Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers: Kenneth Walker Primed For Career Year

Fantasy Football Risers (8-1 through 8-7)

These players have moved up the Draft Sharks fantasy football rankings over the last week.

Jayden Daniels, QB, Commanders

Stefon Diggs is a big upgrade over Washington’s previous candidates for the No. 2 WR job (Antonio Williams, Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks, etc.). Diggs’ arrival pushed Daniels ahead of Joe Burrow to QB4 in the rankings.

Kenneth Walker, RB, Chiefs

We like what we’re hearing out of Chiefs camp: plenty of passing-game usage for Walker and more under-center snaps, which have been good for his efficiency. He’s up to 18th overall in the PPR rankings.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Commanders

Croskey-Merritt has gotten more receiving work in training camp and shown improvement there. He’s been the favorite to lead this backfield in carries all along, and if he adds some passing-game production, JCM could emerge as a weekly fantasy starter.

Jordan Mason, RB, Vikings

The Vikings are retooling their running game for 2026, shifting toward more outside zone concepts. That’s good news for Mason, who’s averaged a huge 5.6 yards per carry on outside zone runs for his career (vs. 4.7 on all other runs).

Keaton Mitchell, RB, Chargers

ESPN’s Dan Graziano left Chargers camp believing Mitchell will have a significant role, including in the passing game. The speedster doesn’t need many touches to pile up fantasy points. He’s at least a fun pick in best ball, although we’re still skeptical that he’ll be a reliable starter in managed leagues.

D.J. Moore, WR, Bills

Moore has been a consistent standout in training camp, looking like Josh Allen’s clear No. 1 target. That’s especially encouraging for a guy who simply wasn’t very good last year. Still just 29 and now paired with a much better QB, Moore certainly has bounce-back potential.

Stefon Diggs, WR, Commanders

Diggs inked a one-year deal this week with Washington, where he should be a clear top two target for Jayden Daniels. Diggs remained effective last year, ranking top 15 among 76 qualifying WRs in targets per route and yards per route. He sits in WR4 territory for now but could climb.

Deebo Samuel & De’Zhaun Stribling, WRs, 49ers

Ricky Pearsall’s season-ending knee surgery leaves these guys as the likely No. 2 and No. 3 WRs in the 49ers’ always-efficient passing game. Samuel, who has plenty of experience in this offense, tops Stribling in the rankings for now. But this WR corps will be worth watching closely over the next month.

Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Eagles

Multiple Eagles beat writers have Wicks as the team’s No. 2 WR right now. He’s had an impressive camp, while rookie Makai Lemon has missed time with a hamstring injury. We’d still bet on Lemon overtaking Wicks at some point this season. But Wicks has become an intriguing late-round flier.

Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, Ravens

This rookie has "become the star of Ravens training camp,” according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. Lane even drew a Michael Thomas comp from OC Declan Doyle. He’s the early favorite for Baltimore’s No. 3 WR job and worth a look at the end of fantasy drafts of 18+ rounds.

Elic Ayomanor, WR, Titans

Jim Wyatt of the Titans’ official website called Ayomanor “one of the biggest stars of camp.” He had an underwhelming rookie season but was an intriguing prospect coming out of Stanford. Ayomanor is a candidate for a year-two leap, although a crowded WR depth chart and questionable offense prevent him from climbing too far up the WR rankings.

Malik Benson, WR, Raiders

According to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden, Benson has had a strong start to camp and emerged as Vegas’ No. 3 WR. He’ll need to climb the depth chart to have any real fantasy value, but the sixth-round rookie is at least a name to monitor.

Terrance Ferguson, WR, Rams

Ferguson has put together a “fantastic offseason,” according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, and is in line for a bigger role in his second NFL campaign. He’s a fun late-round target in fantasy drafts. For more on Ferguson, check out our Deep Sleepers.

Fantasy Football Fallers (8-1 through 8-7)

These players have moved down the Draft Sharks fantasy football rankings over the last week.

Deshaun Watson, QB, Browns

It’s been an ugly start to camp for Watson, who’s thrown 8 INTs through 9 practices. That’s not a big surprise considering he’s been one of the league’s worst passers since 2022. Shedeur Sanders might be the new favorite to open the season as Cleveland’s starter. But this remains a situation to avoid in fantasy drafts.

Rachaad White, RB, Commanders

If Jacory Croskey-Merritt is in line for more passing-game work this season, that’d take a bite out of White’s fantasy appeal. We certainly don’t expect him to put up big rushing numbers. White now sits in RB4 territory in the PPR rankings.

Terry McLaurin, WR, Commanders

His target share took a slight hit with Stefon Diggs’s arrival, dropping McLaurin from 20th to 25th in a tightly grouped tier of the WR rankings.

Makai Lemon, WR, Eagles

He’s missing camp time with what we’re assuming is an aggravation of the hamstring injury that cost him time this spring. Those are valuable missed reps for the rookie. There’s still time for Lemon to make up ground, but he might not be a reliable fantasy play to open the season.

Ricky Pearsall, WR, 49ers

Pearsall had season-ending surgery on the PCL injury that’s bothered him for nearly a year. He’ll miss the entire 2026 season, although he’s expected to be back in plenty of time for 2027.

Jack Bech, WR, Raiders

He’s followed a disappointing rookie season with a quiet start to camp, reportedly falling behind sixth-round rookie Malik Benson, plus Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor. Bech is well off the redraft radar for now.

Chig Okonkwo, TE, Commanders

Stefon Diggs’ addition shaved Okonkwo’s target projection a tad, dropping him from 19th to 20th in the TE rankings.

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Fantasy Football Risers (7-25 through 7-31)

These players have moved up the Draft Sharks fantasy football rankings over the last week.

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seahawks

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote this week that Charbonnet’s “readiness for Week 1 looms as a potential close call.” That’s a far more optimistic timeline than we’ve heard all offseason. We’re still not buying Charbonnet returning anywhere close to the start of the season, but we did bump his projections from 6 games to 8.

MarShawn Lloyd, RB, Packers

After a buzzy spring, Lloyd has continued to impress early in camp, flashing big-play ability and working in with the first-team offense. If he can stay healthy, Lloyd looks like a heavy favorite to be the Josh Jacobs handcuff.

Jaydon Blue, RB, Cowboys

Like Lloyd, Blue’s spring momentum has carried into camp. He’s drawn praise from coaches and beat writers while mixing in with the first-team offense. Blue could carve out a passing-game role right away and looks like the top handcuff to Javonte Williams.

Kaelon Black, RB, 49ers

Jordan James is sidelined with a fractured rib, giving Black a chance to push for the No. 2 RB job. That role carries no standalone fantasy value, and we'd still expect a committee attack if Christian McCaffrey misses time. But if you're taking a late shot on this backfield, Black is the better bet than James right now.

Malik Nabers, WR, Giants

After a spring full of negative news, the buzz on Nabers has flipped over the past week. He avoided the PUP list to open training camp and has looked surprisingly good early on. The team still isn’t giving a target date, but Week 1 now looks like a real possibility. We’ve gone from 14 to 16 projected games for Nabers, bumping him from WR19 to WR12 in the PPR rankings.

Josh Downs, WR, Colts

HC Shane Steichen seemed to confirm this week that Downs will play in 2-WR sets this season. That’d be a big boost for a guy who’s totaled 33 routes and 12 targets out of '12' personnel over the last three years. Downs will need more big plays and TDs to truly break out this season, but he has a good chance to beat his WR48 ADP.

Jayden Higgins, WR, Texans

Jaylin Noel is out a few weeks with a finger injury, and Tank Dell still isn’t ready for full-team work after his multi-ligament knee injury. Higgins, meanwhile, has impressed early in camp and looks like a strong bet to open the season as Houston’s No. 2 WR.

Deebo Samuel & De’Zhaun Stribling, WRs, 49ers

Lots of movement in the 49ers’ WR corps this week. Ricky Pearsall is dealing with complications from last year’s PCL injury, and there’s been speculation that he’ll need season-ending surgery. San Francisco’s decision to bring Samuel back on a one-year deal suggests concern about Pearsall’s status. Samuel now sits second among 49ers WRs in our rankings. Stribling also made a move up based on Pearsall’s injury and a strong start to camp. The rookie is an intriguing late-round flier.

Jalen Coker & Xavier Legette, WR, Panthers

Chris Brazzell’s season-ending knee injury clears up Carolina’s WR room. Coker already looked like a good bet for No. 2 duties but got a small bump in projected targets. Legette is now the likely No. 3 by default but is still not a recommended fantasy pick.

Cyrus Allen, WR, Chiefs

This rookie has drawn a surprising amount of buzz early in camp, from both HC Andy Reid and the media. Reid notably said this week that Allen has “got some trust” from QB Patrick Mahomes. He’s still a long shot for 2026 fantasy value but has become an intriguing stash on dynasty rosters.

Fantasy Football Fallers (7-25 through 7-31)

These players have moved down the Draft Sharks fantasy football rankings over the last week.

Jeremiyah Love, RB, Cardinals

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer came away from Cardinals camp believing that the team does not want to “overload” Love this season. That came after OC Nathaniel Hackett gave a less-than-glowing review of Love and his current spot on the depth chart. We’re still expecting him to easily lead this backfield in carries and touches, but we did lower Love’s projection from 14.9 to 14.1 carries per game.

Jordan James, RB, 49ers

He’s expected to miss a few weeks after fracturing a rib in Monday’s practice, which won’t help his push to beat out Kaelon Black for the No. 2 job. James is undraftable for now.

Ricky Pearsall, WR, 49ers

He’s been out since Wednesday because of swelling related to last year’s PCL injury in his right knee. There’s been no further update from the team, but multiple beat writers have suggested that Pearsall might wind up needing season-ending knee surgery. Unless and until we get better news, we’d avoid Pearsall in fantasy drafts.

Chris Brazzell, WR, Panthers

The rookie tore his left LCL on Wednesday and will undergo season-ending surgery. Brazzell was seemingly making a strong push for the No. 3 WR job before going down and is worth keeping stashed in all dynasty leagues.

Kyle Williams, WR, Patriots

Williams has been buried on the depth chart early in camp, getting very little work with the first-team offense. He’s well off the redraft radar right now and doesn’t even seem like a lock to make New England’s 53-man roster.