Derrick Henry, Travis Kelce, and 3 More Veterans Who Will Fall Off a Fantasy Football Cliff in 2026
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While the 2025 fantasy football season just ended, it's never too early to start thinking about the 2026 fantasy football season!
We've been hard at work looking at 2026 sleepers, 2026 quarterbacks, and dynasty rookie mock drafts, but today, we're going to take a look at veteran fantasy stars who are due for some regression next season.
With no offense to any of these excellent studs (maybe some of them can use this as motivation), there are five players who are due to fall off a fantasy cliff in 2026.
Five veterans set to fall off a fantasy football cliff in 2026
QB Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
While Matthew Stafford is likely a month away from winning his first MVP Award (and maybe his second Super Bowl), he's also a month away from turning 38. He's coming off arguably his best ever, as his 46 touchdowns were a career high, so it's unrealistic to think he'll be able to replicate this type of success as he approaches 40. Stafford exceeded fantasy football expectations in finishing as QB3 this season, and while he'll still have Puka Nacua and DaVante Adams to throw to, he made a living on touchdown passes within the five-yard line this season, and is due for regression in 2026.
RB Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
We already knew that Derrick Henry was a unicorn, but he became even more of one this season as he finished second in the league with 1,595 rushing yards at 31 years old. While Henry has proven everyone wrong as he's kept trucking past 30, he's in uncharted territory now, as he's in the zone where running backs' careers historically hit a wall. With a new head coach and new offensive coordinator coming in Baltimore, Henry will likely see diminished carries in 2026 as the Ravens try to preserve him. He was RB8 this season, but it would be a minor surprise to see him in the top-10 again next season.
RB Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
Like Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley is starting to get closer to the age where running backs' careers go to die. He already saw a close to 50 percent drop-off in rushing yards in 2025 as compared to 2024, and only finished as RB14 this season. While it wouldn't be a shock to see Barkley finish as a top-15 fantasy back in 2026 at 29 years olds, his days of being a top-5 (or even 10) running back are a thing of the past.
WR Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Keenan Allen had a great start to the 2025 season, and that helped carry him to a WR29 finish. However, Allen didn't catch a touchdown after Week 7, and only topped 50 receiving yards once since that milestone. Those numbers are a sign of things to come for the soon-to-be 34-year-old, and it would be a shock to see him finish among the top-30 fantasy wide receivers in 2026.
TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
There's a very good chance that Travis Kelce will retire this offseason after finishing as TE3. But even if he does come back for 2026, he'll be 36 years old and may have to play at least part of the season without Patrick Mahomes. While Kelce had a surprisingly productive 2025, he also didn't catch a touchdown after Week 13 and didn't top 100 receiving yards all season. If Kelce comes back in 2026, he'll be hard-pressed to finish as a top-5 (and even top-10) fantasy tight end.
Once a top-ranked fantasy gamer on ESPN, Nick Raducanu has been playing fantasy sports for over 25 years. His written fantasy coverage includes stops at Rotoworld, Rotowire, and The New York Times.