July-to-September contract-year window reshapes the NFL market as Micah Parsons’ four-year, 186M extension with the Packers redefines edge rushing value, alongside TJ Watt’s earlier non-QB record. Rashawn Slater’s tackle-market tweak, Terry McLaurin’s hold-in resolution, and a slate of holdouts and incentives drive an unmistakable shift toward big guarantees and year-one impact. Ten players in contract years highlight the coming wave that could lock in 2026 free agency dynamics while teams balance guarantees, cap hits, and potential franchise-tag costs.

Beyond the headline signings, the piece tracks a broad spectrum: Hendrickson’s salary bump as a stopgap, Evans’ hamstring setback and crowded WR rooms, Jones’ one-year Colts setup, Linderbaum’s center market potential, and Pitts, Pickens, Goedert, Woolen, Hall, and Phillips as 2025-26 linchpins. The looming franchise-tag math and the evolving landscape for top-tier linemen and receivers shape how fantasy managers value players and plan for cap-driven shifts.

Washington adds Mitch Wishnowsky to the practice squad, a move that could boost field-position metrics ahead of a Week 2 prime-time tilt with Green Bay. Wishnowsky’s 2019 Niners pedigree and punt efficiency could lift Washington’s special-teams ceiling if he earns real work.

The Week 2 chatter leans Packers-Packers defense, Micah Parsons’ disruptive potential, and Deebo Samuel’s Washington versatility, with Samuel used as a multi-position weapon and decoy to open space for others. Giants injuries and Jets’ Xavier Gipson cut add roster churn to the fantasy picture.

Beyond Commanders-Packers, fantasy angles emerge from Christian Watson’s extension and Eagles’ aggressive cash-over-cap model, underscoring team-building risk and ROI in a league where volume and efficiency matter as much as dollars.