How Does Javonte Williams Getting Paid Affect Kenneth Walker?

While we always joke that fantasy football is an imaginary sport, there is one thing fantasy commissioners have in common with NFL players: They want to get paid (way-too-early reminder to pay your dues before kickoff).

Over the next few weeks, we should start to see the million-dollar dominoes start to fall in place across the NFL. But with each new contract, more questions loom for NFL superstars.

RB Javonte Williams

Just this weekend, the Cowboys agreed to a new three-year deal with Javonte Williams, worth a total of $24 million. Williams is now guaranteed $16 million and sits amongst the top-20 RB contracts in the league in average annual salary. After four years in Denver and one breakout season in Dallas, Williams looks to add more RB1 games to his 858-3,595-22 career statline.

That's an average annual value of $8 million. Not too bad for a guy who only just eclipsed 1,000 yards for the first time after five seasons, eh? But stats like this beg the question:

How the f*ck is Williams getting paid more than Jahmyr Gibbs?!

RB Jahmyr Gibbs

Comparison is the thief of joy, or whatever. But when you start looking at running back contracts, Gibbs stands out like a sore thumb. At an average of $4.4 million annually, his contract just isn't going to cut it. Not only has Gibbs amassed 3,580 yards and 39 TDs on the ground with an additional 1,449 yards and 10 TDs through the air, but it’s only taken him three seasons to do it. Three.

The Lions know they need to get a new deal done. And Detroit has said they're looking to make Gibbs the NFL's highest-paid running back this offseason. If they do, it would put him above Saquon Barkley's $20.6 million average annual salary. Now that's a contract I can get behind. But big contracts like this beg the question:

What about the Super Bowl LX MVP?!

RB Kenneth Walker III

Kenneth Walker's $2.1-million average annual salary is burning holes in my eyes. A Super Bowl MVP, who showed up when Seattle needed him most in the postseason, surely deserves more money per year than Ty Johnson, right??

And oddly enough, Javonte Williams might just help him get paid. This is what we in the biz call a "Full Circle Moment" (Or what we in the newsletter biz call a "Full Circle Newsletter").

Not only is Williams' three-year deal a nice upgrade for his personal bank account, but it also serves as a new data point to help the league in gauging Walker's value. While this doesn't mean that Walker can't hope to get more compensation from Seattle or elsewhere in free agency, Williams' salary does give Walker's negotiations a safer floor.

A rising tide lifts all RB contracts, as they say.

WHICH RBs COULD BE CAP CASUALTIES?

Offseason Is Time For A New Beginning

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Where Does Jayden Daniels Re-Enter The Ranks?

We're still officially weeks away from the 2026 NFL year (Mar. 11), which kicks off with free agency, but the NFL scouting combine starts today (Feb. 23), the franchise tag window closes the day after the combine ends (Mar. 3), and then the legal tampering period begins shortly after that (Mar. 9).

All of which is to say that, even though we're in the offseason, there's no offseason: 2026 fantasy football is very much front of mind.

So, in this article, Matthew Freedman runs through his Fantasy Life QB rankings and highlights how he has them tiered. Specifically, giving notes on all the players in his top 12 and then noting a few late-round QBs he likes.

Tier 3: Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts & Jaxson Dart

Like the previous tier, this one doesn't appeal to me too much.

Of the four, I think Joe Burrow has the fewest questions, while Jaxson Dart might have the most upside.

Burrow missed half of last year, but in his six weeks after returning from injury, he averaged 270.0 yards passing, and in his full 2024 campaign, he had an NFL-high 4,918 yards and 43 TDs. Burrow has offered little as a runner over the past few years (9.4 yards per game), but he's still one of the league's best pocket passers, and he has one of the league's best receiving groups, led by WRs Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Business as usual.

Jayden Daniels looked like the future of the league in his 2024 OROY-winning debut, but in 2025 he played just seven games because of multiple injuries, and his efficiency declined (6.9 AY/A vs. 7.6; 4.8 yards per carry vs. 6.0). He hopes to rebound in 2026, but No. 1 WR Terry McLaurin turns 31 years old in September, and OC David Blough has no play-calling experience and just two seasons as a coach. In abundance, Daniels has both upside and downside.

Jalen Hurts entered 2025 as the reigning Super Bowl MVP, but then he underwhelmed as a passer (201.5 yards per game) and runner (career-worst 421 yards, eight TDs as a starter). Now he enters 2026 with his seventh playcaller in seven years, and OC Sean Mannion has no play-calling experience and just two years as a coach. Additionally, the "Tush Push" could be banned this offseason, and No. 1 WR A.J. Brown could be traded away. Eagles fly, but like all creatures, they also die.

Dart was a top-three fantasy QB last year with 23.1 points per game in seven rookie starts with HC Brian Daboll, thanks to his league-high 16% designed rush share. But after Daboll's dismissal and Dart's midseason concussion, the team curtailed his called rush attempts (7%). New OC Matt Nagy (as Bears HC) helped second-year QB Mitch Trubisky progress significantly in 2018. Maybe he can do the same for Dart now, but it's worrisome that his 2023-25 Chiefs offenses never ranked higher than No. 15 in scoring.

FULL QB TIERS

How Much Does The NFL Draft Combine Matter?

Remember a year ago when Matthew Golden’s blazing-fast 40-yard dash time (4.29) catapulted him into Round 1 of the draft? The hype was palpable around the rookie wideout out of Texas, but his fantasy production never quite followed in Year 1.

That begs the question—how much does the combine actually matter for predicting future fantasy success among the prospects?

With that in mind, Dwain McFarland took a deep dive into the data to determine how much each test matters for running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. In addition to athletic testing, he assessed height, weight and age.

First, he looked at how each data point correlates with future fantasy points per game in Years 1 through 3. At the same time, he evaluated how the data correlates with NFL Draft capital, so we can compare and contrast what NFL executives consider most important with what has the strongest signal for fantasy football.

Second, he looked at the top fantasy performers as a cohort. While this limits our sample, it also provides additional insight into how much each NFL Combine attribute mattered for fantasy difference-makers.

Finally, he summarized the thematic findings and examined an overall rank for all NFL Combine data points across RB, WR and TE.

So … which tests are most important? Let’s find out. ⬇️

THE COMBINE MATTERS THE MOST FOR …

Around the Watercooler

The latest fantasy and NFL gossip, news, memes and more from our merry band of football nerds …

📝 Speaking of Jayden Daniels, how should the Commanders build around him?

📈 A sophomore RB cracks the top 12. Is he worth a Round 1 pick in 2026?

😴 This Georgia State wideout is a sleeper to keep an eye on at this week’s Combine.

👀 We still can’t believe it. What are they declaring for?!

🦅 Will A.J. Brown be an Eagle come September? They have to prepare either way.

🏅 This goal was golden. First time since Miracle in 1980.