NFL Analyst predicts MVP season for Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes in 2026
NFL Analyst predicts MVP season for Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes in 2026
NFL Analyst predicts MVP season for Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes in 2026
Ed Easton Jr., Chiefs Wire
1 min read
According to a recent article by ESPN’s Jason Reid, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Mahomes is expected to win his third MVP award during the 2026 season. The Chiefs’ star continues to rehab his injury, but that hasn’t slowed his high expectations going into the new season.
“Last season, the Chiefs missed the playoffs for the first time in Mahomes’ nine-year career, and he underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left knee,” wrote Reid, “No matter. The three-time Super Bowl winner will return with a vengeance. He’ll benefit from a formidable offensive line and a rushing attack led by Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III.”
Mahomes finished the 2025 season with 22 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions in 14 games before the knee injury. He also rushed for 422 yards and five touchdowns. He was named an alternate on the AFC Pro Bowl team before his season was cut short.
Six NFL players have won exactly three or more MVP awards in their careers, including Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Jim Brown, and Johnny Unitas. Mahomes hopes to etch his name into that category with his potential third in the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: NFL Analyst predicts MVP season for Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes in 2026
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George Pickens poised to repeat as he returns to Cowboys, and more headlines from OTAs this week that we’re tracking for fantasy football
We’re about a month and change away from NFL teams reporting for training camp as we approach the 2026 season. We’ve entered the dead zone of the offseason, a time where we’re prepping and building our convictions for fantasy football drafts come August. There isn’t much dust that needs to be settled, but we’re still getting NFL news coming out of OTAs and minicamps in June. Here’s another roundup of news and notes with fantasy football impact.
George Pickens reports to Cowboys practice
Dallas Cowboys WR George Pickens will enter the 2026 NFL season playing on a franchise tag after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a long-term contract. Pickens was advised by his agent to sit out of OTAs but reported to practice during the Cowboys’ minicamp this week. Pickens doesn’t have plans to hold out this season and will play on the franchise tag, which is a good sign for fantasy managers.
GeorgePickens
WR – DAL – #3
2025 – 2026 season
1,429
Rec Yds
84.1
Rec Y/G
93
Rec
9
Rec TD
137
Tgt
Pickens is coming off a breakout season in which he had 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, finishing as the WR4 in total fantasy points in 2025. Yahoo analyst Justin Boone has Pickens ranked as the WR9 in his latest June update for 2026. Pickens will be playing for a big payday and figures to be a big part of Dallas’ passing attack again, making him a prime target in all formats.
Homecoming for Stefon Diggs?
We’re still waiting to see where the veteran wideout will land this offseason. Diggs is currently a free agent and remains unsigned after being cleared of battery charges this offseason. One team the Maryland-native wide receiver is being linked to is the Washington Commanders, who could use another option alongside Terry McLaurin.
StefonDiggs
WR – NE – #8
2025 – 2026 season
1,013
Rec Yds
59.6
Rec Y/G
85
Rec
4
Rec TD
102
Tgt
Diggs, a Maryland native, could give QB Jayden Daniels another weapon in the passing game. Washington’s other options behind McLaurin include rookie Antonio Williams, Luke McCaffrey and Treylon Burks, among other less-than-appealing receivers. Diggs was solid for the AFC Champion New England Patriots in 2025, catching 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four TDs.
Diggs appeared fully healthy coming off major injury going into last season. Wherever he lands, he’ll hold sleeper value as a WR3/FLEX option in PPR formats.
Cam Skattebo doesn’t plan to hold back
Despite coming off a few gruesome injuries, New York Giants RB Cam Skattebo plans to go back to “running people over” in 2026. The second-year back missed most of his rookie season after suffering a bad dislocated ankle. Prior to the injury, Skattebo rushed for 410 yards with five TDs, plus 24 catches for 207 yards and two additional scores.
Skattebo finished as a top-10 fantasy back in points per game (14.5) and only really played significant snaps in six games. At 24 years old, Skattebo should bounce back fine after his injury and Boone has him ranked as an RB2 coming in at 15th at the position as of June.
The Giants didn’t add any significant piece to the backfield this offseason, so if Skattebo can stay healthy, he has plenty of upside, being drafted on average as the RB20 in the late-third, early-fourth round in Yahoo drafts so far.
Where will QB Brendan Sorsby land?
Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby will enter the NFL supplemental draft and tiers of teams can blind-bid future picks to land him. Sorsby, 22, was embroiled in a gambling scandal and decided to skip out on the 2026 college season and get right into the NFL.
Sorsby likely won’t make a fantasy football impact in 2026 (if ever, to be honest). But he’s another QB prospect to keep an eye on for dynasty formats, and depending on where he lands and develops, could become an OK NFL starter. But that seems like a bit of a long shot at the moment. Sorsby put up decent numbers at Cincinnati in 2025, throwing for 2,800 yards with 27 TDs and five INTs.
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Again, Sorsby won’t be a target in redraft but could hold some dynasty value if he lands in a situation like Cleveland or Pittsburgh — teams that don’t have a long-term answer at QB.
Bo Nix recovery update
Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix is making his way back from an ankle injury suffered in the 2025 NFL playoffs last season. The Broncos QB told the Denver Post at practice this week that he “could be a full go right now” if the staff wanted him to.
BoNix
QB – DEN – #10
2025 – 2026 season
3,931
Pass Yds
231.2
Pass Y/G
63.4%
Pct
25
Pass TD
87.8
QBRat
That’s a good sign for fantasy managers with Nix in dynasty formats, plus those who could target him in redraft. Early ADP on Yahoo has Nix as the QB13, going around the 100th pick. Boone has Nix aligned with his ADP as the QB13 in his June rankings. The QB has finished in the top-10 at his position in fantasy in each of the past two seasons. Nix is looking like a solid late-round QB pickup so long as he doesn’t hit any snags in his recovery.
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2026 Fantasy Football: Justin Boone’s top sleeper picks at WR
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Justin BooneFantasy Analyst
6 min read
Fantasy managers are smarter than ever, so finding a player who’s actually being slept on can be difficult.
With that in mind, we’re shifting our focus to late-round targets who could drastically outproduce their ADP in 2026.
Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2026 NFL season
Over the next week, I’ll shine the spotlight on my favorite sleeper candidates at every key fantasy position. Today, we’re taking a look at wide receivers.
More Sleeper Picks from Boone: QB | RB | WR | TE
Rashid Shaheed, Seahawks
This isn’t the first time I’ve targeted Shaheed as a sleeper, going back to his time with the Saints.
While he made an obvious impact during the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run — especially on special teams — his fantasy production was limited as he learned the offense on the fly after being traded before the deadline. However, don’t let that overshadow his potential.
Shaheed was a WR3/flex option during the first half of the season with the Saints in 2025, the WR21 in fppg through five weeks in 2024 before getting hurt, and he posted six top-20 WR fantasy finishes in 2023. This is a player who’s flashed a ceiling he hasn’t come close to reaching yet.
RashidShaheed
WR – SEA – #22
2025 – 2026 season
687
Rec Yds
38.2
Rec Y/G
59
Rec
2
Rec TD
92
Tgt
There have been plenty of comments from beat writers like Brian Nemhauser, suggesting Shaheed will be a bigger part of the offense now that he has a full offseason to prepare with the team. The reports coming out of OTAs only confirmed that, indicating Shaheed is standing out and being used as more than just a vertical field-stretcher.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the unrivaled leader and target hog in Seattle’s WR room, but behind him, it’s wide open in terms of playing time. Cooper Kupp is 33 years old and only topped 50 yards once following Shaheed’s arrival. Meanwhile, promising sophomore Tory Horton is still recovering from a season-ending shin injury and won’t be back until sometime during training camp.
That positions Shaheed to emerge as the Seahawks No. 2 receiver, just as he was in New Orleans — putting him back in the WR3/flex conversation for fantasy with significant spike-week upside. Given his ADP as the WR55 going off the board in the 12th round, he’s one of the best values available at the moment.
Jayden Reed, Packers
Reed has always had the talent to take on a larger role in the Packers offense. With Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks no longer on the roster, the odds of Reed becoming a more meaningful fantasy asset just increased substantially
Christian Watson is the top option in the passing game, but the battle for the No. 2 pass-catcher is up for grabs. Tight end Tucker Kraft is recovering from an ACL tear, partial LCL tear and partial meniscus tear suffered in November — which puts his early-season availability in doubt. Though last year’s first-round pick Matthew Golden will get more opportunities during his sophomore campaign, he struggled as a rookie, topping 40 yards just once in his last nine outings.
JaydenReed
WR – GB – #11
2025 – 2026 season
207
Rec Yds
29.6
Rec Y/G
19
Rec
1
Rec TD
22
Tgt
Reed has an interesting profile with a massive fantasy ceiling — albeit very sporadic production so far in his career. The former second-rounder instantly earned a role in Matt LaFleur’s offense and finished as the WR23 as a rookie, scoring 10 total touchdowns (eight receiving, two rushing) and adding 119 yards on the ground despite only seeing the field for 56% of Green Bay’s snaps.
Early returns were excellent the next year, with Reed averaging WR14 fantasy stats through the first nine games of 2024, while seeing an increase in playing time up to 66%. But after the Packers’ Week 10 bye, his numbers fell off a cliff — topping 50 yards just once the rest of the way and dropping down to 60% of the snaps.
Then last year, Reed scored a TD in Week 1 before breaking his collarbone a week later and missing most of the season.
For Reed to truly hit in fantasy, we’ll likely need to see him earn more snaps in two-receiver sets, which is not guaranteed. But with the recent WR departures, Reed will have as good a chance as ever to reach his potential in 2026. He’s a fantasy WR3/flex with WR2 upside.
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Josh Downs, Colts
Downs is a dangerous playmaker packaged in a smaller frame at 5’9″ and 171 lbs. That might be why the Colts have primarily used him as their third receiver, which has limited his production and fantasy outlook. Even so, Downs did manage at least 50 yards and/or a touchdown in 50% of his games last season.
With Michael Pittman Jr. and 111 targets out of the picture, the Colts’ passing attack will look much different in 2026, built around Alec Pierce (who’s still rehabbing from an ankle injury), Downs and tight end Tyler Warren. After them, the receiving options get very thin with depth guys like Ashton Dulin and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine vying for the No. 3 job.
That creates an opportunity for Downs, who has had stretches of strong production at times during his first three years in the league.
JoshDowns
WR – IND – #2
2025 – 2026 season
566
Rec Yds
35.4
Rec Y/G
58
Rec
4
Rec TD
88
Tgt
Remember back in 2024 when Joe Flacco replaced Anthony Richardson in seven games? During those Flacco starts, Downs posted weekly fantasy finishes of WR8, WR25, WR16, WR34, WR21, WR75 and WR18 while averaging 7.1 receptions and 66.4 receiving yards. It’s a small sample size, but a glimpse of what Downs could do in the right setting with competent quarterback play.
Through the first nine games last season, while Daniel Jones was still healthy, Downs was a fantasy WR4. That’s exactly how he’s being drafted this year as the WR48 in ADP, not baking in the opportunity that could materialize with Pittman gone.
There’s no doubt in my mind Downs has the skills to become a more impactful fantasy weapon if he gets the chance, and he’s available well outside the top 100 picks in current drafts.
Jalen McMillan, Buccaneers
McMillan was a third-round pick in 2024 who caught fire down the stretch of his rookie season. It was enough to make him the WR9 (17.4 fppg) during that five-week span that included the fantasy playoffs.
Week
Receptions
Yards
TDs
14
4
59
2
15
5
75
1
16
5
57
1
17
5
51
2
18
5
74
1
Unfortunately, his sophomore season was derailed before it started due to an awkward landing during a preseason contest that resulted in three fractured vertebrae in his neck and two herniated discs. The injury kept him sidelined for the majority of 2025.
Expectations were low returning from such a serious issue, but McMillan managed to contribute in the final month, including a seven-catch, 114-yard outing in Week 17.
Even with Mike Evans leaving for San Francisco, the Bucs’ receiving corps is still very strong with Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin, McMillan and rookie Ted Hurst all pushing for snaps and targets. However, McMillan has proven he deserves a role in this offense and fantasy managers should be excited to see what he can do during a healthy 17-game season.
Though I have his teammates, Egbuka and Godwin, ranked ahead of him, McMillan remains a screaming value with an ADP as the WR58 being drafted outside the top 150.
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Shohei Ohtani allows season-high 4 earned runs and falls behind Jacob Misiorowski in ERA race, but Dodgers finish sweep of Rays
Jack BaerStaff writer
2 min read
It was a rough day at the office for Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday, by his standards. Which is enough to give him only the second-best ERA in baseball right now.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ superstar allowed a season-high four earned runs in six innings of a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, marking his second straight start with a season high in earned runs allowed after he gave up three to the Pittsburgh Pirates last Wednesday.
That’s enough to raise Ohtani’s ERA all the way up to — gasp — 1.47.
2026 season
Player
IP
ERA
WHIP
K
BB
J. Misiorowski
MIL – SP
87.0
1.34
0.74
131
22
S. Ohtani
LAD – DH
73.2
1.47
0.88
78
22
C. Sánchez
PHI – SP
99.0
1.82
1.09
116
19
Ohtani was already invisible in the official ERA race, as he isn’t making enough starts to record the innings necessary to qualify for the title, but this start officially gives another starting pitcher a better mark than him. That would be Milwaukee Brewers flame-thrower Jacob Misiorowski, with a 1.34 ERA.
Misiorowski is the odds-on favorite for the NL Cy Young Award after he threw one of the best starts in MLB history on Friday, a 15-strikeout Maddux (shutout on fewer than 100 pitches) in which he faced the minimum, hit a record 104.5 mph and didn’t fall into a three-ball count. Philadelphia Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez is the only other major Cy Young contender on the Vegas leaderboard as of Wednesday.
All of Ohtani’s stumbles Wednesday came in the fifth inning on a rally that former Dodger Hunter Feduccia sparked with a double. The Rays proceeded to squeeze out four runs via well-placed grounders and productive outs.
Tampa Bay hardly knocked Ohtani around, but there’s a reason Bob Gibson’s post-dead ball era-record 1.12 ERA from the Year of the Pitcher is considered untouchable. All it takes is one bad inning to go from a 1.00 ERA, where Ohtani was entering the frame, to well off the mark.
The Rays’ rally didn’t prevent the Dodgers from recording the victory and completing a three-game sweep of Tampa Bay with a 5-4 win. Soon after the Rays took the lead in the fifth, Freddie Freeman responded with a go-ahead, two-run homer.
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The Dodgers are now 48-27 and hold a nine-game lead in the NL West, while the Rays are 41-30 and three games back from the New York Yankees in the AL East.
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2026 Rotoworld Fantasy Football Team Previews Hub
Rotoworld Staff
1 min read
Though it may be the start of summer, it’s never too early to begin prepping for 2026 fantasy football drafts. That’s why Rotoworld’s NFL writers are getting you ready with everything you need to know. From depth chart analysis, updated superstar outlooks, and under-the-radar draft targets, it’s the perfect time to dive in.
This year’s fantasy football landscape features major names in new places. A.J. Brownwill catch passes from Drake Maye in New England, while No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza completely changes things for Ashton Jeantyand Brock Bowersin Las Vegas. Elsewhere, Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker IIIis set to lead Kansas City’s backfield, with former Dolphin Jaylen Waddle joining Sean Payton and Bo Nix in Denver. The 2026 season will feature yet another exciting wave of rookies looking to make noise in fantasy, including RB Jeremiyah Love, WR Carnell Tate, and WR Makai Lemon.
Whether you’re locked in on draft prep or looking for a place to start, we’ve got you covered. This hub is your one-stop shop for all of our fantasy team previews for the next several weeks.
