Fantasy Football Stars Set to Be Replaced by Young Talent Including Tua Tagovailoa

Veterans losing their jobs is an inevitability each and every season. It's an unfortunate part of the game, but as players age, they are replaced by younger, more dynamic options. 2026 will be no exception. These are the veterans who are going to lose their starting jobs in the next NFL season.

QB Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

It's unclear how the situation with Tua in Miami will work out. What makes the most sense is Miami keeping Tua and having him compete for a starting job and most likely ending up being the backup at some point. Cutting or even trading him will cost the team more than just keeping him, and he would immediately become one of the best backups in the league if moved to the bench. Then again, the Dolphins do a lot of things that don't make sense. That's how you go 25 years without winning a playoff game.

RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) carries the ball against the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

We expect Kamara to move on from New Orleans this season, and he'll probably get overpaid. Wherever he lands, we expect the team to come to the harsh reality that he is not what he used to be. He can still have a role in the offense, but heading into his year 31 season, he is no longer a primary option.

RB James Conner, Arizona Cardinals

The good news for Conner is that no one really stepped up in Arizona to take his job while he was sidelined for almost all of the 2025 season. However, even in the two full games he played in, it looked like the Cardinals were moving to more of a committee. This is another 31-year-old running back we expect to be phased out of the starting role. Trey Benson is the top candidate to push him aside.

WR Brian Thomas Jr, Jacksonville Jaguars

There are still going to be believers in BTJ, and that's fair. Nevertheless, we have seen enough from him to lose faith that he will be the WR1 or even the clear second option in Jacksonville this season. Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington have both proven to be better options, and reports of him moving more to defense aside, Travis Hunter is still a strong candidate to be their WR1.

WR Tyreek Hill, FA

Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) practices before the game against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium. | Rich Storry-Imagn Images

Hill has been released by Miami and is sure to find a home and probably get a significant contract. However, at 32 years old, coming off a dislocated knee in which he tore all his collateral ligaments, we have little faith that he will produce anything close to a WR1 in 2026. This feels like a situation where we hear how well he's doing early in the summer, then we hear he's starting the season on the PUP list in August.

WR Cooper Kupp, Seattle Seahawks

Kupp will not be the WR2 in Seattle next year after catching just 47 passes for 593 yards and two touchdowns this season. We expect him to be the WR4, falling behind both Tory Horton and Rashid Shaheed.