Kenneth Walker III and Kyler Murray Among NFL Offseason Winners So Far
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The beautiful thing about the NFL offseason is that there can be chaos at any and every turn. Just when you think it is quiet, a Jaylen Waddle trade appears out of nowhere. One never knows in the NFL when the next release or signing will happen either.
For some players, the sky definitely looks even brighter heading into the 2026 fantasy football season. Is there risk? Always. However, that is the fun part. We present several candidates who could see better numbers.
Kenneth Walker III - Kansas City Chiefs
Forgive us because this will take awhile to get used to. Kenneth Walker III is now a Super Bowl champion and is going to a team that has won a few themselves. On the surface, going to a pass happy team like the Kansas City Chiefs may not be a good thing. However, things are not so crystal clear with Patrick Mahomes.
It is no secret that Mahomes had knee surgery and is recovery will take time. How soon will Mahomes be himself is the bigger question. The thought process is that Walker III is going to get more carries and he will be the undisputed RB1 in Kansas City. He will not have to battle Zach Charbonnet like he did in Seattle.
Walker's touchdowns went down in every season in Seattle. Kansas City expects to employ him with the passing/rushing balance in mind. If the Chiefs pass twice for every one run early, I would be surprised.
Luther Burden III - Chicago Bears
We have a theme with thirds here but Luther Burden III will get some more first-rate opportunities with D.J Moore now in Buffalo. Burden averaged 17.7 fantasy points a week from Weeks 14-17. This was in spite of dealing with an injury. Projections easily suggest that the Chicago Bears' wide receiver could be among the Top 20 or 30 wide receivers in 2026.
Who does Luther Burden III remind you of? I think it’s pretty obvious. 👀 pic.twitter.com/2Xs7kt6LjC
— Caleb Williams Fan Club (@CalebFC18) March 16, 2026
Ironically, D.J. Moore may appear more attractive heading to Buffalo but Josh Allen is Josh Allen. There are more things that would have to break right. Needless to say both receivers are now in better situations but Burden is going to be a handful for defenses to stop in 2026.
Kyler Murray -- Minnesota Vikings
Our final choice here is a bit controversial but Minnesota seems to have pretty good luck in this scenario. See that one time with Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold. Throw out last year and all the injuries and Murray ranked inside the top 12 fantasy wise from 2019 to 2024. We call that a pretty solid sample size.
It already seems Minnesota knows where their eggs are in the basket. More than likely, Murray should win a quarterback competition over J.J. McCarthy. It will be interesting to see what this means for an offense that scored more than 100 points fewer in 2025 compared to 2024. Expecting to see a rise in the Minnesota passing game feels almost inevitable.
Naturally, anything can happen in the NFL between now and April even but these three players should see a considerable fantasy football benefit in 2026.
