First-Half Rookie Wonders Look For Year 2 Jump In Fantasy Football: Emeka Egbuka And More

First-Half Rookie Wonders Look For Year 2 Jump In Fantasy Football: Emeka Egbuka And More

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Hims.

Fine. I’ll be the one to say it! I do not blame Mike Vrabel! Or Baker Mayfield. Or Philip Rivers for the unpredictability of their offenses in 2025.

No, I'm not here to blame anyone. I just need to acknowledge the gut-wrenching fantasy pivots that took place last year. 

Whether players started off hot and fizzled out or didn't hit their stride until the second half of the season, can we at least TALK about it?? These second-half pivots hurt. And I'm still a bit shaken up from it.

Emeka Egbuka

The ones who weren't scared of Mike Evans' presence or Chris Godwin's return in 2025 were immediately rewarded for drafting Emeka Egbuka

"League Winner!!!" they'd yell as they feverishly beat their chests at some kid's birthday party that just had to be held on a Sunday at noon. But they were right. Egbuka was hot right out of the gate and it seemed like he couldn't be stopped.

Through the first five weeks, Egbuka had amassed:

For perspective, that's more accolades in just 35 days than Justin Jefferson had accomplished all season long in 2025

But the cliff came suddenly. In the second half of the season, the Egbuka chants quickly turned into Egbuka expletives. No one knew what the f*ck was happening. During Weeks 11-18, Egbuka had stacked up a whopping:

  • Zero TDs
  • Zero 100-yard games (highest was 64 yards)
  • Zero top-10 finishes (highest was WR38)

Insert whatever expletive you'd like. There really should be a support group for things like this

TreVeyon Henderson

Again, I'm not here to blame anyone. If Rhamondre Stevenson wanted to fumble the ball and the coaches didn't care enough to reduce his touches, then why should I? But it sure did hurt for those of us who gave up on Henderson too soon, didn't it? 

Weeks 1-9: 

  • 67 carries (7.4 per game)
  • 1 TD
  • 283 yards

Weeks 10-18:

  • 113 carries (14.1 att per game)
  • 8 TDs
  • 628 yards

LIKE I SAID. IT'S NO ONE'S FAULT. I'm sure the trade offer you accepted for Henderson in Week 9 was … Just fine …

Tyler Warren 

The TE position in fantasy is a fickle beast. You either draft one of the select "elites," manage to draft a safe "floor guy" or you just close your eyes and hope for the best. And somehow, drafting Tyler Warren felt like all three at times. 

Through the first 10 games, Warren finished TE7 or better in six of them, flashing elite top-3 upside on multiple occasions. It was fantastic! But after the Colts' bye in Week 11, Warren never managed to crack another top-10 TE performance again. EVER.

And it's not that he disappeared or anything. Warren's targets remained relatively stable throughout the varied QB play all season long. It was his double-digit fantasy points that disappeared instead.

Here's to hoping we won't be able to count Warren's weekly fantasy points on two hands in 2026.

They had me in the first half, I’m not gonna lie …


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Each Team’s Job 1 in Round 1 of the NFL Draft

It’s one thing to have the “best player available” fall to your favorite NFL team in the draft. It’s another thing altogether to be an Eagles fan in 2020 and see your team take Jalen Reagor one pick in front of Justin Jefferson. Sigh. Well, that Super Bowl LIX trophy should be some consolation.

In six days when the NFL Draft kicks off, NFL teams will be weighing whether to draft for positional need or taking the BPA. If they’re lucky, both will align. Kody Malstrom identified what NFL teams should focus on in the first round by going pick by pick. Here’s one team:

1.04 Titans - Give Cam Ward another weapon

With the Tennessee Titans' offensive line grading out well in Run Block Set Grade, Jeremiyah Love would hit the ground running, taking pressure off of Cam Ward’s shoulders.

PLUS: 32 NFL Draft Takeaways for every team.


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Best Ball Buy or Sell on These Remaining Free Agents

The calendar says it’s mid-April, but NFL free agency has largely faded into the background after a week-long frenzy last month. With the draft coming fast, it’s easy to forget that there are some players who are still on the open market. Some of them have posted fantastic seasons in the past, yet they remain unsigned. Pete Overzet covers five WRs who fit this description, and whether he’s drafted them in Underdog best ball drafts or will look to do it in the future.

Brandon Aiyuk | ADP: 157.1 | Pete’s Exposure: 6.7%

Current Situation: It's hard to think of a current NFL player with more messy baggage than Aiyuk. Maybe A.J. Brown, but at least AJB steps foot on the field. Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL in October 2024, missed the entire 2025 season, went AWOL from team activities, had $27 million in guaranteed money voided by the 49ers, and was placed on the reserve/left team list in December. Other than that, everything is fine. Still, it seems hard to believe that another team wouldn't kick the tires on a 27-year-old who has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, but at this point, it's a genuine question mark.

Verdict: Everyone assumes Aiyuk will eventually end up with his college pal Jayden Daniels in Washington, but I'm skeptical. At 6.7%, I might be underweight, but I feel like that's an appropriate position. FWIW, Jake Trowbridge and Chris Allen are skeptical of him in dynasty as well.


Around The Watercooler

The latest fantasy and NFL gossip, news, memes and more from our merry band of football nerds …

🔮 Predicting three trades for next week’s NFL Draft. Cowboys make a big jump.

📛 Your fantasy football team name … is your identity.

💸 Carnell Tate falls to pick 1.08 or lower? Momentum is gaining.

🤔 The 5 people you meet in a dynasty league. Which one are you?

🚀 Draft Capital isn’t everything, but it’s pretty close. Higher the better.

🏃‍♂️‍➡️ Another Georgia TE is starting to climb draft boards. Hot, nasty speed.

👀 These Year 2 projections for this WR tell us something. Like, draft him!

🙈 Some fantasy takes are just easier to forget. Like they never happened.