While there are still a handful of smaller dominoes to fall, free agency is just about in the books. Many fantasy prospects have changed during the month of March, with notable players seeing their value rise.

Let’s highlight some of the top winners post-free agency.

RELATED: Losers From 2026 Free Agency for Fantasy Football

Winners From 2026 Free Agency For Fantasy Football

Ashton Jeanty | RB | LV

When the Raiders signed center Tyler Linderbaum to a 3-year, $81-million deal to kick off free agency, many people believed Las Vegas overpaid.

Jeanty would almost certainly disagree.

After finding little running room during his rookie season, Jeanty will welcome any and all additions to the offensive line. In 2025, Jeanty was stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage on a whopping 26.7% of his carries, the highest rate in the NFL. The Raiders averaged 3.50 adjusted line yards per attempt, tied for the worst mark in the league, while Jeanty averaged just 3.3 yards per carry on runs inside the tackles. His 27.6% success rate on such runs was also comfortably the lowest rate among qualified rushers. The addition of Linderbaum, who ranked fourth in PFF’s run block grade in 2025, will drastically help the inside run game, giving Jeanty more opportunities to hit home runs, rather than constantly grounding out.

Premium

Go FantasyLife+

Your league is unique. Your advice should be too. Get personalized tools, rankings, and projections tailored to your fantasy football league settings.

Learn More

Justin Jefferson | WR | MIN

Last season, there was nothing more tilting than watching Jefferson create separation on an out route, only for J.J. McCarthy to air mail the pass five yards over his head and out of bounds.

Nothing.

Poor quarterback play limited Jefferson to just 11.9 PPR PPG (28th) and two (!) receiving touchdowns. I’ll never forgive McCarthy and Max Brosmer. Jefferson’s 67.4% catchable target rate ranked 63rd among wideouts, while over 21% of McCarthy’s attempts were deemed bad throws, the second-highest rate among qualified signal callers. Interestingly enough, if Carson Wentz stays healthy, Jefferson’s season ends up pretty damn good. The Vikings addressed the quarterback position by signing Kyler Murray, who should be light-years better than McCarthy and Brosmer. But he doesn’t even have to be great.

Just be … Carson Wentz?

In five games with Wentz under center, Jefferson averaged 10 targets, 6.8 receptions, 95.4 receiving yards and 16.3 PPR points per game. That is more like what we’d expect from a player of Jefferson’s caliber. Murray will consistently get Jefferson the football, just like he did with DeAndre Hopkins back in 2021 when the veteran hauled in 115 passes for 1,407 yards.

Bhayshul Tuten | RB | JAX

Tuten is clearly one of the highest post-free agency risers in fantasy football. Following Travis Etienne signing with the New Orleans Saints, Tuten is now set to lead the Jacksonville backfield in his second NFL season. As a rookie, Tuten wasn’t incredibly efficient on his 83 carries, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry and 4.2 yards per touch, though he did break a tackle every five carries, showcasing the ability to make defenders miss. Jacksonville brought in Chris Rodriguez, who thrived alongside Liam Coen at Kentucky, but Tuten should get every opportunity to lead this backfield. 

And it’s a fantasy-friendly one.

Coen is so good at designing screens for the running back position. Last season, Etienne ran 21 screen routes, good for the third-most among all running backs. And in his first season as a head coach, Coen led a Jacksonville offense that scored touchdowns on 27% of drives, the sixth-highest rate in the NFL. Tuten is the starting running back of an ascending offense. There’s plenty to like.

Luther Burden | WR | CHI

Burden is arguably the most hyped player ahead of 2026 fantasy football drafts.

And for good reason.

After showing serious flashes as a rookie, Burden is now set for a full-time role in year two. DJ Moore is now in Buffalo, while Olamide Zaccheaus (yes, really) signed with the Falcons. Burden trailed only Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in yards per route last year (2.7), but he only ran a route on 46% of dropbacks. As a sophomore, Burden should always be on the field, while seeing the designed looks in Ben Johnson’s offense that utilized shift-motion 60% of the time last year, the seventh-highest rate in the NFL and a 13% increase from 2024. Last season, Burden was targeted on 31.8% of his routes with motion, making me excited to see what he can do in this offense as a full-time player.

Join Our Newsletter

Trusted by 400,000+ fantasy football players. Get access to Fantasy Life's free award winning newsletter and tools, all in one step.

Email Address

Subscribe

By registering or logging in, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.