Matthew Berry's Love/Hate For 2026 Fantasy Football

She approached trepidatiously.

Which, if you know her, is really weird.

She’s a teenager, 14 going on 25, an incredible ball of energy who is loud, confident and in constant motion, even when she’s still.

But here she was, with her twin sister, walking toward me.

Slowly.

She never does anything slowly.

“Dad?” she says.

“What’s up, love bug?”

She looks at me with big eyes, nervous and unsure.

“Did … um … did you get fired?”

It’s late April of this year, and the website Awful Announcing had posted an article the day before. The headline screamed:

“Matthew Berry unlikely to return to ‘Football Night in America,’ per sources.”

If you actually read the article, it explained that the Sunday Night Football pregame show, often called FNIA, was undergoing major changes, and that five of the cast members from last year were not returning as the show added Mike Tomlin and moved toward a smaller cast.

The article noted that I was still in discussions with NBC Sports. It said a bunch of nice things about me and what we had built at NBC. It was well-researched and very fair to me. Given everything, I actually liked the article. I remain a fan of Awful Announcing. They do good work.

But this is the internet.

Nobody reads the article.

I mean, you do. Obviously. You’re reading this one. You’re amazing. Please never leave.

But the rest of the internet?

Headline. Screenshot. Repost. Next.

The aggregation began.

Many other websites picked it up. It made the rounds on social media. There were multiple Reddit threads about it. My sister-in-law sent me a New York Post article about it with a bunch of question-mark emojis.

Good times!

And eventually, somehow, a story about whether a fantasy football/betting analyst would be returning to an NFL pregame show made its way to the one place I never thought would care about sports media.

Eighth-grade science class.

Did your dad get fired?

I heard your dad got fired.

Oh yeah, my parents were talking about it last night.

You know, there are a lot of incredibly cool things about my job. This is not one of them.

I’m in the public eye, and that comes with the gig. I signed up for it.

My daughters didn’t.

And looking at them standing there, worried about me because of something kids at school had read about their dad on the internet, I felt awful.

“No, love bug. I didn’t get fired.”

They looked at each other.

Then back at me.

“Are you sure?”

I gave a small smile.

“Yes. I’m sure.”

A sigh of relief.

“So you’re still at NBC?”

“Well … not for long. My contract expires June 30th.”

The worry returns, and now they hit me rapid-fire.

“Are we gonna run out of money?”

“Are we going to have to sell our house?”

“Do we have to move?”

The fear is palpable in them, and you know, no big deal; it’s just my heart breaking into a million little pieces.

“No. No, sweetheart. We’re fine. Nothing’s going to change, okay?”

I hugged them.

I told them everything was okay.

Because that’s what dads do.

Your kids are scared; you tell them not to be.

Because everything is going to be fine. We’re good. Dad’s got this.

And it was true.

Mostly.

Probably.

Maybe.

Because if we’re being completely honest here?

Just us?

Dad’s a little freaked out too.

You see, for more than 20 years, I’ve had a big corporate parent.

First ESPN.

Then NBC Sports.

Two of the biggest, most powerful sports media companies in the known universe.

Amazing resources. Incredible distribution. Fantastic coworkers.

And direct deposit.

Never underestimate direct deposit.

Every two weeks: Boom.

“Hey Matthew, remember all that nonsense you said about Kyler Murray? Here’s money.”

It’s a really great system.

And I walked away from it.

On purpose.

Which raises a fairly obvious question:

Am I an idiot?

And I have to tell you …

Maybe!

I don’t know.

But that’s sort of the point.

Because, weirdly enough, I want the “I don’t know”.

As a middle-aged sportswriter, I am contractually obligated to be a Bruce Springsteen fan. My favorite Springsteen song is an obvious one: “Badlands.” 

And it has a lyric I’ve always loved:

“I wanna go out tonight. I wanna find out what I got.”

So yeah, man.

I want to go out.

I want to find out what I got.

Make no mistake, I loved NBC.

I loved, LOVED my cast and crew on Fantasy Football Happy Hour. I loved Football Night in America. 

NBC was incredibly good to me.

And before NBC Sports, ESPN was just awesome to me. I owe a debt to ESPN I’ll never be able to repay. 

So seriously, you’ll never hear or read me say a bad word about either company. Good companies, better people, nothing but love for both of them.

And for almost two decades, thanks to those two companies, I had something almost nobody gets in this business.

A gigantic corporate safety net.

And staying under that safety net was very tempting. 

But after more than 20 years, I kept wondering what else is out there for me? 

Which, for me, meant going out on my own. 

Which I realize doesn’t have nearly the same impact after a national media story announces you’re “unlikely to return”.

I get it.

If someone gets dumped and then tells you, “Actually, I was going to break up with her,” you’re like, “Sure, buddy. Whatever you say.”

And look, I totally get it. “Matthew Berry carefully considers next phase of his career after months of discussion with his family” is a significantly less clickable headline than “MATTHEW BERRY OUT.”

But it started when I left ESPN.

If you read or heard any of the interviews I did back then, I talked about how much I loved ESPN, but while the executives that were there at the time offered me a new contract, I would have had to get rid of Fantasy Life.

And I didn’t want to shut it down.

I actually wanted to do more with it.

Then I met with NBC Sports, and they said, “Come here, and we will let you do what you want with Fantasy Life.”

So I signed a four-year contract.

The four years mattered. NBC had the Super Bowl in that fourth year, and I specifically negotiated into my contract that I would be part of the coverage. I thought it mattered for our industry that a fantasy football analyst finally be part of a Super Bowl pregame show.

And, fine.

I wanted the first one to be me.

So that was the plan.

I’d spend four years working hard at NBC. Being on Football Night in America would keep my profile high. In my spare time, I’d promote and help Fantasy Life on the side. I’d finish with a Super Bowl and then, when my deal was up, hopefully Fantasy Life would be successful enough that I could go there full-time.

That was the plan.

And now, four years later, Fantasy Life is this living, breathing, actual thing.

The plan worked.

Which meant I actually had to do it.

And sitting there looking at my worried daughters—kids who have only known a life where they could turn on the television and see Dad—I suddenly had one very clear thought:

Holy shit.

Am I really doing this?

Because this isn’t the normal order of things.

You’re supposed to take the big swings when you’re young.

When you have nothing to lose.

You’re supposed to spend your middle age protecting what you’ve built.

Take fewer risks.

Max out the 401(k).

Make sure you know where your reading glasses are.

Not saying:

“You know what would be fun? Let’s see if I can build a media and gaming company in an insanely crowded industry.” 

Because here’s something they don’t tell you about betting on yourself:

It’s a lot easier when someone else is covering the bet.

When you’re at ESPN or NBC, you can have a bad show. You can write a column everyone hates. You can make a prediction that looks incredibly stupid three hours later.

Not that this has ever happened to me.

But theoretically.

And Monday morning, ESPN is still ESPN.

NBC is still NBC.

The lights still turn on.

The checks still clear.

When it’s yours?

It’s yours.

The wins are yours.

The losses are yours.

The decisions are yours.

The mistakes are definitely yours.

There is nowhere to hide.

It’s exciting.

And exhilarating.

And absolutely fucking terrifying.

But you know what?

Sometimes being scared just means it matters.

In college, I hosted a TV talk show. I got fired because they thought I was too uncomfortable to watch. I was forced to quit writing for my college newspaper. Then I graduated, moved to Los Angeles and got fired from my first two entry-level production assistant jobs. I tried to get a TV writing job. I wrote eight different sample scripts. All eight were rejected. I got my first writing job on script #9. I pitched TV shows that went nowhere. Movies that went nowhere. And Hilary Swank once wasted an entire year of my life. 

But that’s for another Love/Hate.

I got fired off a script that I sold to Paramount. Do you know what it feels like to get fired from your own idea? The only movie I wrote that ever got made was Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, which was nominated for a Razzie. So technically, yes, I am an award-nominated screenwriter. Please respect my journey.

My one real hobby and passion outside Hollywood was fantasy sports. And I wanted to do something in it. So I offered to work for free. Four different websites turned me down to work for free before Rotoworld eventually said yes. And at the time, Rotoworld had a distribution deal with FoxSports.com. Rotoworld produced something like 30 columns a week, and FoxSports.com would run all of them.

Except mine. 

Fox hated my writing and the long-winded intros. 

I was specifically excluded.

Rotoworld eventually started paying me. And then one day they wanted to cut my pay from $100 a column to $25. I said no. So they fired me.

I tried to write a book.

10 literary agents turned me down. Eight publishers rejected it. 

I started my own website, TalentedMrRoto.com, and we supplied fantasy content for free to CBSSports.com. They fired us after a year. I tried to partner or sell the website to a major media company. I had multiple meetings and got rejected by executives at Fox Sports, CBS, Yahoo, ESPN, Fox Sports again, The Sporting News, ESPN again, Yahoo again and USA Today.

Once I got to ESPN, they gave me a fantasy football TV show. They cancelled it after half a season. Then they gave me another TV show. They cancelled that one after a year. My long-winded intros? No ESPN columnist got more hate mail or angry Reddit posts than the new fantasy guy. My first solo fantasy segment on Sunday NFL Countdown? They took me off after one episode. My weekly segment on Mike & Mike? Cancelled after eight weeks. My weekly segment on The Herd? Cancelled after six.

I got cancelled a lot.

You know, there’s a funny thing that happens when somebody has had some success.

We rewrite the story.

We make it seem inevitable.

Like there was some grand plan.

Like they always knew where we were going.

I didn’t.

I had no idea.

I still don’t.

I just kept going.

Because I kept wanting to find out what I got.

And now I get another shot at the unknown.

I’ve never been independent before.

I have no idea if I’m any good at it.

For 20 years, ESPN and NBC Sports gave me enormous reach. Now I have neither. Will people still seek out my articles? My fantasy football rankings? My shows and podcast?

We’re about to find out. 

Fantasy Life has incredibly smart, talented people who actually know what they’re doing.

And I believe in these people.

I believe in what we’re building.

And—gulp—I believe in me.

Which is really all any of us can do before the games start.  

And as I sit here writing my 27th (!) preseason Love/Hate, it occurs to me that I’m not alone. Every August, all of us are trying to do the exact same thing.

Making our best guesses and living with the result. 

We spend months researching. Ranking. Mock drafting. Moving a guy up three spots because a beat writer says he “looks explosive” in shorts, then moving him down six spots the next day because he tweaked a hammy.

We do everything we can to prepare.

And then we draft.

Is it going to work?

No one knows. 

Not me, not you and definitely not the guy in your league sending everyone screenshots of his A+ draft grade.

None of us know how anything will turn out. 

With our fantasy teams. With this season. With any of it.

And that’s the beauty of August.

Right now, anything is possible.

Your sleepers could hit.

Your team could stay healthy.

That ridiculous late-round reach could turn out to be genius.

This could be the year.

You could win the whole damn thing.

And maybe, just maybe, so could I.

That’s why they play the games.

And after all these years?

I still want to go out tonight. I still want to find out what I got.

So, welcome to the 2026 fantasy football season.

Here’s to hoping that when it’s all over, you and me?

We’re both holding the trophy.

Let’s get to it. 

Okay. Since I just spent several thousand words telling you I’m betting on Fantasy Life, please allow me one brief moment to actually tell you what I’m betting on.

If you want to bet on us too—or, more accurately, give us money, which my wife would really prefer—FantasyLife+ is our premium product, and it's great. Start by syncing your league and watch Fantasy Life's tool suite personalize to your exact league settings. That means my (and Dwain McFarland's, Matthew Freedman's, Kendall Valenzuela's, Zain Dhanani's and Alex Cupps') rankings become personalized to your league's scoring format. Plus Draft Champion mocks as close to your league mocks. Then, once the season starts, Fantasy HQ becomes your home for all of your leagues with personalized advice from all of Fantasy Life's experts, including me, of course. You can get 10% off FantasyLife+ with code BERRY, by the way.

Your leagues are unique. We believe your advice should be too. 

It gives you draft analysis, trade advice, projections and real-time live scoring updates for every team and league, so you don’t have to keep flipping between apps or websites. Not to mention waiver tools, especially for Guillotine Leagues™, where no one knows what to bid when Puka Nacua and Lamar Jackson are on the waiver wire in Week 6. Except we do, because we have years of league data to pull from, along with rest-of-season projections for your specific league, so we can tell you exactly what they’re worth to you at that specific moment. 

Speaking of GuillotineLeagues.com, it’s only the absolute best way to play fantasy football. I know there are a lot of, ahem, folks that have been inspired by GuillotineLeagues.com, but we are the original, and our new app is really fantastic. If you’ve never played, you gotta try it. It’s very simple. 

You have a league like normal, draft a team like normal, start a team like normal. Two big twists. At the end of the week, the team with the lowest score in the league gets cut. Dead. Their season is over. You keep going until only one team remains (or you can choose to do that until only four remain and then go by highest total score the rest of the way). 

The other twist? All the players on the team that got cut go back into the free agent pool. So yeah, every week, a team’s first-round pick, second-round pick and star QB are on the waiver wire. Hence the Puka/Lamar in Week 6 example above.

And the new show is on my YouTube channel and available as a podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, follow, rate, review and do whatever other verbs the algorithm currently demands of us.

FantasyLife+. Guillotine Leagues. YouTube. Podcasts.

This is home now.

Okay. Enough corporate synergy. Let’s talk football. 

Thanks, as always, to my producer Damian Dabrowski for his help at various points in this column and to you, for following and finding me here. It means more than you’ll ever know. 

Here we go—Love/Hate for 2026.

As always, these are players whose fantasy football ADP is either too low (“loves”) or too high (“hates”) based on where I have them compared to the market.  

Quarterbacks I Love In 2026

Joe Burrow | Bengals

Last Tuesday afternoon was a terrifying time, as video circulated of Ja’Marr Chase going down with a non-contact injury. Thankfully, it turned out that Chase only hyper-extended his knee. Similarly, when I first saw the video, I let out a hyper-extended scream due to all the Joe Burrow shares I have this season. And I’m taking a lot of Burrow on purpose and not just because he’s a proud Fantasy Life investor. Get this: over the past two seasons, over Burrow’s 24 “full” games, he’s averaging 20.8 PPG. That’s QB3 over that time span (behind only Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson). Since 2021, Burrow leads all quarterbacks in passing TDs per game (2.2) and is third in TD rate over that span. That’s because the Bengals love to throw the ball in the red zone. Like, they REALLY LOVE IT. Over the past three seasons, Burrow leads all quarterbacks in red zone pass attempts per game. Cincinnati also finished either first or second in overall pass rate in each of the last three seasons.

I think the Bengals defense will be better this year, but I don’t see the volume changing. All that plus Burrow’s efficiency makes me confident he’ll be a top-five quarterback in 2026. Especially now that I’ve stopped screaming about Ja’Marr Chase.

Caleb Williams | Bears

It’s not hard to make the case for Caleb Williams being a top-10 QB in 2026. Last season, only Williams and Drake Maye ranked top-seven at the position in both passing and rushing yards. That helped Williams finish last season as one of just four quarterbacks with eight different games of 20-plus fantasy points. Over the past two seasons, he is also just one of four quarterbacks with 3,500-plus passing yards and 350-plus rush yards each year. Williams also ranks seventh in pass attempts per game over the same span. Granted, Chicago’s PROE could be better. But let’s not forget Williams’ POPE rate. Yes, he’s the only NFL quarterback repped by the Pope. Come on. That has to be a tiebreaker in most leagues.

Dak Prescott | Cowboys

Playoffs, schmayoffs. A healthy Dak Prescott is a top-10 fantasy QB. In his last four fully healthy seasons, Prescott has finished as a top-10 fantasy QB in each—averaging 18.5 PPG in the process. In his last two healthy seasons (2023 and 2025), Dak led the NFL in completions. That’s thanks in no small part to Brian Schottenheimer’s offensive approach and belief in his QB. In the three seasons with Schottenheimer as Dallas’s OC/HC, the Cowboys rank second in pass attempts. Dak says the Cowboys have a championship mentality. As a Commanders fan, I will pass on the Cowboys winning a Super Bowl championship. Ever. But I will accept a compromise in which Dak helps managers win a lot of fantasy championships in 2026.

Justin Herbert | Chargers

You know, even with playing in conservative offenses, Justin Herbert still has finished as QB13 or higher in PPG every season of his career but one. Herbert is also sneaky productive running the ball, averaging more than 15 rush yards per game in five of his six seasons. Now Herbert has one of the top offensive minds in the game running the Chargers’ offense. I mean, come on.

New Chargers OC Mike McDaniel made TUA TAGOVAILOA fantasy relevant. Don’t laugh. In his first two seasons under McDaniel, Tua ranked top-five in both passing yards per game and TD rate. During the same stretch, Tua was second in fantasy points per pass attempt. It’s hard not to be excited about what Herbert can do with McDaniel. In fact, I’m going to start wearing Mike McDaniel-style capri pants this season, because there’s about to be a flood of fantasy points. I have Herbert as a top-10 QB this season (be honest—how surprised are you the write-up didn’t have any Madison Beer references?)Be honest

Others receiving votes: I obviously like Brock Purdy this season, thanks to my long-held fantasy theory that says: “Draft any quarterback who gets to throw the ball to football legend De’Zhaun Stribling.” Because they’re Always Purdy in the Strib Club. But there’s even more to it than that. In each of Purdy’s three full seasons as a starter, he has finished as a top-10 QB in PPG. In fact, since becoming San Fran’s starter in Week 14 of 2022, he’s QB6 in PPG (18.5). He’s also become increasingly productive with his legs, with 21% of his fantasy points over the last two seasons coming on the ground. … Did you know that in three of Kevin O’Connell’s four seasons as head coach, Minnesota has ranked top-10 in QB PPG? Meanwhile, Kyler Murray has finished as a top-12 QB in PPG in all six of his seasons when he’s played at least eight games. I think those two trends can make beautiful fantasy points together. … In his three seasons as a starter, Jordan Love has ranked top-12 in fantasy points per dropback. He also averages 18.7 PPG in his 24 career games with more than 30 passing attempts. Why am I telling you this? Because if Josh Jacobs misses time, the Packers are likely to throw more. … Believe it or not, over the past two seasons, the player who leads all quarterbacks in fantasy points per dropback is none other than Malik Willis. Willis also averages 44.8 rushing yards per game as a starter. There’s a clear floor there with Willis and a significant chance at upside.

Quarterbacks I Hate In 2026 

Matthew Stafford | Rams

Last season, Matthew Stafford had a league-high 7.7% TD rate, resulting in 46 passing touchdowns. I don’t want to be mean, but I do see Stafford regressing to it (Math Joke Alert!). Get this: Over the past 15 seasons, every QB who had a TD rate of at least 7% saw that number drop the following season—with an average drop of 2.2%. And considering Stafford had a TD rate of 4.2% over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, as well as fewer TD passes over those two seasons than he had in 2025 alone, we know how a regressed Stafford would perform in fantasy. Add to it that an improved Rams defense should see Stafford needing to throw less late in games, and I have Stafford on my 2026 Hate list. All that said, I want to make it clear that Stafford is on my Hate list in the NFL this season. If he ends up leaving the NFL to play for LSU, I think he will have a very productive season.

Bo Nix | Broncos

Despite ranking as QB10 in PPG last season, Bo Nix posted just four weeks in which he finished as a top-10 QB and just six in the top 12. If you remove his 40-point Week 7 outburst against the Giants, he would have dropped to QB14 in PPG. Over the past two seasons, his 6.5 yards per pass attempt ranks 28th out of 33 qualified quarterbacks. And then there’s the fact that Nix may run less in 2026 coming off ankle surgery. To be clear: I think Nix has value at his current ADP of QB15. And Jaylen Waddle will help. I just hate the idea of thinking he’ll post another Top 10 season.

C.J. Stroud | Texans

Since his breakout rookie season in 2023, C.J. Stroud has finished as a top-10 fantasy quarterback just five times in 31 games. As a rookie, he had six 20-point games. Since? Just four. He ranks 24th in fantasy points per pass attempt over the past two seasons, and now he’s down Jayden Higgins. Needless to say, you won’t see me walking to any draft boards to take C.J. Stroud.

Running Backs I Love In 2026

Kenneth Walker | Chiefs

Kenneth Walker is the clear lead back in KC. And when I say lead back, I mean LEAD BACK. No other RB on the roster has ever had a season with more than 80 touches. Walker excels with volume, too. In his 25 career games (including playoffs) with 18 or more touches, he averages 18.2 PPG and 110 scrimmage yards. Training camp reports suggest the Chiefs want to use Walker more in the passing game and for good reason: over the past three seasons, among backs with 100-plus targets, Walker ranks sixth at the position in points per target. And you know he’ll have plenty of opportunities to crack the end zone in a Patrick Mahomes-led offense. Lots to love about Walker these days. In just the last few months, he was named Super Bowl MVP, went to Disneyland, signed a $45 million deal and now—the zenith of his generational run—is being named to the 2026 preseason Love list. 

Chase Brown | Bengals

Don’t think that a healthy Joe Burrow is bad for Chase Brown. It’s quite the opposite. Last season, in the six games after Burrow returned from injury, Brown was the RB2 in PPG (22.3) and ranked RB4 in utilization score over that stretch (19.2 touches per game, with a 14% target share). In fact, since Week 9 of 2024, here’s a list of the only RBs with more games of 15-plus PPR points than Chase Brown: De’Von Achane, Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. That’s it. That’s the list. That’s a pretty good list.

Brown is also just one of four RBs with at least 275 touches, 10-plus TDs and a double-digit target share in each of the past two seasons. As long as your fantasy league doesn’t charge tariffs on imported Canadian running backs, I’m all in on Chase Brown this season.

Derrick Henry | Ravens

Derrick Henry is now 32 years of age, but we’re still waiting for him to slow down. And actually, if Henry DOES ever slow down, that may actually be worse for defenses. A slow Derrick Henry is a Derrick Henry you can catch up to … only to then still get trucked. Either way, I still love me some Derrick Henry. Especially in half-PPR leagues. Since joining the Ravens, Henry is RB5 in PPG in half-PPR. Over the same stretch, he leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns and ranks second in goal-to-go rush attempts. And Henry is just one of two backs—along with Jahmyr Gibbs—to average more than 5.0 YPC in each of the last two seasons. I know everyone thinks he’s gonna hit the wall, but they’ve been saying that for, what, 20 years now? The King remains a top-10 back.

Omarion Hampton | RB | Chargers

I’m keeping my Mike McDaniel waders on for the incoming flood of Omarion Hampton’s fantasy points, too. Last year’s Ride or Die, Hampton had at least 15 touches in eight of nine games, and averaged 16.5 PPG in those games. He also handled 80% of team goal-to-go carries and 71% of red zone attempts (both rates ranked top-five among qualified RBs last season). Only now does Hampton have an offensive coordinator who is considered to be one of the best run game coordinators in McDaniel, as well as an offensive line that should be much improved over last season (even with the Tyler Biadasz injury). So I’m very on board with the Chargers’ X account posting “fantasy managers take note” over Hampton practice footage recently. In fact, it’s probably their best tweet since suggesting PF Chang’s as a place to host your draft. 

D’Andre Swift | RB | Bears

Last season, D’Andre Swift ranked top-12 among RBs in rush yards per game, averaging a career-high 67.9 per game (going for 67 yards is perhaps the most 2025 thing a player could do, and no doubt made him 2025’s most popular running back among middle schoolers). Last year, 13% of Swift’s rushes gained 10-plus yards, the sixth-highest rate among RBs with 100-plus carries. Oh, and he finished as a top-24 RB in 75% of games, and only posted two games with fewer than 9 PPR points. Yes, Kyle Monangai will take touches from Swift during the season … but Monangai is also currently week-to-week with a knee injury. He’s not sexy, but he is perennially undervalued, and this year I want as much of the Bears offense as I can get. I feel confident ranking Swift as a top-20 RB heading into the season.

Others receiving votes: Speaking of productive but unsexy RBs, how about David Montgomery? Houston ranked eighth in RB rush attempts in 2025, so the volume will be there for Monty. The production should be, too. In each of his past five seasons with at least 220 touches, Montgomery has at least 1,100 scrimmage yards. He has also ranked top-10 in goal-to-go rush attempts in six of his seven career seasons. … Jacksonville’s backfield averaged over 21 fantasy points per game last season (on 25.2 touches per game). Meanwhile, Bhayshul Tuten has posted at least 13 fantasy points in two of his three games with 10-plus touches. And in the passing game, at least, Tuten is not likely to get a lot of competition from Chris Rodriguez, who only has six receptions in 35 career games. So do I like Bhayshul as a top-25 back this season? You’re darn Tuten. Is he in this section just so I could do that joke? Mayyyyybe … I like the unsexy RBs this year. Apparently I’m bringing unsexy back. Because I’m also in on Rhamondre Stevenson this year. On New England’s road to the Super Bowl last season, he was their guy, and he will be again this year. In the Pats' final nine games, including the playoffs, Stevenson averaged 17.1 PPG and 93 scrimmage yards. Yet his ADP is more than a full round lower than TreVeyon Henderson’s despite all reports indicating that Stevenson has had the better training camp and should have a larger role to begin the season. … 

The Steelers ranked second in RB target share last season. With Kenneth Gainwell gone, Jaylen Warren is better suited to fill the pass-catching RB role than Rico Dowdle. In 2025, Warren scored 12-plus PPR points in five of the six games in which he saw a double-digit target share. … There’s plenty to like about the ascension of Blake Corum in that Rams offense. In seven of his final 11 games last season, Corum had 10-plus touches. He also had 39% of team goal-line attempts over that stretch. Even more promising: Corum ranked second in success rate among RBs with 75-plus rushes last season. … Last season, when sharing the field with Jayden Daniels, Jacory Croskey-Merritt averaged 5.0 YPC. And reports are that JCM is showing improvement in camp as a pass catcher, too. … The Buccaneers gave Kenneth Gainwell nearly $10 million in guarantees, so he’s going to get work. And my Bucs source tells me they LOVE him. For good reason, too. Last season, Gainwell led all RBs in fantasy points per touch. … Mike McDaniel is a big Keaton Mitchell fan. And really, anyone who knows how numbers work should be a big Keaton Mitchell fan. For his career, Mitchell averages 6.8 yards per touch, and 18% of his rush attempts have gained 10-plus yards. … If you like to spice things up with handcuffs, I’m not here to kink shame. In fact, I even have a handcuff recommendation for you: Tank Bigsby. Over the past two seasons, Saquon Barkley has 695 touches. He also turned 29 in February. Meanwhile, Bigsby has proven to be very productive with the ball in his hands, and averaged 5.9 YPC last season with the Eagles. … There’s lots of upside with Jonah Coleman in Denver. J.K. Dobbins is rather injury-prone, and RJ Harvey didn’t exactly wow anyone as a rookie. There’s a definite path to significant playing time for Coleman, who is one of my favorite late-round RBs this year.

Running Backs I Hate In 2026

TreVeyon Henderson | Patriots

Last season, 26% of TreVeyon Henderson’s rushing yards came on just four carries. Insane. That would be like if Eric Dickerson had four 131-yard rushes in his 2,105-yard season in 1984. But my point is not to compare Henderson and Dickerson—because that would be even more insane—but to illustrate that Henderson is majorly boom-or-bust in fantasy.  You get some big plays … but you also get a lot of nothing. Nothing is also what Henderson seems to put into pass protection,  a hole in his game which has mostly kept him off the field on third down. And Henderson sees his usage cut on all downs when Rhamondre Stevenson is in action. When Stevenson played in 2025, Henderson averaged just 11.3 touches and 9.5 PPG. Henderson is more of an RB3/Flex option than the RB2 some are drafting him to be.

Bucky Irving | Buccaneers

In 2025, Bucky Irving averaged just 2.3 YAC/attempt. It was the lowest mark among running backs with 100-plus carries. Is that bad? Because I feel like that’s bad. He also saw just 5% of his carries go for 10-plus yards. Yes, he was slowed by injury, but it’s probably not a coincidence that the Bucs went out and signed Kenneth Gainwell. Gainwell is also Catchwell, a target monster in the passing game, while, for his career, in games in which Irving sees a single-digit target share, he averages just 11.8 PPG (compared to 17.1 PPG in double-digit games). By the way, even after Irving returned from injury last year in Week 13, Sean Tucker still saw 64% of team goal-line attempts. So losing usage in the passing game AND at the goal line? Buck me, I’m out. I have Irving outside my top 20 at the position. 

Chuba Hubbard | RB | Panthers

Last season Hubbard lost his job to Rico Dowdle after going down to a calf injury. This pre-season, a hamstring injury may have opened the door for Jonathon Brooks to take his job. In 2025, Hubbard’s avoided tackle rate and YAC/attempt both ranked second-lowest among RBs with 100-plus rushes. And only 6% of his rushes last season gained 10-plus yards. I also don’t see Carolina’s offense being good enough to support two fantasy-viable backs. The Panthers might see Brooks and Hubbard as a two-headed monster, but more than likely it’s just two dust bunnies hiding in your fantasy closet.

J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey | Broncos

J.K. Dobbins has missed at least seven games in four of the past five seasons. When he did play in 2025, he had an essentially non-existent 4% target share and averaged less than five receiving yards per game. Dobbins also posted zero weeks finishing as a top-12 RB and managed just five top-20 finishes. So then I must like RJ Harvey’s upside, right? Also no. Harvey averaged just 5.6 PPG last season in games in which he didn’t score. In the 10 games J.K. Dobbins was active last season, Harvey averaged only 7.5 touches and ranked 43rd out of 49 qualified RBs in rushing success rate. If Dobbins gets hurt again in 2026, I see more upside with Jonah Coleman than Harvey.

Pass Catchers I Love In 2026

A.J. Brown | Patriots

Patriots fans have seen some special pairings over the years with their franchise QBs. Tom Brady and Randy Moss, for example. Or Tom Brady and leather pants. This season they might have another one in Drake Maye and A.J. Brown. During Brown’s four seasons in Philadelphia, he led the NFL in TD receptions on passes of 15-plus air yards. Now he’s playing with Maye, who had the 2nd-highest passer rating on passes of 15-plus air yards last season, and was tied for the most touchdown passes on such throws. Yeah, that potential will send a jolt through your leather pants, won’t it? By the way, Brown has four straight seasons with at least a 28% target share. No other WR on the Patriots roster has ever had a season with even a 20% target share. I have Brown well inside my top 10 WRs in 2026.

DeVonta Smith | Eagles

I was going to write something here about my love for DeVonta Smith heading into the season. But then I thought maybe the months of research and mountains of content I’ve already dedicated to Smith this offseason would suffice, including making him my 2026 Ride or Die. So just check that out instead.

Chris Olave | Saints

Last season, Chris Olave finished top-five in targets (156) and receptions (100). He finished WR5 in utilization score (86), reeling in 42% of team air yards. He saw 47% of New Orleans’ end zone targets—good for fourth among qualified wide receivers. And Olave unlocked an even higher level with Tyler Shough as the starter, averaging 18.8 PPG, a 29% target share and 82.5 YPG in Shough’s games. Lots to love here. I have Olave just outside my top 10 wide receivers. 

Zay Flowers | Ravens

Every school kid knows what “April showers bring May flowers”, yet what are our schools teaching about Zay Flowers? Do today’s kids know that Flowers had a career-high 29% target share in 2025—top-10 among WRs? Do they know that Flowers is the only WR on the Ravens roster who had a target share above 12% last season? Do they know that Flowers was third among qualified WRs in yards per route run? Or that he has back-to-back seasons ranking in the top 15 in that category? Do they know that, over the past three seasons, Flowers is one of just nine WRs with 200-plus PPR fantasy points in each season? And do they know that Flowers is a top-15 WR for me in 2026? I bet they do not. Which is why I want to be in a fantasy league with them, because I will crush them.

Ladd McConkey | Chargers

Let’s keep the Mike McDaniel Fantasy Pants Party going with Ladd McConkey. We’ve seen what McDaniel’s offense did for receivers in Miami. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle both ranked top-10 in yards per route run under McDaniel. It’s not like McConkey was a slouch pre-McDaniel, either. Over the past two seasons, among WRs with 200-plus targets, McConkey ranks top 10 in yards per target. Last season, his 72 slot targets were the fourth-most in the NFL. And that was WITH Keenan Allen getting 122 targets last year. Allen is now on the Colts, and McConkey averages 15.4 PPG in 22 career games with at least a 20% target share. He will once again be McConkulous this year. I have Ladd at WR17.

Colston Loveland | Bears

As the O’Jays famously sang: 

People all over the world

Join hands

And start Loveland

Loveland

It was great advice in 2025. But in 2026, we’re far beyond just starting Colston Loveland. He’s a top-three fantasy TE. Over Colston’s final 10 games as a rookie, he had a 90 utilization score (that would’ve ranked second among TEs over a full season). In games in which he saw at least targets (including the playoffs), he averaged 99 receiving yards. And in the five games (playoffs included) in which he saw a target share of at least 20%, Loveland put up 20-plus fantasy points in four of them. I’m definitely on board the Loveland Train in 2026.

Tucker Kraft | Packers

Before Tucker Kraft tore his ACL in Week 9, he was TE1 (16.2) in PPG. He took in 32% of Green Bay’s red zone targets when active last season—the fourth-highest rate among tight ends. He saw a 20% target share in his seven completed games (averaging 61.1 receiving YPG). And, since 2023, Kraft’s 2.3 fantasy points per target ranked second behind only George Kittle at the position. Best of all, reports from Green Bay are that Kraft is 100% recovered from his knee injury. I wish I could say the same about the thumb injuries I’ve sustained from drafting Kraft in so many leagues.

Others receiving votes: In 2021 and 2022, when Jaylen Waddle saw 115-plus targets, he finished as a top-15 WR in PPG. I see Waddle getting back to that level of production in Denver. Over the past two seasons, the Broncos rank sixth in WR fantasy points and 10th in WR target share. … Despite only being a rookie in 2025, Luther Burden was top-five in both yards per target and yards per route run among WRs with 50+ targets. In the three games he saw a target share of at least 20%, he averaged 96 receiving yards. And his 7.2 YAC/reception was second-highest among qualified WRs. As that Chicago offense continues to progress, so should Burden. … Over the past three seasons, San Francisco ranks third in the NFL in red zone passing touchdowns. During that same stretch, Mike Evans ranks second in end zone targets per game (and I don’t mean the kind of end zone target that Jed York was going for) … In his last seven games last season (Weeks 11-18), Christian Watson was WR15 in PPG (15.1). There’s no reason that kind of production can’t continue. Watson averages 16.0 PPG in his 19 career games with at least a 20% target share (74.6 YPG) and saw 42% of Green Bay’s end zone targets in 2025 (the seventh-highest rate among WRs). … Similar to Watson, Parker Washington really came on late last season. Over his final nine games of 2025, Washington was WR15 in PPG. And he continues to show that he can produce when given opportunities. In games where he ran at least 70% of routes in 2025, Washington had a 24% target share and averaged 64.7 YPG. In his 12 career games with at least a 15% target share? He’s averaging 16.4 PPG. … When Michael Pittman was off the field in Indianapolis, Josh Downs was targeted on 25% of his routes over his career.  And, in Downs’ 22 career games with at least a 20% target share, he averages 13.7 PPG. Yes, the Colts have added Keenan Allen in Pittman’s place, but Allen is 34, Alec Pierce is coming back from ankle surgery and Downs should be involved in all two-WR sets. … During Todd Monken’s tenure as offensive coordinator, Baltimore WRs ranked second in yds per reception and seventh in aDOT and YAC/rec. Deshaun Watson aside, that portends positive things for KC Concepcion. The rookie has impressed in camp and was promptly targeted on 27% of his routes in his first preseason game. … Over the past two seasons, only five players have seen at least 140 targets in each of them. Wan’Dale Robinson is one of those five. In 2025, Robinson had career highs in aDOT (8.5) and yards per reception (11.0). Familiarity with Brian Daboll’s system should help him find quick success in Tennessee. … The news generated by the 49ers this offseason hasn’t always been positive. So thank goodness for De’Zhaun Stribling. Stribling has been targeted on 56% of his routes this preseason (catching 11 of 13 targets for 109 yards). Meanwhile, all the other SF pass catchers have age and injury concerns. There’s a reason Stribling has more buzz than the Santa Clara electrical substation. … Andy Reid has noted that Xavier Worthy had a great offseason and looks “noticeably stronger.” Same. Last year at this time, Worthy was going in the fourth round of drafts; now his ADP is outside the top 120. Neither makes sense. … Among tight ends, only Trey McBride had more games last season with double-digit PPR fantasy points than … Juwan Johnson. The Saints TE ranked top-five among TEs in receptions, receiving yards and routes run last season, and he should continue to operate as the No. 2 target in that offense as long as Jordyn Tyson is out. … In his nine career games with at least six targets, Isaiah Likely averages 16.6 PPG. And over the last three years, Likely is fourth among tight ends in fantasy points per target. Considering a, ahem, questionable depth chart behind Malik Nabers among Giants pass catchers and the fact his head coach in Baltimore, John Harbaugh, went out and brought him to New York, Likely should see a full-time role with a big part of the passing game…. Speaking of weak WR depth chart, have you seen what’s behind Nico Collins? Because of Tank Dell’s health concerns and the unproven Kayshon Boutte, Dalton Schultz should earn targets almost by default. He’s not a sexy pick, but he did have eight weeks finishing as a top-10 TE in 2025, tied for third-most at the position, and he’s going insanely late.

Pass Catchers I Hate In 2026

Courtland Sutton | Broncos

Courtland Sutton is like conversing with an elderly person: it’s all about volume. If there’s enough volume, PapPap can hear you. But if not? You may as well be talking to a wall. Same story for Sutton in fantasy. He is volume dependent. Since 2021, Sutton ranks 54th among WRs in targets per route run and has only one season during that stretch where he’s been targeted on over 21% of his routes. With Jaylen Waddle in town and likely to operate as the clear WR1, Sutton will see a decrease in volume. Pat Bryant, who’s been having a great camp, may also push for more playing time, while Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims will likely still have rotational roles in the offense, as well. All that means I have Sutton way down at WR47.

DK Metcalf | Steelers

DK Metcalf is hard to miss. 6-foot-4 … 230 … ripped. Yet the Pittsburgh Steelers can’t seem to find him all that frequently in the red zone. In 2025, Metcalf ranked 32nd among WRs in red zone target share (21%). Graybeard-Era Aaron Rodgers also isn’t able to utilize Metcalf’s skills as a deep-ball receiver. Rodgers ranked last among qualified QBs in aDOT and deep ball rate last season, while Metcalf averaged career lows in targets and yards per game on passes of 15-plus air yards. Metcalf now has back-to-back seasons averaging under 13 PPG. Chances are he makes it three in a row in 2026. 

Davante Adams | Rams

I’m not way, way, way down on Davante Adams. I still have him at WR24. But 34-year-old wide receivers are 34-year-old wide receivers. And 34-year-old hamstrings are 34-year-old hamstrings. Adams missed three games with a hamstring injury last season, and his beefy end zone target share is more likely a historical outlier than a new, late-career trend. TD regression is coming. See Stafford, Matthew. And if and when it does, it’s worth knowing that Adams ranked 29th among WRs in receiving yards per game (56.4) in 2025. Add to it that the improved Rams defense should allow LAR to play with more leads, and I have Adams as a low-end WR2 this season.

Jake Ferguson | Cowboys

Jake Ferguson and Haley Cavinder recently posted a “How well do you know your partner” quiz challenge. It was a fun bit of content. But I think the questions were too easy. I would have gone with stuff like this: 

• Q: Where did Jake’s aDOT rank among TEs last season?
• A: 28th, at just 4.7
   
• Q: How many games did Jake have with more than 50 receiving yards in 2025?
• A: 4
   
• Q: Has Jake ever had a season with a target share above 17%?
• A: No
   
• Q: Is Jake’s target share likely to be cut even more with Ryan Flournoy taking hold of the WR3 role?
• A: Yes

If you got all four of those questions right, you should not be in a fantasy relationship with Jake Ferguson. In fact, you should hate him. 

Harold Fannin | Browns

Last season, Fannin ranked outside the top 15 at the TE position in both aDOT and yards per reception. Yet he still ranked top-12 in receiving yards per game due to a 21% target share, which was fifth-highest among TEs. Fannin’s ability to earn that kind of volume was at least partially the result of Cleveland ranking 32nd in WR target share. It’s hard to see Cleveland finishing 32nd again in 2026 after drafting KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston with two of their top three picks. Fannin should still see enough volume to be a solid TE1 in PPR leagues, but the lack of efficiency we saw last season could limit his upside in half-PPR formats. Oh, and Fannin also had his most success with Shedeur Sanders at QB (14.6 PPG, 27.5% target share) … but he will now have to deal with Deshaun Watson starting at quarterback. Just mentioning that in case Browns fans hadn’t heard the news: Deshaun Watson is your starting quarterback. I know, it’s depressing. Let’s just end the column.

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