PodcastFrom Fantasy Football Today
FFT Express - 2026 AFC Fantasy Preview: New Teams, Breakouts & Biggest Questions Answered! (07/14 Fantasy Football Podcast)
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13 min
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Jul 14, 2026
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Tue, July 14, 2026
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Full transcript
Episode Transcript
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0:58This past summer, my wife and I took my parents, our son and our granddaughter on vacation to Tennessee.
1:04We wanted to get out into nature so we found the perfect cabin on Airbnb where all four generations could stay together.
1:10The amenities really made the trip special. We had our own hot tub with a mountain view, a fire pit for late night s'mores and a full kitchen.
1:18When you're traveling with four generations, eating every meal out gets expensive.
1:22So it was great to make bacon and eggs for breakfast one morning and grill steaks for dinner another night.
1:27Booking a stay like this gives you the flexibility to vacation how you want, where you want, with the people who matter most.
1:34But it got me thinking. Airbnb isn't just great for finding places to stay.
1:38You can also list your own home when you're away.
1:41It's nice that the same platform I use to book family vacations can also help me earn a little extra money during
1:47high demand weekends without having to upend my daily life.
1:50Honestly, listing my house feels like a smart thing to do because it's just so incredibly practical.
1:55I'm already going to be traveling anyway. So why not earn a little extra money to put toward an upcoming vacation, help
2:01offset the cost of my flights or upgrade my travel gear?
2:04Turns an empty house into an easy opportunity while you enjoy your own time off.
2:09Your home might be worth more than you think.
2:11Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host. Well, if you were sleeping or you just missed it over the off season,
2:18here's what you need to know about the AFC.
2:20Welcome to Fantasy Football Today Express. Jamie and I are going to go through the major storylines in the AFC.
2:26Let's start with the AFC East. AJ Brown is on the Patriots.
2:29What else do we need to know about the AFC East?
2:32And you can even start with that because it's obviously a huge offseason storyline.
2:36Yeah, I think two major additions at the wide receiver position to this division.
2:40You have AJ Brown going to the Patriots, which I think keeps him in the conversation to be a top 10 fantasy wide receiver.
2:47Drake May was fantastic in his sophomore campaign, helping the Patriots reach the Super Bowl.
2:52He did that with Stefan Diggs at 30 years old, coming off an ACL tear as his best receiver.
2:57So I think AJ Brown has an opportunity here to, which was a pretty surprising season for him last year, given how much we think he struggled.
3:05He still had a pretty good campaign and during the middle of the year was averaging over 19 PPR points per game.
3:11So AJ Brown can get back to being an elite fantasy option.
3:15So I like him in round two. And then let's not forget DJ Moore going to Buffalo.
3:19I think that's going to be a great opportunity for him.
3:23I don't know if he can ever get back to that 2023 season that he had, 2024 season that he had with
3:29the Bears, pushing 30 years old here. But with Josh Allen as a quarterback and we know a pretty suspect receiving core
3:35around him, I think DJ Moore can lead the team in targets by a significant margin and push to be a top
3:4120, if not potentially top 15 wide receiver. So I like him in that round four ish, five ish range as well.
3:48Rest of the division is pretty much what you think of with the Jets.
3:52Hopefully Geno Smith is going to make that passing game a little bit better.
3:56And then for the Dolphins, good luck with that offense there.
3:59That receiving core is pretty miserable. Yeah, it's a tough one with the Dolphins and League will be an interesting player.
4:05Devon HN is going to be a tough one for people because we all know he's great.
4:10Can he do well on a on a bad offense?
4:13And I think based on history, yeah, there's there are definitely examples, but he's probably gonna have to catch a lot of passes to make that happen.
4:20All right. How about the AFC North with Baltimore's got a new offensive coordinator.
4:24Cincinnati's basically running it back. A lot of changes in Cleveland.
4:28And yeah, some changes. New head coach Michael Pittman in Pittsburgh, new running back.
4:32Pittsburgh looks a lot different. But what stands out to you in Baltimore?
4:35Yeah, I was going to go coaching staffs aside from Cincinnati.
4:38All of other three teams have new coaches, new head coaches.
4:42So a lot of changes in this division for Pittsburgh.
4:44I think or for Baltimore, excuse me, I think it's you know, hopefully we we get the continued excellence of production from Lamar Jackson, Derek Henry.
4:52Can we get a step forward for a flowers?
4:55A lot of people excited about him, you know, coming off a top 10 fantasy finish last year.
5:00But as we've noted time and time again, you've done great job at, you know, showing that the receiving production last year,
5:062025 was much different than previous years. And so can Zay Flowers really be a top 10 wide receiver?
5:11I don't think you have to draft in that way, but I think he's got a chance to have a breakout campaign, especially if his touchdowns increase.
5:19And then you look at no Isaiah likely. Does that make Mark Andrews back?
5:23Does that put Mark Andrews back in the starting mix?
5:26I don't think so, but he's a borderline starter.
5:29So if you are inclined to take two tight ends, I think at the end of your draft, take a chance on Mark Andrews.
5:35You mentioned Michael Pittman going from the Colts to the Steelers would not shock me at all.
5:40I think you kind of share the same sentiment if Pittman is better than DK Metcalf because the type of routes that
5:47Pittman runs, the way that Aaron Rodgers wants to get the ball out of his hands.
5:51We can see Michael Pittman having a little bit of resurgence.
5:54And if you look at the start of last season when Daniel Jones was healthy, he was actually having a pretty solid fantasy campaign.
6:01So I think Michael Pittman is a little undervalued for where he is now with the Steelers.
6:06They also add Rico Dattle keeping an eye on that backfield with Jalen Waddell now.
6:10And then the rest of the division, really, I think it's since now you know you're getting to stay healthy.
6:16You know, their top quarterback, two wide receivers, running back.
6:19So four players are all elite, all have the chance to be top five to 10 at their respective positions.
6:25You know, T Higgins could still be a borderline top 10 wide receiver.
6:28But Cleveland really is a big story. Deshaun Watson is healthy.
6:32So it looks like he's going to be the starter there.
6:35And they add two rookie wide receivers who could sort of change what this passing game looks like and impact Harold Fannin,
6:41who was great as a rookie last year. So Fannin still should be considered a top 10 fantasy tight end.
6:47But I think his ceiling is a little bit capped.
6:50Last year, there was nobody really to take targets away, especially in the second half of the season when Jerry Judy was struggling.
6:56Now you have Casey Concepcion and Denzel Boston. Both could have been first round rookies.
7:01Concepcion was. Boston wasn't really second round pick in the NFL draft.
7:04I think both rookies are worth drafting late in your seasonal leagues.
7:07We'll look at the AFC South and AFC West when we return on Fantasy Football Today Express.
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7:19Gary Lineker, Alan Shear, and Micah Richards break down the biggest games, the standout moments, and everything happening on and off the
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7:28Whether you've followed football your whole life or you're just getting into it, they'll help you make sense of the drama, the
7:35tactics, the joy, and the heartbreak of the World Cup.
7:38Listen to The Rest is Football wherever you get your podcasts.
7:41All right. The AFC South is a little bit of a boring division.
7:44Yeah, is it? Well, from a fantasy standpoint, I'm thinking about it.
7:48How many players in this division are being drafted in the first four rounds?
7:52I can only think of two. I'm probably wrong.
7:54For four rounds, for sure? Jonathan Taylor and Nico Collins.
7:57Yeah, Tyler Warren will be close. That's right. It's pretty...
8:00I mean, maybe Rachel Tootin gets there if there's a lot of hype this offseason, but...
8:05Right. ...seems too rich. And that's an interesting thing for Jacksonville.
8:08We expect them to be a pretty good offense, but there's so many mouths to feed, it's unclear who's going to really stand out.
8:15But you're probably going to get some value somewhere.
8:17Anyway, what stands out to you with the Texans, Colts, Jags, and Titans?
8:21A lot of high upside players, like you said, that you can get middle to late in your drafts.
8:27So, you know, Lawrence, to me, is the best quarterback in this division, unless I'm missing somebody.
8:31But I think just looking at his potential and what he should be able to accomplish, better than CJ Stroud, better than Cam Ward, better than Daniel Jones.
8:39So, love the upside for Trevor Lawrence. He's one of my favorite breakout players this year.
8:44The running backs in this division, you know, is Jonathan Taylor and then a lot of question marks, I think.
8:50You know, Tony Pollard, Basil Tootin will sort of...
8:52And David Montgomery, I think, all go in a very similar range.
8:56I think Montgomery's move to Houston is huge. You know, so leaving Detroit and, you know, forget about the end of the season last year with the Lions.
9:04He was kind of getting phased out a little bit, understandably so, because Jameer Gibbs is awesome.
9:09Montgomery, I don't think he's Joe Mixon when Mixon went there in 2024.
9:12But he can have that type of fantasy impact, where still very good at the goal line, still a good rusher, probably
9:19surprise you a little bit as a pass catcher.
9:21And they lean on him quite a bit. Basil Tootin and Chris Rodriguez.
9:25Rodriguez coming over to the Jaguars this offseason. They will compete for the starting running back job there.
9:30Whoever wins that role, I think it's going to be Tootin, is probably worth taking no later than round six.
9:36The later you get him, the better. But don't forget about Rodriguez.
9:39If he loses the job, he has a connection to Liam Cohen from their time when they were both in Kentucky.
9:45And then Pollard, the last five games of the season, averaging over 100 yards rushing per game, could have a resurgence a
9:52little bit with the addition of Brian Dable as the head coach there and the receiving changes that they made for the Titans.
9:58But really, it comes down to the high upside players being Parker Washington could be fantastic in Jacksonville, as we saw at the end of last year.
10:06Josh Downs with Pittman now gone could be great for the Colts, averaged over 12 PPR points per game in 2024.
10:12And then don't forget about, you know, Wandel Robinson for the Titans.
10:15You know, he was great last two years for the Giants.
10:19So it's some players that can still win you fantasy weeks.
10:22We'll see if they can win you fantasy seasons.
10:24Yeah, man. Let's get to the West. The wild, wild AFC West.
10:28Hopefully a little bit more fun here. Are the Chiefs the third best offense in this division behind the Chargers and Broncos?
10:34I would probably still take the Chiefs over the Broncos.
10:37But to me, the Chargers have the chance to be the best offense in the division.
10:41You know, so the addition of Mike McDaniel is the biggest thing.
10:45And then just hopefully a lot of health. You know, you get a healthy Ladd McConkie.
10:49You get a healthy Omar and Hampton. Biggest thing is you get a healthy Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt.
10:55And that offense could be amazing, as you know, I'm a big fan of.
10:59So love taking Chargers in fantasy drafts this year.
11:02Herbert, Hampton, McConkie, Quinn Johnston. You know, even still Ronda Gaston with the addition of David Njoku.
11:06So I think it's going to be a fun offense to have pieces of.
11:10The Chiefs, the biggest thing is are they going to shift maybe to a little bit more of a run-focused, you know,
11:17offense here with the addition of Ken Walker, Marty Riccato, Emmitt Johnson, plus Mahomes coming off the ACL tear.
11:22Now the good news is it seems like he's going to be ready for week one.
11:27And the good news as well is that Rashi Rice looks like he's going to be on the field for week one.
11:33So Rice is a borderline first-round pick for me.
11:36Certainly somebody should consider taking in the top 15 overall picks, as long as there's no off-field slash injury concerns.
11:41Travis Kelsey's back and now married. He missed that this offseason.
11:45So that's going to be interesting to see there if that changes anything.
11:48That was the offseason story. We should have led with that.
11:51Yeah, that's true. But the Broncos now have Jalen Waddle.
11:54So we'll see how this passing game looks. Bo Nix should be ready for week one after suffering that gruesome ankle injury.
12:01Uh, in the AFC divisional round. And then we'll see how, uh, the running backs look for the Broncos with the addition
12:07of Jonah Coleman in the draft, plus the return of J.K.
12:10Dobbins. And the Raiders are going to be an interesting team.
12:13You know, they add Jalen Naylor, who could be their number one wide receiver.
12:17They draft Fernando Mendoza. We'll see at what point he gets a starting job.
12:21It sounds like her cousin's going to be the starter there.
12:24Um, but you get a lot more, I think, people excited about Brock Bowers this year.
12:29And that's going to be fun to see how good he can be.
12:33So Bauer's going to be a fun, tight end of draft in the middle of the end of round two.
12:38Yeah, it's an awesome division in terms of the offseason stuff.
12:42Getting Jalen Waddle, getting Ken Walker, getting Mike McDaniel, getting Fernando Mendoza.
12:45It's really good stuff. Getting Eric Biennemi, maybe, to keep that Chiefs run game going.
12:49Thank you. And Taylor Kelsey. And Taylor Kelsey, yes.
12:52Uh, thank you to Jamie for, uh, for his time.
12:55Thank you to all of you for watching and listening.
12:58I'm Adam Azer. We'll talk to you tomorrow on Fantasy Football Today.
