The 2026 Fantasy Football Take Purge

The Ringer Fantasy Football Show's annual Take Purge is a ritual where the hosts—Danny Heifetz, Danny Kelly, and Craig Horlbeck—get to say everything they've been suppressing all offseason, regardless of whether they actually believe it or how it might damage their professional credibility. "What happens inside the Purge is not who you are outside of the Purge," Kelly says, invoking the logic of Severance. The siren sounds, and for 60 minutes, all rational thought and logic are suspended. What follows is a cascade of contrarian bets, genuine fears, and intrusive thoughts about the upcoming NFL season.

The Brock Bowers Backlash

Horlbeck kicks things off by declaring that Brock Bowers is "the most overrated pick in fantasy this year." The rookie tight end had 1,100 yards and five touchdowns in 2024—good, but not the Randy Moss-level breakout the market is pricing in. Bowers finished as the WR/TE22 on a per-game basis. Horlbeck's real concern is structural: the Raiders were fourth in pass attempts last season, while new offensive coordinator Clint Kubiak's Seahawks were 29th. That's a 170-pass-attempt swing. Worse, since 2000, only three tight ends have finished as a top-three fantasy option with a rookie quarterback playing eight or more games, and none have led the position. Bowers is being drafted as the seventh-best wide receiver