Every team enters the offseason intending to improve its lot. The thing about that, though: That doesn’t necessarily mean trying to get better for the year to come, and it doesn’t necessarily mean trying to get better for fantasy football. And also, of course, sometimes teams just do it poorly. Some moves really make our fantasy lives easier, but some make them way harder.
So now, with most of the biggest offseason moves behind us, let’s take a look at some of the worst offseason moves for fantasy. Some of these moves might help the team out (either immediately or down the road), but from a fantasy football perspective, they make our job more difficult.
Thursday, I’ll look at the best offseason moves for fantasy (and for these purposes, we’re assuming A.J. Brown will be a Patriot this season).
Worst Offseason Moves for Fantasy: 2026
Dolphins Add Malik Willis, Surround Him with … Nothing
GREEN BAY, WI – DECEMBER 27: Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) throws a pass during a game between the Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore Ravens at Lambeau Field on December 27, 2025 in Green Bay, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire)
Willis looked good in three starts over two years in Green Bay. On the other hand, that’s not a lot of starts, and other than that, he has a history of looking pretty bad in Tennessee and falling to the third round in the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s not a sure thing, is what I’m saying. Now, that can work, if you surround a guy like that with a bunch of trustworthy weapons who can make the most of any quarterback’s abilities.
The Dolphins, uh, went a different way with it.
They still have De’Von Achane, which is an excellent starting point. But in the wake of cutting Tyreek Hill and trading Jaylen Waddle, Miami signed Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell and Terrace Marshall Jr. and drafted Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr. It’s not a murderer’s row of additions. Heck, they didn’t even bring back Darren Waller. Willis likely needs help from his offense to be a fantasy factor. He won’t be getting it.
Backfield Messes in…
Arizona
The Cardinals singed Tyler Allgeier and retained James Conner and Trey Benson. That’s a decent backfield! Not great, but functional. But then they drafted Jeremiyah Love at third overall. Even if they move on from Conner or Benson before the end of the offseason, it’s going to be hard for Love to get the kind of workload you’d want out of a top-drafted back with Allgeier around, and of course Allgeier will probably never get the chance to be a team’s lead back after toiling behind Bijan Robinson in Atlanta and now Love.
Denver
No one is saying RJ Harvey was great as a rookie. He did score 12 touchdowns, but that was at least as much a function of opportunity as it was individual success — he only averaged 3.7 yards per carry despite running behind one of the league’s best offensive lines, and he didn’t get real opportunity until after J.K. Dobbins went down. It wasn’t going to be a surprise if the Broncos re-signed Dobbins or got help from outside the organization this offseason. But the fact that they did both — also drafting Jonah Coleman in the fourth round with their second pick of the draft — makes for a confusing situation. Harvey won’t go away. Dobbins will get his. And Coleman has enough promise to be the goal-line back. That equals fantasy confusion.
Washington
Jacory Croskey-Merritt wasn’t bad as a rookie, though he wasn’t that good either. The team signed Rachaad White and Jerome Ford this offseason, re-signed Jeremy McNichols Jr. and spent a sixth-round pick on Kaytron Allen. Unlike the Cardinals — where there’s one excellent back and enough decent ones — or the Broncos — where there are a clump of comparably abled backs — the Commanders don’t have a single back you’d care about unless he got the job to himself, because even a dodgy back can be a fantasy force if he has the job to himself. Instead, the Commanders have five backs that are somewhere between a C and a D+, and that means it’s a zilch for fantasy.
Who Will the Raiders Throw To?
CINCINNATI, OH – NOVEMBER 03: Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (11) lines up for a play during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cincinnati Bengals on November 3, 2024, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire)
Fernando Mendoza is the new QB1 in Las Vegas … unless it’s Kirk Cousins. At the start of the season, it’s probably Cousins. Neither guy is likely to be a huge runner, which means he’ll need weapons. And as good as Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers are at RB and TE, respectively, the Raiders have an absolute mess at receiver. Tre Tucker, Jack Bech and Jalen Nailor (in some order) might be a fine WR3-WR4-WR5 somewhere, but they’re the top three in Las Vegas. Unless the team pounces on one of the remaining free agents (Deebo Samuel? Stefon Diggs?), this receiver group is going to hold the quarterback back.
Philly Puts the Out in Stoutland
It’s impossible to really know how much of a successful position group comes from the coaching staff, but there are times when it feels significant. The Eagles and Jeff Stoutland feel like one of those times. Stoutland had been the offensive line coach in Philadelphia for 13 seasons (and the run game coordinator for eight) before abruptly leaving this offseason. This is the guy who took Jordan Mailata from “never played football before” to an All-Pro. Maybe the Eagles can overcome Stoutland’s departure and still have a strong line and running game, but color me nervous.
So Many Tight Ends, So Little Time
Trey McBride scored 315.9 PPR points last year. Rams tight ends, as a group, put up 315.8. That included 129.8 from Colby Parkinson, 71.1 from Tyler Higbee, 62.8 from Davis Allen and 52.1 from Terrance Ferguson. Well, the Rams brought all four back for 2026. Maybe we get a second-year bump from Ferguson, the fourth tight end off the board last year. And then the Rams quintupled down (is that a term?) by drafting Max Klare in the second round this year. The team is guaranteed to be using more two- and three-TE sets in 2026, but even then, there are five tight ends worth caring about in Los Angeles, and that’s too many for one to matter in fantasy.
