This isn’t quite the complete fantasy football dead zone of the offseason just yet. We do have organized team activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamps to keep us informed, but we are at a point in the offseason where we can take a breath and ponder the biggest issues for every team. These are the biggest fantasy football questions facing every NFL team.
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Biggest Fantasy Football Questions for Every NFL Team
Arizona Cardinals: Can Marvin Harrison Jr. Finally Produce?
The Cardinals caught fire for fantasy football purposes last season, leading the league in pass attempts per game (38.2). They’re unlikely to do so again this season, after investing the third overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft in Jeremiyah Love and also signing Tyler Allgeier in free agency.
This leaves a rather pressing question of what becomes of Marvin Harrison Jr., who two years ago at this time was viewed as one of the most can’t-miss prospects we’d seen at wide receiver in a long time. Harrison hasn’t been great for fantasy, but the Cardinals have tried to keep him involved, with 189 targets in 29 games (6.5 targets per game), resulting in 51.48 receiving yards per game and 12 touchdowns. On paper, those numbers don’t sound atrocious, but the production isn’t delivering on the profile.
Entering his third season, alongside the transcendent Trey McBride and ascending Michael Wilson, Harrison is going to face a massive make-or-break year.
Atlanta Falcons: How Bad Will the Quarterback Hurt Elite Fantasy Assets?
Michael Penix Jr. is pushing for snaps in the Falcons’ offseason sessions earlier than expected in his recovery from a torn ACL. This marks the third ACL tear Penix has suffered, with two on his right knee and one on his left. Competing with him is Tua Tagovailoa, playing for the veteran minimum, while Miami pays the rest of his contract left over from their mistake.
The Falcons are blessed with one of the best receivers in the league (Drake London), one of the very best running backs (Bijan Robinson) and a tight end they at least deemed worthy of franchise tagging (Kyle Pitts).
We saw Tagovailoa keep Tyreek Hill, De’Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle fantasy relevant for stretches, and we saw Penix help London average 19.9 PPR points per game last season. We know they can do it, but their styles aren’t overly similar: Tagovailoa averages 2.57 seconds per throw, while Penix averages 2.72.
Tagovailoa recorded a 67% completion rate in 2025, and 6.9 yards per attempt (YPA); Penix’s completion rate was 60% and he averaged 7.1 YPA. Penix had the ninth-highest average depth of target (aDOT), compared to Tagovailoa ranking in the bottom three. If we get a back-and-forth between these two as starters, it could prove volatile for the elite surrounding talent. How risk-averse are you?
Baltimore Ravens: Does Mark Andrews Have Anything Left?
Rumors of Lamar Jackson‘s demise are being greatly exaggerated. Jackson struggled through injuries after woeful offensive line play left him with the second-highest sack rate among quarterbacks with 250+ pass attempts (9.8%).
Jackson still boasted the fourth-highest quarterback rating, though, despite leading the position in aDOT. Jackson received zero help in yards after the catch, ranking 26th out of 32 qualifying quarterbacks. That, in part, was a Mark Andrews problem. Andrews recorded a career-low 2.25 yards after the catch per reception, a significant drop from his previous career-low (3.1) in 2020. Among 49 tight ends with 30+ targets, Andrews was dead last in this category.
With the Ravens not adding another tight end until round four of the draft, and only adding blocking tight end Durham Smythe in free agency, it seems like the opportunity will still be there for Andrews this season. A red-zone role will still be relevant, given he saw the ninth-most red-zone targets in 2025, but it’s hard to project consistency for redraft or managed leagues.
Buffalo Bills: Will DJ Moore Live up to His Trade Cost?
The Bills gave up their second-round pick for DJ Moore, who was coming off consecutive seasons posting career lows in yards per route run. Josh Allen will be substantially better than any quarterback Moore has played for, but it’s fair to be skeptical.
Only Khalil Shakir cracked a target share higher than 16% for the Bills last season, but couldn’t break 20%. In 2024, Shakir led the way with a 21% target share, but no other player broke 20%. This offense under Joe Brady simply has spread the ball around too much to make individual pass-catchers particularly fantasy-relevant.
Of course, with a significant investment in a player Brady has history with from their time together in Carolina, you’d like to think Moore could be a strong choice, but there is a decent-sized element of risk.
Carolina Panthers: Is Jonathon Brooks Worth Drafting?
The Panthers moved on from Rico Dowdle, despite him being better than Chuba Hubbard in yards per attempt, yards before contact and yards after contact per attempt. Hubbard didn’t have a single explosive run on 129 attempts — the only running back with 100+ attempts not to do so. Meanwhile, Dowdle ranked 20th in that metric and was a solid FLEX play, at worst, most weeks.
The Panthers are doubling down on their faith in Hubbard but also talking optimistically about Jonathon Brooks. When Brooks entered the NFL in 2024, people were optimistic that the former backup to Bijan Robinson would be a good value.
There was only one issue, though: Injuries. Brooks tore his ACL in November 2023 at Texas, which caused him to miss the start of his 2024 rookie NFL season. He re-teared the same ACL in December 2024, missing the entire 2025 season. Brooks now enters the third year of his rookie contract with nine rushing attempts for 22 yards and three receptions for 23 yards. What happens next is anyone’s guess.
Chicago Bears: Can Rome Odunze Bounce Back?
The Bears boast one of the most inexperienced pass-catching groups in the NFL, with Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze combining for a total of 203 NFL receptions between them, and not much of note behind them for depth.
Loveland and Burden both showed plenty of promise in their 2025 rookie seasons, enough for the Bears to move on from DJ Moore. If the Bears are going to take the next step and become a consistent force, though, they’ll need a bit more, and ideally a bit more from Odunze, who didn’t take a step forward in his second season. Odunze, though, wasn’t bad. He dropped fewer passes (2.2% vs 5.9%), averaged a higher amount of yards after the catch per reception (4.9 vs. 4.7) and equaled his aDOT of 13.9 from his rookie campaign.
Odunze’s 55.1 receiving yards per game was higher than Ladd McConkey and Mike Evans, and almost equal to Tee Higgins (56.4). He simply failed to live up to expectations. With everyone enamored of Burden and Loveland, it is not hard to believe Odunze could be the best value option.
Cincinnati Bengals: Will Joe Burrow Stay Healthy?
The Bengals had one priority this offseason: Plug the leakiest defense in the league. They spent their first two draft picks on defensive players and, most uncharacteristically, traded away the 10th overall pick for Dexter Lawrence, having added Jonathan Allen, Kyle Dugger and Boye Mafe in free agency.
The Bengals sense that time is running out with their star talent to put together another Super Bowl run. It’s now been three consecutive seasons since they even reached the playoffs, and the excuses simply have to stop. This carries across to fantasy as well, but the biggest remaining question will be: Can Joe Burrow stay healthy?
Over the last three seasons, Burrow has played a full season only once (2024), when he led the league in passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43). Every year Burrow has been healthy, he’s passed for at least 4,400 yards. If he stays healthy this year, another big year feels like a lock.
Cleveland Browns: Is Todd Monken Enough to Make Cleveland Average?
Under Todd Monken’s offensive creativity, we’ve seen excellent seasons from Lamar Jackson and record-breaking years in Tampa Bay. The Cleveland Browns, meanwhile, have been starved of offense for some time. With question marks over a revolting quarterback room, including Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, nobody in this offense is costly to acquire.
If Todd Monken can bring a little of the magic along we saw in Baltimore and Tampa, Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr. and Denzel Boston could all prove to be excellent values in 2026. They’re high-risk, mediocre-reward type plays that won’t appeal to everyone.
Dallas Cowboys: Will George Pickens Prove It?
The Cowboys took the unusual step of deciding, by their standards, very early to clarify that they don’t intend to sign George Pickens to a long-term contract just yet. Instead, they want him to play on the franchise tag this season and prove he’s worth a significant long-term investment.
Pickens finished fourth in receiving yards per game (84.1), fifth in yards per target (10.91) and ninth in yards per route run (2.45), but had significant splits between when CeeDee Lamb was and wasn’t on the field. If the Cowboys don’t want to pay Pickens, someone will. Either way, we should see a heavily motivated Pickens in 2026.
Denver Broncos: Can Jaylen Waddle Become a Touchdown Machine?
The Broncos gave up their 2026 first-, third- and fourth-round picks to acquire Jaylen Waddle from the Dolphins. Waddle has been a steady performer over his five seasons in the NFL, breaking 1,000 yards three times but never hitting double-digit touchdowns.
Tee Higgins and Jordan Addison are the only receivers in the last three years to reach 10+ touchdowns and finish a season without finishing as top-12 fantasy wide receivers. If Waddle can finally become a touchdown machine, his chances of a breakout season increase.
The Broncos passed at the ninth-highest rate inside the red zone (58%) in 2025; Miami, ranked 22nd (50.7%). If Waddle and Bo Nix hit it off, this is his path to crushing.
Detroit Lions: Can the Lions Produce Without Ben Johnson?
According to Sharp Football, the Detroit Lions have the easiest strength of schedule in 2026. That’s good news for a team that scored 4.8 fewer points per game in 2025 than they did in 2024.
Not all of that was down to Ben Johnson‘s departure to Chicago, but the offense did look significantly worse, with Jared Goff dropping from a 72% completion rate to 68% and his yards per attempt fell from 8.6 to 7.9. Both are still respectable numbers, but respectable isn’t good enough if you want to be one of the very best offenses in the league.
Green Bay Packers: Will Christian Watson Break Out?
As the season wore on and Christian Watson got healthier, he really kicked into gear. From Week 11 to Week 17, he averaged 60 yards and 15.1 PPR points per game. Those were top-16 wide receiver numbers. Now that Romeo Doubs is no longer on the team, the target competition has cleared up for Watson.
Houston Texans: Will C.J. Stroud Wind Back the Clock?
In C.J. Stroud‘s rookie season, he averaged 273 yards per game at 8.2 yards per attempt with a 1% interception rate. He looked like a franchise quarterback. Since then, he’s averaged 218 yards per game, 7.1 YPA and a 2.1% interception rate.
Stroud is eligible for a contract extension, but the Texans have made no public assertions that extending him is a top priority. If Stroud wants to earn an extension, he needs to return to his rookie-season form. If he can do that, chances are Nico Collins and at least one more pass-catcher can outperform their current average draft position (ADP).
Indianapolis Colts: Can Josh Downs Stay on the Field?
The haters are queuing up to tell you that Josh Downs won’t stay on the field enough to be relevant in 2026 after he found himself in a marginalized role in 2025, playing 62% of snaps. Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce were both above 80%. Still, he earned targets when on the field with a targets per route run rate of 0.24, the highest among the Colts. Even in a down season, Downs earned 84 targets.
Downs ran only 17 routes last year when fewer than three wide receivers were deployed, which is obviously far from ideal. Still, the Colts haven’t sought to replace Pittman in any meaningful way. If Downs is on the field more often, or even closer to 70% of the plays, he has a chance to outperform his ADP.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Is Chris Rodriguez Jr. Bad News for Bhayshul Tuten?
One of the more divisive backfields for fantasy football looks to be forming in Jacksonville. Chris Rodriguez Jr. signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Jaguars to pair him with Bhayshul Tuten. Rodriguez ranked 23rd among running backs with 100+ attempts in yards per carry (4.46) and had the sixth-highest touchdown rate at 5.4%. He also ranked 12th in missed tackles forced per attempt.
Tuten is no slouch, though, boasting 4.32 speed and ranking 11th in missed tackles forced per attempt in 2025. There’s always opportunity in an ambiguous backfield, but for now, it’s hard to figure out how this one plays out.
Kansas City Chiefs: Will a Healthy Xavier Worthy Make an Impact?
Rashee Rice continues his quest to do everything he possibly can to dominate offseason discourse. With him entering a contract year, it’s fair to wonder if the Chiefs view him as worth the hassle. Rice said earlier this offseason he wants to earn his way to Jaxon Smith-Njigba-type money (four years, $168 million), and if this were purely a bet on talent, perhaps he could. But right now, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is at OTAs, and Rice is spending the next month in jail.
Xavier Worthy flashed in his rookie season but was injured early in his sophomore campaign. Andy Reid confirmed that they felt restricted in what they could do with Worthy because of a shoulder injury. If that turns out to be the case, would it be a surprise to see Kansas City start to involve Worthy slightly more going forward?
Los Angeles Chargers: If Not Now, When?
The word “if” has come up a lot in discussions of Justin Herbert and his career. After all, he’s had plenty of talented pass-catchers and above-average to very good defenses, but it’s been quite a while since he put it all together for a truly incredible season.
In 2021, Herbert was the fantasy QB2 in total points, throwing for 5,075 yards and 38 touchdowns. Since then, Herbert has never passed for more than 26 touchdowns. With Mike McDaniel taking over the offense, Herbert and his offensive teammates have the opportunity to be a far more creative unit than they were under Greg Roman.
It’s easy to give Herbert a mulligan for last season, when a porous offensive line saw him sacked a whopping 3.37 times per game. With healthy linemen, if not now, when?
Los Angeles Rams: Can Puka Nacua Keep Scoring Touchdowns?
Last year’s 10 receiving touchdowns for Puka Nacua were more than he had in the previous two seasons combined (nine). Despite seeing 266 targets in his first two seasons, the touchdowns weren’t there. In 2023, all three of Nacua’s touchdowns came on red-zone plays, with him seeing 15 targets in the red area.
In 2024, Nacua managed another three red-zone touchdowns on 13 targets before taking the leap in 2025 to five touchdowns on 17 targets. The small caveat is that nine of Nacua’s 17 targets came in games when Davante Adams played fewer than 60% of the snaps or not at all.
If Adams stays healthier, which is no straightforward assumption, could we see fewer easy touchdown opportunities? Or if we flip the scenario and Adams struggles more, does Nacua reach 15+ touchdowns and truly explode?
Las Vegas Raiders: How Long Does Fernando Mendoza Wait?
Everything the Raiders have done and said has pointed to them truly believing that Kirk Cousins is the better option in the immediate future, with Fernando Mendoza sitting for a sustained period. We’ve seen in the past, though, that first-round quarterbacks rarely sit, and when they do, it’s not for long.
Looking at current betting odds, the Raiders are favorites in only three games this season — Week 1 against the Dolphins, Week 16 against the Titans and Week 17 against the Cardinals. Fans have watched this team win just seven games over the last two seasons combined. Their unrest might cause leadership to feel obliged to put Mendoza in before long, if only to give them some hope for the future.
Miami Dolphins: Can any of Pass-Catcher Seize Their Chance?
Malik Washington, Greg Dulcich, Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas aren’t exactly an inspiring group. They have 139 NFL receptions between them, which is no fault of the rookies, but does show the glaring inexperience and lack of depth that Malik Willis has to work with.
Getting drawn into ‘someone has to catch it’ arguments can be dangerous, and it feels most likely that nobody will be a consistent fantasy asset here.
Minnesota Vikings: Does J.J. McCarthy Start Any Games?
Everything the Vikings have done has suggested they regret the J.J. McCarthy pick. Throughout the offseason, Kevin O’Connell told everyone who’d listen he wanted a quarterback competition. Once they signed Kyler Murray, O’Connell has been consistently effusive.
Among 36 quarterbacks with 200 pass attempts, McCarthy’s 57.6% completion rate was only higher than Shedeur Sanders, and his yards per attempt ranked 26th. If you can’t do the simple things well, and you’re not moving the ball, you’re holding everyone back.
New England Patriots: With a Tougher Schedule, Is This Team Still a Contender?
Much was made of the Patriots’ easy path to the Super Bowl, winning 14 of their regular-season games, then squeaking by through the playoffs until the Seahawks demolished them when it mattered most.
New England opens the season with a Super Bowl rematch, before playing three more playoff teams in consecutive weeks. Whereas last season the AFC East faced a spiraling NFC South, this year they’ll face the NFC North. And while the Dolphins still look easy pickings, the Jets, on paper, could be a slightly stronger team.
If the Patriots aren’t able to prove they belong in the playoffs, we may see fantasy regression from Drake Maye. Without an easy schedule, the running backs may not have it as easy either.
New Orleans Saints: Is This the Must-Have Offense for Fantasy Football?
Excitement seems to be building for Kellen Moore’s second season as the Saints’ head coach. In 2025, the Saints weren’t a great team, ranking 27th in offensive passing expected points added (EPA), but they played fast, and that matters for fantasy football.
New Orleans took the fewest seconds per play and ran the 10th-most plays per game. Tyler Shough was the fantasy QB11 from Weeks 11-18 with 18.8 points per game, and now they’ve added Travis Etienne and Jordyn Tyson. It’s hard not to be optimistic.
New York Giants: Is Isaiah Likely a TE1?
The vibes aren’t good around New York whenever Malik Nabers and his health are brought up. Beat reporters continue to hint at a possible start to the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, ruling Nabers out of the first four weeks. On the back of this, his fantasy football ADP is dropping.
No other Giants wide receiver is being drafted inside the top 180 picks in best ball right now, but Isaiah Likely might earn some steam. Likely was paid by the Giants like a top tight end, with only Kyle Pitts, Trey McBride and George Kittle earning more on an annual basis.
It seems crazy to think the Giants won’t expect a lot from Likely. He is big, and his off-script abilities that Lamar Jackson loved should translate well to Jaxson Dart‘s game.
New York Jets: Was 2025 the Real Geno Smith?
Despite a down year in 2025, the Jets were so convinced that Geno Smith would be their ideal quarterback for 2026 that they traded late-round picks to acquire him ahead of free agency. Smith led all quarterbacks in both sacks (55) and interceptions (17), and is turning 36 this year.
The recipe doesn’t sound ideal, but Smith was under siege last year and frequently had to get rid of the ball quickly to cope with an awful offensive line. The Jets’ offensive line is better than people might expect. If they can stay healthy, Smith has enough offensive firepower to succeed.
Philadelphia Eagles: Will Jalen Hurts Pass More to the Intermediate Area?
With the imminent departure of A.J. Brown, it seems that under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, the Eagles would like to rebuild this offense and take more easy throws across the middle of the field. Much has been made of Jalen Hurts not throwing to the middle of the field and the intermediate areas. He does indeed pass there less often than most quarterbacks, but that’s not because he can’t.
Jake Ciely of The Athletic recently pointed out that over the last five years, among quarterbacks with 100+ pass attempts, Hurts has the fourth-lowest off-target rate on these passes, the highest touchdown per attempt rating and he ranks eighth in completion rate in those areas. With Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers, it feels inevitable that either Hurts will get comfortable passing to those areas or the whispers of a divorce will grow louder.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Who Will be 2026’s Kenneth Gainwell?
2025 was a career year for Kenneth Gainwell, finishing with 114 rush attempts and 85 targets, both easily surpassing his previous best marks. Aaron Rodgers took a shine to Gainwell, and the duo never looked back, with Gainwell being voted the team’s MVP by his teammates. Rodgers is back in Pittsburgh, but Gainwell is now in Tampa Bay.
We’ve seen Rodgers latch onto certain players in the past, and while he helped DK Metcalf have a strong season, it still feels like someone will become a massive value. Could it be the freshly arrived Michael Pittman Jr., scooping up receptions near the line of scrimmage? Pat Freiermuth feeding in the red zone now that Arthur Smith isn’t around to keep him off the field? Or maybe Jaylen Warren goes nuts in the receiving game?
With Rodgers, it’s always hard to say, but in best ball, we should be open to taking some Steelers.
San Francisco 49ers: Is Ricky Pearsall Ready to Step Up?
If you put weight into how often players get open, Ricky Pearsall is likely on your radar. Pearsall ranked eighth in separation score last season, despite not doing a whole lot while getting open.
With George Kittle recovering from his Achilles injury, Jauan Jennings in Minnesota and Brandon Aiyuk unlikely to play for the 49ers ever again, the opportunity is there. But it’s also fair to question if Pearsall will be able to get open as easily if teams shift more coverage his direction. Pearsall has yet to play more than 11 games in a season after two years, and hasn’t had more than 36 receptions or three touchdowns in a season.
To say there’s room for growth would be an understatement.
Seattle Seahawks: Will Klint Kubiak’s Exit Have Sam Darnold Seeing Ghosts?
Under Klint Kubiak, Sam Darnold had a career year, passing for the second-highest yards per attempt (8.49), and completing 28 of his 48 deep passing attempts for 19.98 YPA and eight touchdowns.
Perhaps Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba can continue that magic in 2026, but those kinds of numbers tend to regress typically. Without an experienced play-caller, you do have to wonder if a more mediocre season could be in store this year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Is Chris Godwin Undervalued?
Emeka Egbuka stormed onto the scene to start his rookie season, but as the offensive efficiency waned and the offensive line also struggled, the Buccaneers became more volatile, and Egbuka faded away. With Mike Evans gone, Egbuka has a chance to become more consistent, but we shouldn’t forget about Chris Godwin.
Over the last two seasons, Godwin has struggled with health, totaling 83 receptions — the same number he had in 17 games in 2023. With a healthy offseason, Godwin could stand to bounce back somewhat. At age 30 and entering his 10th NFL season, he’s unlikely to go nuclear, but he’s had steady production throughout his career, and there are a lot of vacated targets to fill.
If Godwin returns to a slot-only role, he could have strong value in PPR leagues.
Tennessee Titans: Will Cam Ward Take the Leap?
The key for Cam Ward in 2026 is to get the ball out much quicker, having averaged 2.9 seconds per throw last year. Ward wanted to go deep more often than it was viable with a poor receiving group that lacked genuine options underneath.
With a low aDOT demon in Wan’Dale Robinson in town, that should be less of a problem. Robinson can open things up underneath while Carnell Tate exploits further downfield. Ward showed plenty of promise last season, but failing to improve could lead to a C.J. Stroud-type trajectory.
Washington Commanders: Will Jayden Daniels Stay Healthy?
Throughout college and so far in the NFL, Jayden Daniels hasn’t shown an ability to protect himself. Contrast his running style with Lamar Jackson and you’ll notice Jackson is often off the ground at the moment of impact, whereas Daniels finds ways to look like he’s being folded into a cartoon suitcase.
It’s expected that the Commanders will move toward a more under-center system with David Blough as the team’s new offensive coordinator, which will force Daniels to turn away from defenders on play-action looks. Daniels will have to ensure his awareness and agility keep him from taking big hits in those situations. Daniels has top-three potential among quarterbacks, but he’s a risky prospect nonetheless.
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