The Endless Possibilities For Fantasy Football 2026
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Unest.
The point of fantasy football is simple: to know stuff. Football stuff, more specifically. We want to be able to say to our friends or relatives or coworkers: “I know more than you and here’s my championship to prove it, dummies.”
The other point of fantasy football is to have fun, obviously. (But that’s really secondary to the knowing of stuff.)
This time of year, though, before the pads have even made an appearance at practice, nobody is wrong. Because nobody really knows anything. So everyone can be right.
Except the people who think Aaron Rodgers will take the Steelers to the Super Bowl. Those people are ghoulish trolls and, frankly, need to get some help.
Point being, at this very moment, the fantasy football world is nothing but possibilities and opportunities. And that’s a beautiful thing.
Let’s all sink into that feeling, huh?
Rather than spend the next few months fighting with one another about who’s going to be right or wrong when the clock strikes zero at the end of the season, let’s just allow ourselves to believe in whatever wonderful and wondrous fantasy football things we want to. Let people dream their dreams!
If someone believes Jeremiyah Love will become the next Barry Sanders, don’t flip out on them. Don’t scream in their face that they “don’t know ball.”
Instead, listen patiently while they explain how both running backs are destined to share a career trajectory because both were drafted third overall picks and both have a middle name that starts with the letter “D.”
Because, regardless of the terrible logic, can you say FOR CERTAIN that Love won’t rush for 15,000+ career yards? I can’t.
And please, extend the same courtesy when I tell you I firmly believe Makai Lemon will outperform both Jordyn Tyson and Carnell Tate in the long term, consensus opinion be damned.
You can call me stupid for believing that. You can call me delusional, too. But you can’t call me wrong.
Yet.
It’s Time To Buy-In On Fernando Mendoza
Just think, last summer, Fernando Mendoza was an afterthought in the college football landscape. A nondescript transfer to Indiana, all Mendoza did was lead the Hoosiers on an epic 16-0 run, completing 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards and 41 TDs on the way to winning the Heisman Trophy. He also threw in a gritty game-sealing TD run for the ages that locked down the first national championship for Indiana. All that before recently being the first pick in the NFL Draft of the Las Vegas Raiders. Everything seems to be going up for Mendoza and those who believed in him. A bright NFL future is in front of him.
UNest works the same way. You don't wait until your kid is 16 to start building their financial future. You start now, when time is your single greatest advantage. A tax-advantaged investment account that grows with your child, set up in under 10 minutes. The long game is always the smartest play, on the field and off it.
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Around the Watercooler
The latest fantasy and NFL gossip, news, memes and more from our merry band of football nerds …
🏈 They’re one of the “fun” teams heading into 2026. And they added to the WR room.
🤪 Going elite RB at the 1.04 in a mock draft? This is superflex, so don’t go crazy.
🚑 Tucker Kraft may be a bargain in dynasty, or an injury risk to avoid.
👑 This RB is projected for 289 carries and 1,404 yards. Does it get him the rushing crown?
💥 Jahmyr Gibbs reminds us of … that 2009 season was cinema.
🤔 Kyler Murray or Patrick Mahomes? Something to ponder.
Editors’ Picks
ICYMI, here are some past articles we recommend on a Sunday—only 15 more until real football is back! Also, check out our rankings and projections.
Just Wait On TE
You know, you don’t have to go with the elite TE. Ian Hartitz offers some historical content and several options for those who go heavy RB-WR in the early rounds.
Taxi! Taxi!
Get familiar with Bryce Lance. Jake Trowbridge identifies several players like him who are good stashes on your dynasty benches.
Playoff Weather
Want to be home for the holidays? Jorge Martin examines the top fantasy playoff schedules for dome and warm-weather teams.
Do Not Draft These Players
Well, before getting into the players you shouldn’t be drafting, there are concepts and strategies that need to be adhered to. Don’t worry, cooterdoodle gets into plenty of players she’s not drafting this year. But first, there are certain rules to follow, and one of them involves those rookies we’ve spent so much of the first part of the year obsessing over:
The offseason is ripe with gluttonous rookie talk. We hype up every player we love in every offense we love and it feels sexy to “what if” our way through the summer. But rookies don’t often hit in their first year, and when they do, it usually takes some time—hey, TreVeyon Henderson. If your leaguemates are often restless, they might even drop the rookies they’ve drafted onto waivers for you to scoop up by Week 4. Go get your guy, or whatever. Just be sure to get some proven veterans, too.
More rules to live by. ⤵️
QB Competition in Minnesota: Kyler vs J.J.
For those fantasy managers who had the (dis)pleasure of carrying Justin Jefferson as an anchor on their rosters last year, we’re sorry. So many of us shared your pain. No one saw him sinking all the way to 11.9 PPR points per game last year. No one. And Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings higher ups don’t want to see it happen again. So they brought in Kyler Murray to compete with J.J. McCarthy to see to it that the other J.J. gets to unleash his athletic gifts on the NFL again. Justin Carlucci handles both sides of the debate:
Will Murray take his one-year deal and become Sam Darnold 2.0, but with high-end rushing upside? Or will McCarthy get pushed by the competition to take vast strides in his game to take QB1 status?
Still Plenty of Roar in the Detroit Lions
Don’t let the last-place finish in the NFC North fool you. The Lions were 9-8 in an “off” year when they were decimated by injuries to the defense and offensive line. The offense still hummed, good for tied for fourth with 481 points scored. The main cast of characters are back, headed by possible 1.01 Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and the perenially underappreciated Jared Goff. Dwain and Ian preview the Lions. Make sure to subscribe today and don’t miss an episode of their team preview series.
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