ESPN Fantasy StaffMultiple AuthorsMar 10, 2026, 04:15 PM ET
March 9: Chiefs adding Super Bowl MVP Walker to backfield
March 9: Wan’Dale Robinson joining Titans on four-year deal
March 5: Bears trade veteran wideout Moore to Bills
March 9: Travis Kelce stays in Kansas City for one more season
The fantasy football offseason is heating up with NFL free agency upon us and the potential for big-time trades at any time. This column is designed to be a one-stop shop for quick-hitting analysis of the most impactful player movement.
ESPN Fantasy writers Matt Bowen, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Eric Karabell, Liz Loza and Eric Moody offer their insights into what each move means for a player’s fantasy value in 2026, and Mike Clay supplies his projections for each player. (All projections are for 17 games unless otherwise noted)
Karabell: The Kansas City Chiefs, coming off a disappointing 6-11 season and needing running back help, plan to sign Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III during free agency. That might solve the problem, as Walker is coming off the second 1,000-yard rushing season of his four-year career. He was a productive player with the Seattle Seahawks, averaging 4.4 yards per carry and scoring 31 touchdowns, but he never approached 250 rushing attempts (or 300 touches) in a season.
Karabell: Etienne, 27, finished the 2025 season as fantasy’s No. 10 PPR RB, as much of his volume from his outstanding 2023 returned. Like many Jaguars, Etienne was not effective in 2024, scoring only two touchdowns among 189 touches. He scored 13 touchdowns on his 296 touches last season, though it might be asking a lot for him to see similar volume in New Orleans with franchise stalwart Alvin Kamara remaining on the team.
Montgomery should return to 200-plus touches in Houston — perhaps pushing promising Woody Marks aside a bit — but there might be a receiving-minded running back to be named later helping him out, too. Sans veteran Joe Mixon (foot) for the entire season, no Texans running back reached even the low bar of 25 receptions, with the entire crew combining to catch only 54 passes. Montgomery caught 54 passes for the 2020 Chicago Bears, but he averaged only 25 receptions per his three Lions campaigns.
The Texans might not be done adding to their backfield, searching for a third-down option. Marks delivered six double-digit PPR efforts (though he did not rush for 75 yards in any game) during his rookie season despite little pass-catching relevance, so adding Montgomery to the crew is bad news for him. Then again, Marks had his chance; he scored two rushing touchdowns all season. Montgomery has scored multiple rushing touchdowns nine times.
Clay’s projection: 199 carries, 863 yards, six touchdowns rushing, 31 receptions, 241 yards and one touchdown receiving
Karabell: Michael Pittman Jr., 28, finished last season as fantasy’s No. 18 PPR WR, though much of his production occurred in the first half of the season when he caught six touchdown passes. Pittman scored only once in the final nine games, his production stymied even before starting QB Daniel Jones (Achilles) was injured and replaced by Philip Rivers. Fantasy managers were not pleased.
Bowen: With ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting that the Chicago Bears are trading wide receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills — which will become official at the start of the league year — let’s discuss the fantasy implications for both clubs.
Moore will be a three-level route runner under Brady, too. He’ll be pressing defenses vertically and running the in-breakers, in addition to the screens and unders that cater to his explosive run-after-catch ability. When paired with Allen, Moore should be viewed as a WR2 who can produce breakout weeks.
Burden’s role will elevate in 2026, as he joins wide receiver Rome Odunze and tight end Colston Loveland as the top targets for quarterback Caleb Williams. We could see any of these three players taking the lead week-to-week depending on the game plan and/or opponent. But as we sit here now in March, Loveland will be in my TE1 ranks, and I’ll pencil in Odunze as a midtier WR2 and Burden as an upside WR3 who has the ability to post some WR1 weeks.
The Dolphins last won a playoff game during the 2000 season, but adding Willis to an offense led by magnificent RB De’Von Achane and solid WR Jaylen Waddle is a good start to energizing the offense (remember, WR Tyreek Hill is no longer on the team). Willis instantly becomes a fantasy sleeper, not someone we can call a safe top-10 option because, let’s face it, quarterback is deep with proven veterans, and some of them add value with their legs. But Willis might become a reliable option soon.
Clay’s projection: 334-for-522 passing, 3,596 yds, 17 TD, 11 INT; 105 carries, 545 yards, 5 TD rushing
Bowen: Dowdle, who agreed to a two-year deal with the Steelers on Monday evening, brings a decisive north/south running style to Mike McCarthy’s club. Straight-line juice here. In 2025, Dowdle had three breakout games with the Panthers — scoring 26 or more fantasy points — and he finished the season with 39 receptions. Dowdle joins Jaylen Warren in an anticipated split-backfield approach, which keeps both players near the RB2/Flex line. However, if Dowdle can emerge as the early down/goal-line runner, he would carry more value on a week-to-week basis.
Kamara (knee) missed the final six games of 2025, and he wasn’t thriving statistically to start with as the team introduced rookie QB Tyler Shough. However, we cannot ignore that Kamara, 30, is one of the top pass-catching running backs of the era, and he caught 68 passes two seasons ago. Etienne has been an effective receiver, scoring six of his touchdowns through the air last season, but this could easily be a frustrating timeshare. Kamara’s fantasy value takes a bigger hit here, as we should not expect nearly as many rushing attempts, but it is also likely that Etienne lacks the volume to perform as a fantasy top-10 running back after doing so two of the past three seasons.
Karabell: Allgeier, 25, rushed for more than 1,000 yards during his rookie season with the Falcons … and then the franchise drafted Bijan Robinson. Let’s just say there is no Bijan Robinson in Arizona. Allgeier, a bruiser at 225 pounds who can run between the tackles, remained a productive player with his lesser volume over the past three seasons, including 2025 when he rushed for eight touchdowns, and now the volume should rise. The Cardinals brought back veteran James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) is still here, but Allgeier is younger, more durable and he certainly could become an RB2 option for fantasy. All he really needs is more volume, and depending on Conner’s health, he might get it.
Karabell: Gainwell, 26, was a surprise fantasy contributor during the 2025 season, as he led all Steelers flex-eligible players with 221.3 PPR points, finishing No. 16 among RBs in scoring. That was certainly not expected, as Gainwell, after years of reserve work with the Eagles, surpassed 1,000 scrimmage yards and scored eight touchdowns. The good news, for him, is he earns his biggest contract. But Tampa Bay already has a star RB in Bucky Irving, so it might be difficult to expect another 187 touches from Gainwell.
After all, Gainwell caught 73 passes in his lone Steelers season! That seems unlikely to continue with the Buccaneers, as the team might opt for a typical timeshare, with Irving handling a high majority of rushing attempts. Regardless, this signing doesn’t appear to aid Gainwell’s fantasy value, and Irving, nearly a RB1 option during his rookie season, should see his volume compromised as well. Although we could see each of these Buccaneers RBs earn RB2 status in 2026, it might be frustrating for fantasy managers looking for upside.
Karabell: David Montgomery, 28, thrived in his first two seasons in Detroit in a timeshare with star Jahmyr Gibbs, scoring 25 rushing touchdowns, but his role and volume decreased in Year 3, especially over the final eight weeks. The Lions decided to move on, clearing Gibbs for more volume and production, and certainly one now can make the case for him as the first running back — and perhaps player at any position — off the PPR draft board for 2026. After all, Gibbs was already a top-three PPR RB the past two seasons. More touches would be exciting for all.
Cockcroft: Fantasy managers will rejoice at the idea of Doubs, who never saw greater than an 18.4% target share in his first four NFL seasons, getting out of Green Bay — but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee him No. 1 receiver status in his new digs. It’s a fair guess that he’ll settle as that, and QB Drake Maye’s sophomore-year progression heightens the amount of upside for Doubs, whose 8.4 yards per target average last season ranked 16th. Assuming the offseason dust settles in his favor, Doubs could sneak into the top-20/WR2 class for fantasy, though he’s wiser selected among the WR3 group.
Karabell: Mike Evans, 32, comes off the worst season of his Hall of Fame career, the first in 12 years that he failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards. Evans missed nine games with hamstring/collarbone injuries. Then again, in 2024, he caught more than 70 passes for the ninth time, despite missing three games, and he scored 11 touchdowns. The 49ers get a motivated player who can still produce when healthy, and there is excellent opportunity for volume and touchdowns with QB Brock Purdy and a mostly underwhelming crew of wide receivers. Evans should return to 1,000 receiving yards and perhaps double-digit touchdowns, making him a likely WR2 option who, because of his age, will not be evaluated as such in most drafts.
Bowen: It’s a four-year deal for Robinson to reunite with former Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who now takes over as the offensive play caller in Tennessee. A dynamic mover in the slot, Robinson (13.6 PPG) caught 92 passes last season with the Giants, while also displaying more vertical production. The second-year development of Titans quarterback Cam Ward is critical to Robinson’s numbers in ’26, and we need to see if the team adds more receivers or moves on from veteran Calvin Ridley. Robinson, for now, should be viewed as a reliable target for Ward, putting him in the lower-tier WR3 mix.