Throughout the offseason, it’s a good idea to monitor average draft position (ADP) to see which players are trending up and down in terms of fantasy football value. There is so much news that impacts the market.
On this page, we’re going to take a look at FantasyPros’ expert consensus rankings (ECR) to find out which players are trending up and down.
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Fantasy Football Players Trending Up & Down
Let’s explore players who are trending up and down after 2026 NFL Free Agency.
Fantasy Football Players Trending Up
Each of these three players is trending up due to team context, which has become more favorable following free agency.
Justin Jefferson got some great news when the Vikings signed Kyler Murray. For all his flaws, Murray still has enough talent to be intrigued by the pairing with quarterback whisperer Kevin O’Connell.
The former Cardinal should still be a significant upgrade over J.J. McCarthy under center. With that in mind, there’s a good chance we see Jefferson return to previous career norms this season. At the very least, it’ll likely be a much more productive year.
Kenneth Walker III was stuck in a committee with Zach Charbonnet. But we saw what Walker can do during the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run. Now with the Chiefs, the sky is the limit for Walker.
With Patrick Mahomes returning from a torn ACL, it was important for the team to bring in a playmaker at running back. We could see the Chiefs run the football a little more than usual, at least in the early part of the season. There’s a chance Walker creeps into the first round of fantasy football drafts.
Garrett Wilson is a talented wideout who has been held back by poor quarterback play. But now he’ll be playing with Geno Smith, who is a significant upgrade as a passer compared to Justin Fields.
Smith was awful last year, but that was partly due to an atrocious Raiders offensive line, along with an ineffective offensive scheme. The good thing about Smith is that at least he can run a competent passing game, which bodes well for Wilson.
Fantasy Football Players Trending Down
The following players got some bad news based on what happened in free agency.
Bucky Irving is a talented running back, but it’s clear that the Buccaneers want to go with a committee backfield. They brought in Kenneth Gainwell to replace Rachaad White as the passing-down and change-of-pace back. Sean Tucker was also retained.
There’s a good chance Irving doesn’t approach the production he showed in his first year. The crowded depth chart makes me want to avoid this backfield.
Cam Skattebo showed a lot of potential as a rookie before tearing his ACL. As if coming back from a significant knee injury wasn’t enough, the Giants have shown interest in upgrading their backfield throughout free agency.
This team was mentioned as a potential landing spot for Kenneth Walker III. Plus, they’re in a position to draft Jeremiyah Love. While Skattebo dodged the Walker bullet, he may not with Love. That makes it hard to take the risk on him in early drafts.
With Travis Etienne signing with the Saints, you would think that Bhayshul Tuten would be on the risers list. However, after the Commanders released Chris Rodriguez Jr., the Jaguars immediately signed him. Why is that noteworthy? Because Jaguars head coach Liam Coen coached Rodriguez in college at Kentucky.
Coen clearly likes Rodriguez. It’s caused the market to question Tuten’s potential role in this backfield. However, I’m buying at the discount, as Tuten is the most talented back on the team.
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