Rashee Rice is now projected as a top five wide receiver for the 2026 Fantasy Football season, while RJ Harvey has dropped outside the top 25. Significant roster changes across the NFL have impacted player values.
Key points
Rashee Rice projected as top five WR for 2026 Fantasy Football
RJ Harvey falls outside top 25 in Fantasy rankings
Significant NFL roster changes impact player values
Other players like Malik Willis and Kyler Murray also affected
Seattle SeahawksNew England PatriotsArizona Cardinals
rashee-rice-chiefs.jpg
Imagn Images
Since the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl almost every team in the NFL has seen there roster change in significant ways. Many of those changes had implication in Fantasy Football. To recount them all would take much more than one article. The temptation is to talk about the guys whose value changed the most. But we have already written articles about Malik Willis to Miami, Kyler Murray to Minnesota, and Kenneth Walker to Kansas City. I have also written about the positive impact of Kevin Stefanski on Kyle Pitts and Drew Petzig on Sam LaPorta as well as relaying my concerns about increased target competition for Harold Fannin. Everyone knows that James Conner and Tyler Allgeier took a huge hit in value when the Cardinals drafted Jeremiyah Love.
In this article I would like to highlight some offseason risers and fallers that may have risen or fallen under your radar. Make no mistake, these are not players that are under the radar, some are must-starts. But their 2026 projection has changed in the last three months and you may not have noticed.
Q&A
Why is Rashee Rice considered a top five WR for Fantasy Football 2026?
Rashee Rice's rise in projection is due to significant roster changes and his increased role in the offense.
What factors contributed to RJ Harvey falling outside the top 25 in Fantasy Football rankings?
RJ Harvey's drop in rankings is attributed to changes in team dynamics and competition for targets.
Which NFL teams have made significant roster changes affecting Fantasy Football?
Most NFL teams have seen significant roster changes, notably the Seahawks and Cardinals, impacting player values.
What are some other notable Fantasy Football risers and fallers for the 2026 season?
Other notable risers and fallers include Malik Willis, Kyler Murray, and Kenneth Walker, whose values have shifted due to offseason moves.
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Shough's Saints added Travis Etienne in free agency then spent a first round pick on rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who some viewed as the best wide receiver in the class. Shough already had Kellen Moore, a coordinator who has been fantastic for Fantasy, partially due to his fast paced stayle. This is one of those projections that makes me check my work, but as of early May Shough projects at QB13, less than a point per game behind QB10.
At the beginning of the offseason we had two major concerns for Rice. One was off the field and appears to be settled. The other was that the Chiefs would use their draft arsenal on drafting target competition for Rice. They did not. He projects as my WR5 in 2026 and I took him in Round 1 of our most recent mock draft. As a rookie, Rice was WR9 in Fantasy points per game in his final six games. In 2024 he was WR3 before he got hurt. Last year he was WR6 in FPPG after he returned from his suspension. If Rice stays on the field for 17 games this season he could be the surprise WR1.
Am I cheating? I'm probably cheating. Smith has moved in the projections in anticipation of a move that has not happened yet, the A.J. Brown trade. While the Eagles did draft Makai Lemon in Round 1, I expect Smith to be the dominant WR1 assuming Brown is dealt to New England. In a small sample size without Brown, Smith has averaged more than nine targets per game. He currently projects as WR15 for me but if the Eagles pass rate ticks up with a new offensive coordinator, Smith could easily be a top 12 wide receiver for Fantasy purposes.
Michael Pittman is gone and the Colts have not yet added a significant replacement. People are much more excited about Alex Pierce, who just got his big payday, but Downs' targets have been more similar to Pittman's than Pierce's have. Last year Pittman had an aDOT of 8.2. Downs' was 7.2 and Pierce's was 18.9. More importantly, Pittman's absence gives Downs a chance to play in two wide receiver sets. If Downs is a full player and maintains his TPRR he is going to be a wide receiver who is rostered in every league and started in most.
This is probably the most difficult evaluation of all. Achane scored 20.2 FFP FPPG last year on a mediocre offense. Unfortunately, the Dolphins look like they may go from mediocre to disastrous in 2026. They don't have a WR1 and they may not have a legitimate WR2. That could be great for Achane in the passing except Malik Willis is an inexperienced starting quarterback with great rushing ability. That is not the profile of a quarterback who targets running backs often, and Willis has a running back target share below 15% in his very small NFL sample size. I hate to lower Achane too much but he has fallen every time I have updated my projections and is down to RB5 in my projections and closer to RB7 in my rankings.
The Broncos selection of Jonah Coleman may not affect Harvey at all in 2026, but it presents two potential downsides that weren't as easy to see in January. One, Coleman could take a share of the workload, perhaps the goalline work, and turn this into a three-man committee. More realistically, he could take J.K. Dobbins' early-downs role if Dobbins misses time. Harvey is no longer a top 24 running back in my projections or rankings.
There is no doubt that Wilson should still be the number one target for the Jets. But they committed a lot of draft capital to Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper and I am not as confident that Wilson will dominate targets like he has in recent years. Unfortunately for Wilson, high target volume is about all he has ever had going for him. Wilson has never averaged more than 7.5 yards per target and he has never scored more than seven touchdowns in a season. If his target share takes even a small hit, he may not be a top 24 wide receiver. For now, I have dropped him down to WR18.
Nabers is down to WR12 in my projections. Not because of free agent additions, though Isaiah Likely could cut into his target share. Not because of the NFL Draft, though I am higher than most on Malachi Fields. It is solely because of the vibes I get anytime I hear someone from the Giants talk about Nabers' recovery. There's no flashing alarms or anything, just uncertainty. His surgery was delayed, so it isn't a sure thing that he will be 100% for the start of the season. If Nabers is a full go at the start of the training camp, he'll be a riser in August.
