Fantasy Sports

Under the current format, teams are not permitted to trade picks that are more than three years out from the current season — meaning any pick trading that may take place in 2026 couldn’t extend beyond the 2028 season. The push to expand this limit to five years would give teams more to offer in trades, but could also further set back teams who use those picks to acquire players in what prove to be bad trades down the line. We’ll see how much support this expansion gets in the coming months, but with the discussion set to be on the table, it wouldn’t be surprising if a change was made sooner or later.

It was reported last week that Pleasant was “a name of interest” for the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator vacancy. Now, the long-time coach will meet with both teams to discuss their job openings to see if there could be a fit with either team. Pleasant has never served as a defensive coordinator and has spent time with five different teams since entering the league in 2013. Pleasant was also interviewed by the Chargers earlier this offseason for their defensive coordinator opening but was passed over for Chris O’Leary.

The Browns are the second team to request an interview with Bullen for their defensive coordinator opening. Bullen spent some time as the Giants’ interim defensive coordinator last season after the team fired Shane Bowen, but was unable to secure the DC role under newly-hired head coach John Harbaugh. Bullen began his coaching career in 2012 as a defensive assistant for the Dolphins and has held a variety of roles over his 13 years in the NFL. He has never been hired as a defensive coordinator, so this would be a completely new role for him outside of his brief interim stint in 2025.

Macdonald said he and the team will begin reviewing potential candidates on Tuesday. The Super Bowl-winning head coach said he expects to give some in-house candidates a look, but will also look outside of the organization for potential hires. Macdonald will enter his third season as a head coach with a third different offensive coordinator since his arrival. The loss of Kubiak, whose offense ranked third in scoring and eighth in total yards this season, leaves a massive void to fill, and with several options already with new teams, the Seahawks could have their work cut out for them to find their next offensive play-caller.

It was a rare off night for JSN on an evening where almost every other Seahawk was flying around the field and on their A game. It’s a credit to the Patriots, though their only credit in a blowout defeat. JSN also survived a foot issue and concussion evaluation as he posted his second lowest yardage total of the year. Switching quarterbacks, coordinators and offensive philosophies, it was an open question whether JSN could build off his breakout 2024. He ended up posting the eighth most receiving yards in NFL history, with his 1,793 tallies built off the back of stunning consistency. JSN posted fewer than 70 yards only one time all season, and more than 100 nine times. Smith-Njigba was a true inside-out threat, with “just” 27.9 percent of his targets coming out of the slot. Still somehow only 24 years old next week, JSN now heads into the offseason the candidate for a mega extension as he enters the final two years of his rookie deal. This is probably a situation the Seahawks will get out in front of. Regardless of his contract status, JSN is firmly in the mix for No. 1 overall status in 2026 fantasy drafts.

Continuing to shine in Zach Charbonnet’s (ACL) injury absence, Walker was the offensive star of the show in a game where points were at a premium. His box score would have been even bigger had a late long touchdown run not been called back by a dubious holding call. He was named Super Bowl MVP for his efforts. One of the most hotly-debated backs in all of fantasy football, Walker finally stayed healthy for an entire season but could never shake Charbonnet as his co-starting back. It was Charbonnet who featured in the red zone, rendering Walker something of a between-the-20s specialist even as he out-caught Charbonnet 31-20. Charbonnet held up better in pass protection and never put the ball on the ground. For his part, KWIII fumbled just once. Walker is an explosive back, but one who frustrates coaching staffs with his circuitous run paths. Now headed to free agency, it’s unclear if Walker will be back in Seattle considering Mike Macdonald’s lack of faith in the game’s highest-leverage spots. Of course, KWIII’s strong playoffs will undoubtedly complicate that calculus. Walker turns 26 in October.

Facing his fourth defensive onslaught in as many playoff appearances, Maye fully wilted, losing 43 yards on six sacks and coughing up a fumble-six. Although the Chargers, Texans and Broncos were all tough matchups, the Seahawks proved to be something else entirely, routinely getting home with just four pass rushers. Maye did not play well, but he also never had a chance. Things were much different during the regular season. After a stunning Week 1 dud against a Raiders squad that would go on to claim the No. 1 overall pick, both Maye and his Patriots started on a Super Bowl warpath and never let up. Despite a curious lack of 300-yard performances, Maye was shockingly consistent, finishing below 200 yards only two times all season. He lapped the field in NextGenStats’ completion rate over expected, and finished top five in average intended air yards. Despite running less often than he did as a rookie, Maye was a big-play machine, and it helped carry a Pats offense running low on standalone playmakers. It was all about Maye, an extremely bullish sign for a 23-year-old second-year pro. If this is what Maye can accomplish with a skeleton crew skill corps, we would love to see what he’s capable of with a more fleshed-out unit. Expect that to arrive for 2026, keeping Maye in the MVP mix after this year’s top-two finish.

It wasn’t always the prettiest performance, but Darnold stood tall in the face of pressure — both defensive and otherwise — and avoided turnovers while taking only one sack. He could never hit on one of his patented deep completions, but did more than enough as the Seahawks’ defense absolutely smothered the Patriots’ offense to claim the second Super Bowl title in franchise history. As for the regular season, Darnold completed his multi-season comeback story, shaking off his “big game” collapse from 2024-25 to set a new career high in completion percentage (67.7) while keeping his touchdown percentage above 5.0. He finished top five in completion rate over expected, and was amongst the league leaders in average depth of target. That’s the long way of saying he paired efficiency with explosive plays, the latter of which were nearly all directed Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s way. Still on the right side of 30 and signed for the next two seasons in Seattle, Darnold should remain a priority streamer in fantasy. Despite his career revival and sterling “real life” play, Darnold’s volume is limited just enough to keep him outside the top 12 in offseason ranks.

Spillane and LB Harold Landry (knee) are both good to go. This was the expected outcome, but it is great news for the Patriots’ defense nonetheless. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported earlier today that both players could be limited to some sort of snap count, but those types of plans are sometimes cast aside once the game begins. Regardless, LB Jack Gibbens has proven himself as a capable backup.

Chism, an undrafted free agent rookie, was active in the Divisional Round and Wild Card Round but did not play in the AFC Championship Game. He caught 3-of-3 targets for 75 yards and one touchdown in the regular season and caught his lone postseason target for a 20-yard gain. DeVito will serve as the Patriots’ emergency third quarterback today.