Kaye thinks Hubbard “will probably take the lion’s share of the touches out of the backfield early on.” Where his workload goes from there is likely dependent upon RB Jonathon Brooks’ (knee) health. The Panthers spent a second-round pick on Brooks in 2024. They would undoubtedly like to begin getting meaningful contributions from him this season. That said, Hubbard led the backfield in touches in 2023 and 2024, and has been a steady contributor for them. Hubbard may be a smarter pick in re-draft than he is in best ball, because managers can move on from him if need be. The backfield’s rotation in training camp could help clarify things.
Speaking to reporters after practice last week, Bieniemy said that he wants Walker to understand “that we just have to become a better player when the ball is not in our hand.” That means Walker has to do “a great job protecting the quarterback” and be a “great” route runner on the perimeter. Bieniemy complimented Walker’s abilities as a rusher and said Walker is “doing a heck of a job” in practice, but Walker’s ticket to an elite season likely requires passing game participation. As a Seahawk last year, Walker ceded passing down snaps to RB Zach Charbonnet. The Chiefs already had RB Brashard Smith in-house and bolstered the backfield by adding more running backs with intriguing receiving skillsets. They signed RB Emari Demercado, “one of the better third-down backs in the NFL over the past couple of years,” and drafted RB Emmett Johnson in the fifth round. Walker has the highest upside of the bunch, but a run-centric workload could keep him in the RB2 ranks this season.
Responding to readers on social media this week, Kelly said he believes Coleman is the Dolphins’ best rookie wide receiver, and linked to an article of his from May 8th. In the piece, Kelly argues that Coleman should be the team’s front-runner for the starting slot role. If Coleman can pull it off, he may only get on the field when the Dolphins are in three-wide receiver sets, so he may only end up being a WR5/matchup-based FLEX. Still, Coleman is worth keeping an eye on in training camp next month.
With former Buccaneers WR Mike Evans now a 49er, Godwin is the veteran leader in Tampa Bay’s wide receiver corps. Godwin was leading the NFL with 50 receptions when he fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle in 2024. It was a significant, season-ending injury that required an intense offseason rehab program, and his lower leg remained an issue for much of 2025. This year, however, Godwin’s offseason has been spent training, not recovering. According to Godwin, this understandably makes “a huge difference.” A solid bounce-back season is within his range of potential outcomes. Godwin is currently the WR40 by PPR ADP. While he may lack the high-end upside he once possessed, that ADP sure looks like decent value.
Astute readers might notice that Evans did not put the Broncos’ long-time WR1, Courtland Sutton, on that list. The cost to acquire Waddle from the Dolphins was not cheap, so anointing Waddle as the WR1 makes sense. The former Dolphin spent his career in Miami playing sidekick to WR Tyreek Hill, so it was fair to wonder if he might be slated for a WR2 role in Denver as well. If anything, this could be a 1A/1B situation, with Waddle operating as the 1A. Regardless, Sutton appears unbothered by Waddle’s presence, saying the Broncos’ offense is comprised of “guys that are willing to put their pride aside,” and celebrated the importance of selflessness. Waddle profiles as a WR2 while Sutton is perhaps best viewed in the WR3/FLEX tier.
Lohner did not play at all in his 2025 rookie season. He began his football career in 2024 at Utah, after playing basketball at BYU (2020-21) and Baylor (2023-24). He is unlikely to be on the fantasy football radar for the 2026 season. 9NEWS’ Mike Klis notes that head coach Sean Payton “singled out Lohner for his impressive second-year development” earlier this spring.
Wilson began today’s report by recounting a successful fade route Higgins ran from the slot at organized team activities. Per Higgins, the Texans view him as a versatile receiver and plan to deploy him at multiple spots this year. Per PFF, Higgins ran 79.2 percent of his routes from the perimeter and 20.4 percent from the slot. If Higgins can secure the WR2 role and gain frequent slot usage from 11 personnel, that would go a long way toward reliable fantasy productivity. In addition to improving his fitness, Higgins has focused on the game’s “intellectual” aspect as well this offseason. Wilson adds that Higgins has been a standout among the receivers thus far and has “shown upgraded timing and chemistry” with QB C.J. Stroud. He has a chance to return value as a WR3 or better this season.
Thomas’ phrasing suggests he underwent multiple clean-up procedures over the past few months, in an effort to get “as close to 100 percent as possible.” It also sounds like he played through quite a lot of pain last year. He dealt with wrist, shoulder and ankle injuries while adjusting to head coach Liam Coen’s new offense in 2025. Thomas is already drawing positive reviews at organized team activities. If he can sustain good health throughout training camp, he has a chance to deliver a big-time bounce-back season in 2026.
He suffered a torn meniscus in Week 2 against the Texans. “Right away I’m just trying to get used to playing with a knee brace again, but I was talking to Ben today and it’s like, it already feels…you’re not thinking about the knee brace. It feels back to normal. It was a great day. I wasn’t worried about the knee one bit, so that’s good,” Mauch told reporters. We’re expecting Mauch to be ready to go for training camp based on this update.
“But, obviously, it’s definitely nothing that prevents me from anything at the moment. I go 100%. I’m still out there doing everything I normally would do, but yeah, it’s just like an ongoing process for sure,” Harrison added. He had two heel injuries, appendicitis, and a concussion while missing five games last year. There doesn’t seem to be any specific reason for concern here, but this is not the type of thing you normally see an NFL player admit, so it’s eye-catching.
The Raiders haven’t really put out a timetable for Miller to be fully healthy, but we’re assuming he’ll probably be ready for training camp based on this update that he’s “nearing full strength” at OTAs. Miller only played the first four games of last season after suffering a high-ankle sprain and hairline fracture against the Bears in September.
DeFabo calls Roman Wilson the WR3 “at this exact moment,” which isn’t exactly a qualifier that lends to us believing that Wilson will be there at the end of training camp after his first few lost seasons. Bernard “has a really high floor” per DeFabo’s looks at OTAs and we wouldn’t be surprised if he had a role in his first season. It’s hard to see how it would be more than mildly fantasy interesting behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman, but perhaps Bernard can establish himself for a bigger 2027.
The need is clearly there with second-round pick Jaylahn Tuimoloau, Micheal Clemons and Arden Key competing for the role next to Laiatu Latu at the moment. Boyd also mentions Cameron Jordan, Jadeveon Clowney and Leonard Floyd among others as possibilities. The veteran edge rusher and wideout markets are still unfolding ahead of training camp.
Berman notes that Barkley had 136 targets in his final two seasons with the Giants compared to just 93 with the Eagles over the past two years, and adds that new OC Sean Mannion was teammates with Todd Gurley when Gurley averaged 84 targets in 2017 and 2018 with “a similar offensive scheme.” A.J. Brown’s absence will absolutely leave a target vacuum that Barkley could step into. If so, that would be a major boon for his fantasy prospects in 2026.
Grier was unceremoniously dumped in the middle of last season by the Dolphins after they started 2-7. Most general managers don’t get a second chance, and Grier had a long run in Miami. If nothing else, this adds a little experience to Detroit’s front office.
Peterman only started five games, but managed an incredible 13 interceptions in 160 career attempts while becoming synonymous with horrific quarterback play. He appeared in games with the Bills, Raiders, and Bears from 2017-2023, and will reportedly become an agent for Range Sports.
Clearly there was no rush to add him to the roster. It’s the first sniff of NFL interest we’ve seen for the former star cornerback since he was released by the Titans, and unsurprisingly it was with his former employers in Kansas City. We suspect this has a chance of happening at some point this offseason, but the 29-year-old Sneed is likely to sift through options ahead of training camp.
Pittsburgh has been handling in-house business over the last week, re-signing Darnell Washington and Nate Herbig to major extensions. It would not be surprising if Porter — whom DeFabo classifies as a “hold in” in OTAs — as next on the priority list.
Boutte wouldn’t seem to have a real role with the Patriots after they acquired A.J. Brown on June 1 — one could argue the most surprising thing about that deal going down is the fact that Boutte wasn’t involved in it. Boutte is reportedly available in a trade, and ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported last week that the Patriots have received interest. It’s in Boutte’s financial best interests to show up.
All missed the end of the 2024 and the entire 2025 season with a pair of knee surgeries, one to clear out damage done from a surgery at Iowa, and another to repair a torn ACL. He enters the third year of his rookie contract as a deep, deep sleeper in fantasy leagues behind Mike Gesicki, but All did look pretty good in 2024 while healthy. He should at least give the Bengals some usable multi-TE set snaps if necessary.
Kittle met with the media this week and said that the Achilles is “doing great” and he has had no setbacks. He even said it’s realistic that he could come back eight months after tearing his Achilles. The tight end turns 33 this October and still hasn’t been cleared for practice as he worked off to the side during OTAs. Jake Tonges will fill in for Kittle if he has to miss any time this season.
Hoecht missed the first six games of the 2025 season due to a performance enhancing drugs suspension. He appears in Weeks 8-9, but suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture. He made a big impact while active, notching eight quarterback pressures, three sacks, one tackle and one batted pass. He has been working to the side with the strength and conditioning staff during organized team activities thus far. Getting Hoecht back early in the year, even in a rotational capacity, would be helpful.
Kittle described Evans as being “the first legit veteran wide receiver [he’s] had on [the] roster since Emmanuel Sanders in 2019,” adding that Evans “takes ball seriously.” The 49ers’ wide receiver corps has had its distractions over the past few seasons, but it appears as though Evans has been a stabilizing presence for the offense. Teammates told The Athletic’s Matt Barrows that “Evans’ length and route-running ability have already been evident,” and Evans has played very well in red zone drills. Evans adds that his change of scenery, from Tampa Bay to San Francisco, has him feeling “rejuvenated.” If his health can hold up, Evans could find himself in the fantasy WR2 tier with touchdown-based upside.
Underhill’s colleagues, Mike Triplett and John Hendrix, agree. Triplett was the most bearish of the bunch, saying he is not sure that Shough will be able to crack the position’s top 10. Underhill notes that Vegas sports books have Shough in a five-way tie for the sixth-best odds to lead the NFL in passing yards. He adds that he is “not sure” if he can get to sixth, but he knows for sure that he can’t get to 13th. Shough was the QB10 in per-game fantasy scoring from Weeks 8-18, and the upgraded offense is expected to take another step in Year 2 under head coach Kellen Moore. Shough’s top-12 passing potential seems legit, and he has a shot to finish in that range in fantasy as well.
Underhill believes RB Travis Etienne’s skillset “is exactly what the Saints need if inside zone and outside zone are going to remain the base.” That said, the Saints are also excited about Etienne’s versatility. Paganetti praised his intelligence, pass protection, route running ability and added that Etienne is more than just a one-cut runner. If RB Alvin Kamara, 30, remains with the team, Underhill believes Etienne’s presence allows the team to use Kamara selectively, rather than relying on him all game long. Underhill adds that the Saints’ play-action passing game was very efficient in 13 personnel, albeit via a small sample size. The front office added multiple tight ends this offseason and the coaching staff wants the running game “to feed the passing game,” which could mean more runs out of three-tight end sets. Etienne is looking like an RB2 with RB1 upside in an ascending offense.