2026 Fantasy Football: New Faces in New Places

NFL Free Agency and offseason trades mean new faces in new places. And with new faces in new places come Fantasy Football impacts. I break out here, by position, the offseason movements of players who landed in new homes and give you my Fantasy Football analysis of what it means for 2026.

2026 Fantasy Football: New Faces in New Places

Quarterbacks:

• Kyler Murray signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal with the Vikings (still gets paid by Arizona). Kyler has finished six seasons with 18+ and two seasons with 22+ Fantasy PPG as a dual-threat quarterback. Murray will have clear top-10 upside, especially with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson, and Jauan Jennings as his weapons in Minnesota.
• Malik Willis signed a three-year, $67.5 million deal with the Dolphins. Willis flashed big with a 31.5 Fantasy Point outing last season for the Packers, starting for an injured Jordan Love. The rushing upside is huge, but the weapons in Miami are extremely questionable. More of a quarterback upside stream vs. starter in leagues.
• Tua Tagovailoa signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Falcons (still gets paid by Miami). Tua threw for 4,624 yards and 29 touchdowns back in 2023, and I project him to beat out Michael Penix Jr. for the starting gig. Tua will have streaming upside connected to Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Kyle Pitts.
• Geno Smith was traded to the Jets with a 2026 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. Geno threw for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2022 and comes back home to the Jets, who originally drafted him in 2013. Smith links up with Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, and Adonai Mitchell, along with rookies Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. Streaming potential for Fantasy Football.
• Kirk Cousins signed a two-year, $12.65 million contract with the Raiders. Cousins tossed 18 touchdowns in 14 games back in 2024, and while the Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft there is a chance Cousins opens up as the starter for the first few games.

Running Backs:

• Kenneth Walker III signed a three-year, $43.05 million deal with the Chiefs. Walker has finished two of his four seasons with over 1,000 yards rushing and absolutely exploded in the NFL Playoffs, culminating in his winning the Super Bowl MVP Award. Patrick Mahomes has never played with a running back who rushed for 1,000 yards in KC, and in this environment, KWIII has top-five Fantasy upside in 2026.
• Travis Etienne Jr. signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Saints. Etienne is coming off of a bounce-back season with Jacksonville, where he rushed for 1,107 yards and scored 13 total touchdowns. New Orleans continues to build their offense, and Etienne can have similar upside to last year, when he averaged 14.9 Fantasy PPG. What will need to be monitored is Alvin Kamara’s role for 2026.
• Rico Dowdle signed a two-year, 12.25 million deal with the Steelers. Dowdle rushed for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons with the Cowboys, then with the Panthers. Dowdle reunites with his former Cowboys Head Coach, Mike McCarthy, in Pittsburgh, where he can take the early-down role over. Dowdle can have RB2-type upside in 2026, pending his split with Jaylen Warren.  
• David Montgomery was traded to the Texans for Juice Suggs (OL), a 2026 fourth-round pick, and a 2026 seventh-round pick. Monty has rushed for over 700 yards for seven straight seasons, with two of those being over 1,000 yards. Monty will take over the lead role in Houston and should have weekly RB2 upside with the implied volume.
• Rachaad White signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Commanders. White has caught 40-64 balls in all four of his seasons and rushed for 990 yards back in 2023. The Commanders’ backfield is completely up for grabs in 2026, and I would project White to lead those running backs in total touches, which makes him a true sleeper for Fantasy Football.
• Isiah Pacheco signed a one-year, $1.81 million deal with the Lions. Pacheco rushed for 935 yards back in 2023 and scored nine total touchdowns that season. Jahmyr Gibbs is an elite running back, but the Lions have historically implemented David Montgomery as his sidekick, so Pacheco can play the “Monty” role or, at the bare minimum, be a solid handcuff to Gibbs.
• Tyler Allgeier signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal with the Cardinals. Allgeier scored eight touchdowns in 2025 while playing behind Bijan Robinson and rushed for 1,035 yards as a rookie back in 2022. Allgeier can create a similar role in 2026 behind rookie Jeremiyah Love that he had in 2025 behind Bijan, and is a solid handcuff at minimum.
• Kenneth Gainwell signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Buccaneers. This follows his biggest season in 2025, where he produced 537 rushing yards, 73 receptions for 486 receiving yards, and eight total touchdowns for the Steelers. The “Rachaad White” role is vacated, and there has been questionable news surrounding Bucky Irving, which could mean continued Fantasy impacts for Gainwell.
• Chris Rodriguez Jr. signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Jaguars. Rodriguez rushed for 500 yards and scored six total touchdowns in 2025 with the Commanders. Rodriguez reunites with his former Kentucky Offensive Coordinator, now Jaguars Head Coach, Liam Coen. Travis Etienne Jr. vacates the lead role to Bhayshul Tuten, but CRod has the potential to create his own role in 2026.
• Keaton Mitchell signed a two-year, $9.25 million deal with the Chargers. Mitchell was reportedly on Mike McDaniel’s “wish list”, who is now the Chargers’ Offensive Coordinator. McDaniels loves speed, and Mitchell is known for just that, which makes him a deep deep league sleeper.

Wide Receivers:

• AJ Brown was traded to the Patriots for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. AJB had produced 1,000+ receiving yards for four straight seasons, with half of those seasons being over 1,450 yards. Brown will be Drake Maye’s new WR1, who is coming off a runner-up MVP season, and with Brown already having three seasons of 17+ Fantasy PPG, his ceiling is extremely high in 2026.
• Jaylen Waddle was traded to the Broncos with a fourth-round pick for a 2026 first-round pick, a 2026 third-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick. Waddle has finished three seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards, with his highest being 1,356 yards in 2022. While there is more target competition in Denver, Bo Nix is coming off a season in which he threw a league-high 612 times. Waddle has Top-12 upside in 2026.
• DJ Moore was sent with a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Bills for a 2026 second-round pick. DJM is coming off a down regular season, but has finished four seasons with over 1,100 receiving yards, with one of those being 1,364 yards in 2023. Josh Allen finally has his Stefon Diggs replacement that Buffalo lacked, and DJM will have WR2 upside for 2026 in Buffalo.
• Mike Evans signed a three-year, $42.4 million contract with the 49ers. Evans is coming off an injured season, but he produced over 1,000 receiving yards for 11 straight seasons before 2025. Brock Purdy just threw 20 touchdowns in just nine games last season, and Evans scored double-digit touchdowns in his last two healthy seasons, so that connection in the end zone can be huge in 2026. Evans has WR2 weekly upside.
• Wan’Dale Robinson signed a four-year, $70 million deal with the Titans. This comes after back-to-back seasons earning 140 targets, with 1,014 yards produced in 2025. Robinson reunites with his former Giants coach, Brian Daboll, who is now the Offensive Coordinator in Tennessee. The Titans did draft Carnell Tate in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but Robinson can still be a heavy target earner as the easy outlet to Cam Ward. Robinson will continue to be a very underrated FLEX option.
• Michael Pittman Jr. was traded to the Steelers with a 2026 seventh-round pick for a 2026 sixth-round pick. Pittman has declined in yardage the last two seasons, after producing 1,152 yards in 2023, but he did score a career-high seven touchdowns in 2025. MPJ will fight DK Metcalf for the new WR1 role for Aaron Rodgers in a Mike McCarthy-led offense for 2026, which can mean FLEX weeks.
• Darnell Mooney signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Giants. Mooney produced 992 yards in 2024 and 1,055 yards back in 2021. Mooney can fight for the WR2 spot in New York, which can be even more elevated if Malik Nabers is not completely healthy to start the season. Mooney is a deep sleeper at wide receiver.
• Jahan Dotson signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the Falcons. Dotson was a former first-round selection by the Commanders in 2022, who scored seven touchdowns through 12 games as a rookie. Dotson has a chance to turn his career around if he secures the WR2 role behind Drake London, in what should be a better passing offense under Tua Tagovailoa.
• Jauan Jennings signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Vikings. Jennings’ big season was with the 49ers in 2024, when he produced 975 yards, but he did score a career-high nine touchdowns in 2025. As for the Vikings, Jennings is likely behind all of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson in target share, so he would need an injury to be consistently relevant and is best left for Best Ball.
• Jalen Nailor signed a three-year, $35 million deal with the Raiders. This comes after a career-high 444 receiving yards in 2025 with the Vikings. The Raiders improved their quarterback room significantly by adding both rookie Fernando Mendoza and veteran Kirk Cousins. While the Raiders’ wide receiver room is weak, it is tough to project a ton of Fantasy relevance out of Nailor unless it is a very deep league.
• Christian Kirk signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the 49ers. Back in 2022, Kirk earned 133 targets, caught 84 of them for 1,108, and scored eight touchdowns. Kirk has not been productive since 2023, and while he has proven his abilities, he is likely a depth piece for the 49ers.

Tight Ends:

• Isaiah Likely signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the Giants. Likely has produced over 400 yards with five or six touchdowns in half of his Ravens career. Escaping playing TE2 behind Mark Andrews and reuniting with his former Head Coach, John Harbaugh, in New York, can mean a true big season. Especially if Malik Nabers is not fully healthy to start the season. Jaxson Dart had a promising rookie season, and Likely is one of my favorite tight end breakouts for Fantasy Football this year.
• Chig Okonkwo signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Commanders. Chig produced a career-high 560yards in 2025 and looks to be the Zach Ertz replacement for Jayden Daniels in 2026. Daniels and Ertz had a solid connection, which is promising, as well as the fact that the second target role behind Terry McLaurin is completely up for grabs. Okonkwo is another potential Fantasy Football breakout in 2026 for the position.
• David Njoku signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Chargers. Njoku produced 882 yards and six touchdowns back in 2023 and has had a history of Fantasy Football relevance, but I believe those days are behind him. I am projecting Oronde Gadsden II to be the team’s TE1, and with other solid targets for Justin Herbert, I believe we would need some injury impacts for Njoku to be a guy in lineups.