Freedman's Must-Draft Players For 2026 Fantasy Football:

Malik Willis | Dolphins

Generally, rushing production is what matters most for fantasy QBs, and Malik Willis is a runner.

He might not be a good passer, and the Dolphins are widely expected to be one of the league's worst teams: They have the second-longest odds at DraftKings to win the Super Bowl (+35000).

But Willis might be a better passer than expected. In his two years as the No. 2 QB for the Packers, Willis had an elite 12.3 AY/A (albeit on limited playing time).

And Willis' ability as a runner (12-174-3 rushing in three starts with the Packers) might be enough to offset the impact of the probably putrid offense in which he'll operate.

Plus (and just hear me out on this), there's the possibility that the Dolphins might not be as bad as people project: OC Bobby Slowik is a Kyle Shanahan disciple, and it has usually been the play callers from the trees of Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay who have helped their QBs the most over the past few years with play action and motion.

As I mentioned on an episode of Fantasy Football Is Life, Willis is probably my favorite QB to draft this season.

Kenneth Gainwell | Buccaneers

I've become increasingly bullish on Kenneth Gainwell throughout the offseason.

Last year, Bucky Irving and Rachaad White were the top RBs in the Bucs backfield.

If the team had wanted to keep White, it almost certainly could have, since he signed with the Commanders for just $2M on a one-year deal.

Instead, the Bucs signed Gainwell to a two-year, $14M contract with $9.83M guaranteed.

So what might that mean?

• The Bucs don't want to use Irving in a full workhorse role.
• They badly wanted an upgrade on White

Implication: Gainwell could be the top RB for the Bucs this year.

He had an unremarkable first four NFL seasons as a rotational RB for the Eagles (1,906 yards, 13 TDs), but in 2025 he broke out with the Steelers as a strong No. 2 RB (1,023 yards, 8 TDs on 114 carries, 85 targets).

Now, he has the opportunity to compete for the No. 1 role, and even if he simply remains the No. 2 option, the 27-year-old Gainwell could still enjoy a workload (and thus production) similar to last year's.

Dalton Kincaid | Bills

Dalton Kincaid had just 49 targets in 2025, but he missed five games and was super efficient with a 24% target rate, 11.7 yards per target, and 10.2% TD rate.

With playcaller Joe Brady now serving as HC, Kincaid might see an increase in playing time, which could lead to him functioning as the No. 1 receiver for the Bills in 2026.

And any TE who has a shot to be his team's top pass catcher (especially when he's catching passes from QB Josh Allen) needs to be strongly on the radar.