San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jacob Cowing emerged as an offseason standout by generating big plays downfield during team drills. Despite this momentum, his path to weekly targets remains blocked by a crowded depth chart after a rookie campaign featuring a 1.4-percent Target Share.
To start translating his elite prospect profile—highlighted by a 61.4-percent College Dominator Rating and a 36.8-percent College Target Share—into fantasy production, Cowing needs multiple injuries ahead of him on the depth chart. To that end, Ricky Pearsall has been incredible fragile since entering the NFL, gunshot wound notwithstanding, George Kittle is one of the most oft-injured tight ends, and Mike Evans is about to turn 33. The path for Cowing could clear, but his diminutive frame offers a Tutu Atwell-meets-Marquise Brown ceiling. Stash Cowing in the deepest fantasy football dynasty leagues, but he should not be drafted in best ball… yet.
That’s spicy. While early reports hint at a true 50-50 committee split in Los Angeles, Blake Corum faces significant weekly volatility sharing the backfield with Kyren Williams and upstart Jarquez Hunter. Meanwhile, Williams logged a dominant 69.9-percent snap share and out-touched Corum heavily last season with 259 carries. Williams is the ultimate RB floor play as a true backfield committee would cap his ceiling.
Williams’ fantasy floor is supported by high-leverage roles on passing downs and at the goal line where he handled 13 goal-line carries in 2025. Corum’s weekly production is difficult to project, making him a better best ball option. If either Williams or Corum is nicked up, Hunter would likely slide into the 1B role.
This is music to David Montgomery‘s ears. The Houston Texans dropped their pass rate down to 55.8-percent from Week 13 to Week 18 of 2025, and Caley wants to deploy more multi-tight end sets and heavy personnel packages to extend the offensive line and attack defensive surfaces with creative blocking schemes this season.
Given the Texans feature a top tier defense, a renewed commitment to a heavy, balanced ground attack make perfect strategic sense. Houston’s myriad of WR options also suggests a more diversified wide receiver rotation, lowering the ceiling of Jayden Higgins, Tank Dell, and Jaylin Noel. Though Caley also praised C.J. Stroud for taking a leap this offseason and exuding “a different comfort level,” Montgomery remains best Houston player to target in fantasy football drafts this year.
Brandon Aiyuk remains locked in a contract standoff on the San Francisco 49ers’ reserve/left squad list, recently posting a social media video challenging the team to cut him so he can sign with the Washington Commanders. A recent Instagram video shows Aiyuk holding a football with a Washington logo on it with the caption: “The best team in the world.”
The 49ers lack immediate financial incentive to blink, as they voided his remaining guarantees after he stopped attending team activities following his 2024 knee injury. If he avoids a release, a team will eventually have to trade for an elite separator who logged a 17.9 Yards Per Reception mark and a +15.9 Expected Points Added (EPA) rating during his last full season. If and when Aiyuk leaves San Francisco, the Commanders are his most likely destination.
Matthew Stafford confirmed on the Green Light podcast that he is operating on a year-to-year timeline, though conversations with legendary signal-callers have him open to playing into his 40s. The 38-year-old quarterback is coming off an elite campaign where he averaged 21.1 Fantasy Points Per Game (No. 4) and paced the league with a 122.7 Passing EPX (No. 1).
The offseason addition of Myles Garrett has further inspired Stafford, who commands high-end QB2 status with an undeniable weekly ceiling for an ascendant Los Angeles roster. At 38.3 years of age, Stafford has counterintuitively become a top value in fantasy football dynasty leagues based on the assumption that the 2025 NFL MVP will retire soon.
After faceplanting with an anemic 5.5 Fantasy Points Per Game (No. 84) and a 1.21 Target Separation mark (No. 81) as a rookie, Quentin Johnston now enters an offense designed to fix his structural floor. New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel brings a system built to maximize yards after catch, direct angles, and open grass.
With Keenan Allen long gone, Johnston is set to absorb significant target share under optimal schematic conditions. Los Angeles’ offensive line set to return to health while Ladd McConkey is nursing a strained hamstring. Johnston will battle PlayerProfiler favorite Tre’ Harris for Justin Herbert’s affection. Johnston is the rare short-term fantasy football best ball value play who is also a long-term trap in dynasty leagues.
