The NFL Owners Meetings delivered a wave of important news that could shape the 2026 season and significantly impact fantasy football outlooks. These developments must-know storylines for NFL fans and fantasy managers alike. Here are the top 10 takeaways from the Owners Meetings.
1. Harold Fannin Draws Brock Bowers Comparison.
The former third-round pick broke out in a major way in 2025. Harold Fannin not only finished as the TE7 in fantasy points per game, but the underlying metrics strongly support that production.
Fannin ranked TE2 in target rate (25.5%), TE5 in both total targets and target share, TE7 in first-read targets, and TE9 in unrealized air yards. In other words, this wasn’t a fluky stretch. Fannin consistently earned volume and commanded a meaningful role in the Cleveland Browns offense all season long.
That consistency translated directly to fantasy production. Fannin posted 11 top-15 weekly finishes, including six straight to close the season, giving managers both reliability and late-season upside.
At the Owners Meetings, Todd Monken added even more fuel to the breakout narrative by saying Fannin reminds him of Brock Bowers. The comparison is more than coach-speak. In 2025, both players posted nearly identical PFF receiving grades and yards per route run numbers.
What separates Fannin, however, is what he did after the catch. He finished as the TE2 overall in missed tackles forced (22), while Bowers was tied for 27th (4). That level of tackle-breaking ability is rare at the position and highlights the kind of upside that can elevate a tight end into the elite fantasy tier.
Even if Cleveland selects a wide receiver in the first round later this month, Harold Fannin’s current fantasy value still looks undervalued in the market.
2. The NY Giants love TE Isaiah Likely.
When asked about Isaiah Likely’s modest production across four seasons in Baltimore, head coach John Harbaugh was quick to provide context: Likely spent much of that time playing behind Mark Andrews, but the coaching staff consistently loved what he brought to the offense. Now in New York on a three-year, $40 million deal with $26 million guaranteed, Likely arrives as one of the highest-paid tight ends in the league. This is a clear signal that the Giants view him as a major part of their plans.
Both the financial commitment and the confidence from the coaching staff strongly point to Likely stepping into a full-time role. While 2025 was largely a lost season due to injury, his underlying profile remains highly encouraging. In 2024, Likely ranked TE8 in PFF receiving grade and TE7 in yards per route run, showing the kind of efficiency fantasy managers should pay close attention to.
The talent has been evident long before the NFL. Among college tight ends with at least 44 targets, Likely ranked top two in PFF receiving grade in both 2020 and 2021, underscoring an elite receiving profile that dates back to his collegiate days. Even as a rookie, he finished TE8 in target rate, an early sign of his ability to command looks when on the field.
Before the preseason injury that sidelined him for three games in 2025, Likely had shown improvement in each of his first three seasons. Now, with questions surrounding Malik Nabers’ availability for Week 1, Likely could be positioned for an immediate fast start in this Giants offense.
The Giants clearly believe in Isaiah Likely, and fantasy managers should, too.
3. Expect the Dallas Cowboys to Draft a Rookie Running Back.
The Dallas Cowboys did reward Javonte Williams with an extension following his breakout 2025 season, and the production fully justified the move. Williams set career highs in rushing attempts, yards per carry, rushing touchdowns, yards after contact per attempt, and PFF rushing grade. After that level of efficiency and volume, there is little reason to believe Dallas plans to move away from him as its lead back.
That said, the bigger question is what happens behind him. At the Owners Meetings, Brian Schottenheimer said the RB2 role should be “a pretty competitive position” and added that the younger backs need to start taking the next step. Earlier this offseason, he also noted that the Cowboys are “always looking” to add to the running back room. This is a comment that feels increasingly important in context.
The current depth options have not done much to lock down the role. Both Malik Davis and Jaydon Blue finished with PFF rushing grades below 66, while Phil Mafah logged just five carries in 2025. The departure of Miles Sanders only further thins the room.
This is where reading between the lines matters. From Weeks 15 through 18 last season, Dallas gave either Blue or Davis at least eight carries per game, suggesting the coaching staff was actively searching for a complementary option behind Williams. Yet the public comments and lack of offseason additions strongly suggest the Cowboys are still not fully satisfied with what they have. That keeps them firmly in play to address the position early in the draft.
4. The Arizona Cardinals Still Don’t Have a Timeline for Trey Benson and James Conner.
Tyler Allgeier enters the picture at exactly the right time for Arizona. With both Trey Benson and James Conner missing most of 2025 due to injuries, the Cardinals were forced to lean on depth options such as Zonovan Knight and Emari Demercado. In contrast, Allgeier has been a model of durability, not missing a single game in his four-year NFL career.
Fantasy managers will remember Allgeier’s 1,000-yard rookie campaign, and he further strengthened his resume in 2025 by scoring more rushing touchdowns than Bijan Robinson. While Benson and Conner are still expected to be ready for the start of the 2026 season, Allgeier was clearly brought in by the new coaching staff to provide a dependable, between-the-tackles presence.
His ball security only adds to the appeal: 676 career rushing attempts without a single fumble. Meanwhile, questions remain about the players ahead of him. Benson has posted a PFF rushing grade below 63 in both of his NFL seasons, raising legitimate concerns about his long-term outlook, while Conner is now on the wrong side of the running back age curve.
With no clear timeline for either incumbent back and real uncertainty surrounding both, Allgeier’s path to meaningful touches, and potentially the starting role in Arizona, appears significantly undervalued.
5. The San Francisco 49ers want a running back with the “same skillset” as Christian McCaffrey.
At the Owners Meetings, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan openly acknowledged that the running game lacked functionality whenever Christian McCaffrey was off the field in 2025. That admission is significant, especially for a system that relies so heavily on versatility and matchup flexibility from its backfield.
The current depth chart helps explain the concern. Projected RB2 Brian Robinson Jr., now with the Atlanta Falcons, was never known as a true three-down back, dating back to his time at Alabama and continuing through his early NFL seasons in Washington. Meanwhile, Isaac Guerendo lost snaps to Robinson last season, which raises questions about how much confidence the staff currently has in him.
2025 rookie Jordan James offers some pass-catching experience after recording 26 receptions in his final season at Oregon, but the efficiency numbers are far less encouraging. His 53.6 PFF receiving grade ranked as the second-worst among all college running backs with at least 30 targets, suggesting he may not yet be ready to fill the all-purpose role Shanahan needs.
Shanahan even referenced situations in which McCaffrey was unexpectedly off the field and the coaching staff only realized it after the play had already been called. This situation forced either a wasted timeout or a less-than-ideal play design. For an offense built on precision and personnel-driven concepts, that is a major issue.
San Francisco has already addressed wide receiver depth in free agency with the additions of Mike Evans and Christian Kirk. The next logical move is to target a running back in the 2026 NFL Draft who can replicate McCaffrey’s three-down versatility and keep the offense fully operational when the starter needs rest.
6. AD Mitchell has a strong chance of keeping the NY Jets WR2 position.
The New York Jets acquired AD Mitchell in the Sauce Gardner trade during the 2025 season, and his role expanded almost immediately after arriving in New York. Mitchell saw at least six targets in seven of his eight games as a Jet, a massive jump from the 15 total targets he received across eight weeks with Indianapolis.
The opportunity aligns with his talent profile. Mitchell is a 95th-percentile athlete and a former second-round pick whose physical upside has never been in question. More importantly, the usage metrics in New York were highly encouraging. His 24.2% target rate ranked WR23, while his 14.9-yard average depth of target ranked sixth among all wide receivers in 2025, highlighting a high-value downfield role.
That vertical usage should pair especially well with Geno Smith’s willingness to push the ball deep. Mitchell finished WR14 in unrealized air yards, WR15 in deep target share, and WR7 in target rate versus man coverage, all indicators that bigger production could be on the way if efficiency improves.
At the Owners Meetings, head coach Aaron Glenn consistently referred to Mitchell as the team’s No. 2 receiving option, which is perhaps the strongest signal yet about how the organization views him entering 2026.
While this does not eliminate the possibility of the Jets selecting a wide receiver in Round 1 or Round 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, Glenn’s comments make it clear that Mitchell is firmly viewed as a starter and a player trending in the right direction. For fantasy purposes, that makes him one of the more intriguing upside bets in this offense.
7. The Washington Commanders Think Highly of Treylon Burks.
Commanders GM Adam Peters made one thing clear at the Owners Meetings: Terry McLaurin remains the unquestioned No. 1 receiver in Washington. What stood out, however, was how quickly he pivoted to discussing Treylon Burks.
Peters spoke with noticeable enthusiasm about Burks, saying he is excited about his development, believes there is “another level” to his game, and likes what he saw from him last season. That same level of conviction was notably absent when he referenced the rest of the receiver room, including Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, Van Jefferson, and Dyami Brown.
That distinction matters.
Burks, a former first-round pick by the Tennessee Titans in 2022, has yet to fully break out at the NFL level. He has never surpassed 53 targets in a season, and last year’s production was underwhelming: just 10 catches on 22 targets, alongside a 64.6 PFF receiving grade and 0.85 yards per route run.
Still, the coaching staff’s tone suggests Washington may view him as the clear favorite for the WR2 role entering 2026 over those other wide receivers currently rostered. When decision-makers publicly separate one player from the rest of the depth chart, fantasy managers should pay attention.
To be clear, Washington remains a strong candidate to draft a wide receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft, and an early-round addition could be brought in to push Burks and the rest of the group. But at his current cost, Burks is exactly the type of late-round dart throw worth taking.
The talent pedigree is there, the opportunity appears real, and the front office’s confidence makes Burks an intriguing upside stash.
8. Jalen McMillan should take on the Mike Evans role in Tampa Bay.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles had high praise for Jalen McMillan at the Owners Meetings, highlighting his ability to “go downfield and fight for the ball.” While McMillan doesn’t possess Mike Evans’ prototypical size, he has already shown a willingness to win in traffic, with nearly 20% of his career targets classified as contested.
The production has been encouraging as well. McMillan scored eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2024, immediately flashing red-zone upside and big-play ability. In his four appearances during 2025, he caught 80% of his targets and showed clear growth as a receiver, improving both his PFF receiving grade and posting a strong 2.14 yards per route run, which ranked 17th among 146 qualified wide receivers.
With Mike Evans now in San Francisco, a meaningful opportunity of downfield and goal line targets has opened up in Tampa Bay’s passing game. McMillan has already earned five or more targets in nearly half of his games through two seasons, suggesting the volume floor may be higher than his current draft cost implies.
At a WR56 ADP, the upside is difficult to ignore. His rookie-year efficiency metrics were especially impressive: WR13 in production premium, WR6 in fantasy points per target, and WR25 in EPA.
The combination of proven efficiency, expanding opportunity, and a clear vote of confidence from the coaching staff makes McMillan one of the more compelling late-round breakout candidates. The value is absolutely there for a surprising spike in production if the role expands as expected.
9. Travis Etienne is a buy-high candidate in New Orleans.
Even before the Owners Meetings, Saints head coach Kellen Moore was already sending strong signals about Travis Etienne, calling him “a really special back” and “a really special player.” Just as notable, however, has been the way Moore has discussed Alvin Kamara.
Multiple times this offseason, Moore has deferred to “the process” when asked about Kamara’s role, and that same language resurfaced again at the Owners Meetings. When pressed further, Moore’s response was strikingly noncommittal: “He’s in that room … he’s certainly on the roster … part of the running back room.”
That kind of fact-based framing often reads as a polite way of acknowledging uncertainty without revealing what may be happening behind the scenes. Put simply, Moore has shown far more conviction when discussing Etienne than Kamara.
The writing increasingly appears to be on the wall for Kamara’s future in New Orleans.
The Saints signed Etienne to a four-year, $47 million contract with $24 million guaranteed, a financial commitment that strongly suggests they view him as the lead back and not part of a committee. In a Kellen Moore offense that has historically leaned on versatile running backs, Etienne projects to handle significant volume as both a runner and receiver.
That upside is already supported by recent production. Etienne finished as the RB13 in 2025 after setting a career high in rushing attempts, and he now steps into an offense capable of maximizing his dual-threat skill set.
At a current ADP of 30.5 overall (mid-third round), there is a strong case that the market is still undervaluing Etienne’s workload ceiling and offensive environment. Massive touch volume could be coming.
10. Steelers envision Rico Dowdle as a 3-Down back.
New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy made his thoughts on Rico Dowdle clear at the Owners Meetings, praising both his running style and, more importantly, his versatility. McCarthy specifically noted that Dowdle can “play all three downs,” emphasizing how valuable it is to have a back who does not need to leave the field.
That trust is meaningful in McCarthy’s system.
Dowdle has quietly built a strong all-around profile, catching at least 39 passes in each of the last two seasons. There is also clear familiarity here, as Dowdle previously played under McCarthy during his time in Dallas, which is a connection that likely helped drive Pittsburgh’s interest.
Dowdle effectively steps into the role previously occupied by Kenneth Gainwell, and the underlying numbers suggest he can handle it. In 2025, Dowdle and Gainwell posted nearly identical PFF rushing grades and yards after contact per attempt, making the transition a natural fit.
The bigger challenge, of course, is Jaylen Warren.
Warren’s role in this backfield is not going anywhere. Both Warren and Dowdle eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in 2025, while also posting similar rushing efficiency metrics, including comparable PFF rushing grades and yards after contact per attempt.
Where Warren separates himself is on passing downs. His 83.6 PFF receiving grade and 72.0 PFF pass-blocking grade give him a clear edge for third-down and long-distance situations, with the flexibility to mix in on early downs as well.
Still, McCarthy’s public confidence in Dowdle strongly suggests he will get every opportunity to carve out a meaningful role on first and second downs, with a real chance to earn more if he performs well. For fantasy purposes, that makes him an intriguing volume-based option in what could become a productive committee.
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