Evan Tarracciano | Thu, Jun 18th 2026, 10:12am EDT

8 Players Trending Up & Down (2026 Fantasy Football)

Prior to the start of the NFL season on September 9th, fantasy football managers are at the mercy of beat reporters and news blurbs to gauge how to adjust their personal rankings as we head into draft season.

On-field workouts at organized team activities (OTAs) are typically limited to non-contact passing drills or concept meetings, with mandatory three-day minicamps progressing into full-team practices that are somewhat more intensive. At the conclusion of minicamps, the league breaks during the summer until training camps formally open in late July.

Most shifts in average draft position (ADP) during mid-June typically center around one of two situations — updates on injuries that occurred from the last league year or during the offseason, coupled with positional battles for snaps to see who sits atop the depth chart.

Though it is never too early to begin your draft prep, be aware that the current market trends are superficial, at best, and subject to change at a moment’s notice. As we get closer to the start of the preseason, things will become less fluid and more subject to knee-jerk swings.

Fantasy Football Players Trending Up & Down

Here is a quick glance at players who are trending in the right (or wrong) direction, heading into mid-June.

Fantasy Football Players Trending Up

Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAX)

One thing fantasy managers appreciate is a strong finish to the end of a season, and Trevor Lawrence certainly ended 2025 with a bang. Over his final seven regular-season starts, Lawrence averaged 265 passing yards, 2.6 touchdown passes and 26.6 fantasy points per game — numbers fantasy managers have begun to see as repeatable entering this year.

There are plenty of positive attributes to Lawrence’s game. He is still just 26 years old, he set a career high with 359 rushing yards and nine scores last year (many on designed plays rather than scramble situations) and he has a very strong supporting cast of receivers to utilize.

Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington offer Lawrence options at all levels of the field, and that is assuming that former first-round selection Travis Hunter strictly remains at cornerback this year.

Our expert consensus rankings (ECR) project a strong strength of schedule for Jacksonville, and Lawrence offers fantasy managers mid-Tier 2 upside at a Tier 3 investment.

Lawrence is fully capable of repeating his QB4 finish from last season, especially if the Jaguars’ offensive line can offer him better protection this season.

Jadarian Price (RB – SEA)

Finally, it seems that people have begun to realize Seattle drafted Jadarian Price in the first round with the intention of making him their bell-cow back out of the gate. I was puzzled that his ADP remained low for so long — it wasn’t as if Emanuel Wilson and George Holani were suddenly going to swoop in and steal touches from Price.

With veteran Zach Charbonnet fully expected to start the 2026 season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list after tearing his ACL in the playoffs last year, it makes little sense for the Seahawks to rush him back into action, especially since Price has a very similar skillset. Though Charbonnet could siphon away touches later in the season, Price should run away (literally) with this starting job.

At Notre Dame, Price wasn’t asked to factor much into the passing game, but he is a capable enough receiving option to utilize when necessary. His calling card is a physical, bruising style of running between the tackles and piling up yards after contact while constantly falling forward. Price has a world of upside, and I’d love to invest in him wherever I can.

DeVonta Smith (WR – PHI)

It doesn’t exactly take a rocket scientist to figure out why DeVonta Smith makes this list. Now the unquestioned top receiving threat for Philadelphia following the departure of A.J. Brown to New England, Smith will see a clear path towards WR1 volume.

Smith already has three 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his five-year career playing second-fiddle, so it stands to reason he can take a significant step forward with higher target volume and more plays designed towards him. Smith was the fantasy WR21 last season, thanks to a 77/1,008/4 split on a modest 113 targets. Expect to see sharp increases across the board.

Smith is the WR15 in ECR, but he could easily move ahead of others before him — namely Rashee Rice and Tetairoa McMillan. His familiarity with the offense and connection with quarterback Jalen Hurts make him an easy candidate for a breakout year.

Tucker Kraft (TE – GB)

Tucker Kraft was well on his way towards a top-five finish at the position last year before tearing his ACL in Week 9.

Little to no updates were provided by Green Bay towards the end of last season, but during an interview with USA Today’s Ryan Wood on June 10th, Kraft stated he anticipates starting training camp on the PUP list, but believes he will return for Week 1 without any restrictions or a snap count.

That is definitely music to my ears. Kraft strongly reminded me of a younger George Kittle during the beginning of 2025, constantly running over and through defenders at will with the ball in his hands.

Kraft’s connection with quarterback Jordan Love was evident, and some additional targets were freed up following the trade of wideout Dontayvion Wicks to Philadelphia. Barring any setbacks, I’m confidently drafting Kraft as a top-five option yet again.

Fantasy Football Players Trending Down

Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC)

It was almost unthinkable a few years ago that I could ever utter the words “trending down” alongside Patrick Mahomes’ name, yet here we are.

Mahomes has finished outside of the top 10 at the position in consecutive years, is recovering from a late-season ACL/LCL tear in his left knee and his supporting cast in Kansas City carries a litany of question marks that gives me plenty of pause. Even the most bullish of Mahomes supporters project a significant dip in his rushing totals for 2026, with his mobility still returning from rehab.

The team seems hopeful that his current path will put him in line to start Week 1 against Denver (talk about a tough opponent out of the gate), but that optimism is murky. Kansas City’s main offseason splash was signing running back Kenneth Walker III to a major deal, providing the Chiefs with a major threat in the running game to ease Mahomes into the season.

Mahomes’ top receiving threat, Rashee Rice, is currently locked in a prison cell following his continued offseason antics, and he also underwent a clean-up procedure in his knee. Travis Kelce has begun to show signs of age over the last two seasons, and turns 37 in October — he alone can’t carry this passing game.

Tertiary options Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton don’t inspire much confidence either, creating a situation that fantasy managers are currently straying from.

RJ Harvey (RB – DEN)

RJ Harvey finished as the RB21 during his rookie season and truly blossomed in the spotlight after J.K. Dobbins was injured. Initially, I was hopeful that Denver would transition to a more 50/50 split between Harvey and Dobbins for 2026 after he showed flashes, but the reports that have surfaced have given me pause.

The Denver Post’s Luca Evans reported that Harvey underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum sustained in the AFC Conference Championship loss to New England, and that he “didn’t do much in OTAs but was practicing.” I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Harvey can fully recover in time for the start of training camp next month, but we shall see.

To complicate matters further, the Broncos also drafted Jonah Coleman in the fourth round, and I’d have to imagine that he factors into touches this year, as a short-yardage and goal-line specialist.

Coleman has a compact 5-foot-9, 228-pound frame and was extremely accomplished in college as a chain-moving option. A troublesome committee situation isn’t what fantasy managers want to deal with.

Michael Wilson (WR – ARI)

During his first two seasons in Arizona, Michael Wilson finished as the WR60 and WR62 before exploding during the back half of last season, finishing as the WR16. Context is important, though.

Yes, Wilson finished with five top-10 finishes at the wideout position during the final eight weeks of the season, but that came with Marvin Harrison Jr. on the sidelines. Harrison returns fully healthy entering training camp.

To complicate matters further, the Cardinals also heavily invested in their run game during the offseason, signing Tyler Allgeier during free agency and spending their first-round pick on Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love. Love is a weapon that won’t simply factor into the running game — you can rest assured knowing that Arizona will also scheme in plenty of screen passes his way.

Tight end Trey McBride remains the Cardinals’ best offensive weapon, and quarterback Jacoby Brissett is mired in a holdout, trying to leverage a contract extension from Arizona. Wilson’s path towards becoming anything more than a WR3 is an incredibly risky venture.

Oronde Gadsden II (TE – LAC)

Oronde Gadsden II caught my eye from Weeks 6-9 last season, totaling 24 receptions for 377 yards and two touchdowns, before eventually falling off in the second half of the season, mainly due to injuries for both of the Chargers’ bookend tackles.

Rather than allowing Gadsden the opportunity to step into a larger role during 2026, Los Angeles made the puzzling decision to add multiple veteran options in Charlie Kolar and David Njoku.

Their presence saps any sort of upside that Gadsden once had, as he will need to ascend the depth chart to compete for targets. A healthy Omarion Hampton and the addition of Keaton Mitchell should allow the Chargers to have a more balanced approach on offense and throw additional monkey wrenches in the mix for Gadsden to enjoy another possible breakout season in 2026.

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