NFL fantasy football news and player signals for Friday, May 8, 2026

Davis Mattek uses Saquon Barkley as an example of injury risk in the Eagles backfield; if Barkley gets injured, Tank Bigsby becomes valuable as a handcuff. Mattek also references Barkley as a potential injury scenario (missing a month) that could swing his zero-RB team's weekly projections favorably, indicating Barkley is a key player in the league landscape but not a core part of Mattek's roster.

Davis Mattek states he does not like having Malik Washington ranked as high as he currently is, indicating he plans to lower Washington's rankings on flockfantasy.com, suggesting reduced confidence in Washington's role or upside.

Listed as part of the Eagles backfield depth chart alongside Rico, C-Rod, Jordan Mason, Aaron Jones, and Tank Bigsby.

Davis Mattek references James Cook as a potential injury scenario (missing a month) that could swing his zero-RB team's weekly projections favorably, indicating Cook is a key player in the league landscape but not a core part of Mattek's roster.

Davis Mattek criticizes his opponent's tight end selection, grouping Chig Okonkwo with Brevin Strange as weak tight end options that make him prefer his own team composition, suggesting Okonkwo lacks reliable role or production for best-ball purposes.

Davis Mattek flags RJ Harvey as a potential zero RB team target if his price drops below Dobbins; cheaper pricing would increase Mattek's willingness to draft more zero RB teams.

Davis Mattek targets Chris Bell as a rookie wide receiver with a wide range of upside in round 18, noting he did not take Bell much in the pre-draft process but now plans to move his rankings up on him, suggesting emerging conviction on Bell's breakout potential. Bell is selected as part of Mattek's zero RB team receiver group, contributing to a strong wide receiver core designed to offset running back depth concerns.

Ray Davis is selected as part of Mattek's zero-RB team roster, included in a running back group (Rico Dowdle, Chris Rodriguez, George Mason, Aaron Jones, Keaton Mitchell, Tank Bigsby, Ray Davis, Ka'imi Fairbairn) that Mattek acknowledges will not have an easy time advancing due to running back depth concerns.

De'Anthony Thomas has received bullish value arguments from analysts that Davis Mattek applies to Ka'imi Fairbairn, suggesting Thomas represents a ceiling play with upside potential in best-ball formats.

Davis Mattek considers Jordan James a ceiling play in zero-RB best-ball strategy, describing him as 'kind of fun' as a potential late-round running back option with upside potential.

Sean Tucker is identified as a good fit for zero-RB best ball team construction, included in Mattek's late-round running back queue for the Eagles. Mattek debated between Tucker and Raheem Davis for the handcuff slot but ultimately chose Davis.

Nicholas Singleton is identified as a good fit for zero-RB best ball team construction, included in Mattek's late-round running back queue for the Eagles.

Tank Bigsby correlates well with the Jalen Hurts Eagles team in best ball construction. Mattek identifies him as a late-round running back target with handcuff upside; if Saquon Barkley gets injured at the right time, Bigsby becomes a valuable asset. Selected as part of Mattek's zero-RB team roster.

Pacheco earned a share of the Kansas City Chiefs backfield as a seventh-round rookie out of Rutgers. Mattek views this as a strong signal for best ball construction and is adding him to his zero-RB team list. The historical parallel to Emari Demercado's situation illustrates the archetype of late-round running back emergence with the Chiefs, where Andy Reid has a track record of elevating late-round backs.

Garrett Wilson is a key target for Geno Smith's passing game in the Seahawks offense. Mattek notes that taking Geno Smith without Wilson and Breece Hall is a consideration in zero-RB best ball construction, suggesting Wilson's presence is essential to making Geno a viable quarterback option.

Ty Johnson is cited as a passing-down back archetype suitable for zero-RB best ball team construction. Mattek uses Johnson as an example of the Nyheim Hines model—a player who provides value despite not being a traditional lead-back option. The passing-down back role has mathematical clarity that makes it valuable in best ball formats where floor and consistency matter.

Nyheim Hines is cited as the archetype for passing-down backs in zero-RB best ball construction. Mattek notes that Hines was never really draftable as a traditional passing-down back for the Colts but would be drafted every single year, demonstrating the value of this role in best ball formats where the mathematical role clarity is evident in the tools. The difference between seven running backs and six running backs weighs heavily on advance rate.

Mattek notes Aaron Rodgers as a viable third quarterback option for zero RB best ball team construction, but self-deprecatingly questions his own decision-making for considering a third quarterback so late. At 18% ADP, Rodgers is still available, suggesting he is overvalued or unnecessary at that stage of the draft.

Mattek evaluates Washington Jr. as a late-round running back option but finds insufficient appeal compared to the Sadiq tight end upside strategy, passing on him in favor of other targets. He groups Washington Jr. with Zach Charbonnet as running backs that didn't make a ton of sense for this specific zero RB team construction.

Mattek considers Geno Smith as a late-round quarterback stack option with Kenyon Sadiq at tight end, allowing comfort with whatever quarterback is drafted earlier and providing late-round flexibility. However, Mattek ultimately rejects taking Geno without Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, both key offensive weapons for the Seahawks, calling it 'stupid' at that point. The value is contingent on teammate availability and offensive context.

Mattek targets Sadiq as a late-round tight end two with ceiling upside that pairs well with Brock Bowers. The strategy requires only low weekly production (not consistent 10-11 points) from the second tight end, allowing flexibility at the position and enabling another late quarterback stack with Geno Smith. Sadiq is selected as part of Mattek's zero RB team receiver group, contributing to a strong wide receiver core designed to offset running back depth concerns.

Dylan Sampson catching four passes from Deshaun Watson for the Cleveland Browns is cited as an example of the type of unpredictable backup running back contribution that could land in a zero running back team's starting lineup or flex, creating problematic volatility.

Charbonnet is identified as 'fool's gold' for zero running back teams despite being a potential late-season hammer. Davis Mattek explicitly avoids selecting him because on a team with no projectable running back scoring, the unpredictable weekly contributions from backup running backs would create too much volatility and risk. The issue is that weeks with Isaiah Pacheco's 7.6 points or Dylan Sampson catching four passes from Deshaun Watson for the Cleveland Browns could land in a zero RB team's starting lineup, creating problematic variance.

Keaton Mitchell is on 25% of Davis Mattek's best ball teams on Underdog and is being selected to provide weekly ceiling upside. Mattek emphasizes this is a signature pick for his channel and expresses high confidence in the selection. Mitchell is referenced as a potential breakout scenario (scoring a couple long touchdowns in the right week) that could swing the zero-RB team's weekly projections favorably, indicating Mitchell is a lottery-ticket upside play.

Davis Mattek selects Aaron Jones as his second running back, explicitly executing a backfield-stacking strategy for the zero RB team. Mattek notes he has slightly less exposure to Jordan Mason than Aaron Jones, and the difference in ADP between the two is thin. By taking Aaron Jones, Mattek achieves his stated goal of getting two running backs from the same backfield (Minnesota), which he believes sets an ideal floor for a zero RB team in best ball.

Davis Mattek selects Chris Rodriguez as his running back pick, explicitly choosing him over Jordan Mason based on ADP strategy. Mattek's reasoning: playing the ADP game maximizes chances of getting multiple running backs from the same backfield (Rashaad White, Aaron Jones, John Brooks) to return later. Mattek notes he has 6.4% exposure to Rodriguez, suggesting he was buying when Rodriguez was cheaper. The strategy aims to stack running backs from the same team to set the floor on a zero RB team. Rodriguez is selected as part of Mattek's zero RB room alongside Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason, Aaron Jones, and Keaton Mitchell.

Davis Mattek considers Jordan Love as a potential QB2 option for the zero RB team, questioning whether the team should be comfortable stopping at Love as the second quarterback or if another running back should be prioritized instead.

Davis Mattek selects Rico Dowdle as running back one for a zero RB team build, preferring him to Kalen Ballage. Mattek frames Dowdle as the exact profile desired for zero RB strategy: an ambiguous backfield with RB1 upside. While Dowdle played into and then out of RB1 duty last year due to passing-down inefficiency versus Kenny Gainwell, Mattek projects him as at worst a running back two-ish style player who hits flex rooms in best ball if he scores a touchdown. Dowdle also has a pre-existing relationship with Mike McCarthy from their Dallas time together. However, Mattek later flags Rodriguez as overpriced relative to Bijan Robinson, stating he would love if their prices were flipped, suggesting Dowdle's backfield mate Rodriguez may be overvalued at current ADP.

Davis Mattek notes that the Steelers have retained Jaylen Wright, but the team's accumulation of running backs suggests they do not view Jaylen Warren as a true running back one, indicating a crowded backfield situation with limited opportunity for any single back.

Davis Mattek targets Jordan Mason as a running back option during zero RB team construction, grouping him with other ambiguous backfield candidates like Blake Corum, Dobbins, and Chris Rodriguez. Mattek considers Mason as his next highest-ranked RB after JCM was selected, but ultimately opts for Chris Rodriguez based on ADP strategy to maximize chances of getting multiple running backs from the same backfield. Mason is selected as part of Mattek's zero RB room alongside Rico Dowdle, Chris Rodriguez, Aaron Jones, and Keaton Mitchell.

Davis Mattek identifies Blake Corum as a running back target to pile into during the zero RB team's aggressive running back accumulation phase, alongside other ambiguous backfield options like Dobbins, JCM, C Rod, and Jordan Mason.

Davis Mattek argues that DK Metcalf fits the zero RB team better than other options in the 70s-80s range, which he describes as a wasteland; Metcalf functions as a strong wide receiver five and justifies pushing the draft one more round to secure him before attacking running back. Mattek took Metcalf in round seven and projects him to deliver one of the best wide receiver projections on his zero-RB best-ball team despite the late-round selection, suggesting strong value at that ADP.

Davis Mattek identifies Jaylen Warren as the type of running back profile that could serve as running back one on a zero RB team, representing the ambiguous backfield archetype that zero RB strategies target.

Dallas Goedert is mentioned as a tight end alternative option for zero RB teams after securing Jalen Hurts at quarterback, allowing flexibility to defer tight end selection until late in the draft. Mattek lost out on Goedert in this best ball construction, forcing him to pivot to alternative tight end strategies.

Davis Mattek selects Jalen Hurts as the primary quarterback for zero RB team construction, prioritizing him over Caleb Williams to secure a top-eight quarterback early while maintaining flexibility to stack wide receivers and defer tight end selection. Hurts serves as the stack anchor for multiple wide receivers including Jackson Smith-Njigba and DeVonta Smith. Mattek characterizes the final quarterback room (Hurts and Fernando Mendoza) as fine and maybe slightly above average.

Davis Mattek selects Christian Watson in zero RB team construction, choosing him over DJ Moore. Watson provides another opportunity to stack elite wide receivers; the strategy requires six top-15 wide receivers, and Watson adds variance and depth to the receiver corps. Mattek later includes Watson as a wide receiver in his final zero RB best-ball team alongside Jackson Smith-Njigba, DeVonta Smith, Luther Burden, DK Metcalf, and Brock Bowers, with Aaron Rodgers stacking with two other players on the roster.

Davis Mattek identifies Mike Evans as the ADP value at this draft spot in zero RB team construction, suggesting he offers good value relative to his market price and is underpriced relative to his draft position.

Mattek views Terry McLaurin as a tertiary fantasy football player who is priced up based on hope and dreams rather than reliable production, suggesting he is overvalued at his ADP.

Davis Mattek expresses hesitation about drafting DJ Moore in zero RB team construction, stating 'I can't take DJ Moore' and indicating he needs to move DJ Moore down in his rankings slightly, signaling a downward valuation adjustment. Mattek also views DJ Moore as a tertiary fantasy football player priced up based on hope and dreams rather than reliable production, suggesting he is overvalued at his ADP.

Mattek views Davante Adams as a tertiary fantasy football player who is priced up based on hope and dreams rather than reliable production, suggesting he is overvalued at his ADP.

Mattek views D.J. Moore as a tertiary fantasy football player who is priced up based on hope and dreams rather than reliable production, suggesting he is overvalued at his ADP. Mattek also expresses hesitation about drafting Moore in zero running back construction, stating he needs to move Moore down in his rankings ever so slightly due to draft indecision around him.

Mattek feels better that David Montgomery is going to be a really consistent fantasy football asset compared to D.J. Moore, suggesting Montgomery has more reliable production expectations at this draft range.

Mattek found it not difficult to pass on Trevion Henderson at this draft spot, suggesting he does not view Henderson as a priority target in his best ball builds.

Mattek found it not difficult to pass on Bucky Irving at this draft spot, suggesting he does not view Irving as a priority target in his best ball builds.

Luther Burden is clearly the top of Mattek's rankings and still available at this draft spot; Mattek has 31% exposure to Burden and would love to stack him with Caleb Williams, viewing any situation where he can get those two together as highly desirable. Burden is selected as part of Mattek's core wide receiver group in zero RB team construction.

Mattek targets Caleb Williams as a secondary quarterback option for zero RB teams, hoping he returns in the next round after taking Jalen Hurts; securing two elite quarterbacks early allows deferring tight end and running back selections. Mattek would also love to stack Williams with Luther Burden, viewing any situation where he can get those two together as highly desirable in best ball construction.

Mattek identifies Bijan Robinson as underpriced relative to Chris Rodriguez; flipping their price relationship would be the number one factor making him want to draft more zero RB teams, indicating Robinson offers better value at current ADP. Robinson is potentially the running back two on the Jaguars, but Mattek notes he would have been a 10th round pick in previous years and is now expensive.

Mattek has significantly less exposure to DeVonta Smith compared to his running back stalwarts (Josh Jacobs 12%, Breece Hall 15%, Travis Etienne 19%), but is willing to take him in draft spots to stack with Jalen Hurts for elite quarterback-receiver pairing. Smith is selected as part of Mattek's core wide receiver group in zero RB team construction.

Brock Bowers has officially flipped Trey McBride as the tight end one; Mattek considers Bowers a cornerstone of zero RB builds and notes he was available as a third-round pick early in best ball season but those days are probably behind us. Mattek describes Bowers as part of a strong true zero RB start when paired with elite wide receivers like Jackson Smith-Njigba.

Mattek has significantly less exposure to A.J. Brown compared to his running back stalwarts (Josh Jacobs 12%, Breece Hall 15%, Travis Etienne 19%) in his zero RB builds, indicating lower priority in his constructions.

Mattek mentions Kenneth Walker as a potential target in zero RB builds, noting his personal affinity for the player, but ultimately opts for elite tight end options instead.

Mattek considers Breece Hall a stalwart of his zero RB builds with 15% exposure in his flock tool analysis, indicating consistent usage across multiple team constructions. Hall is a key offensive weapon for the Jets; Mattek views his presence as essential to making Geno Smith a viable zero-RB quarterback option.

Reed is an offseason winner with similar logic to Josh Downs, having played 74-76% slot rate in his first three years and positioned for increased outside opportunities.

Even if Pierce receives 115-120 targets, that would represent a real win for him, suggesting limited upside compared to Downs who has consistently been a target earner.

Downs has been very efficient per route run throughout his career and analyst believes teams have typecast him without allowing him to showcase his talent on the perimeter.

Downs has played slot exclusively (75-81% slot rate each year for three years) with only 82 snaps out wide last year, but with Pitman gone and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as the only outside competition, he should see increased perimeter snaps.

With Michael Pitman gone and no wide receiver investment in the draft, Downs is positioned for increased outside snaps and could smash as a double-digit round pick.

Rodriguez has no pass-catching ability whatsoever and has never been targeted throughout his career, limiting his fantasy upside.

Rodriguez has only six career receptions and historically players with fewer than 20 receptions after three years don't become 8-9% target share players, limiting his fantasy ceiling.

Brown was a league winner down the stretch last year and the Bengals made no changes to alter that trajectory, making him a strong value pick.

Bengals have signaled comfort with Brown in the role by not investing in running back depth for two consecutive years, with only Sama Perine and Taj Brooks as backups, and the offense remains largely unchanged year-over-year.

From week 6 onward in 2024, Brown averaged 67% rushing share, 14% target share, and 19.4 PPR points per game; from week 8 onward he averaged 21.5 PPR points per game, ranking behind only CMC, Bejian Robinson, and Jir Gibbs.

Analyst projects Chase Brown should be in the tier after the 1-2 turn at running back, ahead of Amari and Hampton, believing he's undervalued despite strong 2024 performance.

Analyst believes McBride is overvalued, citing uncertain quarterback situation, more competition at pass catcher, unsustainable passing volume regression of 3-4 attempts per game, and hot touchdown scoring down the stretch last year.

With improved offensive line play, a better system under Clint Kubiak, and a hopeful upgrade at quarterback, Bowers is positioned to see significant work and be the number one target in the offense.

Bowers avoided any notable wide receiver additions this offseason besides Jaylen Naylor and could operate in a JSN-like role as the primary target in the offense.

Analyst projects Brock Bowers to rank ahead of Trey McBride in redraft rankings, positioning him as tight end one for the season with potential to see massive workload in the offense.

Analyst notes that Seattle likely won't give Price a full bellcow workload to start the season, even with Emanuel Wilson and George Helani as competition.

Analyst worries that Zack Charbanet's return in late November/early December could limit Price's workload and goal-line opportunities when Price is hitting his stride.

Analyst expresses concern that Price may be limited to between-the-20s production without goal-line work or significant receiving upside, projecting a top-20 ceiling rather than top-10 in Dynasty.