The 2026 NFL year officially begins on Mar. 11 with the start of free agency, but the legal tampering period—when teams, players and agents are officially allowed to initiate negotiations—officially begins on Monday, Mar. 9, at noon ET.

So the real beginning of the NFL year is almost here!

In this piece, I want to run through the 10 most important free agents we should pay attention to for 2026 fantasy football.

Top 10 Free Agents for 2026 Fantasy Football

No. 1: QB Malik Willis

Malik Willis had first-round hype as a 2022 prospect, but he fell to Day 2 because of his raw playing style and height (just under 6-1). Indeed, Willis was unrefined in his first two years with the Titans (3.3 AY/A, 17.5% sack rate), but he marvelously revitalized his career in the two following seasons as the Packers backup (12.3 AY/A, 12-174-3 rushing in three starts).

In a market starved for starting QBs, Willis has a legitimate shot to get $20M per year for multiple seasons, and if the bidding for him is especially hot, $30M per year is imaginable.

I'd love to see him land with the Cardinals. New offensive HC Mike LaFleur's system could work well for Willis, and the team has an above-average trio of pass catchers in TE Trey McBride and WRs Marvin Harrison and Michael Wilson.

But regardless of wherever he lands, Willis will be one of my preferred late-round bets in 2026.

No. 2: QB Kyler Murray 

Kyler Murray is the living, breathing, walking, Call of Duty-playing reminder that sometimes mediocrity is worse than misery. The 2019 OROY, Murray was a legitimate Pro Bowler in his second and third seasons (7.5 AY/A, 41.4 rushing yards per game), but since then, he has regressed and plateaued (6.5, 34.3). 

Because of his running ability, Murray is always a livable fantasy option, but at this stage of his career, he's not a desirable one. 

That said … if he signs with the Vikings, I'll be pleased, as that will likely give him his best chance of finally realizing his potential.

But even more importantly, it will mean that WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison will have a competent veteran throwing to them.

Right now, I have Jefferson as the No. 8 WR in our 2026 fantasy football rankings, but if a player like Murray signs with the Vikings, I will likely bump him up to No. 6. Maybe even No. 5.

To access our 2026 fantasy football ranks, use the promo code FREEDMAN for 20% off the FantasyLife+ package.

No. 3: WR Alec Pierce

Alec Pierce has been the NFL's most explosive WR over the past two seasons (11.9 yards per target), and last year he popped off with a career-best 47-1,003-6 receiving. With his strong development, Pierce looked likely to get the franchise tag from the Colts—but they instead opted to let him test free agency.

Given that Pierce was the shadow No. 1 WR for the Colts over the past two seasons, I expect him to get a contract commiserate with that fact: Big money, but not alpha money. Let's say around $25M per year for 3-4 years with $50M guaranteed.

And with that kind of money, I'd expect him to be the clear No. 1 WR in 2026 for whatever team signs him.

No. 4: RB Kenneth Walker

Kenneth Walker has missed 10 games across his four-year career, but even so, he has averaged 1,140 yards and 7.8 TDs from scrimmage per season. The Seahawks seldom used him as a full-blown three-down workhorse, but he probably has the capacity for it based on his well-rounded career workload (821 carries, 161 targets). 

And we all saw what he did in the 2025-26 postseason, when he put up 417 yards and four TDs on 65 carries and 11 targets in three games and won Super Bowl 60 MVP.

If he signs with a team willing to make him a true No. 1 RB, Walker has the true talent to be a fantasy league winner.

No. 5: WR Rashid Shaheed

No one loves Rashid Shaheed more than Cooterdoodle. She's his No. 1 fan … but I might be a close No. 2.

I'd love to see him get a shot to be a No. 1 WR somewhere. Or at least a strong No. 2 WR in a high-flying offense.

Shaheed demonstrated his special teams prowess last year (three return TDs, including playoffs), yet he underwhelmed as a pass catcher after joining the Seahawks midseason. Before that, though, he showed himself to be a worthy No. 2 WR with the Saints (64-848-5 receiving, 107 targets in 15 games since 2024), and throughout his career, he has produced as a runner (26-192-1). 

And if Shaheed could do that on the 2024-25 Saints, why couldn't he do more with another team, maybe one that doesn't have No. 1 WR Chris Olave?

His boom/bust volatility makes him a risk-seeking pick, but if he once again gets a full-time role, Shaheed could pop off a big play-fueled 1,000-yard performance.

But landing spot will be important, and I can imagine him going to the Raiders.

They need a No. 1 WR, and he knows new HC Klint Kubiak's system from their time together with the 2024 Saints and 2025 Seahawks.

Plus, it won't be a big deal with the Raiders if Shaheed isn't a traditional No. 1 WR since the offense is likely to flow through RB Ashton Jeanty and TE Brock Bowers anyway.  

Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about that fit—but I can imagine it.

At least he'd have rookie QB Fernando Mendoza throwing to him.

I have Mendoza as the No. 1 player on my prospect big board. He's an incredibly clean prospect and is multiple tiers above the other QBs in the class.

With Kubiak and Mendoza, Shaheed could have more success than most people would anticipate.

Check out our NFL Draft Big Board.

No. 6: RB Travis Etienne

Travis Etienne looked great in his first season of action (1,441 yards, 5.1 yards per carry, 7.0 yards per target), but in the three years since, his efficiency has dissatisfied (3.9 yards per carry, 5.8 yards per target).

Still, since 2023, he has produced (3,695 yards, 27 TDs) and exhibited his three-down skill set (677 carries, 177 targets), proving that efficiency isn't everything.

As long as he gets his opportunities in 2026, Etienne has a shot for another 1,400-yard campaign, almost regardless of where he signs.

No. 7: WR Mike Evans

For the first time in his career, Mike Evans is testing free agency.

We'll see.

I tentatively expect him to end up back with the Buccaneers. Inertia is a helluva drug.

Evans had fewer than 1,000 yards last season for the first time in his 12-year career, and it was due to the calamitous combination of injury (nine missed games) and inefficiency (5.9 yards per target).

That's the kind of thing that the longtime team of a future HOFer can tend to forgive. But a new team that gives Evans decent money in free agency might be less willing to overlook his potentially age-related decline.

While Evans was productive (2,259 yards, 24 TDs) in his two prior campaigns, a 2026 bounceback isn't assured: Evans will be 33 years old in Week 1. The end might not be imminent, but it's inevitable.

No. 8: TE Isaiah Likely

Isaiah Likely has been in production purgatory since entering the league as the No. 2 TE for the Ravens behind Mark Andrews, but he has flashed potential (8.9 yards per target since 2023), and now he's in line to be a No. 1 TE for whatever team signs him.

Will he break out in 2026? Likely.

No. 9: WR Wan'Dale Robinson

Wan'Dale Robinson isn't an exciting receiver. His career efficiency is modest (6.3 yards per target), and he has just nine TDs across four NFL seasons.

But he's effective at turning targets into receptions (68.9% catch rate), and Ja'Marr Chase, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Justin Jefferson are the only WRs with more targets over the past two seasons (280).

Robinson's no lock to repeat his 2025 success (92-1,014-4 receiving), but he'll still be a PPR cheat code in 2026 if his target volume holds.

And if he were to reunite with former Giants HC and current Titans OC Brian Daboll, I could envision his volume holding.

No. 10: RB Rico Dowdle

Dowdle is one of just 11 RBs with 1,300 scrimmage yards in each of the past two seasons, and he's the only one to hit that mark with two different teams. 

That said, he's also by far the cheapest. On the one hand, that's great. I love getting things on the cheap. Arbitrage and all that. On the other hand, Dowdle's deflated, which suggests that Dowdle isn't as good as his 2024-25 production. Still, his career marks are efficient enough (4.5 yards per carry, 5.7 yards per target), and over the past two years, he has been a true three-down player (471 carries, 99 targets). It might not seem likely, but Dowdle just might be a 1,300-yard guy.

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