Fantasy football buzz: Why Commanders RB Rachaad White should be on your radarRachaad White has opened some eyes in his early days with his new team. Is he the Commanders back you want in fantasy? AP Photo/Nick WassESPN FantasyJun 22, 2026, 10:45 AM ETClose
Everything that happens in the NFL has additional context when viewed from a fantasy football perspective. From position battles to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy football.
Our Fantasy Football Buzz file, with contributions from our ESPN fantasy writers and our NFL Nation reporters, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around the league.
June 22: Why Rachaad White should be on your radar
Eric Karabell: Nary a Washington Commanders running back finished last season among the top 20 fantasy scorers at the position, but that hardly means this offense struggled to run the football. In fact, only three teams rushed for more yards (Bills, Ravens, Bears). Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt led Washington with 805 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, but he scored double-digit fantasy points only twice in the final 12 games, leaving fantasy managers quite unimpressed.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn certainly seems quite impressed with new RB Rachaad White, who he named late last week as one of the team’s standout performers of OTAs and minicamp, though he stopped short of naming the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter as Washington’s starter. Then again, who would realistically stand in White’s way? Croskey-Merritt, smaller than White and lacking receiving chops (he caught nine passes in 17 games!), was inconsistent and fumbled four times. Kaytron Allen, Jerome Ford and Jeremy McNichols are Commanders, too, but lack White’s achievements.
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It may be time for fantasy managers to better appreciate the 27-year-old White and the prime opportunity he boasts to become a sleeper of a RB2 option. After all, White finished among the top 10 running backs during the 2023 season, when he combined 1,539 yards from scrimmage with 64 receptions and nine total touchdowns. Then the team drafted dynamic Bucky Irving. White went from 336 touches in 2023 to 367 touches over the following two seasons combined. The Commanders signed the free agent White to a steal of a $2 million contract for one season. Motivation should not be an issue.
Sure, a Washington offense led by running QB Jayden Daniels will be something new for White, but high volume, especially in the passing game seems likely. White boasts 205 catches in his four-year career, turning 11 of those receptions into touchdowns. His current ADP of No. 34 at running back and outside the top 100 overall offers excellent value, especially with how White has performed so far for his new team and wowed his coaching staff.
No Commanders running back has rushed for 1,000 yards since Antonio Gibson in 2021 — and this offense is led by a running quarterback — but still, White feels undervalued. Follow his progress this summer and do not be afraid to take a chance on someone who everyone loved only three seasons ago.
June 18: Reportedly returning to health, is a return to fantasy prominence next for Lions’ LaPorta?
Sam LaPorta, coming off surgery for a herniated disc, is being drafted as the TE7. Randy Litzinger/Icon SportswireLiz Loza: Sam LaPorta was a partial participant at the Detroit Lions’ mandatory minicamp earlier this week and is “trending the right way,” per coach Dan Campbell. The 25-year-old tight end was sidelined for the final eight weeks last season and is working his way back from herniated disk surgery. Prior to the injury, LaPorta was averaging nearly 12 fantasy points per contest (TE9). While that was an improvement on his per-game production from 2024 (10.9 fantasy PPG), it’s a far cry from the numbers posted during his first pro campaign (14.1).
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Despite sagging stats in successive seasons, the Detroit brass doesn’t seem deterred. The team is expected to ink an extension with the former Iowa standout in the coming weeks. There is also optimism that with the arrival of new OC Drew Petzing, who runs an exceptionally tight end-friendly offense, LaPorta could return to his rookie form. Given the depth and talent of the team’s available pass catchers, however, it’s unlikely that LaPorta will manage an elite target share, particularly in the red area of the field.
Currently the seventh tight end being selected, LaPorta is coming off the board in the eighth round of fantasy drafts. With health and consistent volume a concern, the ADP is fair. Still, bolstering a different position remains alluring, as potential breakout candidate Bhayshul Tuten and undervalued vet Mike Evans are both available in the same round. Plus, value at tight end can be mined into the double-digit rounds, with sleeper darling Isaiah Likely and previous fantasy football buzz mention Jake Ferguson both falling outside of the top 100 fantasy players selected.
June 17: Josh Downs is a smart late-round target
Josh Downs of the Indianapolis Colts had four receiving touchdowns last season. AP Photo/David J. PhillipEric Moody: Josh Downs isn’t the kind of pick that gets people excited on draft day, but that’s exactly what makes him intriguing.
His 2025 season was underwhelming. Downs caught 58 of 88 targets for 566 yards and four touchdowns, and his role took a hit once Tyler Warren became a bigger part of the offense. The Colts also leaned more into heavier personnel, which reduced Downs’ snaps and limited the quick, underneath targets that usually fuel his fantasy value.
But the setup looks different heading into 2026.
Michael Pittman Jr. is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers after finishing with 111 targets last season, leaving a lot of targets behind in Indianapolis. Downs is not going to absorb all of them, but he doesn’t need to. He just needs to get back closer to the role he had in 2024, when he finished with 107 targets, 72 receptions, 803 yards and five touchdowns.
That’s the case for drafting him.
Downs wins in ways that matter in fantasy. He separates, works well from the slot and gives the quarterback a reliable short area option. Downs may not be a big-play receiver like Alec Pierce or a red zone threat like Warren, but he can pile up receptions if the volume is there.
The Colts seem ready to put more on Downs’ plate. General manager Chris Ballard praised Downs this offseason and made it clear the team wants to give him more chances. With Pittman gone, those chances should be there.
Downs is not a perfect fantasy target. The touchdown ceiling is limited, and the Colts still have other players who will command touches. But with Downs readily available in Round 10 of drafts, you are not selecting him to be an immediate starter. You’re drafting him because he is projected for 100-plus targets and is not far behind Pierce and Warren in the Colts’ target pecking order.
June 16: What do fantasy managers need to look out for with Rashee Rice?
Rashee Rice has played in 12 of a possible 34 regular-season games over the past two seasons. AP Photo/Matt Patterson, FileMike Clay: Rashee Rice was released from jail on Tuesday after serving 30 days for a probation violation. As it pertains to his 2026 fantasy football value, there are two things we need to monitor in the coming months:
1. Possible discipline. It appears unlikely that Rice will be suspended again and even if he is, it would certainly be substantially shorter than the six games he missed to open last season.
2. Health. Rice had a clean-up surgery on his right knee in May, though Andy Reid expects him to be ready for training camp.
Again, we’ll need to keep an eye on Rice’s status leading up to the heart of fantasy draft season, but there is little need for concern about his Week 1 availability as things stand.
The 2023 second-round pick is still eyeing his first full NFL season as a starter. He missed most of 2024 due to injury and appeared in only eight games last season (suspension Weeks 1-6, injured Weeks 16-18). He was productive when active, though, handling 9.8 targets per game and delivering five top-12 fantasy outings. With Patrick Mahomes also expected to be ready to roll for Week 1, Rice remains in the back-end WR1 mix in fantasy. With minimal concerns related to injury and suspension, he makes for a solid value in the middle of the third round of early drafts.
June 15: Bears backfield committee limits upside, but Swift still the top option
D’Andre Swift posted career highs of 1,386 yards from scrimmage and 10 total TDs last season on 16 touches per game. Is it reasonable to expect the same in 2026? Melissa Tamez/Icon SportswireMatt Bowen: Are we overlooking the Chicago Bears backfield heading into the 2026 season? Maybe. But with two solid running backs, it does limit the fantasy ceiling of both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.
Swift quietly produced 14.3 fantasy PPG last season, while posting five weeks of 19 or more points. He added 39 receptions, too. And Swift is going to see around 15 touches per game, which includes red zone carries (he had 10 inside the 5-yard line last season). Swift gives you some juice on the perimeter and he has the ball carrier vision to produce on screens and underneath throws.
Monangai, the Bears’ No. 2 option, is an ideal complement to Swift. He’s the downhill hammer, with the short-area burst and contact balance to work through the wash on inside carries. Monangai scored 8.6 FPPG last season and his usage increased in scoring position. He had 16 goal-to-go carries, including 10 inside the 5-yard line. While Monangai doesn’t have the same level of receiving traits as Swift, he can contribute on screens and checkdowns (18 receptions last season), and he’s going to see close to 10 touches a week.
The run game under head coach Ben Johnson is a foundational piece of the system, as the Bears ranked third in rushing last season at 144.5 yards per game. Johnson’s scheme is designed to create blocking advantages to the play side. We will see more two- and three-tight end sets this season as well, which can create backfield production.
Based on our recent Mock Draft Project at ESPN, Swift checked in at RB25, with Monangai at RB37. Sounds fair, right? This looks more like a backfield committee given the projected deployment and week-to-week touches.
Now, if I had to draft one? It’s Swift. He can be a quality starter as a lower-end RB2/flex, while Monangai is a strong insurance back with the potential to make your starting lineup as a deeper-league flex this season.
