The Coaching Carousel: What it Means for Dynasty Fantasy Football in 2026

Fantasy sports news, analysis, and waiver wire advice.

By Fantasy Roundup · February 18, 2026

By: Matthew Barnhill Whether you’re new to the game or a dynasty veteran, the importance of knowing NFL coaches can’t be stated enough. Coaching impacts everything that we care about in fantasy: who gets the ball, who joins the team, how much players improve, and more. In this article we will break down what the new hires around the league mean for their teams and for fantasy, as well as who to add or stay away from on your dynasty squad. Arizona Cardinals The Cards hired Mike LaFleur as their new head coach, and Nathaniel Hackett as their OC- call it the Jets coordinator redemption tour. LaFleur has experience as a play caller, and a few years under Sean McVay as an assistant. The problem I see here is Hackett. Lafleur is a first time head honcho, and needs a veteran coach to bounce ideas off of. Unlike McVay, who started with a savvy vet in Wade Phillips, Matt will lean on Hackett who was a huge bust as a HC. Hackett has made his bones working with established star QBs. Now, the coaching staff has to work with Kyler Murray or another up and coming QB. Don’t trust the first few years to look sharp in AZ. Trey McBride is the lone bright spot that we know of. Perhaps there will be production from Trey Benson finally if he appeals to what the newbies want to do. But sell Marvin Harrison Jr. and Kyler Murray before their value plummets further. Atlanta Falcons The Falcons hiring Kevin Stefanski has got me feelin’ NICEY, and for one prime reason: Bijan Robinson. Kev has consistently made a turd into a chocolate cupcake with the Cleveland Browns, and is a run game enthusiast. With Bijan Robinson, you have a Nick Chubb- like runner with major passing chops as well. Michael Penix hasn’t proven to be a game changer, and is dealing with a major injury. But, the Falcons and fantasy managers can still be optimistic about this team’s offensive outlook because they can put their fortunes on Bijan’s back. Drake London should make a bigger impact with better structure as well, and Atlanta would be wise to add more complimentary pieces to free him up. Look for that this offseason.

Baltimore Ravens With the Ravens giving the reins to Jesse Minter, the defense is in safe, stable hands. But Minter’s offensive coordinator choice is somewhat riskier: Declan Doyle. The 29 year old is a first time play caller, but has been studying the dark arts of the trick play under wizards like Sean Payton and Ben Johnson. It’s a tall task to run the B-More team that has had great success under Lamar Jackson, and expectations are high. But, the hope is Doyle can turn into a Mike McDaniel or Klint Kubiak. He was tight end coach for years in Detroit before being named OC under Ben Johnson last year. Reports are that he is razor sharp with the details, especially in the passing game. Go ask Zay Flowers managers what their price on him might be - he could be a big factor for the ‘26 Ravens. Other than that, the pendulum shouldn’t swing too far. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are still players managers should continue to have confidence in, but likely won’t do more than what we’ve seen in the past. Buffalo Bills The Bills elevated Joe Brady from OC to the head chair following another early playoff exit under Sean McDermott. The formula will not change for Buffalo, so James Cook and the extraterrestrial Josh Allen are safe picks. Expect a huge emphasis on pass catchers this offseason, who ultimately did not make a big enough impact in 2025. Fantasy managers should emphasize new Bills weapons as well. Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns offended the football gods with the Deshaun Watson signing, and their punishment is not over yet. Time and time again, owner Jimmy Haslam’s meddling ways have doomed the Browns, and until Watson’s contract is up they will never be relevant. So, another rebuild is underway. Todd Monken has a respectable resumé as a coach, first leading the Georgia Bulldogs to a championship win, and then the Ravens formidable offense the past few years. The potential of Harold Fannin Jr. as the tight end/H back in the Brock Bowers role is very intriguing. Other than that, managers can’t invest in the Browns because the roster is absolutely putrid. All five linemen are up for free agency, and who would want to return? Quinshon Judkins has to return from a leg shattering injury to run behind whatever paper mache protection is left. Apologies to Monken and company for this assessment, the hire is not the problem here. Haslem is. Detroit Lions The Lions were bound to drop off in production a little when Ben Johnson took the Chicago job last offseason, but they were not completely tamed in 2025. When the team announced it was looking for a new man to guide Goff and the Honolulu blue, a lot of hope was out there from Detroit fans. Then Dan Campbell hired Drew Petzing. At first, Petzing’s offense in Arizona was making strides, especially in the run game. But three years in, they were crawling, not sprinting. Petzing inherits a much better roster in this move, but the concern is whether he can elevate them or stagnate once more. The run game is why he got hired; Dan Campbell wants a gritty, physical team. So, Jahmyr Gibbs should be safe. Amon Ra St Brown is too good of a talent to ignore as well. Sell high on Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta though. The Michael Wilson and Trey McBride comparisons will come up a lot this summer. But, at the end of the day managers can get more value trading high on the promise of this than actually counting on this team being a top ten unit in 2026. Las Vegas Raiders Klint Kubiak comes from the Super Bowl Seahawks to run the show in Vegas. Two years ago in New Orleans, the coach did a good job of making the Saints and Derek Carr look competent before injuries dashed their hopes. In 2025, he took it up a notch, making Sam Darnold look like the pro everyone expected him to become when he was the third pick of the 2018 draft. Now, it’s time to see what he can do with Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman winner out of Indiana. Go all in on Las Vegas players now, especially Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers. If there are any managers doubting their abilities based off of last year’s performance, those doubts will be squashed in 2026. Jeanty will thrive here- the o-line disaster is really not as bad as it seems, but was a reflection of how poorly coached they were by Pete Carrol’s son, Nate. Reports were that GM John Spytek had to have film sessions with linemen and Jeanty because the assistants were so poor at preparing their players. With Kubiak, that will change. And Bowers will benefit from better play calls, health, and QB play. Los Angeles Chargers Mike McDaniel moving west to LA is the biggest play caller and team match of this cycle. The run game aficionado will have bookend tackles, a franchise QB, and a first round RB to work with right out the gate. Expectations are high for Omarion Hampton, his time has come to put his stamp on the squad. It might take a few months for him to learn the intricacies of the wide zone scheme, but Hampton is a different kind of cat that will pick it up eventually, and McDaniel should mold his attack to boost his strengths as well. Ladd McConkey will also be a huge benefactor in an offense that passes more and has more variety through the air than Greg Roman’s call sheet. Basically, any player on the Chargers gets a boost in fantasy for 2026. Bolt over to your trade block now, and start negotiating for one. Miami Dolphins So, if Mike McDaniel is such a great hire, why did he get fired from the Dolphins? His time in Miami just became stale, and the organization decided it was necessary to bring in new blood. That’s how they got the Packer’s DC, Jeff Hafley. To keep some continuity, he retained Bobby Slowik, the Texans’ former OC and Dolphins’ passing game coordinator. We will have to see if Tua remains the quarterback here or if another one is chosen. However, we know that Devon Achane will be teleporting from the line of scrimmage to the end zone with a San Francisco-esque scheme now helmed by Slowik. No, Slowik is not on the level of McDaniel as a play-caller, but fantasy managers have to believe that they kept Bobby to properly feed Achane, the best player on the team. New York Giants The Giants got their guy, John Harbaugh has arrived! He will surely lead the Giants out of mediocrity and back to the playoffs with Jaxson Dart and … oh no. Matt Nagy has been named offensive coordinator. It’s obvious what they’re trying to do with this. Nagy has spent extensive time behind Andy Reid, developing Patrick Mahomes. In New York, he will take that experience and develop Dart, right? Wrong. Nagy is not a good play-caller. Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo are going to be out for a while, recovering from gruesome injuries. Sure, Dart showed great potential without them last year. But what happens if he continues to get hurt because of his insistence on running the ball? What if Nagy’s terrible play-calling brings him down a notch? The best thing to do here is wait for the value drop that will come after the 2026 season. When Nagy is fired, and the other young stars have returned healthy, buy back in on the Giants at a reduced price. New York Jets Aaron Glenn had to make a change after the Jets crashed and burned in 2025. Enter Frank Reich, who has done a lot of good work with underachieving offenses in the past. Sure, his most recent stop in Carolina was a mess, but if Reich can make this offense look more like some of the Colts teams he had it would be remarkable progress. There are some large obstacles to overcome here, most of all one that Jets fans are familiar with- who will be QB? Yet, NYJ has an under-appreciated o line, and a returning Garrett Wilson. That’s a good start, and this team is going full “trust the process” by compiling draft picks. Fantasy football should do the same; add some players that will be signed or drafted by the Jets this offseason, and wait for slow progress. Eventually, this team could produce some fun options for your roster. Pittsburgh Steelers Mike McCarthy replaces Mike Tomlin, to the dismay of Steelers nation. A lot will depend on whether Aaron Rodgers comes back for another season in the yellow and black, but this changing of the guard signals it’s time for dynasty heads to throw in the terrible towel on Steelers players. At best, 2026 will be another middling season before this team is completely blown up and on the path of a true rebuild. And with that will come a steep decline in fantasy potential. Good for Pittsburgh native McCarthy getting his dream job though; it will be interesting to see if he can truly lead the turnaround here or if he is being set up to be a scapegoat when Pittsburgh tanks. Philadelphia Eagles Anything is better than Kevin Patullo. He was in over his head, and it was absolutely disgraceful to watch the all star Eagles team run their high school offense last year. How much better will Sean Mannion be though? Another coach getting plucked from Green Bay, his approach will highly differ from what Jalen Hurts is used to. Hurts is not an anticipatory passer, and at this point will likely never be. To make matters even worse, Jeff Stoutland has stepped down as o-line coach after years of excellence. This might actually be the most impactful move for the Eagles thus far, and in a strongly negative way. AJ Brown and Saquon Barkley are leaving their primes, and dynasty prices should adjust accordingly. If you’re a contender, don’t overpay while attempting to buy low. Philly likely improves a little bit this season in fantasy production, but not by much. Afterwards, dynasty consensus may not be as forgiving towards Eagle players. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Zac Robinson comes in to help rejuvenate the Bucs offense after a disappointing season full of injuries, and not much should change schematically. This is definitely a team to monitor and see if there is any value dipping in dynasty leagues. Emeka Egbuka showed a lot of similarities to Amon Ra St. Brown in his rookie season, having a stretch of truly elite play. If his manager is tilting because of the second half of the season, go get him. And if Rashaad White leaves in free agency, Bucky Irving is an interesting player to consider. By the time he returned from injury, his offensive line was decimated and Baker Mayfield was battling through a shoulder problem. That won’t be the case to start 2026. Go pillage your opponents’ rosters and get their Buccaneer players this offseason. Tennessee Titans The Titans are primed for improvements after masterfully assembling a new coaching staff. Making Robert Saleh their leader was a great start, and he chose Brian Daboll to tutor Cam Ward after he helped Jaxson Dart shine as a rookie. Daboll has a great track record of working with young QBs, going all the way back to when Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa won a natty at 'Bama. After that, he built Josh Allen into the star he is now, shaping the raw prospect from Wyoming into an all pro. The hope in Tennessee is that Cam Ward is the next franchise QB built by Brian. Ward has the intangibles and ability on the field, but desperately needs help from his weapons and line. Fortunately, Tennessee has the cap and draft picks to assist with that. Adding Ward now would be a great move, and it would be wise to wait and see who else they have arrive this offseason. This team is on the rise. Washington Commanders It’s hard to get excited about Commanders in fantasy based off of the David Blough promotion to OC. But they do have a lot of cap space, a solid offensive line, and of course, Jayden Daniels. The best thing to do here might be to sell Daniels for a solid return, hoping that other managers still have high hopes from his rookie year. Kliff Kingsbury has plenty of flaws as a coach, but he really knows how to get excellent production from quarterbacks. It might not be the same for Blough yet. However, keeping an eye out for the next starting RB in Washington is a fun opportunity that could lead to immediate fantasy returns.

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