Coach: DeMeco Ryans 6 PPG
QB: Matthew Stafford 30 PPG (Jaxson Dart 28 PPG)
After barely being a fantasy factor for three straight seasons, Matthew Stafford came alive for an MVP campaign. He finished as our #1 overall player to boot, with a 33 PPG output, perhaps becoming the most surprising #1 finisher in our scoring ever. Despite just 1 total rushing yard! Stafford finished first in both categories where it matters for our purposes: passing yards per game (276) and passing TDs (2.71). (both by a country mile too) His 46 TDs to 8 INT was incredible as well. It’s hard to project him to repeat these numbers, which are the best of his 18-year career. I think there will be some regression, but he feels like a trustworthy QB1 so long as he’s healthy.
RB/WR/TE: Christian McCaffrey 32 PPG, George Kittle 19 PPG, Kyle Pitts 17 PPG, Parker Washington 16 PPG, DJ Moore 16 PPG 6th men: Chimere Dike 13 PPG, Mark Andrews 13 PPG, Brenton Strange 13 PPG, KC Concepcion 12 PPG, Zachariah Branch 11 PPG, Jalen Coker 11 PPG
30-years-old and still chugging along, Christian McCaffrey is still the favorite to finish as the #1 overall player in our scoring. Despite the constant reduced-workload talk, he still finished 2nd in snap percentage among RBs at 84.16% (Jonathan Taylor is first). CMC has ranked 2nd in carries per game (18.29), 11th in rushing yards per game (70.71), 1st in receiving yards per game (54.35), and 3rd in total TDs per game (1.00). He was still slaying in evaded tackles, finishing 6th among RBs with 4.76 per game.
It was a year of brutality for stud muffin delux (in more ways than one) George Kittle. He endured a hamstring strain in week 1, effectively knocking him out for 6 weeks, and then tore his Achilles in the wild-card round of the playoffs. It feels like his body just needs a rest. He is questionable to start the year, and it’s possible he begins the season on the PUP list. He’s one of those guys tho that feels like he’ll beat traditional recovery timelines, but at 32 years old, it may be best to play it safe and fight to be 100% for the big games come November/December. Kittle is still at the pinnacle of the position, an ideal blend of blocker and receiver that disguises what the offense can do on any given play. He finished top 5 in receptions, receiving yards, and total TDs per game among tight ends, and he’ll likely do it again once healthy. He’s locked and loaded for a top 32 season in PPG for a team that just needs to fooking stay on the field.
Back when Kyle Pitts came into the NFL at the young age of 20, many expressed patience in his development. Through injury and ineffectiveness, many (including myself) have expressed skepticism that he could ever reach the heights put before him as the 4th overall pick in 2021. Finally, through a pedestrian 3 years after an encouraging rookie season, Kyle Pitts returned to the top 32 RB/WR/TEs. It wasn’t without its faults, including a month of scoring 12 points or fewer; he’s back in the saddle as a startable asset. Pitts went nuclear to finish off the season, dropping 4 straight games of 23 points or more, including a 60-point Week 15 that will go down in fantasy playoff history. There is hope progression can continue, especially in the consistency department. Without that 60-point game, we’re likely having a different conversation about him as a back-end starter, but instead he’s in the long-term plans for the Falcons and for fantasy managers alike.
I struggle to find a good projection for Parker Washington, but fuck, it’s hard not to come away from his 2025 impressed. Dealing with ample target competition and players in front of him with elite draft capital, the 2023 6th-round pick has proven himself to be a reliable PPR option. The drumbeat has culminated in most places predicting a 100+ target season with him leading this receiving core in fantasy production. To make matters better, he’s expected to be the Jags punt returner again, which you know is $$$ for our league, which rewards .5 for a return (NOT a fair catch) and .05 for each return yard generated. With this volume in mind, he’s shaping up to be consistently startable. The team has many mouths to feed, so the ceiling is capped, but he’s locked in as a back-end starter.
After struggling for fantasy relevancy on 140 targets in 2024, DJ Moore went full busto with a pathetic 12 PPG in 2025. The Bears somehow got a 2nd round pick for him, as the Bills GM (who should be heavily scrutinized, Brandon Beane) feels that he has the capability to be a quality alpha receiver. I obviously have my doubts. Effort issues and talent limitations loom large on Moore, as do the past couple of seasons that have seen the Bills spread the ball around to their plethora of pass-catchers. That being said, they haven’t had a #1 receiver since Stefon Diggs since 2023, so target distribution will favor Moore, likely into the 120-130 range. That will put him back on the starting line, and hopefully with Josh Allen at QB, he can provide a starting-caliber season.
PK: Brandon Aubrey 12 PPG
PN: Tommy Townsend 11 PPG
DT: Zach Allen 16 PPG (Aaron Donald 12 PPG)
Zachy boy was incredible last season, but why the fuq was he not better for fantasy? His pressures not only led DTs but finished 2nd among the entire league! Unacceptable!!!! 50 pressures and 7 sacks is generationally bad. He was the DT10, but he should be infinitely better in 2026 so long as progression hits. He’ll be a top 5 DT with even a modest progression. Also of note was his tackle regression from 61 in ’24 to 38 in ’25. Really odd season, but the stats are screaming they’ll improve.
DE: Nick Bosa 20 PPG, Byron Young 18 PPG (Jonathon Cooper 14 PPG)
Nick Bosa was rearing to go last year, after back-to-back 30-point efforts. Then another ACL tear hit and his 2025 was ruined. The younger Bosa bro is still kicking, but like his older and longer-nosed relative, injuries have piled up. 2026 is the year to return to dominance. What should we expect from him moving forward as he begins to exit his prime? 2026 is the stage for that evaluation. For now, he’s a top 5 EDGE with 50-60 tackles and 14-15 sacks.
Bryon Young has floated on the outskirts of EDGE1s since he was selected in the 3rd round in 2023, but he took his game to another level last year. The 28-year-old posted stellar stats, finishing as the EDGE4 with 82 tackles, 12 sacks, and 1 FF on 40 pressures (7th among defenders). There is no reason to think he can’t be a force again, especially with an upgrade playing opposite him in Myles Garrett, who is taking even more attention away. Look for Young to absolutely feast in this rich IDP environment.
LB: Devin Lloyd 17 PPG, Terrel Bernard 15 PPG, Christian Harris 15 PPG, Pete Werner 13 PPG (Christian Elliss 12 PPG)
It was a season of highs and lows for Devin Lloyd, but overall it turned into what the NFL thought was his best. Despite missing close to three games due to a calf injury, Lloyd posted a low-end startable season, averaging 15 PPG. Despite his below-average tackle efficiency, he made up for it with 5 INTs, 1 sack, and a TD. Named as a 2nd Team All-Pro, he utilized that recognition to snag a long-term deal with the Panthers. He’s now tasked to lead the defense into a new phase of contention. I like Lloyd’s prospects much more outside of Jacksonville, as he will finally be receiving 100% of the snaps again (he was more of an 85% type player in 2025) and won’t be next to tackle eater extraordinaire Foyesade Oluokun. He’s a high-end LB2.
Terrell Bernard did not provide what is expected from a MIKE linebacker. 2025 was filled with tackle inefficiency, a lack of big plays, and injuries. That’s a perfect storm for an unstartable season, and it leads to major question marks about his long-term outlook. Thankfully, Bernard has a history of being better than this, is likely locked as a starter through 2029, and has a new scheme incoming to up his numbers. There’s hope it’ll get better this year, but for now, he’s on the starting borderline.
It’s looking like Christian Harris is the odds-on favorite to man the 2nd LBer spot for the Falcons. They employ two full-time backers, so in theory, this should be a fantasy-viable spot. The gentleman who occupied that role, Divine Deablo, was not great in 2025 and is tasked with green-dot responsibility this season. Harris, meanwhile, may need to just breathe properly to post better stats with the same usage. (Deablo posted a pathetic 12.4 PPG) If Harris plays 100% of the snaps, he’ll be in many IDP lineups.
For all the quirks the New Orleans defense has provided over the years, the LB2 position has been a frustrating position to rely on. Pete Werner has occupied that post for the better part of the decade, and we know he’s not someone we can trust to be a startable asset. Granted, bye-week stats are here, and he’s an elite handcuff, but he’s going to post around 80-90 tackles and 1-2 big plays.
CB: Marcus Jones 13 PPG, Alontae Taylor 12 PPG (Keisean Nixon 11 PPG, Nahshon Wright 11 PPG)
We all know the PR bump that Marcus Jones provides, allowing him to be a top 5 CB projection on an annual basis. Last year was another superb season, with 65 tackles, 3 INTs, 2 sacks, and 3(!) TDs. He is a slot corner delux that doesn’t play full-time snaps, but he doesn’t need to. He’s locked into another fun season for IDP purposes.
We saw Alontae Taylor have the ideal usage as a corner. Slot corner snaps in nickel and boundary corner snaps in base. Last year, he posted 83 tackles, 2 INTs, 2 sacks, and 11 PDs. Will he be back in the top 16 again? He’s now cashed in on a long-term deal with the Titans, and it’s TBD if he’ll be back to a similar usage. I think it’ll transcend scheme/team like it did with Paulson Adebo, but time will tell.
S: Caleb Downs 15 PPG, Julian Love 15 PPG (Nick Scott 12 PPG, Donovan Wilson 11 PPG, Elijah Moldon 11 PPG)
It was the best-case-scenario landing spot for Caleb Downs, who is going to play near the line of scrimmage as their slot corner. We don’t quite know his usage yet, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s an all-purpose safety in a similar fashion to Derwin James. While they are different players athletically, Downs can certainly impact the game in a similar cerebral fashion. At a 15 PPG projection, the expectation is he’ll be a top 16 safety from the jump.
Julian Love’s 2025 was a wash. He missed over two months due to a variety of ailments, but was still an integral piece of their Super Bowl run. Love should be a fine top 20 safety, but his upside is likely capped a bit due to Nick Emmanwori eating up many of the box snaps by the line of scrimmage. Still, we’ve seen years of tackle efficiency from Love, and so long as he’s healthy, he makes for a fine high-end S2.
Off: Dallas Cowboys 15 PPG
PPG: 343
X-Factor: CMC staying healthy and continuing to shore up the back-end of the team (really the defense).
W-L: 13-4
Describing Jason’s offseason is simple: organized chaos. Trade after trade of superstars and draft picks have resulted in another excellent shot at his 3rd Super Bowl and 5th(!) AFC championship. So long as his 49er superstars stay away from the substation, he should be ready to rock to be the top of the AFC standings again.
