For us fantasy football degenerates—and since you're reading this article in March, you're included in that group—we're currently in the eye of the offseason hurricane, located between the storm of free agency and the tsunami of the NFL draft.

So now feels like the perfect time for me to release my first offseason edition of Freedman's Favorites, in which I highlight 10 players I want for 2026 from my fantasy football rankings.

Let's get to it!

Quarterbacks From My 2026 Fantasy Football Rankings

I mention this in my Fantasy QB Tiers article: Josh Allen is probably the only QB I want to draft in the early and middle rounds. He has been a top-two fantasy QB in every season since 2020, and last year he was the No. 1 QB with 23.2 points per game.

But aside from Allen, I'm good with waiting at the position.

Malik Willis (Dolphins)

Malik Willis had first-round hype as a 2022 prospect, but he fell to Day 2 because of his raw playing style and height (just under 6-1). Indeed, Willis was unrefined in his first two years with the Titans (3.3 AY/A, 17.5% sack rate), but he marvelously revitalized his career in the two following seasons as the Packers backup (12.3 AY/A, 12-174-3 rushing in three starts).

Now the presumed starter on the Dolphins, Willis has an uncertain future, but his upside makes him a worthy late-round bet.

RELATED: Malik Willis fantasy football outlook with the Dolphins.

Tyler Shough (Saints)

Tyler Shough fell in the NFL draft because of his advanced age, but last year, he looked like a typical 26-year-old veteran, not a second-round rookie, especially after the Week 11 bye, when he produced as both a passer (256.9 yards per game) and runner (25.0 yards).

Because of his age, Shough might be closer to his ceiling than the typical second-year player, but he still could take a step forward in 2026 with a full offseason to prepare as the starter. 

Running Backs From My 2026 Fantasy Football Rankings

I mention this in my Top 50 Rankings article: I like most of the RBs available in Rounds 1-5. As a result, I feel less pressure to attack the positions in Rounds 1-2.

Jeremiyah Love (Rookie)

Jeremiyah Love is just 20 years old. He won the 2025 Doak Walker Award as the top RB in college football, and over the past two seasons, he put up 3,014 yards and 40 TDs from scrimmage in 28 games.

With a three-down skill set, workhorse frame (6-0, 212 pounds) and home run speed (4.36, 40-yard dash), Love could be one of the NFL's top backs as a rookie.

Among the Fantasy Life rankers, I'm currently the highest on Love, whom I have as my No. 8 RB for fantasy.

To access our 2026 fantasy football ranks, use the promo code FREEDMAN for 20% off the FantasyLife+ package.

In my most recent NFL mock draft, I have Love going No. 4 to the Titans.

Here are the RBs over the past decade to go in the top half of Round 1 of the NFL Draft and finish their rookie seasons at 21 years old.

• 2016: Ezekiel Elliott (No. 4)
• 2017: Christian McCaffrey (No. 8)
• 2018: Saquon Barkley (No. 2)
• 2023: Bijan Robinson (No. 8)
• 2023: Jahmyr Gibbs (No. 12

I put Love firmly in the tier of these players as a prospect. (The 2026 Rookie Super Model also has him grouped with these guys.)

If he lands in a functional offense—unlike Ashton Jeanty this past year—he could draw Round 1 investment in fantasy drafts for season-long, best ball and Guillotine Leagues™. 

I truly think Love could produce like a fantasy first-rounder as a rookie. He's probably not 2018 Saquon Barkley, but he could easily be 2023 Bijan Robinson or 2016 Ezekiel Elliott.

When it comes to someone as talented as Love (he's the No. 4 player on my big board), I'd rather be a year early.

For all of our draft coverage, check out our NFL Draft Guide.

D'Andre Swift (Bears)

D'Andre Swift is coming off a career-best 1,386-yard, 10-TD campaign and is still just 27 years old. While he's not a full-blown workhorse, he's one of only nine RBs with 1,200+ scrimmage yards in each of the past three seasons, and in that stretch, he has had 220+ carries and 40+ targets every year.

No. 2 RB Kyle Monangai could threaten Swift's role in 2026, but he still has a good chance to outperform his ADP for a fourth straight campaign. 

Rico Dowdle (Steelers)

Rico Dowdle is one of just 11 RBs with 1,300+ scrimmage yards in each of the past two seasons, and he's also the only one of the cohort to accomplish this feat on two different teams.

On the one hand, he's the cheapest of the group, which suggests his 2024-25 production is spurious. On the other hand, his career marks are efficient enough (4.5 yards per carry, 5.7 yards per target), and over the past two years, he has been a true three-down player (471 carries, 99 targets).

It's unlikely, but reunited with former Cowboys HC and current Steelers HC Mike McCarthy, Dowdle might be a 1,300-yard guy once again.

Wide Receivers From My 2026 Fantasy Football Rankings

During the NFL playoffs, Dwain McFarland (our Director of Analytics) and I got together for an episode of Talk Data to Me in which we discussed league trends that have emerged over the past 2-5 years, one of which is this: Passing is down.

And it's especially impacting non-elite WRs, which to me means that elite WRs might be more valuable than ever.

If there's a position I want to attack in Round 1, it's WR, and by the end of Round 5, I want to have 2-3 WRs on my roster.

Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals)

About a month ago, I did a way-too-early Round 1 fantasy mock, in which I made the case for Ja'Marr Chase as the 1.01.

Since 2024, he's No. 1 in targets (360), receptions (252), receiving yards (3,120) and receiving TDs (25). Since he entered the league in 2021, Chase is No. 2  in targets (767), receptions (520), receiving yards (6,837) and receiving TDs (54).

Only 26 years old and still very much in his prime, Chase enters 2026 with a ceiling as high as the heavens and a floor higher than almost everyone else's ceiling.

DJ Moore (Bills)

DJ Moore last year had only 85 targets and a career-worst 682 yards receiving, which likely contributed to his recent trade to the Bills this offseason.

But in his six prior seasons (since his second campaign), Moore averaged 135 targets and had more yards receiving (7,425) than WR Mike Evans (6,949). Moore's efficiency last year (8.0 yards per target) was in line with that of his previous four seasons (7.9), and he was still the rusher he's always been (15-79-1 in 2025, 72-510-2 for career).

Not even 29 years old yet, Moore could bounce back in 2026, especially given that he's with QB Josh Allen (the best passer he's ever had) and offensive HC Joe Brady (his OC with the 2020-21 Panthers).

Alec Pierce (Colts)

Alec Pierce has been the NFL's most explosive WR over the past two seasons (11.9 yards per target), and last year he popped off with a career-best 47-1,003-6 receiving. 

With his strong development, Pierce secured a four-year, $116 million contract from the Colts and pushed the team to part ways with WRs Michael Pittman and Adonai Mitchell over the past 12 months.

In 2026, Pierce is ready to emerge fully as the team's No. 1 receiver … a role he has secretly held in the shadows since 2024.

Tight Ends From My 2026 Fantasy Football Rankings

I like TEs Trey McBride, Brock Bowers and Colston Loveland.

But, at cost, I probably don't like them more than Harold Fannin, Tucker Kraft, Tyler Warren, Sam LaPorta and Kyle Pitts.

If I'm able to get a top-three TE at a discount, great. If not, I'll look for TEs after Round 5.

Harold Fannin (Browns)

Harold Fannin led the Browns last year in targets (107), receptions (72), receiving yards (731) and receiving TDs (6), and he did that as a 21-year-old third-round rookie. 

Assuming that TE David Njoku does, in fact, leave the Browns in 2026 via free agency, Fannin could be a straight-up league winner.

Kenyon Sadiq (Rookie)

Kenyon Sadiq is undersized (6-3, 241 lbs.), and his production at Oregon last year wasn't exceptional (51-560-8 receiving), but he's a 21-year-old first-rounder who has the position's fastest recorded 40-yard dash ever (4.39 seconds).

He might not explode as a rookie, but Sadiq is the epitome of the modern move TE, and his upside is real.

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