Fantasy winners & losers from FA

By: Josh Frey-Sam

Let’s waste no time and get right into it.

Losers:

James Conner/Trey Benson

Tyler Allgeier strikes again. After tormenting Bijan Robinson owners the last couple of seasons, Allgeier has made his way to the desert, where he has muddied the Arizona Cardinals’ backfield. James Conner, the clear starter (for now) returned on a restructured contract, while Trey Benson was a player Arizona drafted to eventually take the reins. Allgeier figures to loom large in this snap share, which really hurts both of the existing backs.

Existing Saints backfield

I expect the ripple effect of the Travis Etienne Jr. signing to be significant. We have probably seen Alvin Kamara play his last snap in NOLA, while Devin Neal now only has value if ETN gets hurt. Kendre Miller might be the only player to retain some value due to his exceptional speed and skill set, but I would expect this to become ETN’s backfield.

Devonta Smith

Free agency isn’t over, but if AJ Brown isn’t traded, then we’ll be left wondering what could’ve been a season with Smith operating as the clear WR1 for the Eagles. At this point, we can probably expect the Eagles to use a high draft pick on a WR, which only further hurts the Slim Reaper.

Jaylen Warren

Kenneth Gainwell out (yay!), Rico Dowdle in (booo). Jaylen Warren’s time as the Steelers RB1 was brief, and now the team has added a very capable back in Dowdle, who could force a true 50/50 split. Which player will take over? The return of Aaron Rodgers would work in Warren’s favour, as the veteran QB has expressed his appreciation for the reliable back.

Ricky Pearsall

Does the addition of Mike Evans unlock Pearsall, or does it hinder his upside? Knowing what kind of draw Evans will have and the other big mouths to feed in the offence, I’m going to side with the latter for now.

Bucky Irvin

A total face-palm for Bucky owners. Kenneth Gainwell comes over from Pittsburgh and raises a bunch of question marks around Bucky’s outlook. I believe Bucky will maintain his starting role, but we’ve seen how Rachaad White and Sean Tucker were used in the past — Gainwell will get plenty of touches, and Bucky’s RB1 upside is now in peril.

Calvin Ridley

Not that Ridley was high on your radar to begin with, but with a new coaching staff and the additions of Wan’Dale Robinson and Daniel Bellinger, Ridley might be nothing more than a streaming option at some point next season.

Winners:

Mark Andrews

Isaiah Likely is out, and the only addition the Ravens made to the room was blocking TE Durahm Smythe. Another addition is coming to this room, but Andrews looks like he will command a lot of targets.

Bijan Robinson

No replacement for Allgeier. Maybe that comes in the draft, but for now, Bijan has the Falcons backfield completely to himself for the first time in his career. Wheels up.

Luther Burden III

As expected, DJ Moore was traded. Luther Burden’s numbers were so good to end last season, and now the situation appears to be aligning for him to explode in 2026.

Matthew Golden

Dedicated readers will know I’ve been on Golden as a prime buy-low candidate for a while. That was because it was clear that Romeo Doubs would not be back. There is still competition, but Golden is now in a position to see a significant rise in snap share.

RJ Harvey

The JK Dobbins signing will probably be overlooked by most, but I see it as a clear sign that Sean Payton liked how his backfield was trending last season. Harvey looked good, and Dobbins can still operate in a strong supporting role. I see this as a vote of confidence for the second-year pro.

David Montgomery

A draft selection could throw a wrench in this, but right now, Monty could actually command the lion’s share of the backfield opportunities for Houston. His ADP will be interesting to monitor this summer.

Josh Downs

Michael Pittman Jr. traded to the Steelers, and so Josh Downs assumes the clear WR2 spot behind Alec Pierce. I think Downs is set up to thrive in the middle of the field next season.

Omarion Hampton

Like Bijan, I’m all in on Omarion Hampton this season. The Chargers will have a healthy offensive line again, and now they’ve added Alec Ingold and Charlie Kolar to thier run-blocking scheme. Parlay all that with the run genius that is OC Mike McDaniel, and you have RB1 overall potential.

De’Von Achane

I can’t be the only one who thinks Achane and Malik Willis are going to cause defences fits. I think this is going to be a fun pairing to watch, and I believe Willis unlocks Achane a bit more.

Romeo Doubs

The situation he’s entering in Foxborough is fantastic. I see a lot of targets in his future.

Justin Jefferson

There’s an argument to be made that the addition of Kyler Murray is actually a negative for Justin Jefferson — or that it could’ve been so much more positive — but the bar was set so low last season that I don’t think I can view it as anything other than a positive for the Vikes’ WR1. The negative is that Murray has produced just one WR1 in his career — 2020 D’Andre Hopkins, who finished as the WR7 overall. So, while Murray is certainly an upgrade over 2025 JJ McCarthy and Max Brosmer, his track record isn’t anything to write home about. A quick look at the obvious, however, and you have to believe Jefferson experienced his rock bottom last season. Murray should provide some consistency under center, which is all Jefferson needs. A WR1 season could — and probably should — be upon us again.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh