Someone has to catch passes here, and the Raiders don’t have a single receiver who has cracked 700 yards in an NFL season. Both GM John Spytek and Kubiak have touted the idea of playing in bigger personnel. It’s certainly possible that Mayer gets more of a role in 2026, but with Brock Bowers ahead of him in the pecking order, Mayer probably belongs in the low-end TE2 pecking order until we see a firm role.
Egbuka floundered a bit down the stretch for fantasy managers after a strong first half of the season — some of that was Mike Evans coming back from injury, some of it was Baker Mayfield apparently playing through several injuries on his own. Still, based on what he did in the first half of the season, it’s plausible to believe he could challenge for a low-end WR1 fantasy ranking in his second season. Robinson certainly had no problem loading up his best receiver (Drake London) with targets last year.
Bell likely profiles as a potential deep sleeper in 2026, but he would have some real fantasy value if he found a real role in Buffalo’s offense. Keon Coleman hasn’t exactly endeared himself to anyone and Joshua Palmer had a lackluster first season with the Bills. With Tyrell Shavers also likely out early after tearing an ACL in the playoffs, Bell should be on the radar in the late second or early third round of rookie drafts.
You can never quite rule out the Browns quarterback situation just taking a weird turn towards Green at some point in the season — the situation is that unsettled — but it appears like this would be the easiest way for the 182nd overall pick to get involved early on in his career. Todd Monken said it’s “probably too early to tell that,” but added that “there would be a possibility of him (in) short yardage ... maybe some third down stuff that we could utilize.” Green is a name to remember for fantasy managers because his athleticism would seem to be an easy key to fantasy points if he can figure out the rest of the quarterback position, but he’s probably just a lottery ticket at this point.
Miller will clearly have a chance to step in right away as the bookend on the other side of Penei Sewell, it did seem like the Lions were leaning towards having Sewell play left tackle this offseason. Rookie tackles are not exactly a dependable source of solid play right away, but Miller’s career at Clemson leads us to believe he’ll have a decent floor right away, which should help the Lions pass protection and run game this season.
Law’s probably well behind Isaac TeSlaa in the race to be Detroit’s No. 3 receiver in 2026. He profiles as a steady backup between the special teams play and receiving acumen. He’ll likely be trying to replace Kalif Raymond as much as anyone else.
Gainwell and Irving “can kind of match each other in certain ways with what they can do in the pass game,” Robinson said during a Tuesday press conference. Robinson praised Gainwell’s veteran leadership and professionalism and said he was a key addition to the Tampa offense this offseason after he caught 73 passes for 486 yards and three touchdowns with the Steelers in 2025. Only three running backs — Christian McCaffrey, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Bijan Robinson — had more receptions than Gainwell last season. Irving has been a highly efficient pass catcher during his time with the Bucs. Last year he ranked second in yards after the catch per reception and fifth among backs in yards per catch. While Irving is widely expected to be the team’s nominal lead back, Gainwell could be relevant in PPR leagues this year.
Cleveland’s opponents for the upcoming season combined to win just 43 percent of their 2025 regular season games, the lowest mark in the NFL. The Bengals and Saints rounded out the bottom three in easiest schedules for 2026. The Browns’ competition could make it feasible for new head coach Todd Monken and the team’s superb 2026 draft class to compete for a postseason berth if the Browns can get decent quarterback play out of Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders. Watson, for now, appears to be the odds-on favorite to start for the Browns. He’s coming off two torn Achilles tendons and has played in 19 regular season games since 2021.
Chicago opponents last year had a combined winning percentage of 55 percent, edging out the Dolphins for the year’s most difficult schedule. This follows an excellent 2025 campaign in which head coach Ben Johnson led the Bears to an 11-6 record with the NFC’s seventh best point differential, just ahead of the Vikings. Things could be slightly more challenging for Caleb Williams and company, though an other year of development and experience in Johnson’s cutting-edge offensive system could counteract the team’s tough slate of games in 2026.
It’s a matchup of two teams whose quarterbacks are recovering from injuries of varying degrees this offseason. Patrick Mahomes is working back from a December ACL injury while Bo Nix is recovering from a broken ankle sustained in the postseason. Mahomes’ opening day status remains uncertain, though Chiefs officials appear optimistic he will be ready to go for the start of the regular season. Where this Broncos-KC game will be played is another question. Like many Week 1 primetime games, it could be played outside the United States.
The rookie second-round defensive tackle gets the full $12.9 million guaranteed. McDonald should benefit from learning behind Sheldon Rankins, a storied NFL veteran with numerous years of elite production to his resume. Expect McDonald to see package work early in his career, with the franchise’s eyes on developing him into a top defensive lineman.
“You know Odell. He’s confident, man. He’s confident.” Harbaugh said Saturday. “He’s working hard. He believes in himself. I think we’ll just play it out over the next month and into training camp and see where we’re at.” While the respect aspect was definitely present, Harbaugh wasn’t exactly jumping out of his seat to pursue the aging veteran. OBJ continues to train in Arizona as he aims for a return to the league.
This reinforces previous reports that Nix would be ready to take the practice field for the start of organized team activities, which are set to begin 2 June for the Broncos. That places the young quarterback well ahead of schedule following a broken ankle suffered in the team’s Divisional Round win last season. Nix being able to get additional practice reps before games matter is a big boost to the fantasy value of newcomer wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who arrived with the team via trade with the Dolphins earlier in the offseason. Head coach Sean Payton added, “We’re going to be the ones kind of holding back, if you will.”
Rechsteiner, son of WWE Hall of Famer Scott Rechsteiner, stuck with the second team to invite him to rookie mini camp over the weekend. The Saints added three wide receivers via the draft this offseason but weren’t done bolstering their depth chart. “I want to do football as long as I can,” Rechsteiner said Monday. “Once that’s done, I will pursue wrestling.”
The rookie fourth-round selection gets $1.152 million in guaranteed money after being taken by the Lions with the No. 118 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Rolder should initially serve as a rotational piece but could work his way up to a starting role in short order if former sixth-rounder Malcolm Rodriguez is slow out of the gate.
The Cowboys will play host to their division rival, the Eagles, in front of a national audience this Thanksgiving. The Cowboys downed the Kansas City Chiefs in a high-scoring 31-28 affair last season, and have won their last four Thanksgiving Day contests. The league has now announced two Cowboys games ahead of its full schedule release, as they are also set to take on the Giants on Sunday Night Football in Week 1.
Pryor said she was at the Steelers’ facilities this weekend and that she did not see Rodgers. Nor did any other reporters she spoke with. It was reported last week that Rodgers and the Steelers were planning to meet to discuss his return for a 22nd season, but his noticeable absence suggests that the visit never took place. Pryor went on to say that May 18th is the next day to keep an eye on, which is when the Steelers begin the next phase of their OTAs. Rodgers continues to drag out his decision and didn’t join the Steelers until June 5th last year, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he kicked the can down the road a bit longer. Until he returns, the Steelers will continue working with Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Drew Allar in preparation for next season.
Boswell’s $7 million AAV on his new deal ties with Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey for the highest in league history at the position. Boswell, 35, converted 27-of-32 field goals (84.4 percent) last season and is one of the best kickers in league history from distances of 50-plus yards, as he’s 52-for-63 lifetime. This new deal keeps him under contract with the Steelers through 2030, all but ensuring he’ll have the chance to spend his entire career with one organization.
Wilson adds that Dell has made “a lot of progress” and is “doing well in the Texans’ offseason conditioning program.” Dell missed the 2025 season after tearing three ligaments while dislocating his knee in Week 16, 2024. Roughly one month ago, Texans general manager Nick Caserio said the team hopes to have a better idea of Dell’s 2026 availability as they get through the spring. It sounds like Dell’s participation in the conditioning program and organized team activities, will be used to measure Dell’s readiness. Expect more updates in the coming weeks. If Dell can play this season, he would likely have the inside track on WR3 duties over Jaylin Noel and Xavier Hutchinson.
Abdullah will be 33 at the start of next season and spent all of last season with the Colts after being waived by the 49ers during training camp. The veteran running back will have to compete for a spot on the Jaguars’ 53-man roster, but could have some value as a return man. Abdullah returned 19 kicks for 5634 yards for the Colts last season, and is the active leader in career kick returns (170) and kick return yards (4,346). We wouldn’t expect him to have much, if any, value as a running back even if he does crack the Week 1 roster.
The signing of Danna adds another experienced pass rusher to Buffalo’s defense, but the 28-year-old managed just one sack and three TFLs in 15 games last season while making 14 starts. Danna was signed to a three-year deal by the Chiefs in 2024 after he racked up 6.5 sacks the previous season, but was released after a disappointing 2025. He’ll likely start off as a rotational player with a chance to earn a larger role if he excels in camp and the early part of the season.
A week after visiting with the Chargers, Njoku is now set to join them on a deal that is worth up to $8 million, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The 29-year-old tight end had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2025, as injuries and the emergence of rookie Harold Fannin resulted in Njoku catching just 33 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games. Injuries have slowed Njoku each of the last two seasons. He’s appeared in just 23 of a possible 34 regular-season games over that span and has averaged 8.9 YPR or fewer in both seasons. However, if he can stay healthy, he should provide another reliable weapon for Justin Herbert in the passing game. His arrival could have a negative impact on Oronde Gadsden, but given both tight ends’ ability to line up both in-line and in the slot, it also wouldn’t be surprising if the Chargers ran more two-tight-end sets
We are once again waiting all day for a Sunday night. With the schedule release week officially upon us, the league announced on Monday that the Giants would kick off the season hosting the Cowboys for Week 1 of SNF. The John Harbaugh-led Giants will put their offseason rebuild on display on national television against a Cowboys team that finished 7-9-1 last season, largely due to their struggles on the defensive side of the ball. Both teams are hoping to show enough improvement to keep pace with the Eagles, who have finished first in the division two of the last three years.
Bozeman, 27, spent last season with the Giants. He signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2024. Bozeman has just three career tackles to his name as a defender, plus four more via special teams. Contributing on special teams is likely his ticket to the Bengals’ active roster.
Atkins believes the Raiders have mended their relationship with Crosby, and currently plan to keep him, but “the organization’s approach could change if the Raiders hit another tough start to a season.” Per Atkins, the Rams also “want to be one of the rare teams willing to trade from an expectedly loaded 2027 draft class” as they pursue a Super Bowl this year. If the rest of the NFL is set on keeping their 2027 picks, it could give the Rams an opportunity to exploit the market. Many things can change between now and this season’s trade deadline, so this scenario should not be considered likely to happen. If a big, pre-deadline move has been on the Rams’ mind, it could partially explain why they used the 2026 NFL Draft’s No. 13 overall pick on a developmental player, rather than an immediate starter, though.