• Kenneth Walker III is teaming up with Patrick Mahomes: The Super Bowl MVP lands with Kansas City, where he will be a high-risk, high-reward fantasy option.

• The Arizona Cardinals have a messy backfield: Arizona restructured James Conner’s contract, assuring his return, while signing Tyler Allgeier, giving them a three-headed backfield with Trey Benson.

• 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Although the legal tampering period has only just begun, most fantasy-relevant moves have already occurred. Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends signed within the first hour of the period, while most of the top running backs agreed to deals within the first three hours.

To break down the free-agent movement, here are the players whose fantasy values have risen or fallen due to recent signings and trades. These winners and losers are based purely on fantasy football implications and do not consider contract value, trade costs or real-life team impact. This article also includes the moves that were announced in the days leading up to the legal tampering period.

Winners

Walker has been among the NFL’s best running backs on a per-play basis over the past three seasons. His 93.7 PFF rushing grade in that span is tied with De’Von Achane for the best mark at the position, and his 77.3 receiving grade ranks 11th among running backs with at least 1,000 snaps. In all, he has produced the second-highest PFF overall grade (93.2), only behind Derrick Henry.

This hasn’t led to as much fantasy success as fantasy managers hoped, particularly this past season. Walker split the Seahawks’ backfield work with Zach Charbonnet, who is the 12th-highest-graded running back over the past three seasons. Charbonnet notably played in goal-line situations, costing Walker several touchdowns. The Seahawks‘ offense also deprioritized running backs in the passing game, leading to both Walker’s and Charbonnet’s receptions per game being cut in half.

Walker lands with the Chiefs, who could lose running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt in free agency. This means Walker currently lacks any competition for playing time. Kansas City is a better landing spot than most teams, but there are some risks. Kansas City was the second-most pass-heavy team last season, throwing on two-thirds of plays. The Chiefs have thrown on at least two-thirds of plays in five of the past six seasons. Kansas City has also consistently passed more at the goal line than most teams.

Walker will be a fantasy starter at a minimum. He has graded well as a receiver on a limited sample size, and Kansas City tends to throw to running backs more than most teams. If Walker is the passing-down back, that would help him go from an RB2 to an RB1. If Andy Reid opts to run more than in the past, Walker has top-five potential.

Jeanty was the sixth overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, which should have helped him become a top-10 fantasy running back in his rookie season, but a lot went wrong for him outside of his control.

The Raiders scored 241 points last season, the fewest of any team. They earned a 53.0 PFF run-blocking grade, the third-lowest mark in the NFL. As a result, Jeanty averaged 0.6 yards before contact per carry, the second-lowest figure among running backs with at least 100 carries.

Still, he avoided 61 tackles in the run game, the fifth most among running backs. Jeanty notched a 92.3 PFF rushing grade last season on plays where he produced positive yards before contact, fourth-best among 25 running backs, which suggests he could be great in the right situation.

The Raiders made one of the biggest splashes of free agency by signing Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, who owns the sixth-best PFF run-blocking grade at the position over the past three seasons. His addition should go a long way toward helping Jeanty live up to his potential.

London is one of the league’s elite receivers. He joins Puka Nacua and Amon-Ra St. Brown as the only NFL wide receivers with an 89.0 PFF receiving grade in each of the past two seasons. His fantasy points per game average jumped from 15.0 in 2024 to 16.8 in 2025, ranking seventh among wide receivers. He placed third in fantasy points per game (19.7) over the first 11 weeks before his injury.

London’s improvement stemmed from his routes per game increasing from 34.5 to 36.0 and his targets per route increasing from 26.9% to 27.2%. His average depth of target decreased slightly, allowing him to record a higher catch rate and more production after the catch. As such, he managed slight increases in receptions, yards and touchdowns per game.

Part of London’s success has been a lack of competition for targets. Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson are back, but Darnell Mooney was the only other Falcons player with more than 200 receiving yards last season, and he was released in a cap-saving move.

The Falcons clearly need pass-catching help, and they signed former Matt Ryan teammates Olamide Zaccheaus and Austin Hooper. Ryan is in his first offseason as the team’s president of football. Atlanta also added Jahan Dotson. All of them will likely see significant playing time, but none will be a threat to London’s target rate.

London should remain a top-10 fantasy wide receiver, and potentially a top-five option.

The Bears made Burden a second-round pick in 2025, and he started his rookie season fourth on the Bears’ depth chart. He eventually surpassed Olamide Zaccheaus and saw an even higher snap rate while Rome Odunze was out due to injury. Burden generated the third-most yards per route run (2.69), behind Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He averaged 17.7 fantasy points per game from Weeks 14 to 17 despite dealing with injury during that time.

The Bears traded away the one wide receiver who was consistently ahead of Burden on the depth chart, DJ Moore, and Zaccheaus agreed to terms with the Atlanta Falcons. This should allow Burden to play in a full-time role. He finished fifth on the team in targets in 2025 but should be the favorite to lead Chicago in targets this year. Burden will be a top-30 wide receiver heading into fantasy drafts, as long as the Bears don’t make multiple moves to add to their wide receiver room.

The Bills endured an ever-changing wide receiver room last year, with eight of the team’s wide receivers running at least 100 routes. The only player to earn a PFF receiving grade above 65.0 was slot receiver Khalil Shakir. Moore was falling down the target priority order in Chicago and is now the top outside option for the Bills.

In Buffalo, Moore is reunited with head coach Joe Brady, who was the Carolina Panthers‘ offensive coordinator from 2020 to 2021. Moore had two of his four best seasons in receiving yards per game when he was a wide receiver in Brady’s offense. 

Moore has also been plagued by inaccurate quarterback play throughout his career. Caleb WIlliams, Justin Fields, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker, Cam Newton and Kyle Allen have all yielded accuracy rates of 59% or lower in each season as Moore’s quarterback. The one above-average season Moore has had from a quarterback in terms of accuracy was Teddy Bridgewater in 2020, at 61%. Josh Allen produced a 66.1% accuracy rate last season and has been at 59% or better in each season since 2020.

Moore is on track to see a higher target rate and more quality passes in Buffalo, allowing him to remain a fantasy starter, with the upside of being a top-20 option if everything goes well.

Evans was a free agent who seemed likely to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or land with a team fighting for a championship. Most plausible destinations would have ended Evans’ days as a fantasy starting wide receiver.

Instead, Evans joins the 49ers, who have a great offense and were also in need of help at receiver. Brandon Aiyuk will be released and Jauan Jennings seems likely to sign elsewhere, leaving Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson as the top wide receivers. This move allows Evans to play his usual X role while Pearsall plays Z and Robinson features in the slot.

A big part of Evans’ fantasy value is his ability to score touchdowns. Jennings led the team in end-zone targets last season (nine), while tight end George Kittle finished second (five), despite missing significant time. Kittle is likely to miss the start of the season, so Evans should be the team’s top red-zone threat. He should see more targets and more red-zone opportunities compared to if he re-signed with Tampa Bay or signed with a team like Buffalo.

Downs has spent his entire career as a slot-only receiver with Alec Pierce as the X receiver and Michael Pittman Jr. as the Z receiver. Pierce signed a new four-year deal with the Colts at the start of the tampering window, and Indianapolis traded Pittman to the Pittsburgh Steelers shortly after.

The Colts might not be able to sign a notable wide receiver, in which case they will need their remaining players to step up. Pierce will undoubtedly see more targets after his big contract, but Downs may also take on a larger role. In particular, he could begin playing in two-receiver sets and three-receiver sets.

Downs has generated an 82.9 PFF receiving grade over the past three seasons, which ranks 26th among wide receivers. With more routes and more targets, Downs could become a consistent fantasy producer.

Honorable Mentions

• The Saints signed running back Travis Etienne Jr. He should see significant playing time, but New Orleans’ offensive line isn’t as strong as the Jacksonville Jaguars‘.
• The Denver Broncos were reportedly interested in several of the top running backs but instead ended up re-signing J.K. Dobbins. Dobbins likely has more fantasy value with Denver than with other teams he could have signed with.
• The Buccaneers’ wide receivers will no longer need to compete with Mike Evans for targets. They still have plenty of competition on the roster, between Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Chris Godwin, Tez Johnson and recently re-signed tight end Cade Otton.
• The Raiders signed wide receiver Jalen Nailor, who goes from the third wide receiver option in Minnesota to potentially the top option in Las Vegas.
• Former San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne signed with the Arizona Cardinals and should be their third wide receiver. While it won’t be worth drafting him in most redraft leagues, he will be a popular waiver-wire target if Michael Wilson or Marvin Harrison Jr. suffers an injury.
• Isaiah Likely is the new starting tight end for the New York Giants, reuniting with head coach John Harbaugh. Jaxson Dart threw a high percentage of passes to tight ends last season, and Likely will no longer be competing with Mark Andrews. This makes Likely a fine sleeper tight end.
• The Dolphins re-signed tight end Greg Dulcich, who could be their lead receiving tight end this season, as Darren Waller is also a free agent and hasn’t re-signed. Dulcich’s 80.6 PFF receiving grade in 2025 ranked 11th best.
• The Cardinals signed Gardner Minshew to be their new backup quarterback. This makes it clearer that Jacoby Brissett could be their starting quarterback, as they likely aren’t bringing in any more significant competition.

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Losers

Of the five running backs who averaged more than 20 touches per game last season, four finished among the six leaders in fantasy points. The other was Irving, who missed seven games due to injury and wasn’t as effective as in his rookie season, but the touches were there.

Josh Grizzard was one-and-done as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, but luckily, he was replaced by Zac Robinson, who spent the previous two seasons as the Atlanta Falcons‘ offensive coordinator. He coached Bijan Robinson, who is one of two running backs to average 20 or more touches per game in each of the past two seasons.

While Zac Robinson spoke highly of Irving, comparing him to Bijan Robinson, the team also signed Kenneth Gainwell to a two-year contract. Gainwell graded out better as a receiver than both Rachaad White and Irving last season, suggesting Irving’s target rate will take a hit this season. Gainwell is also a notably better pass blocker than anyone in Tampa Bay last season. 

Gainwell’s deal is reportedly for $14 million across two years. That is more money than some starting running backs who have moved past their rookie deal. His contract also suggests that he will receive significant playing time. Luckily, the contract isn’t so massive that Irving can’t outplay Gainwell and earn more playing time.

While Irving should remain the lead back in Tampa Bay, his upside is limited if he’s not going to be used as much in the passing game.

New Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur had been the Rams‘ offensive coordinator, and for the past three seasons, Los Angeles used more man-run concepts than any other team. They deployed man on 40% of their runs, while no other team was above 30% over the past three seasons. The Cardinals have been right around league average, at 17%.

This seemed to be good news for Benson, who averages 5.3 yards per carry on man runs, while Conner was much better on all other concepts. It was thus expected that Conner would be released and Benson would have a chance to be the starter.

Instead, Arizona restructured Conner’s contract, assuring his return to Arizona. The team also signed Tyler Allgeier, who excels on outside zone runs, rather than man runs.

This is bad news for all three running backs, in that we could have some kind of three-man committee in Arizona. However, these moves also suggest LaFleur’s offense will look very different from the Rams’ offense of the past three seasons, which means it won’t benefit Benson. The fact that the team brought back Conner and added Allgeier also suggests that Benson isn’t a big part of their plans.

Marks won the Texans‘ starting job over Nick Chubb in Week 10 of the 2025 season and never let go. He showed some sparks that he could be the long-term starter, including running 19 times for 112 yards and a touchdown in the Texans’ wild-card victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Houston traded for Lions running back David Montgomery just before free agency.

The investment in Montgomery was big enough that it’s clear he will have the first shot at the starting job. Marks appeared best suited for a receiving-down role when coming into the league, so it’s possible Montgomery will have an early-down role and Marks will handle third downs.

Montgomery is more of a winner than a loser from the move, as he will now see more volume with Houston. It’s worth noting that he is going from one of the best offensive lines to one of the worst. Lions running backs averaged 1.8 yards before contact in 2025, tied for third best. Texans running backs averaged 1.1, which tied for seventh worst.

Metcalf’s first season with the Steelers didn’t go as expected. He tallied his fewest receptions and receiving yards per game since his rookie season. His six receiving touchdowns were tied for the second-lowest mark of his career. He failed to reach his usual marks, despite no one else on the roster surpassing 500 receiving yards.

Pittsburgh has undergone several changes this offseason, starting with new head coach Mike McCarthy. The team moved on from running back Kenneth Gainwell, wide receiver Calvin Austin and tight end Jonnu Smith — three of the offense’s top seven players in receiving yards. However, Pittsburgh traded for Michael Pittman Jr., giving the wide receiver room a significant boost.

While Pittman is of a similar size to Metcalf, Pittman has a notably lower average depth of target with a higher target rate in his career. The wide receivers in Mike McCarthy’s offenses who have been successful from a fantasy perspective have been more like Pittman than Metcalf. Pittman’s average depth of target more closely resembles that of CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper, Donald Driver, Davante Adams and Randall Cobb, while Metcalf’s more closely resembles that of Michael Gallup, Brandin Cooks, Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings and James Jones.

Both wide receivers should find success in the offense, but it is no longer a guarantee that Metcalf will be the Steelers’ top target earner.

Honorable Mentions

• The Dolphins signed quarterback Malik Willis. Only 7.6% of his dropbacks led to targets to running backs over the past two seasons, which is the second-lowest rate, behind only Anthony Richardson. De’Von Achane recorded 139.8 PPR points as a receiver in 2025, the fifth most among running backs. It’s unlikely he will yield as much fantasy value from receptions in 2026, unless the offense schemes them up more often.
• Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren could lose carries after the team signed Rico Dowdle. While Warren shared the backfield with Kenneth Gainwell last season, Dowdle is reuniting with head coach Mike McCarthy. This could relegate Warren to third downs and leave him with only a few carries per game, similar to the start of his career.
• The Seahawks re-signed Rashid Shaheed, leaving Seattle with a very deep receiver room, which isn’t ideal for fantasy purposes. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Shaheed and Tory Horton were never healthy with Seattle at the same time last season, but they will be the top wide receivers next season. It will be hard for anyone outside of Smith-Njigba to be a fantasy starter, given the likely three-man rotation for one or two spots.
• Most mock drafts had Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love getting drafted with a top-10 pick by the Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints or Kansas City Chiefs, but all three teams added to their running back room. This leaves the Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders as the most likely landing spots. There are now higher odds that Love falls out of the top 10, lands with a below-average offense or has a significant veteran presence competing with him for playing time.
• New Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll inherited a team that relied heavily on rookies last season, but he brought in some old friends in free agency in slot wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and tight end Daniel Bellinger from the New York Giants. They will make it much more difficult for slot wide receiver Chimere Dike and tight end Gunnar Helm to see fantasy value this season.
• The Giants signed tight end Isaiah Likely, moving Theo Johnson from an occasional fantasy starter to someone who will not produce fantasy value.
• The Saints added tight end Noah Fant. While he’s been an NFL starter and a rotational player in the past, he will likely play only in two-tight-end sets with New Orleans. He will have value with the Saints only if Juwan Johnson suffers an injury.
• The Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa, who should be the starter until Michael Penix Jr. is healthy. Whoever is playing best will likely remain the starter. The uncertainty could leave both quarterbacks outside of the top 30 at the position in fantasy rankings.