NFC South Divisional Podcast Recap for 2026 (Fantasy Football)
Next up on the road trip in the Divisional Recap series is the NFC South.
On most any road trip, there may be a stop or two at a restaurant that is memorable for the wrong reasons. The miles go by, the stomachs start rumbling, and some sign or building catches the driver’s eye. Before anyone can blink, the car is parked, and feet are moving through a creaky door. Is it the exciting place everyone has at the top of their restaurant list? No. Is it even in the top half of that list? Also no. But does the menu say “food” on it? Yes. And maybe, just maybe, after scanning the menu for the 40th time, there may be a hidden gem or two that can quiet the hunger without too much pain afterward. In NFL terms, the name of that restaurant is the NFC South. In 2025, three teams had an 8-9 record, with the Carolina Panthers finishing as division champs. Despite the losing team records, there were plenty of fantasy producers.
Let’s take a look at the buffet that is the 2026 NFC South:
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Let’s Get Divisional – NFC South
Carolina Panthers (8-9)
- Player Additions: RB AJ Dillon
- Player Subtractions: RB Rico Dowdle
- Rookies: WR Chris Brazzell II
- 2026 Vegas Projected Win Total: 6.5
- 2025 Offensive Ranks:
Let’s kick things off with the reigning, undisputed, divisional champion Carolina Panthers! Someone had to win the division, and this team ended on top. They were 7-3 in one-score games and, despite the divisional finish, were 27th in points per game. Only one of their victories was by more than one score. They lost three of their final four games, but ultimately a Week 16 victory secured their spot atop the division. The Panthers performed admirably against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC wildcard game, but not well enough to continue their season. As a result of their divisional finish, the Panthers are facing the third-hardest strength of schedule. It appears to be an uphill climb on the path to repeat as division winners, but there may be some serious opportunities for junk time fantasy points.
Leading that climb is QB Bryce Young. Young has progressed in completion percentage, TDs, and rushing yards every year he has been in the league. Young put up personal highs in nearly every positive statistical category under Head Coach Dave Canales, eclipsing 3,000 passing yards for the first time in his career. While his ceiling does not appear to make him a weekly relevant QB in one QB leagues, all three hosts have Young projected for career-high passing totals. The fantasy success of the Carolina Panthers depends largely on the play of Bryce Young and his ability to move the offense in the face of one of the league’s toughest schedules.
Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images
2025 saw the breakout of Tetairoa McMillan. McMillan claimed WR 16 overall on the season with 70 receptions, 1014 receiving yards, and seven TDs in 17 games. McMillan is entering his second year in the system and is projected to have a significant share of the Panthers’ passing offense. McMillan leading the team in targets is all but a foregone conclusion, leaving questions regarding the rest of the passing pie. Newly extended Jalen Coker will make claims of his own as well as rookie WR Chris Brazzell II. Brazzell (4.37 40 time) is expected to be in serious competition for the team’s WR3 along with 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette.
Chuba Hubbard is projected to be the lead back; however, his 2025 campaign saw him get overtaken by Rico Dowdle. In the offseason, Dowdle signed with the Steelers, but the path is still not completely clear for Hubbard. Jonathon Brooks is looming in the background as he nears the end of recovery for his second ACL injury. It is worth noting that Brooks had an 86th percentile FELIX score, which was better than Jadarian Price. Season-long, the backfield projects to be a committee with Brooks’ role increasing after the first several weeks. With this outlook, Hubbard’s ceiling appears to be limited while being a serviceable back. Currently, Hubbard is being drafted around several younger players with much higher upsides while Brooks goes several rounds later. If camp reports for him are favorable, Brooks may be the value back you want to stash to your roster.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)
- Player Additions: RB Kenneth Gainwell
- Player Subtractions: WR Mike Evans, RB Rachaad White
- Rookies: WR Ted Hurst
- 2026 Vegas Projected Win Total: 8.5
- 2025 Offensive Ranks:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appeared to have a command of the division before succumbing to injuries in the second half of the 2025 season. The team did not cover the spread following Week 9 and went 2-7 after their bye, but despite all their second-half struggles, they remained in control of their divisional destiny entering the Week 16 tilt, where they lost to the Panthers. Tampa Bay brought in a new offensive coordinator, Zac Robinson, this offseason to direct the offense. Robinson was formerly with the Atlanta Falcons and has familiarity with the division. The most notable change for fantasy may be the departure of Mike Evans to the 49ers; however, the young WR room has shown they are capable of replacing the lost production.
Emeka Egbuka exploded onto the scene in the first half of the 2025 season. The rookie WR capitalized on the opportunity left by the injured Mike Evans and finished as the WR 20. Incredibly, Egbuka produced a WR 20 finish with only 64% of his targets being deemed “catchable”. While Egbuka is preparing to make his claim to be the top receiving target for the Buccaneers. (For a deeper dive, check out Egbuka’s path to a WR 1 .) Veteran Chris Godwin is preparing to make a claim of his own. A gruesome 2024 injury limited Godwin’s 2025 campaign, but he was ultimately able to play the majority of snaps in the final seven games of the season, and he enters the 2026 season healthy and is projected to play a complementary slot role. With Jalen McMillan returning and the addition of rookie receiver Ted Hurst, the Tampa Bay WR room is poised to make some noise this year.
When diagnosing the Buccaneers’ season struggles in the second half of the season, there is no need to look further than the health of Baker Mayfield. In the offseason, it was revealed Baker sustained a sprained MCL and PCL in Week 2 along with a contusion to his bicep and tendon issues. Despite these injuries, Baker started all 17 games, finishing as the QB12. As the season wore on, it became obvious Baker was not playing at 100%, and his accuracy suffered. With a full offseason to recover, Baker is expected to helm the offense to high levels of fantasy success. At the time of this article, Baker is entering a contract year, so not only is he trying to help the Bucs, he is aiming to make some bucks.
In addition to the revamped WR room and contract-year QB, the RB room has undergone changes of its own. Bucky Irving finished as the RB13 his rookie year before slumping to an RB 34 playing 10 games the following season. More concerning than the games missed is his carries inside the 5-yard line in 2025: zero. While Rachaad White is no longer with the team, Tampa Bay brought in veteran Kenneth Gainwell off of his RB 20 finish. Head coach Todd Bowles had indicated Irving is being viewed as the lead back, stating “Gainwell is the 1B to Bucky’s 1A” in March. Should Bucky show signs of struggle, Kenny G has shown he is a capable RB in this scheme.
#Bucs HC Todd Bowles said at the NFL annual meeting that RB Bucky Irving is the starter.
Bucky is 1A and Kenneth Gainwell is 1B.
He thinks it'll be a great 1-2 punch.
Bowles also wouldn't have any problem using Gainwell on special teams as a returner. pic.twitter.com/UggFd9DoXF
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) March 31, 2026
The Buccaneers appear to have health, a new OC, and new talent on their side moving into the 2026 season. They begin their season in Cincinnati, followed by three home games. With the fifth-best offensive line to boot, this team appears to have the pieces in place for sustained success from the start of the season.
Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
- Player Additions: QB Tua Tagovailoa, RB Brian Robinson Jr., WR Jahan Dotson, TE Austin Hooper
- Player Subtractions: QB Kirk Cousins, RB Tyler Allgeier, WR Darnell Mooney
- Rookies: WR Zachariah Branch
- 2026 Vegas Projected Win Total: 7.5
- 2025 Offensive Ranks:
The Atlanta Falcons have not had a winning season since 2017, and the 2025 season continued that reality. Following an underwhelming year, the Falcons have brought in Kevin Stefanski as head coach with Tommy Rees serving as OC. Atlanta hopes new schemes on both sides of the ball, along with new personnel, can propel the team to a winning season.
Bijan Robinson needs no introduction. In 2025, Bijan led the league in missed tackles on rush attempts and was first in yards after contact. Not only did Bijan tear it up with his rushing work, but he also led all RBs in percentage of a team’s first read targets with 18%. When the ball was in the man’s hands, Bijan single-handedly accounted for 41% of Atlanta’s total team yardage (and that does not even factor in his work as a blocker). As if fantasy trades weren’t difficult enough when the B. Robinsons were on different teams, Atlanta saw it fit to bring in Brian Robinson Jr into the fold. Tyler Allgeier, now with the Arizona Cardinals, accounted for 157 touches in 2025, including 32 red zone carries. Brian Jr. is expected to fill the team’s RB secondary role.
Following an injured 2025 season, reports are that Drake London is having a healthy offseason heading into the coming year. Despite only playing in 12 games last season, London finished at the WR 17 overall (Half PPR). London was seventh in points per route run. If he was on the field, he was producing with a 17-game base of 159 targets for 96 receptions, 1302 yards, and 10 TDs. London has shown he is QB-proof regardless of dominant hands or lower body injuries. London demanded the ball with a 30% target share, and there is no reason to believe he cannot repeat that result.
Perhaps the most notable roster addition is Tua Tagovailoa. After facing the Dolphins twice a year, the Atlanta front office brought Tua in on a one-year deal. With Penix still recovering from a torn ACL in November (third ACL tear total, first to his left leg), Tua is in line to lead the offense entering the season. Neither QB has shown to be very effective in the past two seasons for the NFL or fantasy.
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Kyle Pitts made some noise of his own this offseason. Atlanta used the franchise tag to retain Pitts before reaching a three-year extension, making him the fourth highest-paid TE in the league. Pitts was “drafted to be great,” and 2025 saw Pitts return to high levels of production. This could be attributed to a change in QB and the absence of Drake London for the back half of the season, but there is still reason to have hope. Along with a new contract, Atlanta’s new coaching staff oversaw the ascension of Harold Fannin Jr. in 2025, which leaves Pitt truthers saying, “No doubt about it. I am ready to be hurt again.”
New Orleans Saints (6-11)
- Player Additions: TE Noah Fant
- Player Subtractions: QB Taysom Hill, TE Foster Moreau
- Rookies: WR Jordyn Tyson, TE Oscar Delp, WR Bryce Lance
- 2026 Vegas Projected Win Total: 7.5
- 2025 Offensive Ranks:
Led by first-time head coach Kellen Moore, the team improved as the season went on, with no impact more drastic than that of rookie Tyler Shough. The Saints ranked first in pace of play, and the offense looks to build on their previous success.
The offseason saw the Saints front office making moves to continue offensive improvement. Travis Etienne Jr was signed to a four-year deal to be the heir apparent to Alvin Kamara. Kamara’s 2025 season ended due to injury, and the aging veteran restructured his contract this offseason to reduce his base salary. Etienne is projected to be a workhorse back in the renewed offense.
A new offensive scheme, play caller, and QB propelled the offense, including Chris Olave. After several concussions, most notably two in 2024, Olave returned to form. Olave played 16 games, putting up 100 receptions, 1163 yards, and nine TDs before missing Week 18 due to a blood clot. All reports indicate Olave will be entering the 2026 season healthy. In addition to Etienne, the Saints brought in Jordyn Tyson with the eighth overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Tyson is expected to play opposite Chris Olave to solidify the offensive attack. Add 2025 TE 10 Juwan Johnson to the passing game, and the Saints will have plenty of quality pass catchers.
Following eight starts by Spencer Rattler, even the kindest observer would consider rough, the choice was made to start rookie QB Tyler Shough. Shough finished the last four weeks of the season with a 70% completion percentage and averaged 27 rushing yards per game. While Shough’s fantasy output was a surprising reward to any who gave him a shot, it should be noted the Saints did not face any defense ranked above average following Week 10. Currently, Shough is projected to eclipse 4,000 passing yards with plenty of receiving options.
The Saints finished strong last year, winning four of their final five games; however, those games were against teams with losing records limping into the offseason. That being said, the Saints are facing the second-easiest strength of schedule. Do not be surprised if the team struggles the first two weeks of the season with matchups at Detroit and at Baltimore. The start of Week 3 may be the perfect buying window to acquire some difference makers.
Division Finish Predictions:
Andy: Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Carolina, Atlanta
Mike: New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Carolina
Jason: Tampa Bay, Atlanta, New Orleans, Carolina