Note: Check back throughout the NFL offseason as we\u2019ll update this page with all the latest player movements worthy of mention for fantasy football 2026.<\/p>\n
Kenneth Walker signs with the Kansas City Chiefs<\/p>\n
Walker entered Monday as the consensus RB16 in FantasyPros ADP, but he\u2019s moved to my RB10 after signing with the Chiefs. Kansas City is an ideal landing spot with little to no competition for touches, although the Chiefs will likely add a passing-down back. Walker should immediately become a focal point of an offense with Rashee Rice\u2019s status in question and Patrick Mahomes returning from a torn ACL. The Super Bowl MVP has led all RBs in missed tackles forced per carry<\/a> each of the past two seasons, while Kansas City ranked last in the category last year.<\/p>\n The Chiefs don\u2019t boast a great offensive line, but their system (and having Mahomes with no RB threat) resulted in Kansas City\u2019s running backs facing the fourth-fewest stacked boxes<\/a> last season. The Seahawks faced the fourth most, so the explosive Walker should see more running room. Walker has durability and pass-protection concerns, but there\u2019s undeniable fantasy upside as the Chiefs\u2019 new lead back. Double-digit touchdowns are well within reach.<\/p>\n Walker now becomes a top-10 back and a second-round fantasy pick. He gets a slight edge over aging RBs Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, although reasonable minds may disagree. Of course, this preliminary rank could move either way pending additional moves throughout the offseason (like where Jeremiyah Love gets drafted). \u2014 Dalton Del Don<\/p>\n There are mixed feelings about the K9 signing from fellow The Athletic fantasy football writers Michael Salfino and Andy Behrens, who offer their two cents below:<\/p>\n Maybe one of the top-five horrible contracts in free-agent history. Walker is a one-dimensional back who will get Patrick Mahomes killed. Mahomes will be compromised as it is. The Chiefs should have signed Travis Etienne or just traded for Breece Hall. \u2014 Michael Salfino<\/p>\n Walker is, of course, a terrific real-life addition to Kansas City\u2019s offense, and his signing should be viewed as an acknowledgment of the limits of running back fungibility. Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco were a scandalously poor committee over the past two seasons. Walker represents an enormous upgrade. He\u2019s a verifiable difference-maker, an easy top-12 fantasy back.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s not pretend Walker is joining the 2019 Chiefs, however. KC ranked only 21st in scoring offense last year and 15th each of the prior two seasons. Remaining in Seattle probably would have been the best result for Walker\u2019s 2026 fantasy value. But hey, change is fun. \u2014 Andy Behrens<\/p>\n Michael Pittman traded to Pittsburgh<\/p>\n The Colts signed Alec Pierce to a new contract and shipped Pittman to the Steelers in a deal that included a swap of late draft picks. Pittman quickly signed a contract extension with Pittsburgh, where he\u2019ll now play outdoors and fight DK Metcalf for targets. The Steelers had a slightly higher pass rate (61%) than the Colts (60%) last season, but efficiency will suffer outside of Shane Steichen\u2019s system.<\/p>\n Metcalf is an alpha in the red zone and led all Steelers pass catchers with a mere 99 targets last season, so Pittman figures to take a hit in volume. Quarterback remains an unknown in Pittsburgh, although Aaron Rodgers remains the favorite with Mike McCarthy now the coach. The departure of OC Arthur Smith could help WR stats in Pittsburgh, but this move is lateral at best for Pittman\u2019s fantasy value. His consensus rank was the WR41 before the trade and is unlikely to move much after.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Pierce gets a bump after re-signing in Steichen\u2019s system and with Pittman departing.<\/p>\n Mike Evans signs in San Francisco<\/p>\n Evans opened his career with 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons, but injuries ruined his 2025 campaign. He\u2019s clearly on the career downside at 32 years old, but Evans landed in a great spot for a big bounce back in 2026. Kyle Shanahan doesn\u2019t force-feed his WR1, but targets are wide open in San Francisco. Brandon Aiyuk is assuredly gone, while Jauan Jennings is also likely to sign elsewhere. George Kittle underwent surgery on his Achilles\u2019 tendon in January, and Ricky Pearsall has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his brief career. Christian McCaffrey is another year older and coming off 450 touches, so Evans could easily become a huge part of a highly efficient 49ers\u2019 offense.<\/p>\n Evans performed well<\/a> while on the field last season, and he perfectly fits San Francisco\u2019s needs as Shanahan\u2019s X receiver. He averaged 11.4 touchdowns over his previous five seasons before last year\u2019s injuries, and the most serious one (broken collarbone, concussion) was more of a fluke. Evans was the WR26 in consensus ranks and the WR34 in Best Ball drafts before joining San Francisco, but he\u2019s now my WR19. I\u2019m much more likely to move him higher than lower throughout the summer.<\/p>\n Isaiah Likely signs with the Giants<\/p>\n Likely should be in line for a big role increase in New York, where he\u2019ll no longer have to fight Mark Andrews for targets. Likely has averaged 10.7 fantasy points (0.5 PPR) during games without Andrews throughout his career, which would\u2019ve ranked as the TE5 last season. With Wan\u2019Dale Robinson gone, targets are wide open in New York outside of Malik Nabers, whose early-season status remains in question. That said, Nabers is the biggest target hog in NFL history when on the field, and Jaxson Dart limits the upside of New York\u2019s pass catchers, given all the scrambling. Moreover, Theo Johnson has flashed and will retain a role.<\/p>\n Still, Likely has become the third-highest-paid tight end per year,<\/a> so he\u2019ll get targets. He was TE21 in consensus ranks before news of the signing, but Likely is now a borderline TE1 after following John Harbaugh to New York.<\/p>\n Malik Willis lands with the Miami Dolphins<\/p>\n Willis has been extremely efficient during his limited action, and his rushing ability juices his fantasy upside. He led the NFL in yards per attempt and expected points added per dropback<\/a> over the past two seasons, when Green Bay was more successful with him on the field than off<\/a>. Willis has averaged by far the most fantasy points per dropback<\/a> among all active quarterbacks during his brief career, highlighting the importance of running QBs in fantasy.<\/p>\n He has looked the part (including on throws downfield) during his brief action, but there\u2019s risk that Willis is this year\u2019s Justin Fields (who was also paid). Willis\u2019 impressive passing stats in Green Bay came during just 117 dropbacks and were likely aided by Matt LaFleur\u2019s system. He\u2019s never attempted more than 23 passes in a game, and Kurt Warner counted only 28 \u201creal dropbacks<\/a>\u201d over the past two years. Willis will also be in a far less favorable situation in Miami (and his addition is bad news for Jaylen Waddle, as pass rates have plummeted<\/a> when Willis starts). We\u2019ve recently seen players with this profile (Anthony Richardson and Fields) fail miserably.<\/p>\n That said, Willis has clearly been going too low (QB22) in early Best Ball drafts, and his ADP is about to spike. There\u2019s obvious risk of injury and benching (although the contract and familiar coaching staff should afford Willis a long leash), but he\u2019ll be ranked as a weekly starter thanks to the rushing. The volatility makes Willis a riskier pick in Superflex leagues, but he\u2019s up to QB12 on my board<\/a>. \u2014 Dalton Del Don<\/p>\n Travis Etienne joins the New Orleans Saints<\/p>\n Etienne took control of Jacksonville\u2019s backfield last season and never let go, finishing as fantasy\u2019s RB13 in points per game. He averaged more than Saquon Barkley, Omarion Hampton and Ashton Jeanty, who all had significantly higher ADPs. Etienne has been productive in three of his four seasons outside of an injury-riddled 2024, and he\u2019ll now act as New Orleans\u2019 lead back.<\/p>\n Etienne could miss Liam Coen\u2019s system, but he\u2019ll join a Kellen Moore offense that quietly ranked first in pace last season<\/a>. However, Alvin Kamara\u2019s contract was recently restructured, so he\u2019ll be a threat to steal touches. Etienne was the consensus RB19 in ranks entering Monday, as fantasy managers expected he\u2019d act as the lead back wherever signed. He\u2019ll likely settle in the RB15-20 range after joining the Saints, which doesn\u2019t move the ADP needle much.<\/p>\n Etienne\u2019s departure is fantastic news for Bhayshul Tuten, who could rival, if not surpass, Etienne\u2019s fantasy value should Tuten get a full workload in Jacksonville. \u2014 Dalton Del Don<\/p>\n DJ Moore dealt to the Buffalo Bills<\/p>\n DJ Moore was an afterthought in the Chicago Bears\u2019 offense in 2025, recording 50 catches for 682 yards \u2014 career lows in both categories. Josh Allen hasn\u2019t had a star to throw to in a while. With Moore headed to the Buffalo Bills<\/a>, fantasy managers have a lot to celebrate. Allen and Moore both get upgrades, while Bears youngsters Luther Burden, Colston Loveland and Rome Odunze get room to work.<\/p>\n Allen has a No. 1 wideout for the first time since Stefon Diggs left after the 2023 season. Say what you will about Khalil Shakir and the rest, but the Bills tried to let Allen\u2019s talent boost the value of his wideouts, similar to how the Patriots operated with Tom Brady under center. That strategy doesn\u2019t always work, and while DJ Moore has been inconsistent, his 2023 season (96 receptions, 1,364 receiving yards and nine TDs) illustrates his upside \u2014 especially now that he has Allen throwing to him. Moore won\u2019t be drafted as a WR1 (top-12 wide receiver), but finishing with a 2023-like top-10 finish is well within reason. Shakir will remain a WR3\/4 behind Moore and Dalton Kincaid, a volatile, touchdown-reliant, fringe TE1, as the Bills refuse to stop using Dawson Knox or two-tight end sets.<\/p>\n DJ Moore turns 29 in April and is due $24.5 million in cash in each of the next four years. His money for this year is almost all fully guaranteed, and $15.5 million for 2027 vests next week. So it\u2019s essentially a two-year deal with team options for 2028 and 2029 for Buffalo. https:\/\/t.co\/Vg6vB1Nodr<\/a><\/p>\n