2026 NFL Free Agency is here! It’s an awesome time of year where NFL rumors are flying, and fantasy football values are changing. Let us help you follow along with all of the notable 2026 NFL Free Agency transactions, along with the resulting fantasy football impact.
Fantasy Football Impact | 2026 NFL Free Agency Moves
Here is how 2026 free agency moves have impacted the fantasy football landscape. And check out our NFL Free Agency Tracker for all of the latest atest free agent movement and contract details.
2026 NFL Free Agency Moves & Fantasy Impact
Colts Re-Sign Alec Pierce
Alec Pierce was one of the most coveted free-agent receivers on the market, and the Colts decided that they couldn’t let Pierce get away.
The Colts are re-signing Pierce to a four-year deal worth a reported $116 million, as first reported by the Pat McAfee Show. The deal reportedly includes a $16 million signing bonus and $84 million in guaranteed money.
A four-year veteran, Pierce is coming off his finest NFL season to date. He had 47 catches for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games. That came on the heels of an eye-opening 2024 season in which he had 37 catches for 824 yards and seven TDs.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Colts re-signing Alec Pierce 
Chiefs Sign Kenneth Walker III
Walker finished last season as the RB22 in half-PPR, but the ranking doesn’t tell the full story. Just ask anybody who drafted Walker…and then watched him go NUCLEAR in the real-life NFL playoffs.
His fantasy production was heavily impacted by the committee with Zach Charbonnet, which often limited his volume despite elite efficiency.
When Walker operated without Charbonnet in the lineup, the upside was obvious (final three postseason games and Week 3 of the 2025 season).
- 23.4 half-PPR fantasy points per game during the postseason
- 22.0 half-PPR points in a 2025 regular-season game without Charbonnet
Those performances offer a glimpse/upside-down case of what Walker can do when given feature usage.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Chiefs signing Kenneth Walker III
Dolphins Sign Malik Willis
The Miami Dolphins are landing the top quarterback in free agency, agreeing to a three-year, $67.5 million deal with Malik Willis, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
The Willis signing marks a changing of the guard at QB for the Dolphins, who announced the release of Tua Tagovailoa hours before reaching an agreement with Willis.
A third-round draft pick of the Titans in 2022, Willis struggled early in his career. He made three starts for Tennessee as a rookie, completing 50.8% of his throws, averaging a meager 4.5 yards per attempt, and throwing no TD passes and three interceptions.
Willis didn’t make any starts for 2023. In August 2024, the Titans traded Willis to the Packers for a seventh-round pick in 2025.
The change of scenery did wonders for Willis, who thrived as the backup to Jordan Love.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Dolphins signing Malik Willis
Giants Sign Isaiah Likely
TE Isaiah Likely is signing a three-year deal with the Giants, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. It’s reportedly a $40 million deal that could be worth up to $47.5 million.
Likely had some big games for the Ravens, but the presence of veteran TE Mark Andrews kept Likely from having a sustained fantasy impact.
Likely’s best season in Baltimore came in 2024, when he had 42 catches for 477 yards and six touchdowns. He had a memorable performance against the Chiefs in the NFL’s 2024 Thursday-night season opener, with nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. Likely nearly had a second TD catch in that game at the end of regulation, but his toe came down out of bounds in the end zone, as the Ravens lost 27-20.
Likely has never drawn more than 60 targets in a single season, but he’s likely to surpass that target total with the Giants in 2026 if he can stay healthy.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Giants signing Isaiah Likely
Saints Sign Travis Etienne Jr.
With Alvin Kamara turning 31 in July and coming off a season abbreviated by injury, the Saints are bolstering their backfield with the signing of Etienne, who had 1,399 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns for Jacksonville last year.
Etienne has topped 1,000 rushing yards in three of his four NFL seasons. After a down year in 2024, when he had only 558 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Doug Pederson’s final year as the Jaguars’ head coach, Etienne had a strong rebound year in 2025. He had 260-1,107-7 rushing and 36-292-6 receiving in Liam Coen’s first season as Jacksonville’s head coach and playcaller. Etienne finished RB10 in PPR fantasy scoring last season and RB14 in PPR points per game.
Coen has a reputation for being a rainmaker for running backs, with Bucky Irving having a big season for the Buccaneers in 2024, when Coen was the offensive coordinator in Tampa, and Etienne thriving in 2025.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Saints signing Travis Etienne Jr.
Patriots Sign Romeo Doubs
The New England Patriots have added a new weapon to their receiving corps, signing wide receiver Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $80 million deal, according to reports.
Doubs arrives in New England after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers, where he quietly developed into one of the more reliable contributors in the team’s wide receiver rotation.
The former fourth-round pick out of Nevada totaled 202 receptions and 21 touchdowns during his time in Green Bay, establishing himself as a dependable target — particularly in the red zone and on the outside.
From a fantasy football perspective, the signing offers some intriguing upside, even if Doubs still carries limitations as a true No. 1 receiver.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Patriots signing Romeo Doubs
49ers Sign Mike Evans
Although Evans is entering the later stages of his career, he remains one of the NFL’s most respected wide receivers.
The 2025 season marked the first time in Evans’ career that he failed to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards, but that statistic requires context. Evans appeared in just eight games while dealing with multiple injuries, including his typical annual hamstring issues and a more unusual clavicle injury that ultimately sidelined him for most of the season.
Even so, Evans continued to command strong volume when healthy. In the seven games he played fully, he saw seven or more targets in all but one contest and posted a 24.4% target share, leading the Buccaneers during that span. His 28% target rate per route run ranked 8th-highest at the position.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the 49ers signing Mike Evans
Titans Sign Wan’Dale Robinson
Robinson has been one of the NFL’s most consistently targeted wide receivers over the past two seasons.
In fact, only five receivers have recorded 130 or more targets in each of the last two seasons:
- Ja’Marr Chase
- Amon-Ra St. Brown
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- Justin Jefferson
- Wan’Dale Robinson
That’s elite company — and a strong indicator of how heavily Robinson has been featured within his offenses under Daboll.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Titans signing Wan’Dale Robinson
Steelers Sign Rico Dowdle
Mike McCarthy reunites with one of his favorite players in Pittsburgh, Rico Dowdle. We have a lot to unpack here, so stay with me. First, we have to discuss Kaleb Johnson. I’ll keep this short and sweet. After a lost rookie season, where Kenneth Gainwell made Johnson a distant memory, Johnson has immediately been sent to the shadow realm again by a free agent running back signing. Johnson isn’t on the fantasy radar for 2026 in any format. His dynasty value barely has a pulse. It has been a horrible runout for a prospect that I loved last year.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Steelers signing Rico Dowdle
Buccaneers Sign Kenneth Gainwell
Kenneth Gainwell lands in Tampa Bay with a two-year deal to work alongside Bucky Irving. Gainwell is coming off a career-best season as the RB19 in fantasy points per game, finishing with 187 touches and 1,023 total yards. He was particularly impressive as a pass-catching weapon out of the backfield, which is where he’ll likely make his money in 2026.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Buccaneers signing Kenneth Gainwell
Cardinals Sign Tyler Allgeier
A fifth-round draft pick out of BYU in 2022, Allgeier ran for 1,035 yards as a rookie with the Falcons, then spent the next three years in a complementary role after Atlanta selected RB Bijan Robinson with the eighth overall pick of the 2023 draft.
In fact, investors in Bijan were dismayed by the size of Allgeier’s role. Allgeier has averaged 9.1 carries a game over the last three seasons and had a career-high eight TD runs in 2025.
Allgeier figures to have an even more substantial role in Arizona this season, although it would be premature to call him the Cardinals’ lead back. Arizona still has RBs James Conner and Trey Benson on the roster.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Cardinals signing Tyler Allgeier
Lions Sign Isiah Pacheco
The knee-jerk reaction to Isiah Pacheco signing with the Detroit Lions will be that he will be the new “David Montgomery” in this offense, which I think doesn’t come to fruition. Pacheco immediately becomes the RB2 on Detroit’s depth chart, but I think this only lasts until the NFL Draft. Injuries have taken a toll on Pacheco over the years, and last year, he was a shell of his former self.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Lions signing Isiah Pacheco
Falcons Sign Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa lands with the Atlanta Falcons on a one-year deal to compete with Michael Penix Jr. Yes, Tagovailoa could easily be the backup in Atlanta, but with a new coaching staff that has no previous ties to Penix and the fact that he tore his ACL in Week 11, Tagovailoa could easily be the Week 1 starter. If Tagovailoa plays well, I could easily see him holding onto the job for the 2026 season (and moving forward).
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Falcons signing Tua Tagovailoa
Broncos Re-Sign J.K. Dobbins
Dobbins was off to a strong start for Denver in 2025 before sustaining a season-ending Lisfranc (foot) injury in Week 10. He had 153 carries for 772 yards (5.0 YPC) and four touchdowns. Through the first 10 weeks of the season, Dobbins was RB22 in half-point PPR fantasy points per game.
If Dobbins can stay healthy, he has a good chance to be Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s primary early-down back in 2026. But R.J. Harvey will have a substantial role, too. Harvey played a complementary role early in his rookie season, then became the Broncos’ lead back after Dobbins got hurt.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Broncos re-signing J.K. Dobbins
Seahawks Re-Sign Rashid Shaheed
Rashid Shaheed returns to Seattle on a three-year deal to fill out their wide receiver depth chart. Last year, Shaheed began the year with New Orleans as the WR38 in fantasy points per game (Weeks 1-9), seeing a 21% target share and 23.4% first-read share as he churned out 55.4 receiving yards per game and 1.75 yards per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). He was on his way to a solid statistical season.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Seahawks re-signing Rashid Shaheed
Chiefs Re-Sign Travis Kelce
Kelce finished TE3 in fantasy scoring last season, but his 76 receptions were a 10-year low. Kelce had 851 receiving yards in 2025 and has finished with fewer than 1,000 yards in each of the last three years. He’s also finished with five or fewer TD catches in each of the last three years. Kelce averaged 1.47 yards per route run last year – the lowest mark of his 13-year career.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Chiefs re-signing Travis Kelce
Buccaneers Re-Sign Cade Otton
Cade Otton returns to the Bucs instead of testing the free agent waters. Otton should continue to operate as a trusted ancillary weapon in the Bucs passing offense. Depending on Mike Evans’ 2026 destination, Otton could ascend to the third spot in the pecking order behind Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka. Outside of a brief stint as a high-volume threat in 2024, Otton has been a forgettable TE2 for fantasy. Last year, he finished as the TE24 in fantasy points. Among 59 qualifying tight ends, he ranked 19th in target share and receiving yards per game, 45th in yards per route run, and 47th in first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). Otton should be viewed as a run-of-the-mill TE2 for fantasy in 2026.
– Derek Brown
Saints Sign Noah Fant
TE Noah Fant has agreed to a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero A first-round draft pick in 2019, Fant had a couple of decent seasons with the Broncos in 2020 and 2021 but has mostly been a fantasy underachiever. Fant had 34 catches for 288 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games with the Bengals last year, averaging a career-low 8.5 yards per catch. Fant is unrosterable in most fantasy leagues and is unlikely to be fantasy-relevant in 2026 barring an injury to the Saints’ starting tight end, Juwan Johnson.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Dolphins Re-Sign Greg Dulcich
Signed a 1-year $3.25 million contract with Miami. Greg Dulcich flashed with Miami in the second half of the 2025 season (second in YPPR among TEs from Week 9 onward), posting his best statistical season after battling injuries since his rookie campaign. The impending free agent finished second among all TEs in YAC/catch – trailing only Tucker Kraft. Worth monitoring now that he is officially returning to Miami, given that his rookie-year breakout coincided with former Broncos TE coach and current Cardinals TE coach Jake Moreland, who previously coached under new Dolphins OC Bobby Slowik (Miami’s passing game coordinator in 2025). Not to mention, the Dolphins’ new HC just came from GB, so he clearly knows what a YAC tight end can offer for an offense.
– Andrew Erickson
Falcons Sign Olamide Zaccheaus
WR Olamide Zaccheaus is going to sign with the Atlanta Falcons, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
It’s a homecoming for Zaccheaus, who spent the first four seasons of his career in Atlanta after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2019. Over the last three seasons, Zaccheaus has bounced from the Eagles to the Commanders to the Bears. Zaccheaus had his best season with the Falcons in 2022, when he had 40 catches for 533 yards and three TDs.
Zaccheaus had 39 catches for 313 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears last season. He had 31 receptions in Chicago’s first eight regular-season games but only eight receptions in the Bears’ last eight regular-season games, as rookie slot receiver Luther Burden started to earn more snaps.
With WR Drake London, TE Kyle Pitts and RB Bijan Robinson likely to be big factors in Atlanta’s passing game, Zaccheaus is unlikely to be rosterable in most 2026 redraft leagues, barring an injury to one or more of the Falcons’ other pass catchers.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Raiders Sign Jalen Nailor
Jalen Nailor becomes one of a bevy of new Raider Nation members during the first day of NFL free agency. He inked a three-year deal with the franchise. I doubt that the Raiders are done adding to the receiving depth chart, so I won’t go as far as to say that he will be the number two option in the passing game in 2026 behind Brock Bowers. I will say that we need to look deeper than his WR69 finish last year in fantasy points per game to understand the smash signing that the Raiders made by bringing in Nailor. Yes, Nailor had only a 10.3% target share, 1.19 yards per route run, and a 10.8% first-read share last season (per Fantasy Points Data), but he was much better than any of those metrics illustrate. Among 109 qualifying receivers last season, overall Nailor ranked 33rd in separation and 51st in route win rate. If we look deeper, the numbers are even more scintillating. As a perimeter wide receiver among the same set of players, Nailor ranked sixth in separation and 13th in route win rate (141 routes, per Fantasy Points Data). The Raiders could have just signed a diamond in the rough. He’s worth investing cheaply in all formats for the 2026 season because if these metrics are a true reflection of his talent (they are), then he could be an amazing late-round value that will go massively overlooked.
– Derek Brown
Falcons Sign Jahan Dotson
Jahan Doston. A name I haven’t heard in a long time. Dotson has been a ghost on the Eagles over the last two years. He didn’t eclipse 40 targets or 300 receiving yards in either season. If those are the raw counting stats while playing a full 17 games in each season, you can imagine the per-route metrics are abysmal. If we look deeper into his analytics, there is reason for hope here, though. With Oalmide Zaccheaus signing with Atlanta, he’ll likely be the team’s starting slot receiver, which should push Dotson outside for a large chunk of his routes. This is a blessing for Dotson. Last year, overall, his separation score and route win rate weren’t horrible, but they weren’t eye-popping either, as he was 56th and 74th in these metrics (among 109 qualifying receivers), if we subdivide his routes from the perimeter and slot, we find something quite interesting. From the slot, among those same 109 receivers, Dotson ranked 102nd in separation and 103rd in route win rate. Horrible, I know, but among the same players as a perimeter receiver, he was 16th in separation and 43rd in route win rate. The Atlanta quarterback room isn’t inspiring, and Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson will lead the way through the air, but Dotson is worth taking a flier on in best ball with a final round pick or as a throw-in with a Dynasty trade.
– Derek Brown
Cardinals Sign Kendrick Bourne
Kendrick Bourne is headed to Arizona with a two-year deal. Last year, Bourne reminded fantasy gamers and the NFL of his talent with two monster games for the injury-depleted 49ers in Weeks 5 & 6 as the WR6 and WR11 in weekly scoring (PPR). Sadly, outside of those two games, Bourne had only a 12% target per route run rate and 1.03 yards per route run as he failed to surpass 50 receiving yards in any other game (per Fantasy Points Data). Bourne will play a supporting role in Arizona as the fourth option in the passing game behind Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, and Marvin Harrison Jr.. Sadly, that is more valuable for “real football” than for fantasy purposes. Unless injury strikes the Arizona depth chart, I don’t see Bourne making waves in fantasy in 2026.
– Derek Brown
Chiefs Re-Sign Tyquan Thornton
Tyquan Thornton re-signed with the Chiefs on a two-year deal worth $11 million. This is notable given that only Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals were the other Chiefs WRs under contract for the 2027 season.
The speedy wide receiver had his most productive season in the NFL last year, catching 19 passes for 438 yards and three touchdowns (on nearly 1,000 air yards and 23 deep targets). He stepped up at the start of the year due to Worthy’s injury and Rashee Rice’s suspension. Over the first 5 weeks of the year, Thornton averaged 10.3 fantasy points per game.
His 2025 yardage and touchdown totals set new career-highs, and he averaged 23.1 yards per reception (first in the NFL). Also had zero recorded drops.
– Andrew Erickson
Cardinals Sign Gardner Minshew
QB Gardner Minshew has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cardinals worth a reported $8 million, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Hours before the Minshew signing, the Cardinals announced that Jacoby Brissett would enter the 2026 season as their starting quarterback. Brissett played reasonably well in 2025, but his play tailed off a bit late in the season as Arizona lost its last nine regular-season games, and Brissett has been a backup for most of his 10-year career. If Brissett doesn’t give the Cardinals adequate QB play early in the season, Minshew could potentially take the helm of an Arizona offense that includes star TE Trey McBride and WRs Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson. Minshew has made 47 starts for five different teams during his seven-year NFL career. His one start for the Chiefs last season was cut short when he sustained a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture that ended his season. Minshew has averaged a respectable 6.9 yards per pass attempt over his career, with 68 TD passes and 35 interceptions.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Panthers Sign Kenny Pickett
The Panthers are signing Kenny Pickett to a one-year deal worth a reported $7.5 million. A first-round draft pick in 2022, Pickett failed to impress in two seasons as a starter for the Steelers. He’s served as a backup the last two seasons, first in Philadelphia, then in Las Vegas last season. Bryce Young enters 2026 as the Panthers’ starting QB, but Young has failed to live up to expectations as a former No. 1 overall draft pick and could potentially be pulled if he were to regress. Carolina still has 38-year-old Andy Dalton under contract, but the size of Pickett’s new deal suggests that he’s the favorite to enter 2026 as the Panthers’ No. 2 quarterback. Pickett isn’t worth drafting in redraft leagues, but he’s worth a roster spot in superflex dynasty leagues.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Commanders Re-Sign Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota will return to Washington to back up Jayden Daniels again for the 2026 season on a one-year deal. Last year, Mariota had seven starts in which he played at least 94% of the snaps. In those games, he averaged 6.4 rushing attempts and 36.7 rushing yards with three QB1 finishes in weekly scoring (QB6, QB3, QB9). He played quite well last season in relief of Daniels. Among 38 qualifying passers, Mariota ranked 11th in yards per attempt, 27th in highly accurate throw rate, and fourth in hero throw rate (per Fantasy Points Data). He won’t have any 12-team redraft league appeal unless Daniels gets hurt in 2026, but Mariota retains deep Superflex league value and Dynasty value as a bench stash.
– Derek Brown
Notable Trades & Fantasy Impact
Let’s take a look at the notable trades that have taken place and their fantasy impact.
Lions Trade David Montgomery to Texans
David Montgomery should take over as Houston’s workhorse back immediately, which turns Woody Marks into a high-end handcuff. Houston wants a workhorse running back, and Montgomery should absorb a workload close to what Joe Mixon saw in 2024. In 2024, Mixon ranked fifth in opportunity share, 14th in snap share, and 13th in carries among running backs, finishing with 281 touches.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the David Montgomery trade
Bears Trade DJ Moore to Bills
A big winner from this move is Josh Allen, who finally gets the closest player to a No. 1 wide receiver the Bills have lacked since the departure of Stefon Diggs.
Moore brings a skill set that fits perfectly within Joe Brady’s offense. The two already have history together from their time with the Carolina Panthers, when Brady called plays in 2020 and 2021. During those seasons, Moore finished as the WR22 and WR19 in half-PPR, posting nearly 1,200 receiving yards in both campaigns while averaging 11.5 fantasy points per game, which would have ranked WR17 in 2025 scoring.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the DJ Moore trade
Colts Trade Michael Pittman to Steelers
With Alec Pierce staying with Indy on a monster new deal, Michael Pittman is on the move. Pittman is headed to Pittsburgh to operate alongside DK Metcalf. He also got a new three-year deal in the process. We have no clue who the quarterback will be for Pittsburgh in 2026 (maybe Aaron Rodgers), but the Steelers will have a nice pass catching duo for whoever is under center.
Check out our full article for the fantasy impact of the Michael Pittman trade
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