Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers: Malik Nabers Climbs Into WR1 Territory

Fantasy Football Risers (7-25 through 7-31)

These players have moved up the Draft Sharks fantasy football rankings over the last week.

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seahawks

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote this week that Charbonnet’s “readiness for Week 1 looms as a potential close call.” That’s a far more optimistic timeline than we’ve heard all offseason. We’re still not buying Charbonnet returning anywhere close to the start of the season, but we did bump his projections from 6 games to 8.

MarShawn Lloyd, RB, Packers

After a buzzy spring, Lloyd has continued to impress early in camp, flashing big-play ability and working in with the first-team offense. If he can stay healthy, Lloyd looks like a heavy favorite to be the Josh Jacobs handcuff.

Jaydon Blue, RB, Cowboys

Like Lloyd, Blue’s spring momentum has carried into camp. He’s drawn praise from coaches and beat writers while mixing in with the first-team offense. Blue could carve out a passing-game role right away and looks like the top handcuff to Javonte Williams.

Kaelon Black, RB, 49ers

Jordan James is sidelined with a fractured rib, giving Black a chance to push for the No. 2 RB job. That role carries no standalone fantasy value, and we'd still expect a committee attack if Christian McCaffrey misses time. But if you're taking a late shot on this backfield, Black is the better bet than James right now.

Malik Nabers, WR, Giants

After a spring full of negative news, the buzz on Nabers has flipped over the past week. He avoided the PUP list to open training camp and has looked surprisingly good early on. The team still isn’t giving a target date, but Week 1 now looks like a real possibility. We’ve gone from 14 to 16 projected games for Nabers, bumping him from WR19 to WR12 in the PPR rankings.

Josh Downs, WR, Colts

HC Shane Steichen seemed to confirm this week that Downs will play in 2-WR sets this season. That’d be a big boost for a guy who’s totaled 33 routes and 12 targets out of '12' personnel over the last three years. Downs will need more big plays and TDs to truly break out this season, but he has a good chance to beat his WR48 ADP.

Jayden Higgins, WR, Texans

Jaylin Noel is out a few weeks with a finger injury, and Tank Dell still isn’t ready for full-team work after his multi-ligament knee injury. Higgins, meanwhile, has impressed early in camp and looks like a strong bet to open the season as Houston’s No. 2 WR.

Deebo Samuel & De’Zhaun Stribling, WRs, 49ers

Lots of movement in the 49ers’ WR corps this week. Ricky Pearsall is dealing with complications from last year’s PCL injury, and there’s been speculation that he’ll need season-ending surgery. San Francisco’s decision to bring Samuel back on a one-year deal suggests concern about Pearsall’s status. Samuel now sits second among 49ers WRs in our rankings. Stribling also made a move up based on Pearsall’s injury and a strong start to camp. The rookie is an intriguing late-round flier.

Jalen Coker & Xavier Legette, WR, Panthers

Chris Brazzell’s season-ending knee injury clears up Carolina’s WR room. Coker already looked like a good bet for No. 2 duties but got a small bump in projected targets. Legette is now the likely No. 3 by default but is still not a recommended fantasy pick.

Cyrus Allen, WR, Chiefs

This rookie has drawn a surprising amount of buzz early in camp, from both HC Andy Reid and the media. Reid notably said this week that Allen has “got some trust” from QB Patrick Mahomes. He’s still a long shot for 2026 fantasy value but has become an intriguing stash on dynasty rosters.

Fantasy Football Fallers (7-25 through 7-31)

These players have moved down the Draft Sharks fantasy football rankings over the last week.

Jeremiyah Love, RB, Cardinals

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer came away from Cardinals camp believing that the team does not want to “overload” Love this season. That came after OC Nathaniel Hackett gave a less-than-glowing review of Love and his current spot on the depth chart. We’re still expecting him to easily lead this backfield in carries and touches, but we did lower Love’s projection from 14.9 to 14.1 carries per game.

Jordan James, RB, 49ers

He’s expected to miss a few weeks after fracturing a rib in Monday’s practice, which won’t help his push to beat out Kaelon Black for the No. 2 job. James is undraftable for now.

Ricky Pearsall, WR, 49ers

He’s been out since Wednesday because of swelling related to last year’s PCL injury in his right knee. There’s been no further update from the team, but multiple beat writers have suggested that Pearsall might wind up needing season-ending knee surgery. Unless and until we get better news, we’d avoid Pearsall in fantasy drafts.

Chris Brazzell, WR, Panthers

The rookie tore his left LCL on Wednesday and will undergo season-ending surgery. Brazzell was seemingly making a strong push for the No. 3 WR job before going down and is worth keeping stashed in all dynasty leagues.

Kyle Williams, WR, Patriots

Williams has been buried on the depth chart early in camp, getting very little work with the first-team offense. He’s well off the redraft radar right now and doesn’t even seem like a lock to make New England’s 53-man roster.

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