Fowlers said the team expects Barner to be more involved as a pass catcher in 2026 after recording 52 receptions for 519 yards and six touchdowns last season (while being targeted on 19 percent of his routes). Barner, following multiple offseason surgeries to clean up nagging injuries, is fully healthy and ready for a more prominent role in Seattle’s offense. New Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, meanwhile, is expected to use plenty of two tight end sets in 2026, meaning TE Elijah Arroyo could see an increase in snaps and routes. Barner has a little bit of extra hidden upside as the Seahawks’ primary tush push option near the goal line.

This is just further confirmation that none of the Seattle backs are primed to see big workloads in 2026 unless the backfield struggles with injuries. Macdonald said he’s been impressed by rookie RB Jadarian Price, who he compared favorably to Dalvin Cook. With Zach Charbonnet recovering from his 2025 knee injury, Fowlers said George Holani and Emanuel Wilson would be backfield factors early in the season. Fowlers added that Price’s “profile should only grow as we approach September.” For now Price is sidelined with a leg injury.

Raanan said Dart slid feet first at the tail end of a third down run during a recent training camp practice — his first slide in 11 camp practices. His teammates approved. “We’ve been begging him to do that for a while,” Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns said. “So, I’m glad that he’s starting to practice it.” Giants head coach John Harbaugh said he “clapped” and “applauded” upon seeing Dart slide instead of initiate contact with an oncoming defender, as he often did during his 2025 rookie season, resulting in a series of head injuries. One of the first topics new quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan discussed with Dart in the spring was the importance of avoiding big hits when he leaves the pocket, according to Raanan. Dart has said, per Raanan, that he “would still try to run over defenders” near the end zone. If Dart takes the advice seriously, he should have a healthier second NFL season.

Pierce remains well behind schedule following offseason surgery on his ankle, with it now coming to light that the veteran receiver required a second PRP injection in his left ankle. Now well beyond the original recovery window following the late-March surgery, Pierce appears to be in legitimate danger of missing time when games start to count if the platelet-rich plasma injections do not speed up his recovery for the second time. Pierce signed a four-year, $114 million contract extension with the Colts this offseason after the team lost Michael Pittman in a trade to the Steelers, signifying an intent to move forward with Pierce as their primary option at the position. That move could prove costly if Pierce misses regular season time. Josh Downs and Tyler Warren would be in line to benefit the most from any absence from Pierce.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel said that all three of Omarion Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, and Kimani Vidal will be featured in the backfield this season. “Good news is I see all three of those guys performing at a very high level,” McDaniel said. “Kinda play hot hand once you’re into games.” While that’s not the best news for fantasy managers that invested second round picks into Hampton, the opportunity for the Chargers to turn heads on the scoreboard could result in a case of “a rising tide raises all ships.” McDaniel famously, and recently, made two backs top-six producers in fantasy points per game in the same season, with both Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane finishing 2023 in that range. Whether a similar situation transpires in Los Angeles remains to be seen.

We’re still looking for more clarity here, but Payton did say after practice that he thinks Dobbins is “gonna be fine” and that the team is “trying to be smart with it.” Given Dobbins’ injury history, it makes sense for the team to want to approach any minor issues with caution as they look to get through training camp and into Week 1. Dobbins rushed for 153-772-4 in 10 games with the Broncos last season and signed a two-year, $20 million contract this offseason. He’s expected to serve as their primary lead back, while RJ Harvey will continue to see a role in the passing game. If Dobbins were to miss time, rookie Jonah Coleman could be tasked with stepping in to fill his role.

Interestingly, Week 6 is when the Packers play host to the Cowboys, Parsons’ former team. The star pass-rusher did note that he could also return later and that there is always the possibility of setbacks, but it sounds like the earliest we should expect to see him is Week 6. Parsons opened camp on the PUP list, which didn’t come as a surprise given the timing of his injury last season. It’s been widely believed that Parsons would miss the first few games of the season. If he were to open the year on the PUP list, he would be forced to sit out at least the first four games of the year.

One of the beneficiaries of Drake Maye’s 2025 breakout campaign was Henry, who caught 60 passes and seven touchdowns while posting a career-high 768 receiving yards. Henry, 31, has spent the last five seasons with the Patriots and has been a reliable producer for them in the passing game and has always been reliable as a run blocker. His new deal will keep him under contract through the 2028 season. Henry profiles as a mid-TE2 in fantasy this season and has produced 13 top-12 PPR weeks since 2024.

It’s not the worst-case scenario, but fantasy managers were likely hoping for a better recovery timeline. The talented second-year player has consistently drawn rave reviews since spring practices. Bears coach Ben Johnson recently compared Burden’s dogged mindset to players he previously coached, including Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and former Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry, noting Burden wants to be “the most conditioned player on the team, and one of the strongest receivers on the team.” Burden will undoubtedly do everything he can to be ready for Week 1, but treating him as questionable to play in the season opener is the prudent move for now. He remains a high-upside pick for 2026, albeit with more built-in risk. Keep it locked to Rotoworld for more updates on Burden’s status in the coming week.

This comes a day after Watson spent a second consecutive day with the first-team offense after previously rotating days with Shedeur Sanders. Watson, 30, has reportedly strung together a solid few days after getting off to a slow start and could finally be separating himself from Sanders in camp. Both quarterbacks are expected to get at least one start in the preseason after it was reported last week that the team planned on alternating starters in the preseason, but it sounds like the Browns are trending toward naming Watson as their starter while Sanders would serve as his backup. Regardless of who wins the job to begin the season, we would expect to see both quarterbacks under center at some point as the team looks to evaluate what it has at the position before the 2027 offseason.