The FantasyPros Football Podcast continued its division-by-division offseason series with the AFC West, breaking down one key fantasy takeaway per team, with an emphasis on what actually matters for fantasy football heading into 2026 drafts.
Fantasy Football Takeaways for 2026: AFC West
Below is a team-by-team AFC West fantasy outlook for the Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, and Raiders, including the biggest lessons from 2025 and what to do with those lessons in 2026 fantasy football drafts (redraft + a nod to dynasty where it fits). And you can find the full episode below.
Denver Broncos Fantasy Football Outlook
Key Takeaway: Don’t trust Sean Payton to make your fantasy life easy
If you’re looking for weekly predictability in fantasy football, Sean Payton is not your friend.
The Broncos once again showed Payton’s core identity:
- Multiple running backs
- Matchup/script-dependent usage
- Rotating WR2/WR3 roles behind the top option
- Coach-speak that does not equal fantasy reality
That means Denver will routinely produce frustrating “almost useful” players, the types you add, start once, drop, and then watch pop the following week.
2026 Draft Outlook
- Courtland Sutton can still profile as a usable WR2/WR3, but you’ll live with volatility.
- RJ Harvey looks like a potential RB2 (with spike-week upside), but his ceiling depends on how Denver handles the backfield and whether they add/retain competition.
- Beyond the top 2 to 3 fantasy options (and possibly Bo Nix depending on format), Denver’s ancillary pieces are mostly best-ball darts, not weekly lineup locks.
Fantasy football rule for Denver: draft talent at a discount, but don’t overreact to Payton quotes or one-week usage spikes.
Los Angeles Chargers Fantasy Football Outlook
Key Takeaway: The Chargers are a 2026 fantasy football “buy” offense (especially if the line is healthier)
The Chargers were never consistently healthy in 2025, and it showed, particularly up front. But when the offense was functioning, the ceiling flashed often enough to make this a 2026 target offense for fantasy.
The big idea: don’t punish season-long stats that were dragged down by injuries, patchwork protection, and games where the offense simply couldn’t operate normally.
2026 Draft Outlook
- Ladd McConkey is a prime buy. His rookie-year ceiling games were legit, and his role/rapport with Justin Herbert is exactly what fantasy managers chase.
- Justin Herbert is a strong rebound candidate if the offensive line stabilizes.
- Quentin Johnston (and/or whoever ends up as the clear WR2) is the type of player you want when the market is sour, but you only want him if the price stays reasonable.
- Omarion Hampton has clear bellcow upside if the Chargers treat him like a true featured back.
Fantasy football angle: expect discounts because the raw 2025 totals won’t pop, and that’s where you can win drafts.
Kansas City Chiefs Fantasy Football Outlook
Key Takeaway: Early-season suspensions are a buy window in fantasy football
One of the sharpest strategic lessons from the AFC West: don’t over-fear early suspensions, especially for players who are truly capable of difference-making production once they return.
The podcast used Rashee Rice as the template: yes, you “lose” weeks early, but early in the season your roster is healthiest, you have fewer bye-week issues, and waivers are most active. Good managers can survive it, and then add an elite producer to an already functional roster.
2026 Draft Outlook
- If a high-upside player (like Rice) is discounted due to a suspension, that can be a league-winning structure pick, as long as the price falls enough.
- Be careful chasing Chiefs ancillary pass-catchers simply because it’s Patrick Mahomes. The “who’s the next guy?” game has burned fantasy managers for years.
- In general, it’s often a trap to pay up for the most expensive real-life WR2 on an offense unless the usage is truly concentrated.
Fantasy football takeaway: embrace suspension discounts when the talent is elite, but avoid overpaying for secondary Chiefs pieces without clear weekly volume.
Las Vegas Raiders Fantasy Football Outlook
Key Takeaway: Bad offenses can cap elite talent, and “elite TE” remains the riskier draft path
The Raiders produced two important fantasy football lessons:
1) Elite tight end is still a high-risk strategy
The debate is always the same: elite TE vs late-round TE. The AFC West episode argued that elite TE builds can absolutely work, but they’re riskier than many drafters want to admit because:
- tight ends miss time
- the opportunity cost is massive
- every season produces late tight ends who smash ADP
If you don’t land the true cheat-code season at TE, you can easily lose ground at RB/WR, and the “advantage” disappears.
Fantasy football draft implication: if you go early TE, you need a meaningful weekly edge, not just “good production.”
2) Ashton Jeanty showed how a bottom-tier offense can disappoint even with elite usage
Jeanty’s talent wasn’t the problem. His workload wasn’t the problem. The Raiders were the problem.
This is the cautionary tale for 2026 fantasy football drafts: even great RB profiles can struggle to return elite value if:
- the offensive line is losing at the point of attack
- the offense can’t sustain drives
- scoring opportunities are limited
2026 Draft Outlook
- Treat elite tight end as a “swing for the fences” approach, not a default strategy.
- Jeanty remains a high-end talent, but his ceiling depends on meaningful Raiders offensive improvement (line + overall scoring environment), not just volume.
Fantasy football lesson: don’t draft last year’s elite TE season. Draft next year’s breakout TE season, and don’t ignore offense quality when paying first/second-round prices at RB.
Final AFC West Fantasy Football Takeaways
- Broncos: Sean Payton spreads touches around. Draft Denver players carefully and avoid chasing weekly noise.
- Chargers: A prime “buy” offense for 2026 fantasy football if the OL is healthier. McConkey/Herbert/Hampton are key targets.
- Chiefs: Early suspensions can be value gold. Don’t overpay for secondary KC pass-catchers without volume clarity.
- Raiders: Elite TE is riskier than it looks, and Jeanty is the reminder that bad offenses can cap even elite RB talent.
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