023, and he had more than 100 catches in 2022. We wouldn't be surprised to see him finish 2026 with 100+ catches, 1,000+ yards, and at least a handful of touchdowns in 2026, as long as he can stay healthy. Managers in dynasty leagues might look to buy low on Godwin this offseason, given that his price tag is lower because of last year's injury.

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