The 2025 season ended a little over a month ago, but the 2026 season is already officially underway. And with that comes one of the best parts of the offseason: free agency. While much has remained the same for the elite players, we’ve already seen a shake-up across the fantasy landscape, mainly among the RB2/3s and WR2/3s tiers. This is the time of the year when dynasty values can change in a hurry based on where some players sign — or who the teams bring in to compete with others.
That’s what makes this stretch of the offseason so fun. We’re reacting to the news and contract figures while trying to figure out what actually matters for fantasy football. Who’s set to take a leap next season? Which players took a hit because of a trade or a rough landing spot? We’re starting with the running backs and wide receivers in this article; here are the biggest winners and losers from free agency so far.
Be sure to check back for the quarterback and tight end winners and losers tomorrow!
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2026 Free Agency Winners
Kenneth Walker III (RB – Chiefs)
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way, shall we?
What a landing spot for the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Kenneth Walker cashes in after a brilliant playoff run, getting a three-year deal worth up to $43.05 million and $28.7 million guaranteed. With that kind of moola, Walker should get all the touches he can handle. The Chiefs will likely lean on him early in the season as Patrick Mahomes works his way back from a torn ACL.
Kenneth Walker‘s 2025 EPX
Over the final six weeks of 2025, including the playoffs, the 25-year-old former Michigan State Spartan played like a man possessed. He racked up 771 total yards, caught 18 passes, and scored five touchdowns. Now, he’s finally free of Zach Charbonnet and gets to operate as the lead back in Andy Reid’s offense. As long as the workload matches the contract, Walker will be an RB1 for fantasy purposes.
Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – Saints)
The veteran back decided to leave his long-time teammate, Trevor Lawrence — whom he’s played with since 2018 at Clemson — and return to his home state of Louisiana. Already 27 years old, I assumed Travis Etienne would get a modest two- or three-year deal. Instead, the Saints forked over a four-year, $52 million contract. Quite the commitment, one that will boost his dynasty stock in the short-term.
Last year, Etienne totaled 1,399 yards and scored a career-best 13 times, good for 14.9 fantasy points per game (RB13). Now he steps in as the main back in Kellen Moore‘s fast-paced offense, gets to play his home games indoors, and faces NFC South defenses six times a year. Big come-up for Etienne, who will be a high-end RB2 with potential for more in fantasy going forward.
Bhayshul Tuten (RB – Jaguars)
With Etienne leaving town, Bhayshul Tuten just became the most important guy in Jacksonville’s RB room…for now. While the Jaguars avoided the bigger names in free agency, they did sign Chris Rodriguez Jr. to a two-year contract. Rodriguez is a bigger back, who played for Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen at Kentucky — he should be involved to a degree. How much? We’ll find out.
Regardless, the arrow is pointing up for Tuten, who averaged 0.91 fantasy points per opportunity (RB16) and scored seven touchdowns as a rookie. If he gets the majority of the work in Coen’s run game next year, he could pay major dividends. Right now, Tuten’s current average draft position (ADP) is RB30 on FFPC and RB36 on Underdog. Each is an appealing price if his role holds for 2026.
Alec Pierce (WR – Colts)
It took all of about 90 seconds after free agency started for Adam Schefter to report that Alec Pierce was getting the largest free-agent WR contract in NFL history and returning to the Colts. Sounds like Pierce and his team got a lot of “legal tampering” done during that time, and it paid off.
Alec Pierce‘s Advanced Metrics
All kidding aside, not only did Pierce get the bag, but Indianapolis also sent Michael Pittman packing in a trade to Pittsburgh. That’s a major target-earner out of the way. More passes going his way should allow Pierce to build upon his first 1,000-yard campaign, one where he averaged 12.2 fantasy points per game (FPPG).
The question becomes: how good will this offense be? The Colts did re-sign quarterback Daniel Jones to a two-year deal, but he’s coming off a torn Achilles and broken leg. The offense might start off slow as a result, but Pierce is now clearly the team’s WR1. Expect him to continue his boom-or-bust high-end WR3 ways, even after his payday.
Romeo Doubs (WR – Patriots)
Out with the old (Stefon Diggs) and in with the new — Romeo Doubs. Everyone’s favorite Guardian Cap-wearer is leaving the spread-it-around offense in Green Bay and joining… another spread-it-around offense in New England. At least now he’s paid like an alpha, after signing a four-year, $68-million contract. Incentives could push that up to $80 million, per reports.
It’s a good signing to help the offense out. While Doubs may never be a superstar, he’s a reliable producer who has had at least 600 receiving yards each of the past three seasons. In 2025, he was efficient on only 391 routes, averaging 0.105 first downs per route run (WR17) and 1.85 yards per route run (WR30).
With an opportunity to now see more targets than ever, Doubs will have a chance to set new career highs in multiple categories and projects as a WR3 in fantasy. He’s a high-floor player, not a ceiling-raiser for your roster, but one who should be a viable starter for fantasy managers now that he’s catching passes from Drake Maye.
Emeka Egbuka (WR – Buccaneers)
Grown men in Tampa cried on Monday. With Mike Evans leaving the only team he’s known for 12 seasons, the door is now open for Emeka Egbuka to build on his rookie season — one that was a tale of two halves. In Weeks 1-6, he was unstoppable, scoring 106.8 fantasy points (WR6). From Week 7 on, he cooled off significantly, adding just 88.9 fantasy points (WR44) the rest of the way.
@leah_lemley, it’s official. This is officially Emeka Egbuka‘s team now Mike Evans just signed with the Niners https://t.co/H1wUNsiAV9
— Legendary Quest for the 3 P3at (@OmegaSenpaiZ) March 9, 2026
The ball is in Egbuka’s court now. He’ll still have to compete with Chris Godwin for the lion’s share of targets, but Egbuka has a chance to emerge as Tampa Bay’s WR1 in 2026. His value is on the rise with Evans’ departure, no doubt about it.
2026 Free Agency Losers
Bucky Irving (RB – Buccaneers)
Year 3 is not looking particularly promising for Bucky Irving. After a down sophomore campaign where he missed a large chunk of time due to injuries, he’ll now have to deal with Kenneth Gainwell stealing high-value touches. The Buccaneers signed Gainwell early on Day 1 of free agency, suggesting he was a major target for them.
In his lone season with Pittsburgh last year, Gainwell was a huge weapon for Aaron Rodgers down the stretch. From Week 11 on, the 26-year-old produced six RB1 fantasy finishes and ended the season with over 1,000 total yards, 73 receptions and eight TDs.
Bucky Irving‘s 2025 Efficiency Metrics
Gainwell’s arrival likely relegates Irving to an early-down back in Tampa Bay’s offense. If the fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft secures the goal line work, he’ll still have RB2 upside in his range of outcomes. However, the team also re-signed Sean Tucker, who had nine carries inside the five-yard line last season and scored eight total TDs. If the touchdowns and receptions dry up, it’ll be hard for Irving to be a major factor in fantasy.
Irving’s Round 2 price tag on Underdog and Sleeper will surely fall after Gainwell’s signing. He’s a fade for me anytime before Round 4 in any format.
Tyler Allgeier (RB – Cardinals)
The good news is that Tyler Allgeier is free from Bijan Robinson‘s shadow. The bad news is he landed in the desert on a poor Cardinals team with a crowded RB room. While he got a two-year deal worth over $12 million, it pales in comparison to what the bigger names got on the open market. On top of that, he’ll be competing for snaps and touches against veteran James Conner, former third-round pick Trey Benson, and Zonovan Knight.
It’s hard to see the positives in this situation. Even though he had a career-high eight touchdowns last year, Allgeier may not be the goal-line back in Arizona. That role could go to Conner. He’s also not much of a receiver, so Benson could be the one in on passing downs. Where does that leave Allgeier? Probably as an early-down plodder on a team likely to be trailing often.
This backfield could be a headache all season long unless injuries shake things up. It’s likely a backfield I’ll be avoiding altogether unless prices drop low enough to be a value.
Kaleb Johnson (RB – Steelers)
Definitely thought Kaleb Johnson had 1,000-yard upside in the Steelers offense. You know, just take the Najee Harris role.
Good news is that he only needs 1,002 yards to get there after Week 1.
— Dynasty FF Wolf (@DynastyFFWolf) September 9, 2025
Kaleb Johnson might just be a hope and a prayer at this point. The regime that drafted him in the third round last season is no longer there, and the new staff just signed Rico Dowdle to a two-year deal. Dowdle, who has back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, will likely be the early down back, while Jaylen Warren gets sprinkled in and handles the passing downs.
That doesn’t leave much at all for Johnson, who had just 69 rushing yards on 28 carries (2.5 YPC) as a rookie. Barring an injury, it’s hard to envision Johnson doing much in Year 2.
Dynasty managers who have him should keep him parked on the taxi squad and hope his situation improves down the road.
DK Metcalf (WR – Steelers)
Another Steeler in the loser category. After a down 2025, one where DK Metcalf had just 850 yards (career low) on 59 receptions, Pittsburgh added a big name to their WR room when they traded for Indy’s Pittman Jr. Not only that, but the team gave Pittman a hefty three-year extension, signaling he’ll be a major part of the passing game moving forward.
DK Metcalf‘s Career Stats
Pittman’s presence will no doubt cut into Metcalf’s targets, especially in the short and intermediate parts of the field where Pittman thrives. Hard to think Metcalf will have a bounce back year as a result.
What’s good for the Steelers in real-life football will be a nightmare for fantasy managers, as both wideouts will cannibalize each other’s production to some degree. Heading into his eighth season, Metcalf is now nothing more than a boom-or-bust WR3 rather than the WR1 he was early in his career.
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Wolf Trelles-Heard is a fantasy football contributor for PlayerProfiler. Find him on X at @DynastyFFWolf.
