Fantasy Football Strategy Mailbag: Is Dalton Kincaid Worth A Gamble In 2026?
Kendall Valenzuela breaks down the latest series of questions she's gotten from SXM and social media about her fantasy football strategy heading into 2026.
Another week down as we enter June, which means we are one week closer to prime fantasy football draft season. I've rounded up the most pressing fantasy football strategy questions from SiriusXM and X/Twitter to keep you ahead of the curve ...
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Fantasy Football Strategy Mailbag: June 3rd
Are there a few tight ends that you're not set on rankings-wise? If so, who are they and why are you on the fence?
Of course I'm second-guessing some fantasy football rankings; it's only June, and we have too much time to overthink! The first one I'm really going back and forth on is Dalton Kincaid. I've seen the articles and the hype train rolling in that this should finally be the year for Kincaid to give us a great season, but I just haven't gotten on board yet. The frustrating thing about Kincaid is that Buffalo has had no true alpha WR1, and still he can't carve out a full-time role. He had a 51% route rate on the season and 15% target share.
It's no secret that his overall play and availability have been hindered by injuries, too. He played 13 games in 2024 and 12 in 2025 due to a lingering knee injury. GM Brandon Beane said that a priority is to keep Kincaid on the field and healthy. It's a big if, but if we do see Kincaid with a bigger role, he will be one of the later-round tight ends that pays off.
Another is Sam LaPorta. We haven't seen stellar play like from his rookie season, but that doesn't mean he's been horrible. LaPorta has been inside the top 10 in fantasy points per game in each of the last two seasons, but the target competition around him is what keeps his ceiling lower. On a team with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs, it's hard to carve out a true difference-making role in fantasy football. But I keep having to check if I'm just too low on him.
The Lions do have a new offensive coordinator in town who could change things for the better for LaPorta. Drew Petzing comes over from the Arizona Cardinals, and as we know with Trey McBride, he does tend to feed his tight ends. I'm not saying he's on the McBride trajectory, but adding Petzing should help his value.
Any latest news that you recommend keeping an eye on with Training Camps on the horizon?
There's a handful that we shouldn't necessarily freak out over, but just watch as the next few months progress. Rookie Makai Lemon has a hamstring injury that could keep him out of mini camp, but still gives him plenty of time to be ready for training camp. After the A.J. Brown trade, we know that DeVonta Smith is going to get his, but who steps up as that WR2? GM Howie Roseman said replacing Brown “will have to be picked up by more than just one player,” but I'm going to be drafting Lemon at a much higher rate now. Our fantasy football projections have him sitting at 99 targets, 64 receptions, 801 receiving yards and six touchdowns — all ahead of Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown.
Another (actual good) piece of news we got this week was that Daniel Jones was cleared to participate in 7-on-7 drills, which is a step in the right direction as he continues to come back from his Achilles injury. The Colts went into a downward spiral when Jones went down last season, but before that, he gave us some core fantasy football memories (and more importantly, great games). Through the first 14 weeks, he had a 68% completion rate, 5% designed rush rate, 5% scramble rate, and a beautiful 20.8 fantasy points per game. We can't assume he's going to be as mobile this season, but he's still a solid mid-round option in superflex and two QB leagues.
Have any early fantasy draft strategy around the QB position?
I haven't gone through too many drafts yet, but I do already see some trends. If you go into an Underdog draft right now, be prepared to pay up for Josh Allen. I know, it's obvious that he's the QB1 this season, but he is going a full 25 picks ahead of the next quarterback, Lamar Jackson. I don't usually pay that big of a premium for quarterbacks, especially in the third round, where Allen is going.
There's also an interesting cluster of five quarterbacks in the sixth round. You'll have your chance at Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, Jalen Hurts and Drake Maye. I have the most exposure to Burrow at this current moment. I know it's a bit scary trying to have any rational take that starts with "if he stays healthy" … BUT HEAR ME OUT! If Burrow stays healthy, we know he's an absolute beast. Last season, he suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2 and wasn't able to return until Week 13. But when he came back, Burrow averaged 20.6 points per game (QB8 over the final six games). He's got great weapons and is an elite passer, which makes up for his lack of rushing upside like the other quarterbacks in this range.
You, Gene Clemons and Adam Ronis always say that you're Team "get these guys paid", so this is just a shoutout to Drake London.
HELL YEAH! And we will always be team "get your money," and that's exactly what Drake London did. His new $35.25 million average annual value makes him the NFL's third-highest-paid receiver behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($42.15 million) and Ja'Marr Chase ($40.25 million).
I've seen all the jokes saying they needed to lock him down before he sees the quarterbacks he's playing with, but I still have London ranked as my WR7. I know that Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix aren't ideal, but London is just an elite receiver that hopefully can keep the injury bug off his back this season. According to The Athletic, London is top-10 in the league in receiving touchdowns (16), receiving yards per game (75.5), targets (270) and team target percentage (25.5) over the last two seasons. I'm trying to draft him every chance I can.
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