Coach: Mike Macdonald 7 PPG
QB: Patrick Mahomes 29 PPG
Will Patrick Mahomes ever be the statistical maven dropping 5,000-yard passing seasons ever again? It’s been a minute, 2022 in fact, since his 5,250-yard MVP campaign. He’s since regressed to a 3,900-4,100-yard pace in subsequent years, along with 300-400(ish) rushing yards. That is still extremely fantasy viable, but not on the level of our elite passers in today’s fantasy game that combine passing and rushing numbers at an elite level. Mahomes is coming off a serious injury, and there should rightfully be concerns about his rushing ability moving forward. I doubt it’ll disappear, but may be subdued a bit in the early going. As it stands, Mahomes is slated to be a top 10 option and the good ol’ days always loom as a possibility if he can get some quality receiving weapons around him again.
RB/WR/TE: Bijan Robinson 30 PPG, Saquon Barkley 24 PPG, Cam Skattebo 21 PPG, Emeka Egbuka 15 PPG, AJ Barner 13 PPG 6th men: Jaylen Warren 18 PPG, Jayden Reed 13 PPG, Tyler Allgeier 11 PPG
Bijan Robinson has lived up to the hype he had coming out of college and has showcased an elite fantasy ceiling in less-than-ideal circumstances. Even when he’s had poor OCs in Arthur Smith and Zac Robinson, Bijan has brought out the best in these poorly laid plans. Statistically, 2025 was Robinson’s best, finishing with 17 carries a game (4th among RBs), 87 rushing yards a game (4th), 48 receiving yards (2nd among RBs), .65 TDs (15th), and led the league in evaded tackles with 6.76 a game. The tools are here from another astronomical season, and without Tyler Allgeier siphoning away goal-line looks, it’s possible he can hit 33-34 PPG with some more TD love.
Regression was expected after Saquon Barkley dropped a 2000-yard rushing nuke on us, but to regress to 1140 rushing yards was a bit extreme. Especially when he didn’t even miss a game, it was clear the season prior took a toll. Barkley received 65 fewer carries but was still a workhorse back and finished as the RB/WR/TE 14 in our scoring. Even with the decent production in the grand scheme, the Eagles hired a new OC in Sean Mannion, who will be tasked with turning around an offense with many questions. Priority number one will be to get this running game going close to what it was in 2024, and that includes featuring Barkley in an efficient and meaningful way. Saquon was still top 10 in evaded tackles, and with better TD luck, he’ll be back in the top 10 RB/WR/TE rankings.
It was a short, yet exciting 6 full games of Cam Skattebo as a fantasy factor, who backflipped his way into the hearts of fans all around the country. We saw him quickly assert dominance on the snap share, quickly averaging around 65-70% of snaps before the injury. Should that continue under new OC Matt Nagy, he’s gonna rejoin the top 12 at the position, especially if he keeps his workhorse opportunity. Skattebo is a perfect player for IFL scoring, which rewards carries on a .4-per-touch basis. If he can average around 15 carries and get back to 3-4 receptions a game, he’ll be a top 16 option. He just needs to stay healthy. He only missed one game during his time at Arizona State and Sacramento State, so it’s quite likely last year’s ankle issue was a fluke.
After the 25-point Week 1 effort, which saw Emeka Egbuka score 2 TDs, the world was ready to anoint him as the next great WR. Unfortunately, after Week 5, he scored over 13 points once the rest of the way and finished with 211 points. So, what are we to do with one of the biggest mysteries of the 2025 season? The old alpha in this receiving game has moved on, and the 19th overall pick in last year’s draft should be ready to benefit. First and foremost, Egbuka MUST learn how to beat man coverage better, as his 25.9% catch rate was 78th out of 80 receivers who had 50 targets. It’s not a death knell, but it needs to bump up. My biggest concern is the playcaller in Zac Robinson, who struggled to provide a consistent, functional passing game in Atlanta. Overall, I think there will be some highs, but he’ll settle into more of a Zay Flowers-like production. With the proper expectations, he is valuable as a back-end starter.
We got a useable fantasy season from AJ Barner, which was better than most any of us expected. Especially after the Seahawks used a 2nd round pick on Elijah Arroyo, Barner was largely left on waivers in many fantasy circles (go look at Barner’s extensive transaction history if you want a treat; he’s had 7 GMs take a flyer on him in three years). What’s the ceiling here? Barner’s opportunity was a mixed bag, but largely sat in the 80% snap share across the 2025 season. He even was a near 100% snap player in the NFC Championship game and Super Bowl. Barner hit 6 targets 4 times last year and averaged 4 targets per game, ranking 26th among TEs. While the 200-point season was promising, I don’t see a path to relevancy, but it’s possible if they elect to really get Barner involved, as JSN is the only established target earner. Keep an eye on his usage early season; he may enter the Jake Ferguson tier as a back-end starter.
PK: Cam Little 9 PPG
PN: Bradley Pinion 10 PPG
DT: Quinnen Williams 16 PPG, Grover Stewart 13 PPG
After a disappointing 2024, which saw Big Q only provide 37 total tackles, he bumped that total up to a respectable 51. That’ll get some run for IDP and in our tackle-incentivized DT scoring. Quinnen Williams was shipped over to Dallas in a post-Parsons trade, providing some stability for a defensive line left with questions, particularly in the interior. He provided quality pressure numbers in 2025, still ranking as a top 5 interior disruptor with 26 pressures, but he’s notorious over his 8-year career for not actualizing sacks. (he has one season over 7 sacks) All that being said, we should see some sack progression, as only hitting 2.5 sacks is bound for some positive luck. He’s a solid DT and a top 10 option in his new environment.
Grover Stewart has done well for himself to make a 10-year career in Indianapolis as a 2017 4th-round pick out of Albany State (Georgia). He’s played as a solidifying interior starter next to DeForest Buckner and has occasionally finished as a top 16 option at DT. Last year was a bit of a struggle, as his tackle numbers regressed to 55, registering only .5 a sack, but did tally the first INT of his career. He should find himself back as a low-end DT1 again if he can get a couple more clean-up sacks.
DE: Danielle Hunter 18 PPG, Khalil Mack 13 PPG (Nick Herbig 11 PPG, Uchenna Nwosu 11 PPG)
We got another delicious fantasy season from Danielle Hunter, who has provided IDP managers with an incredible 12-year career. Outside of the neck issue scare of 2020, he’s been a model of consistency, including 10 or more sacks in every healthy season sans 2021. His two years in Houston have been kind, posting 50+ tackles and between 12-15 sacks. While the tackle ceiling isn’t high in DeMeco Ryan’s scheme, Hunter is still one of the premier EDGEs and certainly should be mentioned more often in top 10 rankings. That’s where he’ll land again in 2026 as the 31-year-old climbs up the all-time sack list, currently at 114.5 sacks, ranking 37th. (For fun context: Myles is at 125.5, tied for 28th; Cameron Jordan is at 132 sacks, 22nd; and TJ Watt is at 115, 36th. The record holder is Bruce Smith at 200 total sacks.)
After contemplating retirement, 35-year-old Khalil Mack is running it back with the Chargers, hoping for a potential long playoff run. The past couple of seasons have not been kind to him statically, hitting between 5-6 sacks and 30-40 tackles. 2025 saw him quickly hit the injury shelf his an elbow injury, but he returned and posted decent EDGE2 numbers. That’s best case scenario here, with Tuli Tuipulotu locked into one starting role and 1st rounder Ahkeem Mesidor knocking on opportunity’s door. Mack should be getting starter snaps like 2025, but keep an eye on those snap shares as the year progresses.
LB: Ernest Jones 19 PPG, Tyrel Dodson 17 PPG, Alex Anzalone 16 PPG (Cody Barton 12 PPG)
Ernest Jones has finally found his home after bouncing around a bit after the Rammies let him go. He’s now locked in through 2027 as the man in the middle and poses as one of the best IDP options at the position. Despite missing 2 ½ games, Jones still racked up 126 tackles, 5 INTs and a TD, finishing as the overall LB14. Regression is almost certainly coming in the INT department, but he should do better than zero sacks. He’ll be staying in the top 16 for a 4th straight year, ever since he received a full-time starting role.
We are preparing as it’s status quo in Miami, as Tyrel Dodson is still the projected starter heading into Week 1 over Jacob Rodriguez. Dodson came alive last year, finishing 16th in total tackles with 129, 5 sacks, 1 INT, 1 sack and a forced fumble. That should keep him on the starting radar for pretty much any team, but there is a range of outcomes where he’ll be relegated to part-time work, splitting snaps with JRod. There is also the issue of a new defensive scheme as HC Jeff Hafley comes from Green Bay. While he has a history of utilizing two full-time linebackers, it’ll be unlikely Dodson can recreate the tackle/big play numbers he did under Hafley’s scheme. While a regression is coming, Dodson should still be a top 32 guy so long as he remains the starter. He’s a good player and deserves opportunity.
Alex Anzalone had a rough end to his time in Detroit and felt a bit disrespected by the team after they didn’t prioritize a contract extension. He signed with the Bucs this offseason, effectively replacing a retired Lavonte David. He’s locked into full-time snaps as a veteran presence the unit needs, and the range of outcomes is quite high. At his best, he was a 130-tackle guy, but historically Anzalone has been an inefficient tackler dating back to his time in New Orleans. In this projection, he directly replaces David’s 16 PPG in 2025, as this is a tough one to project.
CB: Kool-Aid McKinstry 11 PPG, Tarheeb Still 10 PPG
The best name in the game has ended up being a fantasy-viable IDP, and that is a glorious thing. Kool-Aid’s tackle numbers came to life, snagging 76 stops, 3 INTs, and 17 PDs. That resulted in a CB13 finish and could be repeatable in a CB-tackle friendly scheme in New Orleans. He’s a solid starting option, and the aura bonus alone is worth rostering.
Tarheeb Still is a hybrid boundry/slot corner for the Chargers. While he wasn’t quite a full-time player last year, he should play near 100% of the snaps and be a bit more consistent without any injury issues. He should exceed 50 tackles again and hopefully his 2-4 INTs like his rookie season. While not a weekly starter, he’s a quality option if there is a pass-heavy game script for his opponent.
S: Budda Baker 15 PPG, Isaiah Pola-Mao 12 PPG
Budda Baker just keeps chugging along as a tackle eater for the Arizona Cardinals. On a defense that seems to be terrible annually, it’s Budda who has endured and now is entering his 10th year in the league! How time flies. Baker holds value by his 120+ tackle seasons as he doesn’t provide big plays. With DC Nick Rallis retained, it’s a safe bet he’ll be utilized in a similar box-heavy role again.
Isaiah Pola-Mao is the deep safety for the Las Vegas Raiders. He snagged the starting role back in 2024 and has provided some 80-90 tackle seasons with 2-3 big plays on top. The UDFA USC grad is the nephew of Troy Polamalu, who has certainly helped get his game to this level. As his opportunity stands, he’s likely a bye-week filler, but perhaps Rob Leonard’s new scheme can bump up the PPG.
Off: Los Angeles Chargers 11 PPG
PPG: 329
W-L: 10-7
X-Factor: The ceiling of the back-end offensive guys.
Josh went to work to revitalize the roster by signing Saquon Barkley and Cam Skattebo. Defensively, it’s led by stars at every phase, but the Sweet Baby Rando 11 lacks depth. A division battle is certainly in store, and with Bijan leading the squad, the Chargers should factor in the AFC West race again.
