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- 7 Sneaky Winners From Free Agency
Most of the NFL Free Agency discussion centers on the players who swap teams, but in some cases the most interesting names are the ones who stay put.
Here are a handful winners who didn’t change area codes …
Bhayshul Tuten—The Jags let Travis Etienne walk to New Orleans and signed Chris Rodriguez Jr. yesterday, but Tuten—the athletic, second-year back—should still be the favorite to lead the Jags RBs in fantasy points in 2026. Most of our team has him ranked as a low-end RB2 right now.
Josh Downs—Alec Pierce has been stealing all of the headlines with his fat new contract, but Michael Pittman Jr.’s departure is very bullish for Downs. Downs is a talented player who traditionally only plays in 3-WR sets, but that should change in 2026.
Gunnar Helm—Chig Okonkwo signed a three-year deal with the Commanders yesterday, which leaves Helm as the TE1 in Tennessee. I like buying into the Titans’ youth movement with all of the Year 2 guys who go late in current Underdog drafts (Cam Ward - 144.5, Chimere Dike - 174.8, Helm - 199.6 and Elic Ayomanor - 202.5).
Honorable mentions:
J.K. Dobbins—The Broncos were rumored to add a back, but are standing pat with Dobbins and RJ Harvey.
Emeka Egbuka—With no Evans, the Bucs will need Egbuka to recapture the magic he possessed at the start of 2025.
Christian Watson—Unquestioned WR1 in Green Bay with Romeo Doubs gone.
Future Seahawks RB—Kenneth Walker in KC and Zach Charbonnet coming off ACL … someone will have to tote the rock for the champs.
🍋 🏈 Go Hard or Go Home!
With NFL Free Agency running hot, we know what you’d like for your favorite team to do—it’s time to GO HARD. The stakes haven’t been higher for the players who are about to change teams. Whether you’re glued to your phone for updates or watching from your couch, Mike’s Hard Lemonade is right there with you. Cold. Hard. Refreshing. GO HARD. Grab a Mike’s. Nobody Makes Lemonade Like Mike.
Mike’s is hard. So is prison. Don’t drive drunk.® Premium Malt Beverage with Flavors. All registered trademarks used under license by Mike's Hard Lemonade Co., Chicago, IL
Fantasy
Editors’ Picks
Having trouble keeping up with all the free agency movement while looking ahead to the NFL Draft? This great content will help you out …
 | Brandon Aiyuk is about to hit the open market. Adam Pfeifer examines potential destinations, including reuniting with a college teammate. |
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 | After pivoting off Maxx Crosby to Trey Hendrickson, the Ravens still have work to do in the draft. Kody Malstrom drops some draft options for Baltimore. |
NFL Draft
Profiling Every Fantasy-Relevant Rookie WR
Have you ever wondered how NFL Draft prospects stack up across multiple factors—draft pick, collegiate production and film? Yeah, us too.
That's why Dwain McFarland built the Rookie Super Model. And it has a strong track record compared to NFL Draft pick alone. Using well-researched inputs that matter for WR prospects, we rate and tier the top 2026 WRs, with player comps and historical fantasy hit rates included.
Analysis here focuses on the bottom line, but full write-ups are linked throughout and accessible via the Fantasy Life NFL Draft Guide under the Analysis tab. As we get updated mock draft and actual draft pick data, we will update the Rookie Super Model.
Speaking of the bottom line … one wide receiver’s takeaway stuck out more than the others …
“XXX late breakout dampens his production rating. But he could develop into a solid target earner in the NFL, and if he has untapped field-stretching upside, he could turn into a quality fantasy option. The Rookie Super Model views XXX as a Day 3 pick, and he is an interesting WR5 prospect for fantasy football. XXX is a sleeper. I like him more than the model.”
Who is Dwain’s rookie WR sleeper that he likes more than his model? He might be a good dynasty target in rookie drafts …
NFL Draft
NFL Mock Draft: Commanding Love
Is it wrong to want to spread some Love to various NFL cities? Jeremiyah Love, that is. The dynamic RB could be such a game-changer for so many franchises, he’s been mocked pretty much everywhere that’s not Las Vegas—sorry, Sin City, we know what you’re doing up top at 1.01.
With NFL Free Agency revealing most teams’ needs when pointing toward the draft, Matthew Freedman and Ian Hartitz took turns on a livestream to conduct a mock draft. We thought it’d be a good idea to take excerpts on all the picks and drop it here. ⤵️
Fantasy
Around the Watercooler
The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.
🏠️ Speaking of staying home … Aaron Jones revised his contract.
🤯 There’s no contract for Alec Pierce without Daniel Jones. And vice versa.
👀 J.K. Dobbins is better than Travis Etienne. Look at the numbers.
💪 Is Rashid Shaheed more valuable than Alec Pierce? Very possible.
😡 Picking up the pieces from the Ravens DE saga. Maxx out, Trey in.
🤮 An all-time bad contract. The Niners finally plan to move on from Aiyuk.
🤝 Let’s get this over with … we all know it’s going to happen.
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