Loving These OC & QB Pairings

Will they make beautiful music?

Valentine’s Day is over, but love is still in the air. Partly because my wife’s and my 20-year anniversary is coming up—Feb. 25, mark your calendars and celebrate with us!— and partly because I’m starting to get a little giddy about some of the new OC and QB pairings we’ll get to enjoy in 2026.

By my count, there have been 21 OC changes. That’s like [counts fingers] MOST of the teams.

And I’m rooting for all of these new player-coach relationships to work out. What can I say, I’m a romantic. But a few of these pairings have got me ‘shipping harder than Pacey and Joey in Dawson’s Creek. (RIP, James Van Der Beek.)

Hot New NFL Pairings for 2026

Mike McDaniel + Justin Herbert

In terms of pure awkwardness, it’s gonna be tough to beat this combo. It’s like if “I Love You, Man” featured press conferences. And sure, these two might give some of the most uncomfortable interviews you’ve ever seen, but boy can they make magic on the field.

McDaniel is a creative play caller who vastly improved Tua Tagovailoa’s numbers after arriving in Miami. Meanwhile, Justin Herbert tied for QB12 in PPG last year despite playing for coaches who eat/sleep/crap the run game and behind an offensive line that probably made the QB’s health insurance premiums skyrocket.

Merging Herbert’s toughness and big arm with McDaniel’s inventiveness is gonna be fun and hopefully quite fruitful for fantasy.

Eric Bieniemy + Patrick Mahomes

People can mock this reunion all they want, but I’m old enough to remember when Patrick Mahomes was an unstoppable fantasy juggernaut. That period just so happened to overlap with Bieniemy’s employment in Kansas City. 

In his five seasons with the Chiefs, Bieniemy’s offenses never ranked worse than fifth in passing yards and sixth in total points. Once Matt Nagy took over as OC, Mahomes started to look human and the offense went from John Wick to John Doe.

Underdog currently lists Mahomes as QB12 in ADP. It’s obviously early, but if that holds, this man will be an absolute steal in drafts. Heal quickly, Patrick.

Declan Doyle + Lamar Jackson

The Harbaugh era is over in Baltimore and I’ve gotta admit, I’m curious to see how far this OC falls from the Ben Johnson coaching tree.

Declan Doyle probably isn’t a name you’re familiar with, but in addition to sounding like a superhero’s alliterative alter ego, he was the offensive coordinator in Chicago last year.

Lamar Jackson with a more aggressive play caller?? This duo could feed generations of fantasy managers.

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Editors’ Picks

Ready for the NFL Scouting Combine? We’ve been running 40s, though “running” is kind. Here is some great content we don’t want you to miss …

Dynasty

Dynasty Stock Watch: Snap Up This QB ASAP

Reclamation projects have become the new thing at the QB position. Sam Darnold. Geno Smith. Baker Mayfield. It seems like annually there is at least one QB who had seemingly been relegated to clipboard status get an opportunity and run with it. Could Malik Willis be that guy after he resurrected his career with some fantastic performances in backup duty in Green Bay?

Sam Wallace advised that it may be time to trade for Willis sooner rather than later in Dynasty, because the price is going up as soon as he signs with a new team:

Regardless of where he ends up, he's going to be competing for a starting job and fantasy managers are starting to take notice. If you have Willis on your roster, I would hold him tight. If you don't, and can snag a potential Week 1 starter as your QB3 (fringe QB2 if you're truly desperate in a SF format) before the signing inevitably comes, that would be awesome.

There are other risers, and a pair of fallers, who need your attention in trade talks this offseason. Sam breaks them down here. ⤵️

Dynasty

Dynasty Notebook: How to Approach the Combine

The Underwear Olympics are taking the baton from the Winter Olympics this week, and we’re ready for people running, cutting and jumping after seeing athletes bundled up in the cold and snow. Yes, we’re talking about the start of the NFL Scouting Combine, which kicks off with workouts on Feb. 26. Get ready to freak out over large people running really fast.

That information can be helpful for the savvy Dynasty player, who can use rookie hype to their advantage in trade talks in the coming months. Jake Trowbridge mentioned just that in his Dynasty Notebook:

There is plenty of useful information to be gleaned from this event. Knowing exactly how fast these rookies can run and how high they can jump provides drafters with useful tiebreaking information when we’re staring two otherwise similar prospects in the face. When two guys have very comparable profiles and college production, sometimes a dazzling three-cone drill is all that separates them.

But the combine can very easily create cautionary tales about overdrafting players based on one single piece of information. Players who have otherwise flown under the radar can make a name for themselves and soar up draft boards. Sometimes it’s warranted. But occasionally it leads to trouble.

Jake doesn’t stop at combine talk. He also dives into free agency talk and has some advice on how to approach trades this time of year.⤵️

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Around the Watercooler

The latest fantasy and NFL gossip, news, memes and more from our merry band of football nerds …

💔 Our hearts go out to the family, friends and teammates of Rondale Moore, who passed away last night at age 25.

💪 Who are the QB prospects to watch beyond Fernando Mendoza? Keep an eye on Cole Payton at the combine.

🔮 How does the first round of a mock draft look today? Dwain has answers.

🤔 ICYMI: Which WR could go first out of a talented rookie class? Start spreading the news.

🤩 Which QB is bouncing back in 2026? Quite the star-studded list.

🤠 This Cowboy is coming back. Who’s next?

👨🏼‍🍳 Why did Frank Reich come out of “retirement” to return to the NFL pressure cooker in NY?

🥵 Remember this in the late rounds of your drafts in the summer. Lesson learned?

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