11 Fantasy Football Players in a Contract Year Who Could Smash Their 2026 Draft Price
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Contract-year players carry motivation that shows up in usage and effort. A season played on an expiring deal decides where a player signs next and how much he gets paid. Teams also lean harder on players they may lose, since there is no reason to hold back snaps for the future.
For fantasy football managers, that combination can turn a mid-round pick into a weekly starter. These eleven players enter 2026 with money on the line.
Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million deal in March 2024. That deal runs through the 2026 season.
He set a deadline to halt contract talks once training camp begins. He sits around the middle of the pack for fantasy football managers, a backup in one-QB leagues, after a 2025 season that started hot and fell off badly. Perhaps the Bucs want Mayfield, known for his spicy attitude, to play with a chip on his shoulder.
Mike Evans is gone. Chris Godwin Jr., Jalen McMillan and Cade Otton remain. The Oklahoma product already turned a contract year into a payday once, in 2023.
Justin Fields, Kansas City Chiefs
Fields signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Jets entering 2025, so 2026 is the final year of that deal. Kansas City acquired him for a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Patrick Mahomes is coming off a torn ACL and LCL suffered in Week 15 and is hopeful to be ready for Week 1. Andy Reid called Fields a "legitimate starting quarterback" and plans to position him to win games early in 2026 if Mahomes is not ready.
Fields scored at least 25 fantasy points in three of his first four starts with the Jets last season.
Running backs
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Taylor signed a three-year, $42 million contract with a $14 million average annual salary. He handled 323 carries for 1,585 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2025 and remains the clear centerpiece of the offense.
The Colts must decide whether to give the 27-year-old a third big contract. His last negotiation with the team got icy.
His ADP sits at 1.07 with projections near 1,500 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
Brown gained 1,016 yards and six touchdowns on 232 carries in 2025. He was sixth among NFL running backs with 437 receiving yards and added five touchdowns among his 69 catches.
The Bengals and the fifth-round pick out of Illinois are reportedly in talks on an extension. You should view Brown as a solid RB1 with top-five upside.
Reports out of minicamp suggested the team could mix in more under-center runs.
D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
Swift handled 268 regular-season opportunities in 2025, ranking 18th in snap rate and 16th in half-PPR points per game at 13.2. That is an excellent return on the three-year, $24 million contract he signed in 2024.
He rushed for 1,087 yards on 223 carries with a career-high nine touchdowns. He is being drafted as the RB24 in the fifth round while Kyle Monangai goes in the eighth.
Playing well would actually raise his price beyond what Chicago wants to pay.
Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
Pollard signed a three-year, $21.75 million contract with Tennessee and will earn a $6.74 million base salary in 2026. He recorded 1,288 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns on 275 touches across 17 games last season.
New offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has historically ridden with one running back. Pollard is capable of delivering strong RB2 value with Carnell Tate and Wan'Dale Robinson added to the passing game.
The Memphis product was a top-10 back from Weeks 14 through 17.
Wide receivers
George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys
Pickens will play the 2026 season on his $27.3 million franchise tender after the deadline for tagged players to reach long-term deals passed.
He posted career highs with 93 catches, 1,429 yards, nine touchdowns and 137 targets. He played all 17 games and averaged a career-best 17.2 PPR points per game.
Brian Schottenheimer plans to move him around the formation more in 2026. Dak Prescott played out 2020 on the tag and re-signed for four years and $160 million.
Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
Olave is headed into the final year of his rookie deal and will play on the fifth-year option for $15.5 million if no extension is reached. He caught 100 passes for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns last season with a 29.4 percent target share.
He is likely to command north of $33 million per year on a new contract. Rookie Jordyn Tyson adds target competition that could cut into volume but help efficiency.
Olave has been cleared after January treatment for a blood clot.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
Rice is in the final year of a four-year, $6.4 million rookie deal, and Kansas City has no plans to offer an extension before the season. He caught 53 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns in eight games last year after a six-game suspension.
The NFL cleared the SMU product in April in a separate investigation and issued no discipline for the probation violation that sent him to jail for 30 days in May. He underwent a knee cleanup in May, and Andy Reid expects him ready for training camp.
Rice can be a top-five receiver. There are just a few variables, like Mahomes' health and a possible suspension, that are sure to give fantasy managers pause. Even still, he is worth a second-round pick despite the risks.
Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams
Adams signed a two-year, $44 million contract in March 2025, putting him under contract through 2026. He caught 60 of 114 targets for 789 yards and a league-high 14 touchdowns in 14 games and finished as the half-PPR WR8.
He was 44th in receptions and tied for 34th in receiving yards. Adams, to me, is a low-end WR2 in Round 5.
Sean McVay said the Rams explored trading the 33-year-old this offseason, and while not a ringing endorsement, it's hard to argue with last year's production.
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
Downs signed a four-year, $5.52 million contract in May 2023 and enters the final year of that rookie deal. He had 58 catches for 566 yards and four touchdowns in 2025, the worst season of his career.
Michael Pittman Jr. was traded to Pittsburgh in March with no comparable replacement added. Shane Steichen wants the receiver out of North Carolina to take more perimeter snaps.
Alec Pierce just landed a four-year, $114 million contract, so Downs could be rewarded by Indy should he deliver on the field.
Tight ends
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
Kraft caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns through eight games before tearing his ACL against the Panthers in Week 9. He ranked as TE2 in fantasy scoring behind only Trey McBride when he went down.
He said he expects to play Week 1 without playing-time restrictions. General manager Brian Gutekunst confirmed the team has been in contact about an extension.
Green Bay parted ways with Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks and added no notable pass catchers.
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
LaPorta enters the fourth and final year of the rookie contract he signed as a 2023 second-round pick. He herniated a disc in Week 10 and missed Detroit's last eight games.
He still hit career highs in catch rate at 81.6 percent, yards per target at 10.0 and yards per route run at 2.00. New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing turned Trey McBride into the overall TE1 in 2025.
The Iowa product plans to be fully cleared before training camp.
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
Hockenson's contract was renegotiated to a one-year, $10.25 million deal that makes him a free agent after this season. He recorded 51 receptions for 438 yards and three touchdowns on 66 targets across 15 games in 2025.
Minnesota added Kyler Murray, who should stabilize the passing game. Murray heavily targeted Trey McBride in Arizona, so hopefully there's some carryover for Hock's sake.
The soon-to-be 29-year-old has struggled to regain his form since tearing his ACL in 2023.
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Matt De Lima has been covering fantasy sports for more than 15 years, contributing to top outlets such as Sports Illustrated, DraftKings, GiveMeSport and The Game Day. Known for his straightforward, actionable analysis, Matt specializes in start/sit calls, waiver wire pickups, IDP, and season-long strategies. His work has reached millions of readers and listeners through articles, podcasts, SiriusXM radio appearances and social media. Respected across the fantasy sports community, Matt combines deep football knowledge with a sharp editorial eye, delivering insights that help players win their leagues.
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