The San Francisco 49ers' selection of Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling with the first pick of the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft was viewed by many as one of the bigger reaches of the entire draft, but landing with one of the league's most respected combinations of quarterback and play-caller in Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan, Stribling is well-positioned to make an early impact. With Shanahan operating heavily out of 12 and 21-personnel sets, his wideouts in two-receiver formations have naturally seen an uptick in efficiency. While one of those spots is all but guaranteed to go to free agent acquisition Mike Evans, Stribling needs to beat out only Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk for something close to an every-down role. Stribling's size and tenacity as a blocker make him an obvious candidate to inherit Jauan Jennings' vacated role, and he could prove to be one of the better values in an underwhelming 2026 draft class. As RotoBaller's dynasty WR57, he is a low-cost target in rookie drafts or startups who could pay immediate dividends, particularly if All-Pro tight end George Kittle requires an extended ramp-up period to begin the year.

A second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders' Michael Mayer showed promising flashes as a rookie, finishing the year as the team's most productive tight end. Any hopes of a true fantasy breakout were dashed, however, when the Raiders spent the 13th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft on generational prospect Brock Bowers, who has since proven worthy of the often overused label through his first two seasons in the league. In years past, there might have been very little fantasy value in a team's second tight end, but with the league trending toward more multi-tight end usage, and new head coach Klint Kubiak partly responsible for helping to lead that charge, Mayer remains an important dynasty hold. Potentially capable of providing the occasional standalone bye week or injury fill-in, Mayer's highest value remains as a handcuff to Bowers, now in a Kubiak system that saw AJ Barner finish as the TE9 or better six different times in 2025. With only one year remaining on his rookie contract, Mayer could hit free agency in 2027 at the age of 25, and with several paths in play to finding a more substantial role, RotoBaller's dynasty TE43 remains a worthy end-of-bench stash in all but the shallowest of leagues.

Reds right-hander Tony Santillan picked up his fourth save of the season on Tuesday, working around a hit and striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning. Santillan appears to be strengthening his hold on the closer role in Cincinnati, receiving save opportunities in each of his last three games. He now leads all active Reds pitchers in saves with names like Emilio Pagan and Graham Ashcraft on the injured list. While Santillan owns a 5.46 ERA and 1.50 WHIP this season, he has turned a corner recently, allowing no runs across his last six appearances after posting an 11.00 ERA in May. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on the 26-year-old, as save chances could continue to come his way while Cincinnati's bullpen remains shorthanded.

When the Washington Commanders selected wide receiver Antonio Williams in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, he landed on one of the thinner depth charts in the league with a chance to learn from one of the greatest to ever play his position. The Commanders hired four-time All-Pro receiver Wes Welker as a personnel analyst in 2025 and have made him an offensive assistant for the 2026 season. With Williams expected to operate primarily out of the slot, as he did in college, Welker's guidance could become invaluable after collecting more than 900 receptions in a 12-year career as arguably the most respected slot receiver in the league. New offensive coordinator David Blough is expected to run a variant of the Ben Johnson offense he was a part of as the Lions' backup quarterback, and even if that means a move toward more heavy personnel packages with fewer receivers on the field, the Commanders lack every-down mainstays outside of veteran Terry McLaurin. At 5'11" and 190 pounds, Williams is a willing blocker, and while his more natural position remains at the slot, he'll need to beat out only Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, and Treylon Burks to earn an early role in two-receiver sets.