The fastest way to get better at fantasy football is to stop guessing and start studying who actually won. The FantasyPros NFL Podcast crew did exactly that, breaking down which players showed up most often on championship rosters and why those trends matter heading into 2026 drafts.
The results challenged some comfortable assumptions, especially around wide receivers, quarterback strategy, and how aggressively to chase elite tight ends.
Let’s walk through the biggest fantasy football takeaways from 2025 championship rosters.
- 2026 NFL Draft Guide
- 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Dynasty Content & Advice
Hero RB Worked… But Only for a Few
One of the most striking findings was how often elite running backs anchored title teams. Of the first-round RBs drafted, Bijan Robinson, Christian McCaffrey, and Derrick Henry all ranked among the most common players on championship rosters.
That’s fuel for the Hero RB crowd. When you landed a true bellcow with weekly ceiling, it mattered. Bijan, in particular, carried teams through the fantasy playoffs.
But there’s a catch. There simply are not enough reliable bellcows for everyone to execute Hero RB fantasy football draft strategy. After the top tier, the position quickly turns into projection and risk management. James Cook hit a career year. De’Von Achane stayed productive but came with durability questions. After that, the board gets murky fast.
Hero RB is powerful, but it seems more situational than universal.
Elite WRs Didn’t Decide Titles
Here’s the counterintuitive part. Many of the consensus elite wide receivers were not common on championship teams.
Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, and Amon-Ra St. Brown all had strong seasons, but most appeared on fewer title rosters than expected.
Meanwhile, league-winning value came from players drafted outside the top 20 at the position. Puka Nacua, Chris Olave, George Pickens, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba all returned massive ROI.
This reinforced a growing trend. WR2s were wildly volatile. Many posted half their games in single digits. The gap between WR12 and WR36 often felt small.
In 2026, that could push drafters toward either true WR1s early or waiting longer and embracing the depth.
The McCaffrey Question Is Real
Christian McCaffrey remains fantasy royalty, but the data on massive workloads is uncomfortable.
Running backs who clear 400 touches in a season almost never finish as RB1s the following year. That list includes Hall of Famers. McCaffrey is now approaching 30 and stacking playoff touches on top of an already massive regular-season load.
Some drafters will still take him top three. Others may push him toward the middle or back of the first round. Either stance is defensible. What’s not defensible is ignoring the risk entirely.
Late-Round QB Quietly Won Leagues
Josh Allen paid off his price. Most early quarterbacks did not.
In contrast, late and mid-round QBs like Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, and Matthew Stafford delivered league-winning value.
The lesson was not “always wait on QB,” but rather elite QB pricing only works if health cooperates. When it doesn’t, the advantage disappears fast.
Expect a sharper market in 2026, with more drafters comfortable waiting and taking multiple shots later.
Tight End Is No Longer a Wasteland
Only three tight ends cracked double-digit championship roster rates, led by Trey McBride.
McBride was dominant, but that dominance came with a looming price tag. He is likely to flirt with Round 1 capital in 2026.
The problem? The position is deeper than it has been in years. Brock Bowers, Sam LaPorta, Tucker Kraft, and Harold Fannin Jr. all flashed.
That makes it harder to justify paying a first- or early-second-round premium when viable options may exist multiple rounds later.
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