The NFL Season is 100 days away! Yahoo analyst Joel Smyth shares 10 things to get excited about for fantasy football before the 2026 NFL season.
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Ashton Jeanty on a new and improved Raiders
In 2025, rookie Ashton Jeanty had the second-lowest yards before contact on average, largely due to the offensive line. Injuries didn’t help, with star left tackle Kolton Miller out for the majority of the season and Jackson Powers-Johnson on IR. Not only will Las Vegas have both return healthy in 2026, but the Raiders added All-Pro center Tyler Linderbaum, a dominant force in the run game, as well as multiple guards via free agency and the NFL Draft. There was no room to run for the explosive rookie, but help has arrived.
Justin Jefferson with a new QB
Justin Jefferson doesn’t need Tom Brady at quarterback; he just needs serviceable. Carson Wentz is not the ideal option for your star fantasy WR, and yet, Jefferson averaged 95 receiving YPG in his five starts, which would have ranked third among wideouts. Kyler Murray may not be everyone’s favorite, but he is no doubt an upgrade from Jefferson’s 2025 QB play as a proven option for fantasy weapons. DeAndre Hopkins is the best receiver Murray has had in his career, with the former Cardinals QB helping him finish as the WR10 over their three seasons together.
New age of tight ends
From 2019-2023, the tight end position was dominated by three stars: Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Mark Andrews. We’ve seen them begin to fade over the last couple of seasons, but we’ve also begun to see the rise of the next wave. This season, we should see the future stars at the tight end position fully take over and start a new era. Of the first eight tight ends in the early 2026 ADP, the oldest is 26 years old! Trey McBride, Brock Bowers, Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, Harold Fannin Jr., Tucker Kraft, Kyle Pitts and Sam LaPorta are all under 27 years old and ready to fight it out to finish as a top-three fantasy TE.
DeVonta Smith resurgence
With A.J. Brown traded to New England, WR1 DeVonta Smith’s time is finally here. He has the capability but hasn’t always had the full opportunity in a run-first offense. Last season, when A.J. Brown was off the field, Smith was targeted on 29% of his routes versus less than 21% with Brown on. Smith had 75+ receiving yards in all three games without Brown since he was traded to Philly, with 9+ targets in all of them. Makai Lemon was added, but Smith gets his best shot of finishing as a WR1 in PPG for the first time in his career.
A healthy Jonathon Brooks?
After coming back from an ACL tear he suffered in college, Panthers RB and 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks re-tore his right ACL in Week 14 of 2024. After missing the entire 2025 season, Brooks looks ready to go for this season with a real opportunity at making an impact. With Rico Dowdle gone in free agency and Chuba Hubbard coming off a career-worst season, Carolina chose to only sign free agent A.J. Dillon as its projected RB4. The Panthers are a surprisingly valuable fantasy RB spot with Dave Canales calling plays the last two seasons, giving Brooks a shot at making a major impact as a late-round pick.
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Week 17 championship matchups ranks
You can play great for 16 weeks, but if you don’t succeed in Week 17, none of it matters. Here are the top-five games for fantasy football championship weekend to get excited about.
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Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals on TNF
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Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
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Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers on SNF
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Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers
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Denver Broncos at New England Patriots
Cam Ward’s second shot
The No. 1 overall pick from a year ago, Cam Ward entered an impossible situation in 2025. No weapons to work with, the head coach fired mid-season and the hardest fantasy QB schedule in the NFL. Sometimes we need to wipe the slate clean and start over. It’s worked recently for first overall picks with similar history, as the last three to score under 12 PPG all rebounded the following season. Trevor Lawrence and Jared Goff went from outside the top-25 to the QB11, and Bryce Young improved by five PPG. With a strong final month, a new, promising coaching staff and Carnell Tate in the building, it should be fun to see Ward have a true shot to show why he was the first selection out of Miami in 2025.
Late round rushing QBs available
Every year, the best fantasy pick you can make is a late-round rushing QB. The issue is, they come few and far between. Last season it was Drake Maye (and waiver-wire addition Jaxson Dart), and the year prior was Jayden Daniels. This season, we have options. Kyler Murray, a six-time QB1, is going at QB17 while the most run-heavy QB in 2025 when starting, Malik Willis, is being taken at QB21. You can grab Dart at QB12 or Bo Nix at QB14 as well. The hit rate on rushing quarterbacks and the upside in the later rounds makes it a best bet, as they don’t even have to be a good NFL QB necessarily to succeed in fantasy football.
DJ Moore domino effect
DJ Moore heading to Buffalo not only revives his chances of being fantasy relevant, but boost the Bears young trio in the process. The former fantasy WR1 reunites with Joe Brady, who gave his star receiver the sixth-highest target share in the NFL while the two were in Carolina. The competition is minimal with a top quarterback who provided Stefon Diggs with 100+ receptions, 8+ touchdowns and 13+ fantasy PPG in all four seasons in Buffalo. Meanwhile, his vacated targets and role give Bears receivers Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland a valuable bump. Moore led the team with 13 end zone targets in 2025 and in routes from the slot. The Chicago offense can support multiple weapons, and with Moore out of the way, the talented young receivers can thrive.
Justin Herbert with pass protection
Last year was an impressive — but not easy — season for Justin Herbert. He dealt with the worst pass protection in football after losing both of his starting offensive tackles (and for part of the time, their backups along with it). His two starting OTs are elite, ranking top-10 in pressure rate, but without them, Los Angeles put Herbert under pressure more than any QB. In his four games with LT Joe Alt, Herbert scored 21.7 PPG compared to 16.7 the rest of the season. With a completely replaced interior and a dominant tackle duo back healthy, Herbert could find himself in the exact opposite situation in 2026.