2026 Dynasty Targets: Free Agency Edition

Photo of Jorge Edwards Jorge Edwards Follow on X Send an email March 10, 2026Last Updated: March 10, 2026
0 31 12 minutes read
2026 Dynasty Targets: Free Agency Edition | FANTASY IN FRAMES

Sup, everyone, and welcome to my next dynasty targets article, 2026 Dynasty Targets: Free Agency Edition!

With NFL Free Agency legal tampering having kicked off today, I’m going to be discussing players you should be focusing on building your Dynasty Fantasy Football rosters around for a 3-5 year window from this year’s NFL Free Agent list today and throughout the week in order to help you prioritize who you should be targeting in your dynasty leagues!

*Stats Courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Dynasty League Football, FantasyPoints Data Suite & FantasyData*

Kenneth Walker (Running Back)
2025 Team: Seattle Seahawks
Age: 25.3

2025 Regular Season Statistics & Efficiency Metrics

Base Statistics: 221 ruATT for 1071 ruYards & 5 TDs; 31 rec for 282 recYDS
Yards After Contact/Attempt: 2.11 (RB33)
Missed Tackles Forced/Attempt: 0.26 (RB2)
Non-PPR Points Per Game: 10.1 PPG (RB27)
Half-PPR Points Per Game: 10.4 PPG (RB29)
PPR Points Per Game: 11.3 PPG (RB29)

Dynasty Analysis: It’s hard to forget Kenneth Walker and his MVP performance from this past Super Bowl. It’s also hard to forget his tear through the NFL Playoffs, which saw him post the most rushing attempts and rushing yards of any other running back during the playoffs for an average of 24.9 PPR points per game. His percentage of runs going for more than 15 yards was 6.2%, which ranked him as the RB1 in that metric during the playoffs, definitely illustrated his value as a big-play rushing threat!

With Zach Chabonnet tearing his ACL during the divisional round versus San Francisco, we finally saw what an unleashed Kenneth Walker could do when given sole duties in that backfield, and as NFL Free Agency kicks off today, I fully expect him to land in a situation that’ll will utilize him in that fashion as the sole running back.

Now, while he has missed some time due to injuries over the course of his career, that shouldn’t detract you from ponying up for a running back in dynasty, especially one at the age of 25 years old. It is very rare that a running back who grades very well out of the backfield and as a receiving back is available in the free agent market without even hitting the prime of their career.

Landing in the right scenario should give a slight bump to his Dynasty Value, which accorinding to DLF, has his ADP at RB21 as of March, prior to Free Agency.

Free Agency Update: Kenneth Walker signed a 3-year $43 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, a team that ranked 25th in team rushing yards and rushing yards per game, per Fantasy Points Data Suite, and ranked 21st in team rushing grade, per PFF. He brings immediate value to an offense that will likely be missing Patrick Mahomes to start the season due to tearing his ACL at the end of the 2025 NFL season.

The Chiefs employed Zone Rushing Concepts 51.2% of the time in 2025, which is where Walker was so productive last season, averaging 5.2 YPC. Given his age, landing spot, and scheme fit, you are going to have to give up a lot to get him. That being said, contending teams that are in win-now mode just pay up for him, as his upside could push you over the top without harming your team’s outlook too much if he lands in a poor spot.

Rico Dowdle (Running Back)
2025 Team: Carolina Panthers
Age: 28.2

2025 Regular Season Statistics & Efficiency Metrics

Base Statistics: 236 ruATT for 1,076 ruYards & 6 TDs; 39 receptions for 237 recYards & 1 TD
Yards After Contact/Attempt: 2.45 (RB35)
Missed Tackles Forced/Attempt: 0.17 (RB37)
Non-PPR Points Per Game: 10.4 PPG (RB23)
Half-PPR Points Per Game: 11.6 PPG (RB22)
PPR Points Per Game: 12.7 PPG (RB23)

Dynasty Analysis: In 2025, in games with at least 15 rushing attempts (8 games), Dowdle averaged 19.7 PPR points per game. His 66.3 rushing yards per game had him as the RB16. With his 40 missed tackles forced (RB12) along his 4.45 ypc in zone concepts and his 4.72 ypc in map/gap concepts, Dowdle showed he can be productive in any rushing scheme he might find himself in after getting signed in Free Agency.

Per DLF in SuperFlex leagues, he is RB44, probably due to the uncertainty of which backfield he’s about to join. Regardless, he’s still someone we have yet to see carry a full workload over the course of his career, and his landing spot will determine a lot on whether his dynasty value will skyrocket or remain relatively stable. In either scenario, if you are a contending team in your dynasty leagues, go try to acquire him on the cheaper side while you can.

Free Agency Update: Rico Dowdle has signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers for 2-years and $12.5 million, reuniting him with Head Coach Mike McCarthy! While this appears good on paper, one has to wonder how much Jaylen Warren, the RB19 in PPR points per game in 2025, will be involved in Mike McCarthy’s offensive playcalling. In some ways, I view this as a translational move for Dowdle, rather than going to a team where he would be guaranteed negligible competition out of the backfield. Therefore, don’t let other managers convince you he’s worth the price of a Top-12 running back, or even a Top-15 one. There are still question marks here, and if anyone tells you different, that’s pretty much a good sign you shouldn’t be doing business with them anyhow.

Kenneth Gainwell (Running Back)
2025 Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Age: 26.9

2025 Regular Season Statistics & Efficiency Metrics

Base Statistics: 114 ruATT for 537 yards & 5 TDs; 73 receptions for 486 recYards & 3 TDs
Yards After Contact/Attempt: 2.31 (RB27)
Missed Tackles Forced/Attempt: 0.18 (RB17)
Non-PPR Points Per Game: 8.7 PPG (RB31)
Half-PPR Points Per Game: 10.9 PPG (RB29)
PPR Points Per Game: 13.0 PPG (RB20)

Dynasty Analysis: The RB49 in SuperFlex league ADP, per DLF, Kenneth Gainwell is my “steal of steals” in NFL Free Agency at the running back position. He, truly, had a breakout year with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025, and regardless of landing spot, he’s proven to be one of the most efficient receiving backs in the NFL, evidenced by his RB11 finish in yards per routes run metric and RB5 finish in receiving yards per game amongst all qualified running backs with at least 30 targets. Buy the dip and discount he provides and help add a weekly FLEX value to your team.

Free Agency Update: Kenneth Gainwell has signed a 2-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for $14 million. This move by the Bucs, in my opinion, makes this a considerable upgrade over what they had at the position with Rachaad White. Eclipsing White in explosive run %, yards per route run, and fantasy points per route run, Kenneth Gainwell and Bucky Irving could very well be another tandem for fantasy managers in PPR leagues in 2026 that could mirror that of Gainwell and Jaylen Warren in 2025.

Travis Etienne (Running Back)
2025 Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
Age: 27.0

2025 Regular Season Statistics & Efficiency Metrics

Base Statistics: 260 ruATT for 1107 ruYards & 7 TDs; 36 receptions for 232 recYards & 6 TDs
Yards After Contact/Attempt: 2.05 (RB41)
Missed Tackles Forced/Attempt: 0.13 (RB33)
Non-PPR Points Per Game: 12.8 PPG (RB12)
Half-PPR Points Per Game: 13.9 PPG (RB13)
PPR Points Per Game: 14.9 PPG (RB14)

Dynasty Analysis:

So, Travis Etienne is a tricky player to wrap one’s head around. He produced for fantasy, but his overall efficiency last season was WELL outside the Top 15 for running backs as far as advanced rushing metrics are concerned. Therefore, I can only think of two factors in his 2025 game that made up for his lack of efficiency on the ground.

First, his efficiency as a receiving back was next level, posting a 9.53 Yards after the Catch per Reception (RB11) and a 0.25 Missed Tackles Forced per Reception (RB18). Both of those metrics translated into his RB8 finish in fantasy points per route run, which ultimately meant happy times for his fantasy managers. The second factor for his fantasy success last year doesn’t require an elaborate advanced metric to explain it. At the end of the day, it all comes down to VOLUME.

When you had 260 rushing attempts, and the next closest running back on the team had only 83, that goes a LONG WAY in telling how someone could overcome low efficiency.

For Dynasty purposes, it’ll be interesting if he lands in a location in which he’ll command the same type of volume to compensate for any inefficiencies on the ground he might carry over into 2026. That being the case, if he were to find himself in a similar situation, I would recommend ponying up draft capital if I were a contender. If I were in a rebuild, I would hold off on acquiring him and might even try to offload him and pick up high draft capital based on any newly perceived increase in value.

Free Agency Update: Travis Etienne has signed with the New Orleans Saints for 4-years and $52 million. The elephant in the room is what will happen with Alvin Kamara. If he stays, you could make the argument that Etienne’s lack of rushing efficiency, combined with splitting reception opportunities with Kamara, should lower his actual as well as perceived value. I’ll, of course, monitor this situation and update this article as news develops!

Wan’Dale Robinson (Wide Receiver)
2025 Team: New York Giants
Age: 25.2

2025 Regular Season Statistics & Efficiency Metrics

Base Statistics: 92 receptions for 1,014 recYards & 4 TDs
Yards After Catch per Reception: 4.83 (WR31)
Yards per Route Run: 1.94 (WR30)
Non-PPR Points Per Game: 7.9 PPG (WR29)
Half-PPR Points Per Game: 10.7 PPG (WR21)
PPR Points Per Game: 13.6 PPG (WR17)

Dynasty Analysis: My post earlier today gives you my rationale as to why Wan’Dale Robinson makes for a solid Dynasty Target from the 2026 Free Agent class:

Dynasty Analysis: A few years ago, Wan’Dale Robinson was considered a “throw-in” in trades in dynasty fantasy football, mainly because people wanted to remove a roster clogger on their benches. Flash forward a few years, and now he’s a sleeper piece that most dynasty managers are trying to acquire.

Per DLF, in SuperFlex leagues, his ADP has him as the WR49, and honestly, he shouldn’t move up in ADP wherever he lands. I only see his value staying the same if he finds himself in the perfect situation, not increasing, since his role for success would have to mirror what he had in New York just to return value.

That being said, in PPR leagues, he’s definitely someone I would recommend targeting from this 2026 Free Agent group, as his path to success would require a unique set of circumstances that should drive down any perceived increase in value his signing would bring.

Free Agency Update: Wan’Dale Robinson has signed with the Tennessee Titans for 4 years and $78 million, reuniting him with his former head coach and now offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. As I mentioned earlier, this is a perfect spot for him to maintain his target volume from his past two seasons in New York, where he posted 140 targets each season.

Now he finds himself on another bad team, this time with Cam Ward and poor outside wide-receiving weapons, making Wan’Dale’s projected role in this passing game similar to the one he had in New York. He’s definitely someone I want to acquire in more of a rebuild-type situation, as his floor in PPR leagues would provide more value in maintaining success versus in a win-now scenario in which he would not be the missing piece to put you over the top.

Romeo Doubs (Wide Receiver)
2025 Team: Green Bay Packers
Age: 25.8

2025 Regular Season Statistics & Efficiency Metrics

Base Statistics: 55 receptions for 754 recYards & 6 TDs
Yards After Catch per Reception: 3.18 (WR79)
Yards per Route Run: 1.86 (WR33)
Non-PPR Points Per Game: 6.9 PPG (WR49)
Half-PPR Points Per Game: 8.3 PPG (WR42)
PPR Points Per Game: 10 PPG (WR46)

Dynasty Analysis: Being a part of a three-headed wide receiver committee in Green Bay has really driven down the dynasty costs associated with acquiring Romeo Doubs. The WR86 in March SuperFlex ADP makes him a tremendous buy-low candidate right now for fantasy managers. His being the WR38 in fantasy points per route run versus Zone coverage and the WR32 in fantasy points per route run versus Man coverage tells me he brings versatility to his position and would be able to take on any role his future team asks of him while still being valuable for fantasy managers.

Doubs is definitely who I’m targeting to buy low on right now in either a rebuild or contending team, and given other free agent wide receivers in 2026, he’s someone who I believe has the sneakiest value out of the bunch.

Alec Pierce (Wide Receiver)
2025 Team: Indianapolis Colts
Age: 25.8

2025 Regular Season Statistics & Efficiency Metrics

Base Statistics: 47 receptions for 1,003 recYards & 6 TDs
Yards After Catch per Reception: 4.04 (WR38)
Yards per Route Run: 2.25 (WR16)
Non-PPR Points Per Game: 9.1 PPG (WR17)
Half-PPR Points Per Game: 10.7 PPG (WR23)
PPR Points Per Game: 12.2 PPG (WR27)

Dynasty Analysis: Alec Pierce is considered by many to be the best wide receiver option out of all the players at the position in 2026 NFL Free Agency. In 2024, he had the stigma of being just a downfield threat, with a boom-or-bust range of outcomes. However, this past season, things changed as we started to see an increase in productivity not only as a downfield threat but also as someone who could be effective with his opportunities in the short-to-intermediate receiving game.

Per PFF, on throws between 10 and 19 yards down the field, he was targeted 49.4% of the time, making him more involved in different roles as a receiving option. His being the WR2 in Out route separation score and the WR17 in Comeback route separation score were finishes I was NOT expecting to see from him last season. Again, we started to see more versatility from him versus just being a downfield threat.

Diving further into his performances from 2025, from Week 8 and onward, he was the WR11 in fantasy points per routes run vs. Man coverage and the WR5 in fantasy points per routes run vs. Zone coverage. All of which resulted in him being a Top 24 Wide Receiver in PPR leagues.

March DLF ADP has him as the WR49 in SuperFlex leagues. Given his trend in versatility and performances against multiple types of coverages, I’d say paying WR49 costs would be like stealing candy from a baby. Therefore, go take that lollipop and help bring not only boom potential to your dynasty rosters but a stable floor as well.

Free Agency Update: Alec Pierce signed a 4-year deal worth $114 million with the Indianapolis Colts. Also, today, the Colts traded Michael Pittman Jr to the Pittsburgh Steelers, freeing up a lot more target volume for Pierce and Josh Downs. While you were getting WR49 dynasty costs prior to free agency, I’m pretty sure his price tag in your Dynasty Leagues just got a lot higher.

If I were a contending team, I would not, however, make a move to acquire him, given his probable higher asking price now, because if you need to go all-in on a player, there are better ones to invest in than Alec Pierce. Now, if I were in rebuild mode, I would definitely target and acquire him ASAP, given his projected longevity as a fantasy asset and his recent on-field production.

Dallas Goedert (Tight End)
2025 Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Age: 31.2

2025 Regular Season Statistics & Efficiency Metrics

Base Statistics: 60 receptions for 691 recYards & 11 TDs
Yards After Catch per Reception: 4.13 (TE23)
Yards per Route Run: 1.43 (TE20)
Non-PPR Points Per Game: 8.3 PPG (TE5)
Half-PPR Points Per Game: 10.3 PPG (TE5)
PPR Points Per Game: 12.3 PPG (TE6)

Dynasty Analysis: TE33 in March SuperFlex ADP, per DLF, makes Goedert as cheap as they come at the tight end position. Yes, his touchdown total of 11 was a major outlier this past year compared to that of his overall career, but if you go all the way back to 2020, Goedert has always been averaging at least double-digit fantasy points per game, regardless of his low TD numbers.

If he finds himself in a spot where his quarterback is a sure-fire average depth-of-target passer of 10 yards or fewer, especially on a bad team, Goedert could return excellent value for dynasty managers looking for a cheap option at the position.

David Njoku (Tight End)
2025 Team: Cleveland Browns
Age: 29.6

2025 Regular Season Statistics & Efficiency Metrics

Base Statistics: 33 receptions for 293 recYards & 4 TDs
Yards After Catch per Reception: 5.21 (TE25)
Yards per Route Run: 1.14 (TE46)
Non-PPR Points Per Game: 4.4 PPG (TE26)
Half-PPR Points Per Game: 5.6 (TE28)
PPR Points Per Game: 7.2 PPG (TE29)

Dynasty Analysis: The “Harold Fannin Takeover” cratered David Njoku’s time in Cleveland, where he posted his lowest yardage and reception totals over the past 5 years. That being the case, we’re just a few seasons removed from him finishing as the TE4 in 2024, TE7 in 2023, and the TE8 in 2022. There are a few elite tight ends on the free agency market in 2024 that have a track record of productivity.

NJoku is a rare example of a player in dynasty that both contenders and rebuilders should go out and acquire, and the best part is that neither scenario would require much in terms of assets offered to try and get him

That’ll do for our 2026 Dynasty Targets: Free Agency Edition article. Updates will be made as players are released and thus become unrestricted free agents. You can check out more of our Dynasty Targets for 2026 by clicking here.

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Photo of Jorge Edwards Jorge Edwards Follow on X Send an email March 10, 2026Last Updated: March 10, 2026
0 31 12 minutes read

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