32 Teams, 32 Storylines: Everything You Need to Know Heading Into 2026 Training Camp
Training camp is here, which means fantasy football season is officially in the red zone. Joey Wright and I sat down to go team by team (in reverse order of last year's standings) and pull out one quote that encompasses a storyline from each roster that you need to be watching closely over the next few weeks.
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Here's everything you need to know.
Seattle Seahawks
"First-round pick Jadarian Price is the favorite to open as Seattle's RB1. That being said, it'll likely be more of a running-back-by-committee approach." - Cameron Van Wil of Seattle Sports 710
Joey's been drafting George Holani in the late rounds of his deep leagues all offseason, and it's hard to blame him. Holani played about a third of Seattle's snaps in the playoffs once Zach Charbonnet went down, and this coaching staff clearly trusts him for early-down work. Adding to Price's outlook, Charbonnet is healing well and should return late in the season. Price has the first-round pedigree and the upside, but anyone expecting him to run away with 20-plus touches a game is setting themselves up for disappointment. He's a bet on efficiency, not volume.
New England Patriots
"A.J.'s been awesome. I'm really looking forward to playing with him. I'm looking forward to getting to camp and building some chemistry... He's a great teammate." - Drake Maye on A.J. Brown
Joey's had Brown as his biggest riser of the offseason, taking him in the middle of the second round as a top-12 receiver. I argue he deserves to go even higher. Stefon Diggs was this offense's WR1 last year, playing only about 60% of snaps and still cracking a thousand yards. Now imagine a younger, better receiver playing more than that. Brown's ADP has been climbing fast in NFFC drafts, creeping into the 10-12 overall range. I still prefer Brock Bowers and Drake London if I'm picking in the first round, but the steam behind Brown is real. And traded receivers with a chip on their shoulder have a history of immediate breakouts with new teams.
Denver Broncos
"He's someone who picks things up real quick. You can just feel his instincts, his quickness, and his ability to not only run fast but stop fast. So, he's doing well." - Sean Payton on Jaylen Waddle
Joey and I both still prefer Courtland Sutton over Waddle at cost, coach speak aside. Sutton's red-zone ability and contested-catch skills aren't going anywhere, and while Waddle is talented, we've got him much closer to Sutton in our rankings than ADP does, meaning Sutton is the better value a few rounds later. Waddle will consolidate what was a deep WR2-by-committee approach last year, but his steep cost is hard to justify.
Los Angeles Rams
"Several people in the Rams' building have pointed to [Terrance] Ferguson as a player they think will take a big step forward in Year 2." - Sarah Barshop of ESPN
With Puka Nacua and Davante Adams already entrenched, and a genuinely crowded tight end room (Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, Tyler Higbee, rookie Max Klare, plus Ferguson), Joey and I both think patience is required here. I'm an unabashed Ferguson truther. He averaged over nine yards after the catch per reception at Oregon, which is exactly the trait Sean McVay's offense rewards. Stash him as a late-round target, but don't chase him too high up draft boards.
Houston Texans
"He's a three-down back. He can do it all." - Danny Barrett, Texans running backs coach, on David Montgomery
Joey and I are both firmly in on Montgomery over Woody Marks. The talent gap is real, and the "he's an older back" narrative ignores that his Detroit tenure was actually low-mileage given how much he split with Jahmyr Gibbs and Jamaal Williams. Joe Mixon was the RB3 in fantasy scoring through his early Houston stretch before an injury interrupted things, proving that this is a valuable role. Montgomery was pacing for 55 targets a season back in Chicago. He's the perfect RB2 with real RB1 upside if you go receiver-heavy early.
San Francisco 49ers
"I was so impressed by the way he was moving [at Tight End U], and I was impressed the last week of OTAs, how he was moving... Seeing him go through that warm-up, I was like, 'Wow, I really do think there is a chance that he's ready for Week 1.'" - Kyle Juszczyk on George Kittle
Kittle is 33 and coming off a ruptured Achilles, but Joey's already got him as a top-nine tight end, and I don't think top-five is out of the question if he looks like himself in camp. He's a guy to watch closely in camp, as a healthy Kittle falling that far down draft boards can be one of this year's best values. Kittle has been a top-three fantasy tight end nearly every season of his career. If anyone is going to defy the typical Achilles recovery timeline, it's Kittle.
Buffalo Bills
"I know what I'm capable of, so if I fall anything short of that, I'm doing myself a disservice." - Keon Coleman
With Dalton Kincaid healthy and DJ Moore now in the fold to soak up the WR1 workload, Coleman doesn't need to be "the guy" anymore, which might actually help him. Joey likes this dynamic for Khalil Shakir, too. My comp is Gabe Davis, who wasn't a great receiver but scored six-plus touchdowns for four straight years in this exact offense. If that's the bar, Coleman's untapped ceiling as a late-round dart (he's going in Round 20 in best ball) is worth a stash.
Chicago Bears
"You get what you emphasize... Completion percentage is something that we're going to emphasize." - Ben Johnson on Caleb Williams
Williams struggled in the short-to-intermediate areas last year despite an aggressive, efficient deep ball. Joey has him as a top-five fantasy quarterback outright, and I'd say he has a top-three ceiling given the rushing floor already in place. If Johnson can clean up the easy throws that Jared Goff dialed in under Johnson in Detroit, his upside would be immense.
Jacksonville Jaguars
"In 2026, [Brian Thomas Jr.] has been the Jags' most impressive offensive player so far, and the chemistry between Trevor Lawrence and him — especially on deep throws — is the best it has been." - Michael DiRocco of ESPN
Thomas had a down 2025 after building rapport with Mac Jones as a rookie, then not seeing that production translate with Lawrence. Joey thinks Thomas moves ahead of Parker Washington in ADP if this drumbeat continues, and I largely agree, even though I still have some doubts about his fit in a Liam Coen offense. It's worth noting that Thomas also battled an ankle injury and drops last year, giving us plenty of reason to buy into a bounce-back.
Philadelphia Eagles
"[Tank] Bigsby flashed during spring work... His camp role could shift quickly if the Eagles decide he is reliable enough to handle a regular workload rather than occasional snaps." - Glen Erby of Eagles Wire
Saquon Barkley had a monster 2024 and regressed across the board in 2025. Joey doesn't see a full split developing, maybe 70-30 with Bigsby as a change of pace. But even a 30 percent haircut off Barkley's touches could knock him from a Round 2 pick down to Round 4 value. Worth noting: Sigmund Blum told us on a recent draft he now has Javonte Williams ranked ahead of Barkley straight up, a take that sounds crazy until you sit with it for a second.
Los Angeles Chargers
"I think he's a guy that has some traits in his game that are similar to some very powerful, explosive, productive receivers that I've had in the past, namely like Julio [Jones] and Andre [Johnson], and so we're pushing him." - Mike McDaniel on Quentin Johnston
Johnston's knock coming into the league was his inability to win contested catches, and Joey and I both think he's cleaned that up. He's creeping into Round 5 of NFFC drafts now, partly because of his yards-after-catch ability at TCU (over 50 percent of his college yards came after the catch). Still just entering his fourth year, there's real league-winning upside in the range of outcomes.
Pittsburgh Steelers
"It's stuff that we used to run, but he's just called it something different now. It's just the next generation of the West Coast offense. From a real fundamental level, it's all about the quarterback's timing." - Aaron Rodgers on reuniting with Mike McCarthy
Joey pointed out something bigger than scheme: Rodgers has also reconciled with family he was previously estranged from, which he sees as a sign Rodgers is trying to get his whole life back in order. Rodgers's career has never been linear. People wrote him off in his late 30s before he responded with back-to-back MVPs. If he can find that magic one more time, this offense could surprise people.
Green Bay Packers
"Business as usual." - Matt LaFleur, on the Josh Jacobs assault accusations
Jacobs has fallen from a Round 2 pick to Round 4, but Joey's not touching him at all right now. He'd rather take Rashee Rice. I'm sticking with LaFleur's read given Jacobs has been a top-ten back in this offense for two straight years, but I'll be watching training camp closely for any sign the Packers are hedging with added backfield competition. If Jacobs can avoid punishment, his value in Round 4 is unbelievable.
Carolina Panthers
"They aren't in a hurry to do a deal, and it's possible this doesn't happen until next offseason." - Dan Graziano of ESPN, on Bryce Young's contract extension
Joey's blunt about it: Young is the only No. 1 overall pick to not return top-12 quarterback value, and this is his line-in-the-sand year. He's steadily climbed from worst quarterback in the league as a rookie to bottom-five to top-15 territory last season. That's significant and real progress, even if it's not flashy. Young can continue to improve heading into his fourth season.
Minnesota Vikings
"The Minnesota Vikings' on-field work this spring began with quarterback Kyler Murray fulfilling expectations as the most talented quarterback on the roster." - Kevin Seifert of ESPN
Joey's got top-five quarterback upside on Murray in a much-improved situation next to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. And he's more excited for Jefferson finally getting competent quarterback play than for Murray himself. Kevin O'Connell has turned Nick Mullens and Joshua Dobbs into serviceable quarterbacks. Murray gives him far more to work with. If he starts all season, he's one of the best quarterback values in drafts.
Detroit Lions
"Sam LaPorta is trending in the right direction with his injury... which also puts him on track for a big contract extension, potentially, this summer." - Ian Rapoport of NFL Network
LaPorta had back surgery for a herniated disc last year. Joey's cautious about back injuries in general but still sees LaPorta getting back to top-five tight end range if healthy. There's also a play-calling angle worth watching. New OC Drew Petzing's influence from the Cardinals' offense that force-fed Trey McBride could mean similar treatment for LaPorta.
Indianapolis Colts
"We definitely need to find ways to take some of that workload off him. If I can find another guy or two that can take some of those carries off, he's just going to be that much better." - DeAndre Smith, Colts running backs coach, on Jonathan Taylor
Joey isn't worried in the slightest. Even a 70-30 split still makes Taylor better than most starters in the league. My only real hesitation: Taylor was the overall RB1 through the first half of last season, then fell to back-end RB2 production down the stretch. Was that wear and tear, or Daniel Jones's injury sinking the whole offense? If it's the former, a rookie like Seth McGowan profiles as a real handcuff to watch during camp. He fell due to age and character concerns, but has the talent to siphon some of Taylor's work. McGowan is a name to watch in camp.