In his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed more than 65% of his passes for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns to only seven interceptions; respectable numbers that earned him a QB18 finish, but a far cry from the MVP form that saw him finish as the QB7 or better in 10 of his first 13 seasons as a starter. Seven different times he finished a year as either the fantasy QB1 or QB2, and while those days are comfortably behind him, the 42-year-old 21st-year veteran should not be completely written off for 2026. With Mike McCarthy assuming the head coaching job in Pittsburgh, an offense that already threw the ball at the league's seventh-highest rate with Rodgers in 2025 could see even more volume when the two reunite. The Cowboys were one of the league's pass-heaviest teams in the final years of McCarthy's tenure, while the Packers led the league with a 67.5% pass rate the last time Rodgers led his offense. With Rodgers average depth of target ranking dead last in the NFL in 2025, his fantasy ceiling has fallen significantly in recent years, but with the Steelers actively surrounding him with capable pass-catching running backs and short area targets like Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard, an elevated floor should keep him in the streaming conversation throughout the 2026 season. At RotoBaller's QB29, Rodgers can still be a safe and consistent second quarterback in superflex leagues, providing value at ADP and allowing drafters to chase riskier upside from their QB1 slot.

The fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. once sat as high as QB5 in consensus dynasty rankings, looking like an unstoppable fantasy force through the first two and a half games of his career. A significant shoulder injury ended his rookie season after only 84 pass attempts, a sample size small enough to keep his significant flaws hidden behind his unmatched rushing upside. Since then, Richardson has completed less than half of his 266 attempts, repeatedly proven incapable of holding the starting job, and fallen to the bottom of the Colts' depth chart. With Daniel Jones recovering from the Achilles tear that ended his 2025 season and limited to 7-on-7 work during last month's minicamp practices, Richardson split starter reps with 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard, with neither able to separate in any meaningful way. Jones is expected to ramp up participation when the team reconvenes for training camp, potentially amounting to another missed opportunity for Richardson. Because of his rare physical abilities, Richardson remains capable of racking up fantasy points anytime he gets onto the field, but with his career trending in the wrong direction, that solace makes him little more than a frustrating dynasty hold.

As a rookie in 2025, Indianapolis Colts running back DJ Giddens was frequently held out of games as a healthy scratch, and across his nine appearances, he carried the ball only 26 times, failing to reach 100 yards on the season. Any significant additions to the Colts' running back room in the 2026 offseason could have theoretically left last year's fifth-round pick fighting for a roster spot, but with Indianapolis allowing both Ameer Abdullah and Tyler Goodson to depart in free agency and spending only a seventh-round pick on Kentucky's Seth McGowan in the 2026 NFL Draft, Giddens is right back in line to serve as Jonathan Taylor's primary backup. With Taylor handling an astronomical 86.6% of the team's running back carries in 2025, it's unlikely that the backup role provides any significant work barring a major philosophical shift or injury, neither of which can be ruled out following Taylor's 369-touch campaign. In a worst-case scenario where the three-time Pro Bowler is forced to miss significant time, Giddens and McGowan would likely split work, giving both a potential avenue to see their value rise and making them both worthwhile end-of-bench stashes in deep dynasty leagues.

New England Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams caught only 10 passes in a disappointing 2025 rookie season. While the elite speed that had fantasy managers excited about his spot on a somewhat pedestrian depth chart allowed him to convert three of those receptions into touchdowns while averaging more than 20 yards per catch, he will need to find more ways to stand out in his second season in a receiver room that suddenly ranks among the most loaded in the league. Trade and free agent acquisitions A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs are likely to see the majority of time in two-receiver sets. Behind them, Williams' speed is a standout quality among a diverse supporting group of Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, and Kayshon Boutte, who remains on the roster despite being the subject of trade rumors for much of the offseason. However, without the play strength to regularly shift inside, the 2025 third-round pick could struggle to find consistent work in an offense that regularly asks its receivers to help out in the run game. Williams has the traits to make him a low-exposure late-round pick in best-ball drafts, but a lack of reliable usage will make him hard to trust in lineup leagues, and he's fallen to WR88 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings.