NFL rosters are fluid creatures. Players work their way into key roles while others fade, either due to injury or ineffectiveness. Thanks to the rise of fantasy football, what was once a problem shared by an elite few coaches has been filtered down to the low stakes world of office pools and lowkey, months-long high school reunions.
That creates one of the biggest problems with the fantasy experience; figuring out which players to pull from the dregs of the late draft rounds or free agent pool, and who to give up to bring them aboard. There's no worse feeling than landing what you think is a rising star, only to watch him put up five points each week while the guy you dropped becomes a dominant force for someone else. Not only does that hurt
your squad, but also gives the rest of the league leverage to mock your terrible decisions.
That's what we're trying to help you avoid. Welcome to Ladders, USA Today's only fantasy football column/video series co-hosted by a man who willingly calls himself a Rhode Island Scumbag. That's Mike "Yaj" Boyajian, who joins me as FTW's special fantasy analyst. Last year, we hit on the rise of guys like Brenton Strange, Christian Watson and Harold Fannin Jr. -- nothing too outrageous, but enough to carry you to a title. We're back at it for 2026.
We've had a few names rise up draft boards and waiver wire bids as teams finalized their 53-man rosters -- enough to split our waiver targets and late-round steals into two parts. Let's start with trending tight ends and running backs before diving into wide receivers in our next breakdown.
The rules? There's pretty much only one; players have to be 33 percent owned or less in Yahoo! fantasy football leagues. We’ll also look at each player’s average draft position (ADP) in half-PPR leagues thanks to data from Fantasy Pros. Who's been responsible for the most preseason chatter rising up from the bottom of draft guides? Let's start in Los Angeles.
TE Terrance Ferguson, Los Angeles Rams (18 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues, ADP: 187)
Ferguson is rising up a stacked depth chart in Los Angeles that includes long-tenured veterans (Tyler Higbee) and rookie early-round draft picks (Max Klare). Should you draft or add him over…
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings (23 percent owned)
Christian: Yes. Not because I believe in Ferguson, but because I think his upside outweighs a veteran on the downslope like Hockenson.
The Viking hasn’t been the same since his torn ACL. His 4.8 air yards per target last season were a career low. Undoubtedly, that had some roots in J.J. McCarthy’s general inability to throw the ball in a way that doesn't haunt the fine people of the Twin Cities, but he also recorded anegative yards after catch over expected (YACOE)for the first time since 2020. Consider the impact of Jauan Jennings as well and you’ve got reason to believe in the Rams’ TE… uh, 1? 2?
Yaj: Yes. Even though Ferguson isn’t listed at the top of his own depth chart, it sounds like he is going to get some run in the high powered Rams’ offense this season. The coaching staff has raved about his ability to line up all over the formation, potentially signaling a role for the second year TE.
Keep in mind, the Rams wide receivers room is very top heavy going into the season. Ferguson carving out a role in LA is more enticing to me than taking a shot at Hockenson in a Minnesota offense that doesn’t seem likely to utilize him often.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars (36 percent owned)
Christian: No. Ferguson has some run after catch juice (plus-19 YACOE on just 11 catches), but he’s fighting for oxygen in a dense depth chart. Even if he doubles his output, that’s only 50 targets for a team with a defense strong enough to ensure the Rams rarely trail in the second half.
Strange, however, is primed for a breakthrough. His0.52 expected points added (EPA) per target were third only to George Kittle and Colston Loveland among tight ends with at least 50 passes thrown their way. He’s the unquestioned TE1 in an offense that roared to life after adding Jakobi Meyers to the mix. Expect him to way outplay his early ownership numbers.
Yaj: Not yet. I do like Ferguson’s upside in the Rams’ offense, but Strange offers a more consistent floor and Liam Coen’s Jaguars could be a potent offense this year in their own right. When healthy, Strange averaged five targets per game last year, which should be more than Ferguson will most likely see. I’ll stick with the upside of Strange and hope to be ahead of the crowd on this one.
Chig Okonkwo, Washington Commanders (42 percent owned)
Christian: No. I’m not as high on Okonkwo as his numbers suggest, but the Commanders’ offensive line is a mess. Jayden Daniels is going to be set upon with regularity by opposing pass rushers. He’s going to need a short range target who can rumble upfield. Okonkwo turned an average target distance of 4.5 yards downfield into 10 yards per catch last year. Expect similar production.
Yaj: No. I think Okonkwo was a great fit in the Commanders offense and was glad to see him get a change of scenery from Tennessee. Zach Ertz enjoyed playing with Daniels in 2024, with the rookie (at the time) looking Ertz's way 91 times. Those targets should be within expectation for Chig, who is looking to improve on his career high of 79. He’s a strong, sure handed outlet for Daniels that should prove to be a reliable safety valve.
RB Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs (13 percent owned, ADP: 181)
Johnson landed with a needy rushing offense, but his path to carries is blocked by Kenneth Walker III – a player Kansas City gave a $43 million contract this offseason. The rookie had 158 total yards this preseason, averaging an efficient 4.7 yards per carry in the process. What will his regular season output look like? And should you add or draft him over…
Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns (15 percent owned)
Christian: No. Quinshon Judkins struggled behind a bad offensive line last year, but still managed to significantly outgain Sampson on a snap-by-snap basis (3.6 yards per carry vs. 2.7). But Sampson had 97 YACOE on just 33 receptions last year, emerging as the kind of player who can create chain-moving yardage out of short targets. His impact as a receiver should boost his fantasy stock to risky, but acceptable bye week fill-in levels.
Yaj: Yes. Johnson’s offense is simply better than Sampson’s offense right now. Both should play similar roles early on in the season. Both currently sit behind bellcow RBs in their own right.
With that said, I’d rather take a chance on the Andy Reid tailback in a year where he needs to lean on them more than in the past. Johnson appears to have earned some passing game work at least, providing him with some opportunity to make a difference when given the chance. I also can’t ignore Kenneth Walker’s injury history and the potential for Johnson’s role to explode in the event Walker misses time.
Isiah Pacheco, Detroit Lions (25 percent owned)
Christian: Yes. Pacheco burst onto the scene as a seventh-round rookie in Kansas City. He’s been regressing ever since. His-50 RYOE were a career worst last fall and he hasn’t played a full 17-game slate since that 2022 campaign.
The rookie gives me some worries as a runner named Johnson with modest speed (4.56 second 40 time) coming off a season in which he led the Big Ten in rushing (Kaleb Johnson, you will answer for your crimes... in the section below), but I like his potential behind Kenneth Walker III more than Pacheco’s behind Jahmyr Gibbs.
Oh, and Pacheco’s out for at least the first four weeks of the season as well. Welcome aboard, Emmett.
Yaj: Yes. This one wasn’t a conversation for me even before the injury. Pacheco showed promise as a rookie in 2022, but hasn’t been the same since. I’d much rather take the upside shot on Johnson here.
Jonah Coleman, Denver Broncos (31 percent owned)
Christian: No. RJ Harvey was the NFL’s third-worst runner in terms of RYOE per carryas a rookie. JK Dobbins is, importantly, JK Dobbins. He’s gonna be awesome, then he’s going to get hurt.
There’s a massive opportunity here for Coleman, who has looked explosive in the preseason, almost as if he’s got fresher legs than the defenders around him. He can thrive within the tackles for a rushing offense that needs a pile-pusher. Denver’s most efficient red zone runner last season, Jaleel McLaughlin, is currently on the Browns’ practice squad.
Yaj: No. Although Johnson offers plenty of upside, Coleman offers just as much, if not more. He’s a compact, powerful runner and is great in pass protection.
He could very well end up RB1 in Denver sooner than later. The preseason reports have been glowing, which leads me to believe he could play right out of the gate, possibly with a short yardage/goal line role. That would be fantastic for fantasy owners that took a shot on him late in drafts. A role for him seems more concrete than one does for Johnson at the moment.
RB Kaleb Johnson, Green Bay Packers (11 percent owned, ADP: 229)
To have drafted Johnson in 2025 is to know pain – and that holds true for both the Pittsburgh Steelers, who invested a third round pick on him only to trade him north for a seventh rounder one year later as well as fantasy owners. He had just 78 total yards as a rookie after leading the Big Ten in rushing yards his senior season at Iowa.
Josh Jacobs’ placement on the Commissioner’s Exempt List offers opportunity. Can he seize it? And should you add/draft him over…
Braelon Allen, New York Jets (16 percent owned)
Christian: No. Allen is only 22 years old. He’s been beset by injuries and was inefficient as a rookie, but his combination of speed and power make him a higher upside version of Johnson.
Yaj: No. Even though he’s playing behind Breece Hall, the coaching staff likes him and he’s talented. Kaleb Johnson had two different coaching staffs decide to go in other directions already.
Brian Robinson Jr., Atlanta Falcons (24 percent owned)
Christian: No. Robinson has little utility when playing behind a prolific receiving back, so making the switch from Christian McCaffrey to Bijan Robinson is unlikely to boost him from a PPR standpoint. But he’s a useful runner in a compressed field, which helps him provide the red zone chops that stand as Bijan’s one weakness.
Plus, uh, Kaleb Johnson kinda stinks.
Yaj: No. Robinson’s a very talented back, as he proved for three years as Washington’s lead. He profiles to be Atlanta’s short yardage/goal line back in the vein of Tyler Allgeier. Bijan fans know all too well that role will certainly provide some value to Brian Robinson despite being firmly planted in his RB2 role.
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints (28 percent owned)
Christian: No! I don’t even like Kamara! I simply saw how Johnson looked, drummed out of the Steelers’ running back rotation after an inefficient start and then serving as Pittsburgh’s RB6 this preseason. How much do you like 10 carry, 33 yard performances? That’s what you’re getting from Johnson if he cracks the Packers’ tailback platoon this fall.
Yaj: Sure? Kamara seems cooked at this point, and Kaleb’s been in Green Bay for all of five minutes so I’ll convince myself to roll the dice with Johnson’s age and a fresh start over the RB formerly known as Alvin Kamara.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Fantasy football waiver wire: Pick up Terrance Ferguson before Week 1?
