New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devaughn Vele is quickly climbing up the depth chart ahead of the 2026 season. With Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) expected to miss significant time, Vele projects to be the Saints' No. 2 receiver for the regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 13. Not only does the depth chart itself look favorably upon the 28-year-old receiver, but so does the coaching staff. Before Tyson got hurt, head coach Kellen Moore said that he regretted not making Vele a bigger part of the offense throughout the first half of last season. He made the most of his opportunities following the Saints' bye week, though, catching 19 of 26 targets for 239 yards and one touchdown across four games before getting hurt. During that four-game span from Week 12-15, Vele ranked as the overall WR23 in PPR leagues. Assuming he takes on a similar role and can maintain a similar rapport with quarterback Tyler Shough, Vele has high-end WR3/flex appeal early in the 2026 season, especially while Tyson is inactive. With an ADP of 231.2, the 6-foot-5 receiver is going undrafted in most fantasy leagues. Managers should consider spending their final draft pick on him, because he could be a legitimate fantasy starter for the first month or so this season.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice currently has an ADP of 27.4 in the latest fantasy football drafts. That price tag corresponds to an early third-round pick and makes him the 11th receiver off the board. Rice is a talented player catching passes from Patrick Mahomes, so we understand the appeal in snagging him as a WR1. However, he also doesn't have much of a track record yet, as injuries and off-field issues limited him to just 12 games over the last two seasons. On a more positive note, he is averaging 18.0 fantasy points per game during those two years. The big question for fantasy managers is whether Rice, who certainly carries some risk and uncertainty, should continue to be drafted as a WR1 ahead of receivers like Chris Olave and Malik Nabers. The latest expert rankings are a little less bullish than the ADP, as he currently ranks as RotoBaller's WR17 in half-PPR leagues for 2026.

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. "has done enough to make an NFL roster," head coach John Harbaugh told the media following Friday's preseason contest against the New York Jets. Harbaugh wouldn't confirm whether Beckham will make the Giants' 53-man roster, but it certainly sounds like the head coach looks favorably upon the veteran receiver. The 33-year-old had seven catches for 76 yards this preseason, including three catches for 53 yards in Week 3 of the preseason on Friday. Not only is this Beckham's second stint with the Giants, but it's also his second stint with Harbaugh, who was his head coach with the Ravens in 2023. Looking at New York's depth chart, Beckham and Braxton Berrios seem like the top candidates for the fifth and sixth receiver spots now that Calvin Austin (knee) has been placed on injured reserve. At the moment, Beckham doesn't have any fantasy football appeal.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy continues to rank as a fringe top-12 option in fantasy football, largely due to the support of the playmakers surrounding him. In addition to wide receivers Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel, Purdy will have the luxury of throwing the football to George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey, who are both among some of the league's best players at their respective positions. With a relatively similar-looking offense last year (other than Evans in place of Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall), Purdy tallied 2,167 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions across nine games. The touchdown total was impressive, but managers will need him to clean up the turnovers going forward. The good news is that Purdy ranked as the overall QB5 in fantasy points per game in 2025, so a top-five finish is not completely out of the question if he's healthy for all 17 games in 2026. At the very least, he's in good shape to rank as a top-12 fantasy quarterback. As it stands, he has an ADP of 106.3, which corresponds to the ninth round and makes him the 13th quarterback off the board.