NFL fantasy football news and player signals for Saturday, May 16, 2026

Davis Mattek leans toward DJ Giddens over Adam Randall as a late-round running back pick, citing correlation with Daniel Jones at quarterback as a strategic advantage for this draft team.

Davis Mattek recommends Demond Claiborne as a good late-round running back selection for a team built around early-round running back investments like Bijan Robinson and Jeremiah Love.

Davis Mattek identifies Calvin Ridley as a very obviously good wide receiver pick, with projections strongly favoring him. Mike Clay consensus projects Ridley for 94 targets, 49 receptions, 769 yards, and four touchdowns despite being drafted at WR70. Mattek estimates Ridley has approximately 25% probability of mattering for fantasy, with roughly 20% chance of health and 5% chance of earning 5.5 targets per game if on field. The primary risk is physical decline post-injury, but if healthy, earning targets is very likely. Ridley was a fourth-to-fifth round pick last year and had 36 targets through six games despite scoring zero touchdowns.

Davis Mattek's interest in Pat Freiermuth increases with each day the Steelers do not add another tight end. Mattek describes Freiermuth as undramatic but increasingly appealing as the team's depth chart solidifies. Mattek selected Freiermuth as his third tight end, describing him as a nice comfortable veteran option.

Davis Mattek has 25% ownership of Gunner Helm and selected him as the second tight end in the draft. Mattek likes late-round tight ends and views Helm as a draftable option in this tier, part of a three-tight-end room with Jake Ferguson and Pat Freiermuth.

Davis Mattek passed on Juwan Johnson as a second tight end in favor of Daniel Jones at quarterback, believing Johnson might fall back to him later in the draft. However, Slappy White drafted Johnson before Mattek's next pick, denying Mattek his preferred tight end pick for a team Mattek viewed as custom-made for an older veteran tight end.

Bucky Irving was an excellent fantasy player his rookie season but declined significantly last season even when healthy. Davis Mattek cites poor athletic profile as a concern: 2.28 RAS, 192 lb, 29-inch vert, 4.58 40-time. Mattek holds the opinion that lower RAS scores correlate with higher injury risk. In best ball, Irving is characterized as high ceiling, low floor, indicating significant upside with corresponding downside risk depending on opportunity and health.

Davis Mattek drafted Tyler Shough as a quarterback with significant fantasy ceiling. Mattek notes that Shough is drafted slightly after ADP and that "we all kind of universally acknowledge has a ton of fantasy football ceiling and just interest this year." Mattek plans to stack Shough later in the draft.

Davis Mattek drafted Jake Ferguson as a tight end who stacks with Dak Prescott, leveraging the quarterback-receiver connection for ceiling upside. Ferguson is part of Mattek's three-tight-end room alongside Gunner Helm and Pat Freiermuth.

Davis Mattek drafted Matthew Golden and noted he needs to move him up in his rankings. Mike Clay projects Golden for 186 PPR points (WR38) with 67 catches, 874 yards, and 5 touchdowns. Mattek believes Golden will be on the field consistently and would be surprised if Malik Keith earns draft rounds over him.

Davis Mattek selected Josh Downs as the perfect wide receiver fit for his draft team, citing Downs' track record of strong fantasy production on limited routes. Downs is viewed as a high-efficiency option despite limited volume and is included in Mattek's best ball roster as part of a seven-wide-receiver room.

Davis Mattek drafted Cam Skattebo as part of a running-back-heavy roster construction strategy. Mattek views Skattebo as having a high ceiling but lower floor due to injury concerns, positioning him as a secondary running back option in a balanced room that includes Bijan Robinson (very high ceiling), Jeremiah Love (very high floor from touches), and Bucky Irving (high ceiling, low floor).

Jayden Reed has experienced significant ADP inflation, rising from WR49-54 to pick 74 with no corresponding change in situation or production. Davis Mattek views this as an example of nonsensical ADP ordering where players are forced into distinct draft positions despite similar projected value.

Mike Clay projects Wan'Dale Robinson for 174 PPR points. Davis Mattek notes this is "basically the exact same thing" as Xavier Worthy's 171 points, supporting his argument that there is no meaningful difference between premium and mid-tier wide receivers at this tier.

Mike Clay projects Xavier Worthy for 171 PPR points (WR43). Davis Mattek uses Worthy as an example of a mid-tier wide receiver with similar projection value to premium options like DK Metcalf (195 PPR, WR32), supporting his argument that there is no meaningful difference between premium and mid-tier wide receivers.

Davis Mattek argues there is no meaningful difference between DK Metcalf (195 PPR, WR32) and Ricky Pearsall, suggesting Pearsall offers similar value at a lower draft cost. Mattek considered Pearsall but ultimately passed to take Josh Downs instead, prioritizing roster construction fit.

Mike Clay projects DK Metcalf for 195 PPR points, ranking him as WR32. Mattek uses this projection as a comparison point when arguing there is no meaningful difference between premium wide receivers and mid-tier options like Ricky Pearsall and Xavier Worthy.

Davis Mattek selected Dak Prescott as his starting quarterback to anchor a George Pickens-centric wide receiver strategy. Mattek describes Prescott as "obviously a very good fantasy quarterback" and uses him as a cornerstone for stacking strategies with tight ends like Jake Ferguson. Mattek drafted Prescott in best ball alongside Tyler Shuck and Daniel Jones, projecting this trio to provide top-quartile quarterback points with complementary ceilings and floors.

Davis Mattek considers Tyler Warren as a tight end option but ultimately decides against him in favor of Dak Prescott, suggesting Warren is not a priority in this particular draft construction focused on running backs and wide receivers.

Davis Mattek states he definitely needs to take Makai Lemon, indicating Lemon is a must-have player in his draft strategy to support the running back-heavy roster construction.

Davis Mattek references Kyren Williams' 2024 performance as an example of a breakout running back that could make a zero running back strategy dangerous if hit early; Williams exemplifies the upside potential of late-round or overlooked running backs in a robust running back-heavy draft strategy.

Davis Mattek identifies Keaton Mitchell as a potential late-round running back target alongside Adam Randall and De'Von Achane, suggesting he may take one more running back after his initial four-back strategy.

Davis Mattek identifies De'Von Achane as a potential late-round running back target alongside Adam Randall and Keaton Mitchell, suggesting he may take one more running back after his initial four-back strategy.

Davis Mattek identifies Adam Randall as a potential late-round running back target alongside De'Von Achane and Keaton Mitchell, suggesting he may take one more running back after his initial four-back strategy. Mattek also presents Randall as a viable late-round option alongside DJ Giddens, noting the pick carries 'big zero risk' despite limited NFL roster certainty.

Davis Mattek references Alvin Kamara's six-touchdown performance in Best Ball Mania 1 as evidence of how running backs can generate massive fantasy points in best ball formats, supporting the strategy of drafting multiple running backs early. Mattek also identifies Kamara as a potential fifth running back option if he wanted to further build on his Dak Prescott stack, indicating Kamara is available at a later draft position in this scenario.

Davis Mattek notes that Zingy 05 has Rashee Rice in a zero running back draft strategy alongside JSN and Devonta Smith, indicating Rice is being used as a wide receiver anchor in alternative team constructions.

Davis Mattek notes that Zingy 05 has Devonta Smith in a zero running back draft strategy alongside JSN and Rashee Rice, indicating Smith is being used as a wide receiver anchor in alternative team constructions.

Davis Mattek uses CeeDee Lamb as a comparison point for George Pickens' upside, stating that Pickens can outscore Lamb in a season, positioning Lamb as a benchmark elite wide receiver.

Davis Mattek identifies Colston Loveland as one of three premium tight end options (alongside Brock Bowers and Travis McBride) that he prioritizes in his robust running back-heavy draft strategy. Mattek states: 'I find teams where I do not have Bowers, uh, McBride, or Kholston Loveland, I I kind of end up hating my tight end rooms.' Loveland's draft slot is resolved ('Loveland goes, so we don't even have to sweat that'), indicating Mattek is satisfied with his positioning and does not need to actively target him in this particular draft scenario.

Davis Mattek expresses real concerns about Zay Flowers' ceiling, questioning whether he can reach 15-16 points per game. Flowers is grouped among third and fourth round receivers with ceiling concerns alongside DJ Moore, Ladd McConkey, Davante Adams, Luther Burden, Garrett Wilson, and Teit.

Davis Mattek expresses real concerns about Luther Burden's ceiling, questioning whether he can reach 15-16 points per game. Burden is grouped among third and fourth round receivers with ceiling concerns alongside DJ Moore, Ladd McConkey, Davante Adams, Garrett Wilson, Zay Flowers, and Teit.

Davis Mattek expresses real concerns about Ladd McConkey's ceiling, questioning whether he can reach 15-16 points per game. McConkey is grouped among third and fourth round wide receivers (alongside DJ Moore, Davante Adams, Luther Burden, Garrett Wilson, Zay Flowers, and Teit) with significant ceiling concerns. Mattek states: 'I have real concerns that any of these guys can be a 15-16 points per game player.'

Davis Mattek expresses real concerns about Garrett Wilson's ceiling, questioning whether he can reach 15-16 points per game. Wilson is grouped among third and fourth round receivers with ceiling concerns alongside DJ Moore, Ladd McConkey, Davante Adams, Luther Burden, Zay Flowers, and Teit.

Davis Mattek expresses real concerns about DJ Moore's ceiling, questioning whether he can reach 15-16 points per game. Moore is grouped among third and fourth round wide receivers (alongside Ladd McConkey, Davante Adams, Luther Burden, Garrett Wilson, Zay Flowers, and Teit) with significant ceiling concerns. Mattek states: 'I have real concerns that any of these guys can be a 15-16 points per game player.'

Davis Mattek expresses real concerns about Davante Adams' ceiling, questioning whether he can reach 15-16 points per game. Adams is grouped among third and fourth round wide receivers with significant ceiling concerns alongside DJ Moore, Ladd McConkey, Luther Burden, Garrett Wilson, Zay Flowers, and Teit.

Davis Mattek projects George Pickens for 17 points per game and believes he can outscore CeeDee Lamb in a season, viewing him as a tremendous touchdown producer. Mattek anchors his wide receiver group with Pickens despite concerns about his effort levels and off-season Dallas Cowboys franchise tag uncertainty. The entire roster construction is predicated on Pickens finishing as a top-four wide receiver.

Davis Mattek expects Jeremiah Love's rookie season to resemble Anthony Gentry's trajectory: limited by offensive line play, game script, and quarterback play, but capable of spike weeks with 30-35 point performances. Mattek acknowledges Love is very good but will be constrained by team context. However, Mattek also characterizes Love as having a very high floor in best ball due to his touch volume, making him a reliable contributor in the running back room alongside Bijan Robinson (high ceiling), Cam Skattebo (high ceiling, lower floor), and Bucky Irving (high ceiling, low floor).

Davis Mattek expresses strong conviction in Brock Bowers as a premium tight end value, stating he would not skip on him even while building a robust running back-heavy team with his own money. Mattek regrets not getting Bowers in his draft and views him as a must-have tight end option.

Davis Mattek ranks Jahmyr Gibbs as one of the clear two best players in fantasy football this year, alongside Bijan Robinson, and believes they will score the most points. He is willing to take Gibbs at 1.01 ADP.

Davis Mattek ranks Bijan Robinson as one of the clear two best players in fantasy football this year, alongside Jahmyr Gibbs, and believes they will score the most points. He is willing to take Robinson at 1.01 ADP and views him as a foundational pick for robust running back-heavy teams. Robinson is characterized as having a very high ceiling in best ball, positioned as a cornerstone piece in a roster that emphasizes depth at the running back position.

Davis Mattek cites Saquon Barkley as a story of the 2024 season, highlighting him as a successful running back in the context of the year of the running back narrative.

Davis Mattek cites Najee Harris as a story of the 2024 season, highlighting him as a successful running back in the context of the year of the running back narrative.

Davis Mattek cites Joe Mixon as a story of the 2024 season, highlighting him as a successful running back in the context of the year of the running back narrative.

Davis Mattek cites Javonte Williams as a story of the 2025 season, highlighting him as a successful running back in the context of the year of the running back narrative.

Davis Mattek cites Derrick Henry as a story of the season, highlighting him as a successful running back in the context of the year of the running back narrative.

Davis Mattek cites Christian McCaffrey as a story of the season, highlighting him as a successful running back in the context of the year of the running back narrative.