Free agency opened last week, and it didn’t take very long for the fireworks to start going off. Teams were active early, so much so that a record was set for free agency spending during the tampering period. $5.83 billion was committed to player contracts during the tampering period ($2.3 billion in day one alone).
With so much money being spent, players were moving, and fantasy football values were being shaken up. Below is a list of my top 5 fantasy football winners from the first week of the NFL free agency.
1. Kenneth Walker III
I believe that Kenneth Walker was the clear winner of the first week of free agency. Walker leaves the NFL champion Seattle Seahawks to join the Kansas City Chiefs. During his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, Kenneth Walker shared the backfield with fellow former 2nd-round pick Zach Charbonnet. Both players are talented running backs, but they really ate into each other’s fantasy numbers.
Kenneth Walker was 20th in the league with 221 rush attempts last year while sharing the backfield with Zach Charbonnet. Walker has never had more than 228 carries in his career. The Chiefs’ former starting running back, Isiah Pacheco, joined the Detroit Lions in free agency this year. Kenneth Walker should finally have the chance to be the bell cow running back in their offense. With the additional usage and the fact that he will have one of the best quarterbacks in the league keeping the defense honest, Walker could have an excellent season ahead of him.
Click here for a full breakdown of Kenneth Walker III’s move to Kansas City.
2. Emeka Egbuka
Emeka Egbuka started his career with a very solid rookie season. As is the case with most rookies, the season was not without flaws. Most rookies start the season slowly, but after adjusting they blow up. Egbuka was exactly the opposite.
Emeka Egbuka started as one of four NFC wide receivers, and the only rookie, to have 75 plus yards from scrimmage in at least three of the first four games. The other three wide receivers were Justin Jefferson, Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. His biggest game came in Week 5against the Seahawks when he caught 7 balls for 163 yards and a touchdown.
A big part of his instantaneous contributions stemmed from the fact that starting wide receiver Chris Godwin was unable to play for the first three weeks. This immediately put Egbuka in a starting role and he thrived in that role. However, when Godwin came back and he was pushed to the third option behind Chris Godwin and star receiver Mike Evans, he didn’t have the same kind of opportunities, and it showed. In the last 3 weeks of the season, he had a total of 5 catches for 68 yards.
So why is his stock on the rise if he had a finish like that? This past week, star wide receiver Mike Evans was signed by the 49ers. This thrusts Egbuka right back into the starting role that he was in early last season. Emeka Egbuka showed us exactly what he could do when he gets the time on the field, and I expect him to return to form this season.
3. Zach Charbonnet
It’s funny how one move can make such a big difference for multiple players. Above, we discussed how Kenneth Walker’s move to the Chiefs set him up for a big season because of his likely increase in workload. The same holds true for Zach Charbonnet. Charbonnet was drafted by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Charbonnet has always had the ability to be a very good running back in this league, but like Walker he was limited by the usage that he got in their split backfield. Charbonnet has only averaged 142.3 carries per season throughout his career. However, whenever Walker was out with injuries Charbonnet was there to remind us why he was a second-round pick.
In the 8 games that Kenneth Walker missed, Zach Charbonnet had 759 total yards and 7 touchdowns. Charbonnet is a true three-down back who can run the ball effectively while also contributing as a receiver and blocker on third downs. Now being the feature back in Seattle Charbonnet could really blow up in fantasy football this season.
4. Malik Willis
Malik Willis was drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans. At the time he was viewed as a very athletic quarterback that needed some time to develop when it came to decision making and his arm talent. During his time with the Titans Willis only saw action in 11 games throwing for 35 completions on 66 attempts (53% completion percentage). During that time, he threw for 350 yards and 3 interceptions, while running the ball 32 times for 144 yards and 1 td.
Prior to his third season Willis was traded to the Green Bay Packers for a 2025 seventh-round draft pick. He didn’t get much more action with Green Bay over the last couple of seasons but his poise during that period and his increased efficiency is intriguing. He played in 11 games again over the last couple of seasons. In those 11 games, he threw 70 completions on 89 attempts for a 78% completion rate. He threw 972 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Willis also ran the ball 42 times for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns in this 11-game span.
Willis has spent most of his career being a backup quarterback, but last week in free agency, the Miami Dolphis signed him to a huge three-year $67.5 million contract. With the efficiency that he has shown over the last couple of seasons, and the opportunity he now has as a starter, Willis is really a guy to keep an eye on in fantasy football. He is an athletic quarterback with a real ability to add points on the ground and should be added in a Superflex league.
5. Isaiah Likely
The Baltimore Ravens selected Isaiah Likely with a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Ever since then this athletic tight end has been sitting behind starting tight end Mark Andrews waiting for a chance to shine.
The New York Giants are giving him that chance. Likely signed a 3-year, $40 million contract, that could potentially reach $47.5 million just last week. The Giants brought Likely in to be a starting tight end with big playmaking ability.
In Baltimore, Likely’s talents were always obvious, but there were just too many people to feed ahead of him. When it came to targets to be had Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers were the first two looks, and he also had to share opportunities with guys like Rashod Bateman, Odell Beckham, Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins. There just wasn’t enough opportunity for him there.
During his time with the Ravens, we were able to see what he could truly do when Mark Andrews missed some time. In the 9 games that Mark Andrews was out Likely had 31 catches for 453 yards and 6 touchdowns. That would make for nearly a 900 yard and 12 touchdown season.
When you look at the Giants’ roster, they don’t have all of those options in front of Likely. Their first option is going to be Malik Nabers and then I believe Likely will be the second option in that offense. Nabers also hasn’t had the healthiest start to his career. He has missed 17 games in his first two NFL seasons. If he should go down Likely very well could be the number one option in this Giants offense. The opportunity that Likely is presented with now is absolutely a reason to take a shot on him in your fantasy leagues.
All five of these players have a couple of things in common. First, they all have incredible ability just waiting to be unlocked. Second, all these players have been held back by a lack of opportunities. Everything that has happened in the past week will give these players the chances that they need to truly make an impact on fantasy football rosters. Keep an eye on these players and their team. If their teams don’t make any other moves to take away from their usage, these guys are in a really good position to blow up this season. uly make an impact on fantasy football rosters. Keep an eye on these players and their team. If their teams don’t make any other moves to take away from their usage, these guys are in a really good position to blow up this season.
View my 2026 free agency tracker here to keep up with all offseason free agency moves.
Take a look at my latest fantasy football rankings here.
Check out more dynasty fantasy football related articles here.
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Please tell me KC is done adding pieces to their roster. Last season was so much better since KC was a middle of the road team. I hope a good rb doesn’t fix them.
Can the Giants actually be good this year? I think they are making all the right moves. Likely could put them over the top. I feel like that division is more open than people think.
We could also see Egbuka emerge as a top tier WR this year. We saw flashes of greatness in the first half last year before he cooled down.
See Charbonnets tape from last year or the year before. He’s got skills. And now he’s got the opportunity as long as they don’t add more to the RB room.
Them additions have been pretty crazy so far. We’ve been blessed with a great free agency this year. Good write up.
Thank you, I Appreciate that. This has been a wild start to free agency.
I’m with you on KC, that offense could get scary fast if they add one more piece. That’s why I bumped their skill guys up a bit (especially Walker).
The Giants are interesting too — definitely feels like that division is more open than people think right now. Dart looked good as a rookie last year and if he can stay healthy Nabers has the talent to be one of the best receivers in the league. They are being slept on but could start turning some heads soon.
And I agree on Charbonnet, the talent has always been there, now it’s just about opportunity.
Who are you most confident in taking a big jump this year?