Ty Chandler

Chandler is on IR with a season-long designation, which means he plays no game while he sits there and the board ranks him below every available running back at the position. He did not play in weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 of 2026, so with week 6 of 2026 next up, five weeks of the season have gone by without him taking a snap. Our projection was written before any of that: 11 points for the full season, built on an expectation of just 2 games, a pace of 5.5 a game across those two. The middle range ran 2 to 20, and the low end of the full range was pulled down by injury-shortened seasons. That part is no longer hypothetical, it is his actual 2026.

The injuries are not a one-year blip either. He played 3 of 17 games in 2025, missing weeks 2 through 5 and 7 through 16 to injury or a reserve list, and scored 2.9 points a game over those 3 weeks, RB114 among 159 qualifying backs, with a high week of just 6.4 in week 18 of 2025. Last season in MIN he worked 23.7% of snaps and got only 3 red-zone touches, 14.3% of his own touches, all year. He is 28 now, and the move from MIN to NO did not hand him a bigger job.

Even healthy, the path is blocked. He is listed fifth among NO running backs, behind Travis Etienne, Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller. We would let him go and spend the roster spot on someone who can dress. The only hold case is a deep bench in a league where IR does not take a slot, and even then he has to come off the list and pass two teammates before he means anything.