They are here, and they are beautiful.

Our early 2026 fantasy football projections, anchored by the amazing Dwain McFarland, are now up on the site. It is a tremendous way to kick off the month of April, and while much is going to change, I thought it would be a fun exercise to highlight a few early data points from the projections. But of course, be sure to check them out for yourself.

Let’s go.

Standouts From Our Early 2026 Fantasy Football Projections

Jalen Hurts | QB | PHI

• Fantasy Life projection: QB2

Following a down year from Hurts and an ascension from young quarterbacks around the league, I was surprised to see Hurts projected for the second-most fantasy points, trailing only Josh Allen. Hurts finished as QB8, failing to average 20 fantasy points per game for the first time as a full-time starter. The Eagles lacked any sort of creativity on offense, deploying basic hitch route concepts more than anyone wished to see. Inept playcalling impacted Hurts, who failed to reach 200 passing yards 10 different times this past season. As a result, he’s currently coming off best ball draft boards as QB6, behind Caleb Williams and just ahead of Drake Maye. 

Most rankings don’t have Hurts as the QB2 in fantasy, largely due to some uncertainty in Philadelphia. A new playcaller (again) and the speculation surrounding A.J. Brown clouds Hurts’ fantasy forecast at the moment. But if the offense has more creativity and his top wideout is back, Hurts could very easily return to his place among the fantasy elite.

Brock Purdy | QB | SF

• Fantasy Life projection: 29 passing TDs (4th)

If you won (or lost) a fantasy title last year, Purdy likely played a huge role. He ended the season on a tear, averaging 225.9 passing yards, 2.3 passing touchdowns and 20.7 fantasy points per game once returning from injury in Week 11. His seven percent touchdown rate trailed only Matthew Stafford, while Purdy has ranked top-three in touchdown rate in three seasons since 2022. 

And now the 49ers just added Mike Evans.

Last season, RB Christian McCaffrey actually accounted for 31.7% of the 49ers’ targets from inside the 10-yard line, the 10th-highest rate in football. The addition of Evans gives San Francisco a true red zone threat and a second one once George Kittle is healthy. Purdy could absolutely contend for the league-lead in touchdown passes this season. 

Javonte Williams | RB | DAL

• Fantasy Life projection: 237.6 PPR points (RB14)

The projections really seem to like Williams, who was one of the best value selections in fantasy drafts a season ago. Once considered uncertain, the Dallas backfield fully belonged to Williams, who logged 69% of the snaps, 64% of the rush attempts, 79% of the short down and distance snaps and 77% of the inside the five rush attempts. 

While his pass-catching efficiency left much to be desired, Williams rushed for over 1,200 yards and scored 13 total touchdowns last year. Those scoring opportunities should remain in Dallas’ fast-paced, high-scoring offense. In 2025, Williams averaged 1.3 carries per game from inside the five-yard line, tied for the third-most in football. The Cowboys, meanwhile, averaged 2.1 plays per minute (2nd-most) and 64.6 plays per game (2nd-most), while 28% of their drives ended with a touchdown (5th). 

After finishing as RB12 in fantasy, Williams is now being drafted as RB20, behind Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson and Bucky Irving. I side with the projections here.

DJ Moore | WR | BUF

• Fantasy Life projection: 93 targets (WR43)

After the Bills moved a second-round pick to add Moore to this offense, giving him less than 100 targets would seem … suboptimal. Khalil Shakir, who has been operating as Buffalo’s WR1 over the past two seasons, has seen 95 and 100 targets during that stretch. Moore ranking outside the top-40 wide receivers in targets would be very disappointing, but it could come down to whether we see an uptick in passing from the Bills.

Over the past two seasons, despite having Joshua Patrick Allen as their quarterback, the Bills have ranked 27th and 24th in dropback rate over expected. And I get it. James Cook and the run game have been dominant. But perhaps Joe Brady, now head coach, will have even more control of the offense, leading to a bit more reliance on Allen’s right arm. Since moving on from Stefon Diggs, Buffalo has had this “everybody eats” mantra on offense. But perhaps they should simply feed the ball to their best pass catchers.

That is now DJ Moore. 

Mark Andrews | TE | BAL

• Fantasy Life Projection: 7 TDs (1st among TE)

After finding the end zone 11 times in 2024, Andrews scored just five touchdowns this past season, resulting in a TE23 finish in fantasy points per game (7.7). The departure of Isaiah Likely could have Andrews bounce back in a huge way, especially in the touchdown department. With Likely sidelined for the first three games of the 2025 campaign, Andrews saw 27% of Baltimore’s end zone targets. The veteran tight end remains one of my favorite targets in early drafts.

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