Fantasy Football Rags 2 Riches

We're approaching the halfway point of the 2026 fantasy football season, and this campaign has been anything but predictable. It's been exciting, frustrating, and full of the usual fantasy football chaos. We've hit on a bunch of players, we've had to cut some of “our guys,” and honestly, I'm not the least bit surprised.

Every summer is filled with research, articles, podcasts, and “take after take.” Then the season starts, and we immediately focus on the players we got wrong. But what if we weren't wrong about those players? What if they just haven't hit yet?

In my Rags 2 Riches series, I want to highlight the players we believed in during the offseason who haven't delivered just yet. These are the guys you're throwing into every trade package but can't move. The guys who are one waiver wire stud away from getting dropped. The guys you drafted ahead of ADP, but somehow, draft day feels like years ago.

Before you give up, let's talk about four players who might still have something left in the tank.

Malik Willis

QB28

Malik Willis is a guy we were enamored with over at F4E. It felt like we were talking about him every episode, and as draft season came to a close, the rest of the fantasy community started hopping on board. Heading into Week 6, Willis hasn't been great. Maybe not even good.

He's had two weekly finishes as a fringe QB1, which doesn't help much unless you're in a league where you start multiple quarterbacks. He's thrown two passing touchdowns and four interceptions while adding two rushing touchdowns. He's also among the league's leading quarterbacks in rushing production. Those are the numbers. Now let's look at the situation.

Willis hasn't played with his WR1, Caleb Douglas, since Week 1, and he lost De'Von Achane, Miami's most important offensive weapon, in Week 3. Willis had his worst game of the season against Minnesota in Week 4, but bounced back against Cincinnati in Week 5 with a QB13 finish.

The reason I still want Malik Willis on my roster is simple: he's still developing. We've seen the floor against a tough Minnesota defense, and honestly, we've seen worse fantasy performances from quarterbacks this season. Coming off a bye, there's an opportunity for Willis to reset. If Caleb Douglas returns, and Ollie Gordon continues getting meaningful touches, this offense could give Willis more room to operate.

There's another factor here: Miami needs wins. Willis is fighting to establish himself as the long-term answer at quarterback, and he'll need to perform if he wants to capitalize on his own Rags 2 Riches story.

Right now, Money Malik is averaging 170 yards passing per game while rushing just over 37 yards per game. Once Caleb Douglas is back, if he’s able to add another 50 yards passing per game and have a couple of more rushes where he’s not sliding with the end zone right in front of him, we’ll see the Malik Willis we were talking about in August. 

I still see a QB1 ceiling in his range of outcomes, even if a QB13–QB16 finish is a more realistic rest-of-season target. At QB25, that's an investment I'm willing to make. I'm not expecting perfection, but I'm not ready to give up on the upside either.

J.K. Dobbins

RB32

J.K. Dobbins as an RB2-ish isn't exactly a diamond in the rough, right? He's playing well and is coming off two straight games with a touchdown. The Broncos' offense hasn't lived up to the offseason hype, when analysts were comparing it to a prime 2000s Drew Brees Saints offense. There's plenty of finger-pointing in Denver, but at the end of the day, they're still finding ways to win games.

Over the past two weeks, Dobbins has seen more than 50% of the snap share and has touched the ball around 20 times per game. That's the kind of workload I want in my fantasy lineup. I see this trend continuing, provided Dobbins can stay healthy and maintain his role.

I also think the fantasy community will be quick to overlook how productive Dobbins has been while the Broncos figure things out. Bo Nix and the passing game haven't consistently gotten it going. Jaylen Waddle hasn't received the volume you'd want from a true alpha, and RJ Harvey is coming off a big game of his own.

That's how Dobbins becomes the guy people forget about. Managers see a waiver-wire option or a rookie coming off a big performance and convince themselves they need to make a change. Don't overthink it.

Start Dobbins while the workload is there. Even when Jonah Coleman returns, I want to see the Broncos change Dobbins' role before I start looking for an exit. He has a path to continued RB2 production in Sean Payton's offense, and I'm not benching him just because somebody else had a big Sunday.

Rashid Shaheed

WR61

Now we're getting into the mud with this Rags 2 Riches pick. But after his encouraging performance on Thursday Night Football in Week 6, Rashid Shaheed is a flex option I want on my roster.

He saw eight targets in Week 6, caught five of them, and looked sharp doing it. Down the seam, catching the ball with his hands and protecting it with his body—professional wide receiver fundamentals. It was the kind of performance that reminds you why there's still something to work with here.

With JSN continuing to dominate, there's a chance for Darnold to distribute the ball elsewhere. That doesn't guarantee Shaheed will suddenly become a weekly starter, but it gives him a path to more opportunities if the offense continues to look his way.

In 2025, Shaheed had seven weekly finishes as a WR3, and that's all I'm looking for from him. I don't need him to become a league winner. I need him to give me a usable flex during bye weeks, with the possibility that he gets hot and helps me down the stretch.

Right now, Seattle's offense still has questions to answer. Coming off two straight losses, the Seahawks need to find consistency and prove last season wasn't an anomaly.

Shaheed isn't someone I'm blindly throwing into my starting lineup every week. But as a bench stash with flex upside? I'll take that shot. If the targets keep coming, he could become a useful piece when the fantasy schedule gets ugly.

Dallas Goedert

TE21

I wasn't planning on adding a tight end to this article, but seeing Dallas Goedert at TE21 was too good to pass up. He's missed two games this season and scored twice in Week 1. He also drew nine targets in Week 5, when DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley were unavailable. That context matters, but availability has been one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Eagles this season.

I'm picking up Goedert wherever I can. He's the type of tight end who can give you a usable fantasy week when the opportunities are there, especially if Philadelphia's other offensive weapons are sidelined. At a position where consistent production can be hard to find, that upside is worth a roster spot.

The Eagles also have a Week 10 bye, so managers need to plan around that before adding him for an immediate start. Looking beyond the bye, I see a player worth keeping around for the stretch run, provided he stays healthy and his role remains strong.

Goedert isn't necessarily going to be a weekly difference maker, but he doesn't have to be. If you're struggling at tight end, he has a path to helping you win fantasy games in 2026.

Remember, Fantasy Football IS for everyone.