News

1. Sep 29
   Rest-of-season rankings: Purdy joins top five QBs, Sadiq impresses among TEs

   Each week, Eric Karabell ranks players by position based on their fantasy football value for the rest of the 2026 season. Use the information to optimize the players for their future potential and/or to gauge their value in trade. Eric's top 100 can be found below the positions in this column.  Quarterback Rankings changes: It was an odd Week 3 for quarterbacks, as stalwarts Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson were not among the top 10 fantasy scorers, but Case Keenum was. Four of the top five scorers (Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, Jacoby Brissett, Keenum) did not enter the week among our top 20 in these rankings. Darnold and Brissett force their way in. The top 10 sees minimal change, although Brock Purdy rises to fourth and Matthew Stafford is thriving. Drake Maye and Justin Herbert continue to slide. Baker Mayfield (thumb) slides due to injury, though he will return soon. Now with the New York Giants, J.J. McCarthy enters the rankings, barely. Running back Rankings changes: The season is over for Dolphins star De'Von Achane (knee), so Ollie Gordon II and Jaylen Wright (though barely) enter the rankings. Achane leaving the top 10 is the major rankings adjustment, though Jeremiyah Love and Kyren Williams pass Chase Brown to move into RB1 status, and Jaylen Warren and Quinshon Judkins look like potential RB2 options. Patriots TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson, and disappointing David Montgomery, do not. Wide receiver Rankings changes: Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba, averaging better than 34 points per game, takes the No. 1 overall spot. The top 10 at wide receiver sees minor adjustment, with injured Puka Nacua (hip) and Nico Collins (hamstring) falling a bit, though perhaps each will play in Week 4. Drake London looks like a WR1 again, and top Packers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden feel reliable. Tre' Harris, Kalif Raymond and Keenan Allen join the rankings. Tight end Rankings changes: Welcome back, Brock Bowers! The Las Vegas star led the position with 27.6 points, followed by George Kittle and Harold Fannin Jr. Jets rookie Kenyon Sadiq is a big riser, closing in on TE1 status. Tucker Kraft and Kyle Pitts Sr. continue to slide. Defense/special teams Overall top 100

   ESPN
2. Sep 28
   Fantasy football free agent pickups: Gordon leads options to replace Achane for Week 4 and beyond

   Each Monday, before the current NFL week ends, we will identify players worthy of your attention who are available in at least 50% of ESPN standard leagues. Things change quickly for player valuation and roles each week in the NFL, and free agency is a critical way to acquire players. We are here to help! Top pickup options at every position Looking for the top recommendation at each skill position? Look no further! Here are the players to target heading into Week 3, along with their current roster percentages and a recommendation of how much of your free agent budget (FAB) you should consider using for your bid.  Sam Darnold, QB, Seahawks (rostered in 33.9%, 5% of your FAB) Darnold (glute) missed most of Week 1 and all of Week 2, but he sure looked healthy in Sunday's shootout against the Washington Commanders. Game score and a challenged run game dictated myriad passes, and Darnold completed 31 out of 45 attempts for a career-high 379 yards and four touchdowns. He also tossed a pair of interceptions, one of which was returned for a score. Immeasurably aided by dominating WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is off to one of the greatest starts ever, Darnold might match his success from last season, when he surpassed 4,000 passing yards, threw 25 TD passes and mattered in fantasy. The Seattle Seahawks host the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4. Ollie Gordon II, RB, Dolphins (1.1%, 12% FAB) Gordon, a second-year Oklahoma State product who averaged only 2.8 yards per his 70 carries last season, replaced an injured De'Von Achane (knee) during Week 3's action and scored 14.5 points. Gordon wasn't efficient, but getting 20 touches and scoring a touchdown often masks inefficiency. With Achane reportedly done for the season, Gordon is next up, although Jaylen Wright might have a role, too. Keenan Allen, WR, Colts (23.8%, 7% FAB) Allen, second among active players in receptions behind Travis Kelce, was one of three Indianapolis Colts to earn at least nine targets Sunday, but he was the one who scored the team's touchdown. In addition, teammates WR Josh Downs and TE Tyler Warren are already rostered in most leagues. Allen is not, but with Alec Pierce (heel) on IR, he now has opportunity. Allen isn't close to the threat he was as recently as 2023, but he did catch 81 passes for last season's Chargers (for only 777 yards), so perhaps he can do that again. Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Jets (33.5%, 10% FAB) Sadiq, selected 16th in the draft out of Oregon, scored a short rushing TD in Week 1, but he totaled only six targets and 38 receiving yards through two weeks, failing to excite potential investors. They might be excited now, after Sadiq caught seven passes for 105 yards and a 24-yard TD on Sunday. Sadiq is strong and fast and is a potential top-10 fantasy tight end if he gets the targets. He should from now on. Other quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett, Cardinals (4.6%, 3% FAB): Brissett bounced back from a rough Week 2 by throwing for 280 yards and two touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers, and he rushed for another score. His three games haven't been consistent for fantasy purposes, but Brissett is worth a look for Week 4 against the New York Giants — and clearly in Week 5 against the Detroit Lions when the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers are on their bye. Plan ahead if you can. Geno Smith, Jets (7.1%, 1% FAB): Smith delivered his best game of the season, scoring 26.04 points in the team's Week 3 loss to the Lions — a team fantasy managers should target for offensive options. New York's Week 4 opponent, the Chicago Bears, has also struggled to defend the pass this season, making Smith an intriguing streamer. Marcus Mariota, Commanders (3.3%, 1% FAB): Mariota led the stunning win over the Seahawks with 20.42 points, aided by three TD passes. He might not be the starter in a month's time if Jayden Daniels (elbow) returns, but we can deal with that later. The Commanders and Colts meet Sunday morning in London. Deep-league options/streamers Michael Pe

   ESPN
3. Sep 28
   Harris caught six of seven targets for 76 yards during Sunday's 24-16 loss to Buffalo.

   Harris led the team in targets, receptions and receiving yards in the loss, all of which represented new career highs for the second-year pro. The wide receiver has now reeled in 10 of 16 targets for 149 yards over three games to open the regular season, and he appears to be on track to be a pivotal member of the team's passing attack in 2026.

   RotoWire via ESPN
4. Sep 26
   'Growing pains': What's going on with the Chargers' offense?

   LOS ANGELES — Quarterback Justin Herbert furiously slammed his hands on the SoFi Stadium turf. He yelled as he stood up. Yelled as he began walking. Turned around and yelled some more. In the background, wide receiver Tre' Harris lay with his head buried in the turf. Just a moment before, the Chargers failed to convert on third down in the third quarter of their Week 2 loss to the Raiders, with the play failing basically before it even started. Harris came in motion as the play clock wound down on third-and-inches with Herbert in the shotgun, but as center Jake Slaughter snapped the ball, it hit Harris in the leg. Herbert jumped on the ball, and what followed was as intense of an outburst as he has had during a game in his seven-year career. The moment was a microcosm for the Chargers' 2026 season through two weeks: an offense seemingly too complicated for this team and a quarterback who appears as frustrated as he ever has been in a season that's trending toward being another year where success remains a hypothetical. The offense will look to bounce back this Sunday against the Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. ET, Fox). "Growing pains," coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Yeah, we got some growing pains." "We're not standing on business in the least," offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel said. McDaniel was the proverbial crown jewel of the Chargers' offseason. After two seasons of middling offensive play, Harbaugh fired Greg Roman, the only offensive coordinator he had worked with in two stints in the NFL, following the Chargers' 16-3 wild-card round loss to the New England Patriots. Fired in January after four seasons as the coach of the Miami Dolphins, McDaniel was still widely considered the top candidate available after the season. He's one of the most respected offensive minds in the NFL and chose to join the Chargers for the chance to work with Herbert and learn from Harbaugh. General manager Joe Hortiz spent the offseason retooling the team's offense to suit McDaniel's vision, which needed a different type of player for his wide zone scheme. McDaniel put up "wanted" posters for players he deemed essential, running back Keaton Mitchell and fullback Alec Ingold among them; Hortiz signed both. He added right guard Cole Strange, who worked with McDaniel when he coached the Dolphins, and drafted speedy wide receiver Brenen Thompson, partly at McDaniel's request. Players and coaches were equally excited about the offense's potential in the offseason. McDaniel promised "career highs across the board" for all the wide receivers. Instead, the Chargers had six fumbles versus the Raiders. Offensive tackle Joe Alt had three false starts. And Herbert didn't complete a pass of 20 air yards. "I think I can just plain and simply say that it's below our expectations," McDaniel said. "I know it's below a lot of people's expectations as well." Amid the struggles, McDaniel said that Herbert has blamed himself, which McDaniel doesn't believe is fair. He said the two of them have begun meeting more frequently and grown closer than they've ever been over the past two weeks. "It can be a lonely world as a starting quarterback," he said "… It can be lonely as a playcaller or an offensive coordinator. And the only way to approach it is that you're not alone." In the locker room after the loss to the Raiders, there was a mix of confusion and frustration. One team source told ESPN that the offense's poor execution doesn't make any sense because of how they practiced all summer. "We're making OTA mistakes," he said. Herbert's outburst on the third down was a reflection of the poor execution. If the play had continued without the fumble, an open running lane was forming on the left side of the line of scrimmage for Omarion Hampton to run through with Harris as a lead blocker. Mistakes caused the play to fail. And yet that poses a different question: Why was the playcall so complex in the first place? It was third-and-inches. The quarterback is 6-foot-6; the running b

   ESPN
5. Sep 22
   Harris caught one of three targets for 53 yards during Sunday's 26-14 loss to the Raiders.

   Harris was the Chargers' only starting wide receiver in the contest with Ladd McConkey dealing with a ribs injury. Harris played 56 of the team's 68 offensive snaps, which was more than the next closest wide receivers Quentin Johnston (55) and McConkey (31). The 24-year-old wasn't able to rack up receptions, but he did make a major splash with his one snag, connecting with Justin Herbert for a 53-yard catch and run in the third quarter. Harris now has gathered in four of nine targets for 73 yards over the team's first two games of the season.

   RotoWire via ESPN

Injury reports

No injury reports this season.

League history

Nothing yet: he hasn’t been drafted, signed, traded or cut in this league.