
Danny Cross identified the best NFL free agents remaining on the market who could move the needle for fantasy football 2026.
The biggest names of 2026 NFL Free Agency have found homes, but there are several fantasy-relevant players to keep an eye on as we get into the second week of free agency.
Here are the players to monitor in dynasty leagues with an eye on redraft relevance heading into the 2026 NFL season.
Deebo Samuel proved there's still gas left in the tank entering his 30s, leading the Commanders with a 25% target share en route to a 72-727-5 line. Samuel's 99 targets easily led the team, although too few of those looks came from Jayden Daniels, leading to the middling output for him and the offense as a whole. On a per-game basis, Deebo came in at WR33 on the season with 11.4 PPG.
Having waited out the early days of free agency, Samuel can look for an ideal landing spot for his services. And some of the rumors are juicy: a return to San Francisco? Partnering with Josh Allen in Buffalo? You don't have to squint too hard to see Deebo functioning as a high-upside flex in 2026 with the right landing spot.
The Patriots got their money's worth last year with the mercurial Stefon Diggs, who led the AFC champs with 85 receptions, 1,013 yards and 4 touchdowns in his lone season in New England. Alas, a looming cap hit of over $26 million was too much for the team to stomach for the 32-year-old heading into 2026.
Diggs proved more than capable of contributing to an ascending offense and developed a highly efficient connection with QB Drake Maye. The veteran hauled in a staggering 85% of his targets, a rate topped only by George Kittle among pass catchers who ran 75 routes and saw 50 or more looks. Diggs' 10.13 yards per target ranked 10th in the league.
High-end volume probably isn't in the cards for the veteran at his next stop, but another WR2 finish is on the table in the right WR room.
For the second year in a row, Jauan Jennings hasn't found the type of offseason market he had hoped for. After requesting a trade from the 49ers before the 2025 season only to return and put up slightly lesser numbers than the year prior, the former seventh-round pick now awaits his next home with even less leverage.
Jennings has led the 49ers' revolving wide receiver group over the past two seasons with a total of 1,600 receiving yards and 15 TDs. The latter figure tied Kittle for the team lead, though he still trailed the star tight end in receiving volume despite playing four more games.
With Kittle fighting his way back from a torn Achilles and drama surrounding Brandon Aiyuk (also coming off a serious injury), the 49ers are in need of a pass-catching reset. Jennings doesn't appear to be in the plan, but the veteran's nose for the end zone should be a welcome addition to a number of contending teams. The Colts, Chiefs and Eagles would all offer touchdown upside if their ongoing searches for receiving depth don't yield better options.
Fantasy managers had high hopes for David Njoku after the veteran posted a TE4 finish in PPR points per game in 2024. But a repeat was not to be, thanks to a combination of injuries, poor QB play, and the emergence of rookie tight end Harold Fannin.
Like Deebo, Njoku still appears to be capable of contributing borderline startable numbers in fantasy leagues in the right spot. Consistently functioning as a TE2 while looking the part of someone with much more upside, Njoku needs to find a soft landing spot where red-zone work can buoy any lack of volume.
Njoku isn't a great run blocker and might not be at the top of free agency wish lists for teams looking to employ more 12-personnel. But he's still a quality pass blocker and capable short-area weapon who hasn't quite turned 30. With the Eagles, Broncos and Packers reportedly sniffing around his market, there's still hope for Njoku to push for top-12 TE status heading into 2026.
Brian Robinson's move to San Francisco last summer thrust the fourth-year back into must-handcuff territory for 2025 redraft leagues. With an ADP around pick 120 per FantasyPros' consensus board, Robinson was consistently being taken ahead of the likes of Maye, Dalton Kincaid and Kyle Pitts.
Of course, Christian McCaffrey's medical chart did not oblige, and the superstar posted another All-Pro season just one year after suiting up for only four games. CMC's full workload left Robinson with a career-low 92 carries for 400 yards and two scores on the ground.
Robinson will need to find another friendly role for 2026, but possesses the size (6-foot-1, 225 pounds) to handle a major early-down workload. Still just 27, the former third-round pick racked up the following lines in his final two seasons in Washington before his year as a fantasy lottery ticket:
A return to San Francisco to back up the soon-to-be-30 CMC would be a welcome development, with Seattle also rumored to be in the mix despite signing the 226-pound Emanuel Wilson last week.