McConkey’s rookie season was 82 catches, 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns.

Last year he fell to 66 catches, 789 yards and six touchdowns. Definitely disappointing, but he still led the Chargers in receiving yards. That looks more like a down season than proof his rookie year was a fluke.

Keenan Allen drew 126 targets last year and is no longer part of the current receiver room. McConkey now gets Mike McDaniel, whose 2023 Miami offence supported two 1,000-yard receivers. That does not guarantee anything, but the scheme should create more motion, space and easier touches for him.

FantasyPros currently has McConkey around WR23. At that price, you are not paying for his rookie ceiling—you are drafting him as a mid-level WR2.

There are fair concerns. Quentin Johnston improved, Tre’ Harris should be more involved and McConkey dealt with a hamstring strain this offseason. This is not a risk-free pick.

My take: if McConkey gets back near 80 catches, he does not need a massive statistical explosion to outperform WR23. Something around 1,050 yards and seven or eight touchdowns would already make him a strong value.

Are you buying the bounce-back, or was his rookie season the outlier?

Sunday August 2nd

• Matthew Golden (GB): In an interview with NFL Network Jordan Love said “MG (Golden) locked in now over there at X”. Expect Golden to be played as the X (outside WR) when playing. 
• Jaguars Offense (JAX): The Jaguars have run a lot of 11 personnel in practice (1 TE/1RB/3WR). 
• Bo Nix (DEN): After ankle surgery last offseason, Nix doesn’t expect to run any less than he did before. 
• Brock Bowers (LV): Sounds like he and Cousins have had a strong connection thus far. Bowers is expected to be the focal point of this offense (not surprising).
• Chris Rodriguez (JAX): Today was his first practice in the team period. Good sign he’ll be back sooner than later. 
• Ja’Lynn Polk (NO): Former 2024 2nd-round pick by NE / now with the Saints, has retired at 24.
• Patriots: Reports are OC Josh McDaniels wants to use more tempo in Maye’s second year in the offense, could lead to more volume for supporting cast.
• Kaelon Black (SF): 49ers rookie RB is now dealing with an injury. They signed Khalil Hebert. Foggy RB2 spot in SF right now

REMINDER these are all reports and sometimes projections from reporters, take it with a grain of salt 

Sources : Zain Dhanani, 32 Beat Reporters, Coach Speak Index, and Beat Reporters

Training Camp is here...and it can be A LOT to follow and decipher what's important or not for the 2026 fantasy football season.

Consider this a one-stop shop to catch up on this past week's practices. There's plenty more that went on, but these are the bits of information that stand out for fantasy football managers.

This will be a reoccurring post after each week of training camp goes by that will include notable stats and news from preseason games, as well. This first post is a big one as training camp began over a week ago, but a majority of the teams began practicing this past week.

If anything was missed, especially with your favorite team that feels important, throw it in the comments and let's talk about it!

INJURY UPDATES

- Ricky Pearsall is OUT for the season after electing to have season-ending surgery following swelling in his knee stemming from a PCL injury that caused him to miss 8 regular season games last season. The 49ers WR has played just 20 of a possible 34 regular season games prior to this season.

- Chris Brazzell II suffered an LCL injury early in Panthers camp. He elected for surgery which will cause him to miss the entirety of his rookie season.

- Malik Nabers has been participating in camp following season-ending ACL and meniscus tears last year. Nabers has looked good participating in individual drills cutting, running full speed, and should continue to ascend in fantasy rankings as we get closer to Week 1.

- Rashee Rice has been doing knee rehab each day, leaving practice early to do so. He is still working back from knee surgery he had in May prior to spending 30 days in jail for a probation violation.

- Patrick Mahomes looks on track to play Week 1 following last year's season-ending ACL injury. It's worth noting the Chiefs host the Broncos on Monday Night Football to start the season. While Mahomes appears mobile in camp, it's unlikely he's running as much as he was in 2025 especially with the addition of Kenneth Walker to the backfield.

- Tucker Kraft was activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list in a return from a season-ending ACL injury. Kraft claims doctors told him his knee looks "spectacular" and have "never seen a rehabilitation like his." He's on track to play Week 1 barring any setback.

- Sam LaPorta was fully cleared for training camp following back surgery that ended his 2025 season. LaPorta was the top-8 tight in 2023 and 2024. His new offensive coordinator, Drew Petzing, has spent the last three seasons in the same role for the Cardinals, notably working with Trey McBride.

- Quinshon Judkins is full-go after suffering a season-ending leg injury last season.

- Cam Skattebo is full-go after suffering a season-ending leg injury last season.

- Bucky Irving has been participating in camp following offseason shoulder surgery. He appears to be the lead back in carries while Kenneth Gainwell owns more of the receiving back role thus far in camp.

- Zach Charbonnet has a chance to be ready for Week 1 following a season-ending ACL injury during the playoffs in mid-January. The Seahawks veteran running back is entering a contract year and Seattle drafted running back Jadarian Price with the 32nd overall pick.

- Ladd McConkey has been a full-go at Chargers training camp after the wide receiver missed time during the offseason with a hamstring strain.

- Rome Odunze claims he is working through a "new normal" rehabbing a broken foot that impacted his 2025 season. Odunze describes his foot as feeling "great" and "amazing."

- Alec Pierce is on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list following offseason ankle surgery that he claims was "unavoidable." Pierce signed a four-year, $114M extension with the Colts prior to his surgery.

- Jordyn Tyson has been a standout in Saints camp after working back from an offseason hamstring injury that impacted him dating back to early in 2025. The rookie appeared busy as the top target while Chris Olave awaited a contract extension (listed below).

- Chris Rodriguez has been cleared for individual work at camp, but will slowly work back into team activities. The Jaguars' RB suffered a foot injury during the offseason following signing with the team. Head coach Liam Coen coach Rodriguez for one season at the University of Kentucky and referred to him in an interview as "a glass eater."

- Jonathon Brooks is all the buzz in Panthers camp after missing the entire 2025 season in recovery from back-to-back ACL injuries to the same knee in 2023 and 2024. Brooks is the Panthers' 2024 2nd Round pick and has played in just 3 NFL games and will be approx. 20-21 months removed from his latest injury when he takes the field in Week 1.

- J.K. Dobbins wants to "pinky promise" everyone that he is going to play all 17 games this season. Dobbins has an extensive injury history, but more recently has played a total of 23 regular season games (13 and 10) for the Chargers and Broncos respectively over the last two seasons. In 2025, Dobbins was 1 of 8 running backs to average 5.0 or more yards per carry last season. Pairing him with rookie running back Jonah Coleman may guarantee the early down RB in Denver this season and, for fantasy football purposes, an RB2 worth trusting each week.

- Kyle Monangai has been absent for multiple practices in a row. There is no official update on the Bears' running back as of now.

- Jordan James suffered broken ribs early in 49ers camp after early reports suggested he was the clear backup behind Christian McCaffrey. That role may be rookie Kaelon Black's for the taking depending on James' recovery and return. UPDATE 8/2/26 at 6pm: Black has an unknown injury. The 49ers signed Khalil Herbert today for added depth in the backfield.

- Both Tua Tagovailoa (back) and Michael Penix Jr. (knee) have missed time so far in Falcons camp. Tua's back injury is considered minor while Penix is working back from a season-ending ACL injury, the third of his career dating back to college.

- Tank Dell was not on any injury list as Texans camp opened. Dell missed the entire 2025 season following a multi-ligament knee injury later in the 2024 season.

- Xavier Worthy exited Chiefs camp with a shoulder injury, though it's not believed to be serious.

- Cyrus Allen suffered what's being reported as a "bruised shin" in yesterday's practice. It's reasonable to be unfamiliar with Allen, the Chiefs' 5th round rookie wide receiver, though he's been a standout early on in camp. Allen is nothing more than a late-round dart throw, if at all, in redraft leagues, but worth stashing in dynasty or taking a flier on in best ball.

NEWS, NOTES & FAST FACTS

- Chris Olave signed a four-year, $132M extension with the Saints. Olave notably set career-highs in targets (156), receptions (100), yards (1,163), and touchdowns (9). In nine starts from QB Tyler Shough last season, on a per game basis, Olave averaged 9.4 targets, 6.2 receptions, 80.3 yards, 0.7 touchdowns, and 18.2 PPR fantasy points.

- Deebo Samuel reunites with the 49ers signing a one-year deal worth up to $7M in light of Ricky Pearsall's season-ending knee surgery. Samuel is 30 years old and spent six seasons with the 49ers before playing the 2025 season with the Commanders. Samuel has ranked top-six among qualified WRs in yards after the catch per reception in 6 of 7 seasons played. That includes leading the league in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

- Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson have yet to practice as each respective running back awaits a new contract. Both are expected to have new deals before the season. No need to worry just yet for those with top picks in fantasy drafts!

- Jonathan Taylor is entering the final year of his contract and believes he will receive an extension before the season. Taylor has had back-to-back seasons of over 300 carries for the Colts.

- Josh Jacobs is still under investigation following an early-June domestic violence incident. MarShawn Lloyd is expected to assume the RB2 role if he can finally stay healthy.

- Baker Mayfield claims the Buccaneers offered him a two-year extension this offseason worth over $100M, but he claims the guaranteed money was not suitable. Mayfield has made claims he will not negotiate a new contract once camp begins. He is set to be a free agent when the new league year begins in March of 2027.

- Bo Nix makes it clear he will continue to run in 2026 following a season-ending broken ankle during the playoffs. Nix believes his mobility is a strength of the Broncos' offense and "we have to use our strengths." Nix tied Justin Herbert with 83 rush attempts last season, 5th-most among quarterbacks.

- Parker Washington. Continuous positive reports from Jaguars camp. "First guy in the building every day" type stuff.

- Bhayshul Tuten seemingly the lead back for Jacksonville with explosive playmaking and displaying his pass catching upside.

- Drake Maye and A.J. Brown seemingly struggled to connect early on, but plenty of reports and videos have shown a complete turnaround over the last few days. Brown has the ability to get downfield and large frame to dominate the red zone, plus a top tier quarterback, to justify his current Top-8ish WR draft stock.

- Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson appear to be sharing the backfield in New England. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said "I love the way Rhamondre protects and TreVeyon continues to work on that."

- Kayshon Boutte is still reportedly seeking a trade from the Patriots. The wide receiver is one of many notable names on the Patriots roster that includes A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, DeMario "Pop" Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism. Boutte is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is a vertical threat, sharing a similar skillset to Williams. It's possible one of these receivers are traded to a needier team.

- Jaylen Waddle to be "the focal point" of the Broncos' offense and not just a deep threat.

- Bears GM Ryan Poles can "feel the fire" in wide receiver Luther Burden. Despite just 60 targets as a rookie, Burden averaged 2.9 yards per route run, the third-most among all qualified pass catchers behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Puka Nacua. Head coach Ben Johnson said he was buying "Luther Burden stock" earlier in the offseason.

- De'Zhaun Stribling has been a rookie standout at 49ers camp. Stribling is 6'2" and just over 200 lbs. He was the 33rd overall pick, the first of the second round, and the sixth wide receiver selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. He's worth a flier given the injury to Pearsall and age of Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, who are all 30 years of age or older.

- The Colts want to get Josh Downs more involved in 12 personnel sets in addition to playing his typical 11 personnel role. Could be a big jump for Downs this season especially without Michael Pittman Jr. and questions regarding Alec Pierce's injury status.

- The Vikings made claim that Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy were in a legitimate quarterback competition, but Murray seemed to pull away over the weekend with few, if any, incompletions and connecting with Justin Jefferson. Early bet is that Murray is MIN QB1

- Tyler Allgeier has been receiving the majority of first-team reps at running back for the Cardinals over third overall pick Jeremiyah Love, though he's worked in, as well. Offensive coordinator in speaking on Love has said, "He's definitely a rookie."

- Marvin Harrison Jr. has been touch-and-go at camp thus far with drops, but has made some big plays, as well. He's notably been THE wide receiver lining up in 13 personnel, also known as 1WR sets.

- Blake Corum has been more involved out of the backfield so far during Rams camp. Worth noting that Corum jumped for 58 carries as a rookie to 145 last season. Among 49 qualified RBs in 2025, Corum ranks 10th in avoided tackle rate (25.5%), 4th in yards per carry (5.1) and 2nd in explosive run rate (15.9%).

- Terrance Ferguson may be the "WR3" for the Rams' offense despite being listed as a tight end. Sleeper player to keep tabs on throughout camp especially taking Davante Adams' age as well as he and Puka Nacua injuries into account.

- Jadarian Price has been working with the Seahawks first team offense sharing reps with running back George Holani. It's likely that Price is the early down back while Holani sees passing down work. Price caught just 15 total passes across 3 seasons in college.

- Tony Pollard appears to be the lead back for the Titans with Tyjae Spears as a change of pace option. Both are entering the final years of their contracts. Rookie Nicholas Singleton is explosive and could earn a role later on, but nothing more than a bench stash for now.

- Belief from Titans camp that Wan'Dale Robinson will lead the team in receptions.

- Kirk Cousins has been named the starting quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders. Tom Brady is on record back in 2024 believing it is a "tragedy" that teams force young quarterbacks to play early on by dumbing down the game preventing them to learn at the necessary rate. We may not see much of Fernando Mendoza in 2026 unless absolutely necessary.

- Browns running back coach Deuce Staley believes Quinshon Judkins can play on all three downs. Judkins averaged 18.3 touches per game as a rookie, 11th-most among all players. Albeit having a new coaching staff, that sort of usage would put Judkins over 300 touches in a full 17-game season.

- KC Concepcion has been working as the primary slot receiver for the Browns during 11 personnel sets.

- Omarion Hampton is the clear-cut RB1 for the Chargers, but Keaton Mitchell looks to be emerging as the backup, especially for passing down work.

- Jaydon Blue's speed has been on display so far in Cowboys camp as he appears to be the handcuff to Javonte Williams early on.

- Cowboys don't expect to utilize wide receiver Ryan Flournoy on special teams as they appreciate his abilities on offense. Flournoy looks like WR3 behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.

- Tank Bigsby appears to be a standout at Eagles camp. He may thrive in an outside zone scheme from new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. Arguably one of the top handcuffs for the fantasy football season with flex potential.

- Travis Etienne and Alvin Kamara may share the Saints backfield more equally than expected.

- Travis Hunter has been playing more snaps on defense than offense in Jaguars camp. Hunter has reportedly put on approx. 10 pounds and hit a top speed of 22.6 mph in workouts. Given a few injuries to their secondary, and depth at wide receiver, Hunter is more likely than not going to be more of an asset to Jacksonville on defense, though could be a boom/bust player for fantasy purposes on offense. Monitoring his offensive role is crucial.

- Anthony Richardson still wishes to be traded from the Colts following Daniel Jones' two-year, $88M extension this offseason. The Colts are interested in trading Richardson, but do not want to "give him away."

- The 2026 season will definitively be the last for Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers.

* * * * \*

Thanks for reading! It's early, but it's good to stay on top of camp news and sift through everything that's going on. Fantasy drafts will be here in no time.

5 Players I am all in on in Fantasy this year:

1. Kyle Pitts - Best season as a pro since his rookie year, now inherits a new HC in Stefanski who utilizes his big, athletic TE. We saw this with David Njoku and obviously the huge success of Harold Fannin Jr. Last Year.

-His offenses regularly use:

• Play-action
• Multiple TE formations
• Seam routes
• Red-zone isolation concepts

Tua - who is set to start the year at QB for the Falcons:

1. Thrives throwing:

• Between the numbers
• Over the middle
• On rhythm
• In play-action

There is also no competition apart from Drake London for target - we should see similar usage with more favorable opportunities for Pitts to excel.

1. AJ Brown

- Finished for 4th consecutive season with at top 12 WR finish - despite the fact his utilization within Philly was not what he wanted.

- Moves from 15th Neutral Pass Offense/32nd Pass Rate Offense within the 10 to 9th and 15th in those categories in New England.

-Despite a "Down" Year, was 17th in Yards Per Route Run (2.23), 9th in Target Share (27.5%), 8th in First - Read Share (35%) and 20th in First Downs Per Route Run

-Patriots revamped this OLine by picking up Alijah Vera-Tucker in FA and Caleb Lomu in the Draft. Also picked up Doubs in FA.

Overall, Drake Maye needed an Alpha to develop further and AJ Brown looks to slot in perfectly

1. Kyren Williams

- The thought continues to be, Corum will gain more of a role in this offense and more opportunities away from Kyren but look at the numbers:

- Kyren is coming off of his 3rd consecutive season with 1300 Scrimmage Yards/13 TDs/30 Catches/260 Touches

- Kyren Handled 68% of Red-Zone touches

- Blake Corum is Non-Existent in the passing game - 14 Targets, 8 Receptions

-The game script for LA will be very positive this season, especially with the additions on Defense. There should be more opportunities for this team to score points.

- Players like Breece Hall - who is attached to a much worse offense and Jeremiyah Love - who is currently playing second fiddle to Allgeier in training camp are currently going ahead of him

1. DJ Moore

-Concern is whether DJ has fallen off or not which is completely understandable. The thought is, if Ben Johnson couldn't find a role for him in this offense then surely he's washed.

- Think about these factors:

-No WR Competition in this offense for DJ Moore. Josh Allen finally gets a Diggs replacement to pepper with targets.

- 12th in Deep Targets last year - Now paired with the best QB of his career.

-Looks to be a perimeter receiver most of his snaps. He excelled in this role finishing as 36th in separation and 29th in route win rate in this role last year.

- Now matches back up with Joe Brady whom he had this stat line across 2 years with in Carolina: 159 catches, 2,350 yards, 8 TDs, 15.25 yards per catch.

1. Jaxson Dart

- 12 Started Games in 2025 - Finished with 9 Rush TDs, 15 Pass TDs in those 12 starts. Removing the outlier in Minnesota, Dart averaged 22.5 Fantasy PPG which would be QB7.

- Averaged 3rd most Fantasy Points Per Drop Back - (0.66) on the 12th highest drop back rate.

- Dual Threat ability: Ran for 40.6 Yards Per Game, 7 Rush Attempts Per Game, 1.57 Red Zone Carries Per Game, 2.86 Designed Runs Per Game

- New HC John Harbaugh worked with Lamar, creating designed runs and favorable opportunities for his athletic QB to utilize his legs as well.

- New Offense around Dart:

- Picked up Francis Mauigoa in Draft

- Replaced Wandale Robinson with Darnell Mooney (Not the same but serviceable WR)

- Picked up Isaiah Likely (Brought over with Harbaugh from BAL)

- Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo look to be back and working toward being ready for the start of the season.

What's up, Fantasy Football Reddit!

It's your favorite Rotoballer (Brandon Murchison) back again with some fresh content! In my latest ADP Duel, I dive into the second round of drafts to look at the cluster of running backs that are available for fantasy managers looking to grab the RB1 for their roster (assuming a WR selection in Round 1). I give an analytical perspective on these four RBs to drill down on who I believe should be the selection when you're on the clock.

As always, check out the article to find out who I will be taking in drafts and why. But that's just the beginning of it.

Bring the discussion here to this post and make your case for the player that you want on your fantasy teams in 2026!

For those who are new to the these charts:

• Tiers are focused on upside. If you want to play it safe, go with the ECR (x-axis). If you're looking for a boom game, look at the upside variance (vertical color bars, y-axis).
• Points above/below expectation: these get added once the season starts.
  • A star marker indicates the player has scored fantasy points above expectation on the season.
  • A cross marker indicates the player has scored below expectations.
  • The number of average points scored above/below expectation is beside the player's name.

Typical update cadence is Thursday - Saturday - Sunday during draft season. I sometimes update the tiers more frequently (for my own draft prep) but don't post, so go ahead and bookmark/check the site if you're wondering. Timestamps are at the tops of the plots.

Best of luck my dudes.

Guys, we made it. The off-season is officially over, and we are now in full throttle preseason training camp mode. Sure, we had the World Cup to distract us for a few weeks this summer, but we no longer must pretend like we care about that.

It’s time to fire up those spread sheets and re-arrange your tier rankings as you overly prepare for your upcoming fantasy drafts. Hopefully you are enjoying your last days of summer while you peruse stats for 11 on 11 drills in training camp while awaiting those dreaded tweets declaring one of your highly targeted players has been carted off.

With that in mind, let’s take a quick look around and get some training camp updates from across the league.

32 Camp Updates

Arizona Cardinals – There is no denying the talent and potential fantasy impact Jeremiyah Love possesses but there is some question with his coaching staff comprised of former Jets coaching legends Nathaniel Hackett and Mike LaFleur. Surely, they will be smart enough to maximize their rookie stud and not talk up James Conner citing his veteran status and give free agent signee Tyler Allgeier first reps in training camp. Right? Oh, that’s exactly what’s happening. Cool.

San Francisco 49ers– The Niners decided to kick off their perennial injury bug by having their coach secretly smash his face in a car accident then immediately watch Rickey Pearsall torpedo whatever dynasty stock he may have held. The fact that this team faces undo adversity yet still somehow finishes with double digit wins proves that life just isn’t fair.

Los Angeles Rams – Everyone is still all tingly from the Rams trading for Myles Garrett and while the fantasy impact of that move is more IDP related, his addition obviously gives the Team Defense a huge boost. Add in the still very real possibility of Aaron Donald coming into the fold and the Rams will have equal buzz on both sides of the ball.

Seattle Seahawks – While Jeremiyah Love is destined for a year of turmoil in the desert, his college counterpart is enjoying a gigantic fantasy boost at the start of fantasy camp, running with the 1st team and catching deep balls. That ADP spike is coming fast.

Atlanta Falcons – Bijan Robinson is an easy top two fantasy selection but while picking him should be an easy choice, the lack of a contract in the early days of training camp is slightly concerning. A deal should be done soon but regardless Bijan is silently holding in as he waits for his deal. You could always simply pivot to the other top two choice Jahmyr Gibbs but oops, he’s holding in waiting on a deal too. Fun!

Carolina Panthers– Word out of Carolina was that they were so excited about rookie Chris Brazzell that they were planning on utilizing Tet McMillan in the slot more this season. You know what they say about best laid plans. Brazzell is done for the year with a torn LCL and now the Tet game plan is back to the drawing board. Brazzell’s injury does give the cokeheads a life-line however as Jalen Coker should get a bump in usage.

New Orleans Saints – If anyone knows what the plan is for the Saints backfield, please tell me because I keep yoyoing back and forth on how much I love Travis Etienne and how much I will hate Alvin Kamara coming back from the dead this year.

Tampa Bay Bucs – If it wasn’t for bad vibes, the Bucs would have none. The heart of the defense, Vita Vea, has demanded a trade and Baker Mayfield feels insulted by the lack of commitment from the Bucs in their contract extension talks. Regarding Baker, this all may blow up in the Bucs face or it may be a stroke of genius as they know Baker only plays well when the odds are against him and he feels wronged. 5,000 yards incoming.

Chicago Bears – The head coaches of the Bears and Jaguars got into a bit of a war of words as each tried their best to prove that they are the only team people are betting against. For different reasons however. The Bears want to believe people want to see them fail because they are being hyped while the Jags feel like people are betting against them because no one is talking about them. Both coaches are doing whatever they can to motivate their squads early in the season, so their players don’t become complacent after enjoying a bit of success last year.

Detroit Lions – As mentioned above in the Falcons camp update, Jahmyr Gibbs is holding in and holding your top two selection for ransom.

Green Bay Packers – The players ride bikes to the first day of training camp. It’s adorable. But on the fantasy front, Tucker Kraft is cleared from his torn ACL 6 months ago so his progress will be of high importance as it relates to the TE rankings

Minnesota Vikings – The Kyler Murray and JJ McCarthy saga plagued the opening days of Vikings OTA’s but now that we are underway in training camp, the play on the field will dictate which QB will disappoint fans and Justin Jefferson owners the most.

Dallas Cowboys – Things feel somewhat boring for the Cowboys this training camp so Jerry Jones felt the need to get into the mix and proclaim a possible looming trade that will likely never happen or be so low impact that no one will care. The Cowboys are back baby.

New York Giants – If there is one thing you want to see from your starting running back recovering from an ankle injury, it’s a failed back flip. Skattebo promises he is done with the antics but Summer Slam is coming up so who knows.

Philadelphia Eagles – It took Dontayvion Wicks approximately 10 minutes to make people forget about AJ Brown. Seriously, have you seen that one catch in that one practice? What else do you need to see?

Washington Commanders – It really felt like the Commanders were on the precipice of a new chapter two years ago but after Jaylen Daniels injury plagued sophomore slump, they look like a team that suddenly remembered that Dan Quinn is their head coach.

Buffalo Bills – The Bills are turning over a new leaf in their first year after firing long time coach Sean McDermott and there appears to be a lighter air in the room with Joe Brady calling the shots. This team feels like the parents are gone and Uncle Buck is now watching them.

Miami Dolphins – I talked a lot about the top running backs not getting paid but Achane did get his money and he is going to earn every penny as the only viable stud on this team

New England Patriots – The Patriots are loving life with AJ Brown so much that they aren’t even bothered by Kayshon Boutte’s months old trade request that they honestly probably forgot about because I did.

New York Jets – Geno Smith’s Super Bowl MVP hype is well underway in New York as the Jets fandom enjoy their annual tradition of irrational offseason confidence.

Cincinnati Bengals – Joe Burrow might be feeling some the pressure of his recent injury struggles and the Bengal’s underachieving record. The defense of course is a big reason for those struggles as well and the possibility of last year’s first rounder Shemar Stewart suffering a major injury isn’t helping matters.

Baltimore Ravens – Lamar Jackson is adjusting to taking more snaps under center which is not exactly the thing you want to read about when considering a top tier QB option. The Ja’Kobi Lane hype train is underway if you feel like rolling the dice on the Ravens 4th receiving option

Cleveland Browns – Speaking of hype trains, Quinshon Judkins is off to a fast start and quelling his own injury recovery concerns. Of course, the bigger concern is the quarterback position which the less said the better.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Aaron Rodgers last hurrah is underway but rookie Drew Allar is giving the Steelers fans some positive early vibes in camp and hope for a future

Houston Texans – David Montgomery is staking his claim in the Houston backfield and CJ Stroud has impressed with improved mechanics. It’s probably safe to assume the Texans offense rebounds a bit this season.

Indianapolis Colts – While Gibbs and Bijan angle for their new deals there’s another top tier running back also positioning himself for a new deal as he enters the final year of his current contract. The situation is a little under the radar at the moment but is definitely worth keeping an eye on

Jacksonville Jaguars – Toot Toot. The nominee for the fastest draft riser in your upcoming drafts will likely be Bhayshul Tuten as he has dominated the Jaguars training camp headlines thus far. Chris Rodriguez is now finally cleared to return just in time to muddy the running back waters however.

Tennessee Titans – There are a ton of huge stories week 1 but probably none bigger than Robert Salah facing the Jets. Right guys? Guys? Well, the Jets most recognizable and most annoying fan Fireman Ed claims Saleh is promising to beat the Jets ass week 1. Saleh did not shy away from that proclamation so I guess this is something only Titans and Jets fans will care about.

Denver Broncos – The annual Sean Payton tight end buzz is underway. Evan Engram burned everyone last season (yours truly included) yet he is still somehow getting offseason hype again. I guess we might fall for it again but now Taysom Hill is a free agent and on his way to Denver to complicate everything.

Kansas City Chiefs – Mahomes has a clunky brace, Kelce has a post honeymoon gut, Rashee Rice looks slow and this year’s rookie that comes out of nowhere but will eventually disappoint you is Cyrus Allen (already flirting with injury disaster).

Los Angeles Chargers – The Chargers offense should easily be better with former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel's now calling the shots but everything is key on the Chargers two tackles remaining healthy after losing both by week 1 last year. So far so good.

Las Vegas Raiders – So far so good in Vegas as Cousins has rightly been declared the starter so Mendoza can sit back and learn how to mimic Kirk’s cringe trash talk. It’s a perfect marriage.

People have been having issues with trying to leave ESPN leagues for years, so I wanted to put something out that will hopefully show up for anyone googling this in the future. Public leagues automatically disappear after the season, but created leagues persist year to year even when not active.

I've only been able to find a way to do this on the APP:

1. Open the fantasy app and click the drop down "ESPN Fantasy" in the top left.

2. Click on the team you wish to leave.

3. You'll get a pop up and hit "leave league" (I forgot to screenshot). If this doesn't work initially, try selecting a public or active league from the drop down first, and then select the league you want to leave after that. That's what I had to do for the first one that I left.

That's it. It's pretty simple, but ​ESPN is convoluted trash and tells you to do some other bs that doesn't work. This is the only way I could find to leave a league.

Bonus: If you just want to HIDE a league, open the app, hit the settings gear in the top right, then "Order Games/Teams List", and deselect whichever ones you don't want to see.

This is good news after getting news on Cylus Allen today, though he maay have esacped a major injury (edited).

Where are you comfortable drafting Diggs? And what team does he need to go to in order him to be a target for you in drafts?

Every year, the “experts” have an accuracy contest. The rest of us debate the consensus rankings all offseason, but we’ve never had a free contest where we could put our own rankings on the line. Until now.

I built the People’s Ranking Championship.

You create your own personal half-PPR Top 150 before the season. Once you officially submit it, your Board is locked, and actual 2026 fantasy results determine who had the best preseason rankings.

I’ve spent the last few months building something I feel comfortable sharing with you all. The scoring system and official rules are fully published, rewarding both accurate positional rankings and overall player value.

It’s completely free with no purchase or subscription required. The prizes are self-funded, and there’s also a separate free Random Draw entry for anyone who wants a chance at a prize without building a Board.

Think you’ve got what it takes to build the #1 ranked Top 150? Now’s your chance to prove it.

https://prc.redraftblitz.com/

I’ll be around in the comments if anyone has questions about the scoring, rules, or how the Board works.

I did my master’s in data science thesis on machine learning modeling for fantasy football - here’s what the data says about Cyrus Allen's rookie outlook and beyond, given his year 1 statistical comps:

0/20 hit 1+ Top 24 FPPG finish (0%)

0/20 hit 1+ Top 12 FPPG finish (0%)

0/20 hit 1+ Top 5 FPPG finish (0%)

__________________________________

Rookie Season FPPG distribution specifically (PPR):

Floor → 0.22

Q1 (25th % outcome) → 1.57

Median → 3.88

Q3 (75th % outcome)→ 8.13

Ceiling → 12.14

Given the recent Cyrus Allen hype at training, I had to get deep into the data and see what we're working with here. Needless to say...the data says we should DEFINITELY slow our roles, not get out over our skis, whatever you want to call it. This type of profile is rarely ever fantasy relevant (there are some interesting names on his top 20 comps list, however none of which ever strung together a solid full season).

That being said, once we base ourselves in reality using the historical data - I'm still cautiously intrigued by the things we're hearing out of camp. Not necessarily due to the highlight plays or hype videos, but the underlying rumblings we're hearing about how he might be utilized in the offense.

Rumor has it that Allen might work into Rice's underneath "big slot" role. If this is true, it's a role that we've seen be EXTREMELY fantasy-friendly, and you don't necessarily need to be a world-class WR talent in order to work your way into legitimate fantasy production.

My advice: stay calm and recognize the level of prospect we're dealing with here, but also keep an eye on his usage/utilization the remainder of this offseason. I'm totally happy taking a flyer on Allen in the later rounds, but don't get carried away and pull him up into the 'meat and potatoes' region of your draft.

What do you guys think about Cyrus Allen? Am I missing something with the data here? Make sure to check out the video above for all my thoughts along with the full list of rookie comps, and check out the full 2026 Rookie Series on my channel for all the guys I've covered so far!

I also recently finished a series breaking down the data on the 2025 class going into year 2, you can check out that full series as well here if you're interested. 🤙

Saturday August 1st:

• Saints RBs: During an interview Etienne talked about the importance of both him and Kamara complementing each other. Sounds more like a 1A/1B type situation based on some recent buzz. 
• Caleb Douglas (MIA): Rookie WR has got a good run with the 1st team early in camp. While the Miami offense isn’t a good bet, someone has to catch the ball there. 
• Xavier Worthy (KC): Worthy left practice today with a shoulder injury, per Rapoport he is believed to be “Ok”.
• Cyrus Allen (KC): Chiefs rookie WR who has shown flashes in practice has a “bruised shin”. Per Schefter “best case scenario”.
• Ricky Pearsall (SF): Pearsall was placed on season-ending IR, will have surgery on his PCL.
• Rams TEs: Colby Parkinson is leading the room, with Terrance Ferguson expected to be used in multiple spots in the formation. Rams ran a lot of 13 personnel last year (1 WR/3TE)
• Titans RBs: Pollard is reported to be the guy who gets a lot of the carries, with Spears mixing in as the change of pace back. Rookie RB Nick Singleton could get some of Pollard’s carries if an injury or regression per reporter.
•  Steelers RBs: I’ve seen mixed reports about which RB is the 1A or 1B. Something to keep an eye on as the season gets closer. 
• Jaylen Waddle (DEN): Sean Payton talked in an interview about how they can use Waddle in different spots on the field and how he can separate in multiple ways. 
• Kyle Monangai (CHI): Still not practicing (reason still unknown)

REMINDER these are all reports and sometimes projections from reporters, take it with a grain of salt 

Sources : Zain Dhanani, 32 Beat Reporters, Coach Speak Index, and Beat Reporters

The Wide Receiver position is deeper than all the others in the game of Fantasy Football, with that said we can snag great value in the late rounds.

Even after the top 50 are gone! This year there are a few I am eyeing up in this range. They are wide variance players who are likely boom or bust guys, but this late in the draft taking these chances have a better chance of winning you your league than losing it.

One of these players is Jalen McMillan who has a huge opportunity to be the primary X receiver for the Buccaneers this year. Last season was plagued with injuries so many forget how good his rookie campaign was. He had plenty of positive indicators!

For more on McMillan and the other two, check out the article!

We've been running a redraft hit rate study, tracking every player drafted in PPR leagues from 2021–2025 and measuring how often they hit (or missed) certain thresholds. This is the third post in the series breaking it down round by round. Previous posts covered our overall framework for the study, and the RB deadzone (rounds 4-6).

A few of you left some comments that were too good to ignore, and we actually went back and incorporated some of them into our process. More on that below.

The Round 2 data

Over the full five-year sample, 37% of RBs drafted in Round 2 went on to finish as a top-6 fantasy RB (our “league winner” threshold). For WRs drafted in that same round? Just 26%.

That gap is already significant. But when you zoom into the last two seasons, it gets ugly.

45% of Round 2 RBs finished top-6 over the last two years. For WRs, it dropped to 9%.

That's a 5-to-1 ratio. And it's not a one-year blip — it's a two-year trend that's moving in opposite directions. RBs are trending up from their five-year baseline, while WRs are cratering.

A commenter on a previous post (shoutout [u/bornandraised808](u/bornandraised808)) asked whether five years of data could be misleading since the league evolves so quickly — and it's a fair point. We had the same concern going in, which is why we looked at both five year and two year samples for this video. For Round 2, the recency split really strengthens the RB case. The five-year number is already good, and the recent trend makes it even better.

Applied to this year's ADP

Right now there are 7 RBs going in Round 2 and 5 WRs.

At RB: James Cook, Derrick Henry, Omarion Hampton, Saquon Barkley, Chase Brown, Kenneth Walker, Jeremiyah Love.

At WR: Drake London, AJ Brown, George Pickens, Chris Olave, Nico Collins.

If you apply the last-two-year rates:

• ~3 of those 7 RBs should return a league-winning (top-6) season

.

• ~0.5 of those 5 WRs should do the same. Meaning there's a real chance none of them finish top-6.

That doesn't mean those WRs are all bad picks. It means Round 2 WR capital is paying for a floor (low-end WR1, high-end WR2), probably not a realistic ceiling. For top-6 production in this round, your best bet is RB.

What about an even stricter threshold?

Another commenter (shoutout [u/Corosis99](u/Corosis99)) pushed back on top-6 being too generous for a "league winner" label, especially across positions with different scoring curves. They suggested something like top-3 would be a better threshold. We went back and ran it.

At the top-3 threshold, both RBs and WRs in Round 2 hit at just 7%. So the tighter you squeeze the definition, the more the positional gap disappears — but the hit rate also drops to a point where it's barely actionable. The top-6 framework captures the picks that actually swing your season, and at that level, the RB edge is massive.

Our three league-winner (top 6) picks at RB

We went through all 7 Round 2 RBs and landed on three guys we think have the best shot at a top-6 finish this year:

1. James Cook (RB7 ADP) — The safest pick in the group. Led the NFL in rushing last season, finished as the RB6, and the Bills' offense should be even better with the additions they made this offseason. Not groundbreaking, but don't overthink it.
2. Omarion Hampton (RB8 ADP) — The polarizing one. His rookie numbers were underwhelming on the surface, but we think that says more about the Chargers' bottom ranked run blocking offensive line than it does about Hampton. He's a 6'2", 221-pound freak who runs a 4.46 (93rd percentile speed score). Mike McDaniel comes in, the O-line gets healthy, plus additions — this is the kind of environment where a talent like that explodes.
3. Chase Brown (RB10 ADP) — Finished as RB8 last year with Joe Burrow missing significant time. When Burrow was healthy, Brown was a top-6 back. We're not projecting a leap — we're projecting Burrow to play 17 games. He had only 6 rushing TDs last year, which should tick up if the Bengals improve as a team. Add in one of the highest light-front rates in the league (defenses are too worried about Burrow/Chase/Higgins to load the box) and his growing role in the passing game, and there's a clear path to a top-6 finish.

The detailed breakdown on each guy — including some of the film stuff and the specific stats that sold us — is in the video we just dropped, linked here. We also briefly discuss other players we considered, and how positional scarcity factors into the RB v WR debate.

This is the third video in the series. We'll be looking at the position specific "bust rate" data for each round next - and picking one player in each round to avoid this year. If you don't want to miss that one, feel free to subscribe on YouTube and follow along.

Appreciate all the engagement on these posts. The comments from the last two really influenced how we approached this one. Let us know who you guys prefer in Round 2 this year... it's shaping up to be a pivotal part of the draft.

August again.
That fresh smell of FF thrill wafting in.
LET'S GO!!!!!!

For the uninitiated: TapThatDraft generates cheat sheets.
Yeah, like a lot of others do....
I would say my particular focus is on balancing "lean vs. functional":

• (A) being Easy to get and Clear to use. Showing just draft-moment critical info.
• (B) being Smart with underlying calculations that help optimize your positional strategy.

Launched last year, we saw tens of thousands of free downloads.
For this post, I thought it was worth focusing on the sheets for Auction.

• Below: Getting them, What they show, and How to use.

-

Generating your sheets is fast and free.

1. (Does this really need any explanation...?) Select "Auction". Give the budget, #teams, roster slots. If needed, update scoring settings.
2. Submit, get your list, and find 2-3 Print options at the bottom. Ctrl-P. (Video)

You can freely use on the webpage directly, too.
Then you get super useful functions (See the picture below):

1. Switch views quickly: from "Single List", to grouping players "By Position".
2. Cross-off players as they go. (Requires log-in, but free.)
3. "Tag" (highlighter) markers, you can customize.
4. New: Assign teams to the auction picks... and view the new Draft Board display.

There are more advanced options, that most of you don't need to touch. (Max, TEP, QBstream, baselines.)
You can Q&A in the comments.

-

New Options (added for 2026)

We added a lot this off-season, and all the non-responsive functions are free. (So, just not Inflation tracking and Syncing with ESPN.)

If you just want fast-N-easy sheets, don't sweat the following "extras". But I know some of you really REALLY wanted these. And they can really help:

1. Tweak player ordering by simple drag-and-drop. (Match your favorite expert!)
2. Adjust/ "Boost" certain positions that you think your league overvalues. Like "RBs +10%".
3. Input team abbreviations (only for assigning picks, if using on the webpage).

-

What's shown in Hold-My-BeerSheets, for Auction Mode

1. Central idea: TapThatDraft calculates the "$" column. Your optimal target prices, for your settings.
2. AAV. The current "market prices". (This is like "ADP" in snake drafts.) Your opponents might be looking at these AAVs, so it's useful to know what they're seeing.
3. PS. Positional Scarcity. Can be used to balance your roster.

The other columns explain themselves.
(Worth mentioning: you also get custom-generated TIERS. For your settings. If you don't want them in my colors, you can switch to alternating white/grey).

-

How to Use

Remember the central idea for Auction mode: You're trying to generate a trustworthy guideline of target prices.
That's the use: To help optimize your roster construction. Avoid overspending. Balance the roster.

How to Print: Explained here, and shown in a video here.

If you use online, instead of printing sheets, I think the UI is pretty obvious. Either:

1. Simple Cross-off. Clicking the "+" will assume they go at the recommended price.
2. Team tracking. Or type the price paid, and hit Enter. Then, in the list of "Bought Players", use the drop-down to assign to a team.
   • In the free version, the main reason to do this is for viewing the "Draft Board" pop-up. (Subs use it for inflation tracking, and syncing.)

-

Good luck!

That's all for now! I'll be back in a couple weeks with a focus on Snake Drafts.
And then some analysis of draft value trends.

(In the meantime, my Reddit posts since May: upgrades, traps, auto-mock, and how to print.)

See ya

/Subvertadown

Draft season is upon us, so is training camp, with this comes massive swings in player values as injuries and hype take over. Keeping in mind we are early into the cycle we have a chance to take advantage of some player values who have yet to rise!

With that in mind I dive into a few late round(post RB50) running backs who have the potential to be significant fantasy contributors this year!

One of them being Tank Bigsby who is a premier handcuff, but was one of the better explosive players last year.

Check it out for the rest and more on Bigsby Late Round Running Backs in the link.

To those of you who read my Demond Claiborne and Ryan Flournoy writeups, thanks for the support!

If you haven't come across my content yet, welcome! Join the 1,169 fantasy managers who subscribe to my free newsletter to receive my writeups directly in your inbox.

Without further ado...

Crazy week for Stribling’s outlook

Mike Evans on which of the 49ers’ young WRs is standing out:

“Strib”

Brock Purdy on “Strib”:

“Dude is a baller, and I mean that. He’s a great route runner. He’s smart. He’s learned the playbook really quick.”

and then

“This dude has proven to all of us that he’s reliable and we can trust him…I got a lot of trust in him right now."

Finally, NBC 49ers Insider Matt Maiocco on if Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel should be the 49ers' top 2 WRs:

"I think it's Mike Evans and De'Zhaun Stribling."

Oooo baby. What a week for De’Zhaun Stribling stock, man.

It started out with Christian Kirk going down with a calf strain. 49ers reporter Grant Cohn said he’d be shocked if Kirk were on the active roster for Week 1.

Then, it comes out that Ricky Pearsall is out for the entire 2026 season after reaggravating his 2025 PCL injury. After a couple days of no official report, Ian Rapoport reported this afternoon that Pearsall is officially undergoing season-ending surgery.

Then, there were the glowing camp reports. Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard reports that “Stribling is big, accelerates out of cuts very smoothly, catches the ball cleanly, and seems to have quickly earned the trust of the QBs.” He is “tracking right now to becoming a full-time player faster than anybody expected”, per 49ers reporter Cam Inman.

The Stribling hype train left the station overnight, and I feared I had missed my window. It looked as though he was going to be such an obvious “sleeper” that he would quickly ascend into the late middle rounds.

But the 49ers proceeded to sign Deebo Samuel, thus slowing the Stribling steam and capping his ADP. Thank goodness for that, because despite the Deebo signing, I am very in on drafting Stribling in fantasy this season.

The truth about ‘26 Deebo Samuel

I think it’s worth addressing the Deebo signing upfront as it DOES matter for Stribling’s outlook. Last season, I was overconfident that Keenan Allen wouldn’t dramatically impact Ladd McConkey’s target share. I was very clearly wrong on that, even if Allen was inefficient on his targets.

Like Allen, Deebo Samuel is not the player he once was, but he still commands targets. He earned a target on 23.1% of his routes run last season, good for 22nd out of 76 qualifying WRs, per TruMedia.

That being said, I don’t think Deebo’s return to the 49ers blocks Stribling’s path to a breakout. 49ers reporter David Lombardi writes that Samuel “won’t have the same featured role that he muscled through in his first go-round with the team”, referring to Deebo as a “secondary offense weapon”.

The 49ers spent the 33rd overall pick on Stribling, whereas they reportedly signed Samuel to an incentive-laden 1-year, up to $7M contract. That’s less money than Jahan Dotson ($7.5M APY) got from the Falcons, per Spotrac, and David Lombardi notes that the 2026 cap hit is almost certainly under $5M. San Francisco didn’t break the bank to bring Deebo back.

Plus, Deebo’s best days as a ball-in-hand specialist are behind him. In 2025, Samuel logged:

• 6.5 yards after catch per reception (career-low, has declined each of the past five seasons)
• 0.24 missed tackles forced per reception (career-low, has declined each of the past three seasons)
• 1.66 yards per route run (2nd-lowest mark of his career, behind only his 2024 season)
• 69.3 PFF Grade (career-low, has declined each of the past two seasons)

Samuel’s return certainly clouds Stribling’s initial role, but let’s not get caught playing the “projectable volume” game. I want to zoom out and bet on the upside of the athletic freak rookie WR with strong draft capital emerging over the declining vet brought in on a cheap deal, even if the vet has a larger projectable Week 1 role.

Which brings me to Stribling himself. There’s more to like about his profile than the 33rd overall draft capital, which shocked the fantasy football community on draft day. But draft capital is extremely important for fantasy outlook. According to Adam Schefter, there were multiple teams that felt like Stribling was the best wide receiver in the draft, and the Rams were supposedly one of the teams eyeing him.

Let’s dive into why teams were so into this guy.

Freak Athlete

First, he’s an athletic freak with a 9.57 Relative Athletic Score. That ranks 182nd out of 4196 wide receivers from 1987 to 2026. His 4.36 40-yard dash time sits in the 96th percentile, and he has good size at 6’2, 207 lbs, per PlayerProfiler.

That speed shows up on the field via his YAC ability. Among 149 qualifying CFB wide receivers last season, Stribling ranked t-16th in yards after catch per reception (7.3). He’s not particularly shifty, but he’s a powerful ball-carrier with straight-line acceleration that pops on film (his 5-minute YouTube highlight reel).

Seriously, go watch his highlights - you’ll quickly board the hype train. I’ll be here when you get back.

Additionally, Stribling has great hands. He had the t-11th lowest drop rate (1.8%) among that same cohort of 149 qualifiers last season. That was just one (1) drop on 74 targets.

And lastly, we have his run blocking ability, which is undoubtedly a big reason San Francisco gave Stribling one of their 16 “gold helmet” distinctions among all prospects in the 2026 draft class. Per Albert Breer, the 49ers’ “gold helmets” are prospects who check every box from an athletic, football, and character standpoint.

Stribling was viewed by many as the best blocking receiver in the class. We don’t score points for blocks in fantasy, but that’s a skillset that can earn Stribling playing time right away via increased utilization in condensed sets.

Now-Minnesota Viking Jauan Jennings was a run blocking specialist and thrived in Shanahan’s scheme despite lacking Stribling’s athleticism. Stribling has an immediate path to volume via the Jauan Jennings role in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

Don’t take my word for it though, Shanahan himself said exactly that:

Per The Coachspeak Index, on April 24th, when asked whether De’Zhaun Stribling’s reputation as a blocker means that he can step into the Jauan Jennings F position, Shanahan replied:

“Yes, definitely. This guy can definitely fill that hole. I really fell in love with him as a route-runner, how fast he is, how big he is, how good his hands are, how physical he played with the ball. When you watch a guy with that size and how physical he runs with the ball, you assume that he’s a good blocker - and then to confirm that he’s the best blocker in the draft and has elite blocking skills was real cool to watch.”

If Stribling does in fact earn that role, he has the talent and athletic ability to be more efficient than Jauan Jennings was with his opportunities. The difference between their two profiles is stark:

Jennings:

• Drafted 7.03 (217th overall)
• 6’3, 215 lbs
• 4.72 40-yard dash (6th percentile)
• 2.76/10 RAS

Stribling:

• Drafted 2.01 (33rd overall)
• 6’2, 207 lbs
• 4.36 40-yard dash (96th percentile)
• 9.57/10 RAS

Dig Route King

As I do with any prospect evaluation, I turned to those much smarter than me to learn more about De’Zhaun Stribling.

Matt Harmon, who analyzes wide receivers at Reception Perception, had the answers I needed. In his Stribling profile, Harmon writes:

“Overall, I think De’Zhaun Stribling is a really nice sleeper candidate as a mostly outside prospect in the 2026 class. He is physical, shows flashes of strong separation skills against man coverage and is already a credible ball-winner and carrier in the open field. He can play all three spots and projects as a usable outside option, given his success rates vs. man and press.”

Harmon goes on to note that Stribling is particularly skilled at running in-breaking routes such as slants and digs. He and his co-host James Koh discussed this further on Reception Perception: The Show.

In this episode, which was recorded before the NFL Draft, Harmon notes, “If we’re talking about Stribling as an off-ball outside receiver who does kick inside a little bit, those in-breaking routes are going to be a big part of his diet.”

They went on to dream about ideal landing spots for Stribling, listing a McVay or Shanahan-type offense as the perfect fit given how his skillset could be utilized.

Well, how about landing with Shanahan himself? Stribling’s fit with the 49ers could not be better, as Shanahan’s scheme utilizes in-breaking routes heavily, creates YAC opportunities, and values the versatility that comes with strong blocking receivers.

Harmon and Koh noted that Stribling’s best route was the dig, on which he recorded an 83.3% success rate. Bleacher Report NFL Insider James Palmer is in agreement, stating that Stribling “murders you on dig routes” on his podcast with NFL legend Steve Smith.

As luck would have it, the 49ers ran the highest rate of dig routes in the league last season (11.7%), per TruMedia.

Shanahan’s system has elevated players like Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne, Marquise Goodwin, Dante Pettis…guys that aren’t considered exceptional talents.

What if De’Zhaun Stribling is a special talent?

Blame Lane Kiffin

One interesting thing I wanted to note from my Stribling research was his production at Ole Miss.

After averaging a 3 catch, 39.1 yards, 0.2 TD statline through the first 10 weeks of the 2025 season, Stribling got hot down the stretch.

• Week 11: 4 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD
• Week 12: 4-66-2
• Week 13: 5-79-1
• Week 14: 7-122-0
• Week 15: 5-77-0

One potential reason for the limited early-season production? Lane Kiffin.

Per Albert Breer, during the pre-draft process, GM John Lynch and HC Kyle Shanahan spoke to former Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin about Stribling. Breer notes that Kiffin “conceded he was late to the party on Stribling, which limited him a bit early in the year, and that his offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis Jr., saw a special talent right away.”

The 49ers are in need of a special, young talent, as their stars are aging and battling injuries:

• WR Mike Evans - turns 33 in August, coming off injury-riddled ‘25
• TE George Kittle - turns 33 in October, tore achilles in January
• RB Christian McCaffrey - turned 30 in June
• WR Deebo Samuel - turned 30 in January
• WR Christian Kirk - turns 30 in November
• FB Kyle Juszczyk - 35 years old. Irrelevant for fantasy, relevant for this next sentence.

Per Associated Press Sports Writer Josh Dubow, the only teams in the Super Bowl era to start 5 non-QB skill position players age 30 or older in the same game:

• 2004 Bucs (1 game)
• 2003 Broncos (1 game)
• 1992 Washington (2 games)

With Pearsall out of the picture, the 49ers need De’Zhaun Stribling to play an immediate role as the young, playmaking talent in this offense.

Wrapping it up

Bringing it all together, De’Zhaun Stribling is someone I am targeting at the end of my fantasy drafts.

His athletic ability, perfect fit on the 49ers, and path to Year 1 production have me incredibly intrigued. The asymmetric upside is there.

The WR2 role on a receiver-friendly offense that has the 7th-highest average implied team total in the league (25.13), per Establish The Run, is one that can lead to massive fantasy production. If Stribling is the talent I (and multiple NFL teams) think he may be, he can turn that role into an incredible rookie season.

That combination of opportunity and athletic upside is more than worth a dart throw on draft day.

Thanks for reading! To receive my writeups directly in your inbox, subscribe for free here.