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Fantasy Football: Players entering contract years to watch for the 2026 NFL season
These players are seeking a new payday. Will that boost their fantasy football stock in 2026?
Dalvin Cook
RB · FA · 29 yrs · exp 8 · Florida State
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Cowboys 2026 roster rundown: RB Israel Abanikanda
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
Every Cowboys fan knows there’s going to be battle for the backup RB position in this year’s camp, but how many see Israel Abanikanda as one of the contenders? A late addition to last year’s practice squad, Abanikanda may be a more meaningful presence this summer than you think. Years in NFL: 3 Acquired by: Free agency (2025) After a strong college career at Pitt, Abanikanda entered the NFL draft process with the label of an athletically gifted runner, mixing power and speed, but lacking in technique. Considered a mid-round prospect in the 2023 draft class, Abanikanda was taken in the fifth round by the Jets. He survived final cuts but was stuck behind Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook on the depth chart. He only dressed for six games near the end of the season and received just 22 total carries in those limited appearances. It would get worse in 2024. The Jets drafted two more RBs that year, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis , and pushed Abanikanda further down the depth chart. They still kept him on the 53 for three months, though, before finally releasing him in early December. The 49ers claimed Abanikanda off waivers for the final few games of the regular season, but he never got any playing time. San Francisco waived Abanikanda just before the start of its 2025 training camp, but he was claimed by Green Bay . He made it onto the Packers’ practice squad briefly, but was released in early September. He didn’t get a new home until the Cowboys signed him to their practice in late November. He remained there through the season and signed a new deal to stay with Dallas this offseason. Years Left: 2 2026 Cap Hit: 1.08 million While he has zero guaranteed money on the deal, Abanikanda doesn’t have to worry too much about finances working against him in the RB competition. None of Malik Davis , Jaydon Blue , or Phil Mafah have financial entanglements in their contracts, so Dallas can make their decision purely based on performance. Role: Backup RB Roster Chance: 20% Many see the RB2 competition as a two-horse race between Blue and Davis, though some would add Mafah to the list. And there is still a thought that Javonte Williams ’ backup isn’t even on the roster yet, with several veterans still hanging around in free agency. As we’ve seen in recent years with guys like Miles Sanders , Royce Freeman , and Ronald Jones , Dallas has valued experience on the RB depth chart. But Freeman and Jones never played a game for the Cowboys, and Sanders was struggling mightily before he got injured last year. Let’s say Dallas keeps the competition as is. While Davis or Blue gives you a change-of-pace option, neither is built to handle a full workload if Williams were to miss significant time. Mafah may be, but he barely played last year and may need more development. There’s room for someone to break into this group and give the Cowboys something to think about, and there are reasons to think Abanikanda could do it. While he’s been around the NFL for over three years now, Abanikanda is still just 23 years old. He’s just a couple of weeks older than Mafah and three months older than Blue, so he’s still an equally young prospect. His running style more closely resembles Williams’ than either Davis or Blue, perhaps making him a more ideal backup. The key for Abanikanda is if he can show some refinement in his overall game. Despite his size, pass blocking was considered a weakness coming out of college. He’ll need to be better there, and show better ability to read blocks and allow his blocks to develop. We’ve seen how Williams, despite being powerful, displays shiftiness and adapts as the play unfolds in front of him. That will be a key for either Abanikanda or Mafah if they’re going to make it at this level. Abanikanda is certainly not a favorite in this summer’s RB competition, but he’s worth keeping an eye on. He was considered to have starting potential in the class of 2023. He’s admittedly struggled to find a lasting home so far in the NFL, [... truncated ...]
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Vikings and Ravens will practice together in August
The Vikings will only have one home preseason game this summer, but they'll get more than one day of work against their opponents that week. The team announced that they will have two days of joint practices with the Ravens . They are set to work with the AFC North team on August 19 and 20 with the preseason game between the teams scheduled for August 22. Joint practices have been a regular occurrence during Vikings' camp in recent years. They have also worked with the Patriots, Browns , Titans, and Cardinals in recent seasons. The Vikings will visit the Giants and Broncos in their first and third preseason games this summer. The Ravens will be hosting the Eagles and Commanders
analyst
2026 Free Agency Winners and Losers: Running Backs & Wide Receivers
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! PlayerProfiler is home to award-winning dynasty rankings and tools. Our Dynasty Deluxe package includes complete Dynasty Rankings, Rookie Rankings, Trade Analyzer, Draft Planner, Mock Drafts, and more. Check it out . 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. 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. 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. 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 [... truncated ...]
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Data comes from cached Sleeper and KTC snapshots. Values update when the sync jobs run.