Josh Shepardson | Tue, Mar 24th 2026, 7:30am EDT

Best Ball Draft Targets (2026 Fantasy Football)

March is coming to a close. Since my last most-rostered best ball players post, I’ve completed eight more The Big Board drafts on Underdog ($10 entry fee). That brings my total number of teams to 32. Let’s look at the fantasy football players on at least 13% of my rosters.

Most-Rostered Best Ball Players: March 2026 (Fantasy Football)

Quarterbacks

Josh Allen is still my highest-rostered quarterback. I’ve only selected him in two of my last eight drafts, once below his average draft position (ADP) to stack with James Cook, and once to immediately respond to the Bills trading for DJ Moore, to get ahead of Moore’s ADP rise. Sadly, I didn’t correctly anticipate Buffalo’s path to adding a wideout to their receiving corps, so I didn’t land any Allen and Moore stacks at a value price before the Bills traded for Moore.

I’ll continue to select Allen if he fits a team build and falls beyond ADP, but my exposure to him will dip as I diversify my quarterback exposure from now through the close of pre-NFL Draft Underdog contests. Daniel Jones, Jordan Love and Joe Burrow have surged into a three-way tie for my second-highest rostered quarterback.

Jones is one of the cheapest viable QB2/QB3 options, and it’s clearer who to stack him with after the Colts re-signed Alec Pierce and traded Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers. My Love and Burrow exposure is directly tied to my high-roster rates for some forthcoming wideouts.

J.J. McCarthy was a whiff. I gambled that the Vikings would bring in a mediocre veteran quarterback to push him, but they signed Kyler Murray. The Vikings also re-signed Carson Wentz. Maybe McCarthy will shockingly light up training camp and the preseason and get another opportunity to start, but he’s currently undraftable.

I previously discussed why I was investing in Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert in many drafts, and my logic behind drafting them at a high rate remains the same.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Malik Willis has only 209 career dropbacks. He’s unquestionably a dynamic runner, and he was an efficient passer for the Packers. Can Willis continue to succeed through the air in Miami? The Dolphins traded Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos, and their remaining pass-catching options are dreadful.

Willis can produce spiked weeks if he can occasionally produce competent passing numbers to pair with his rushing production, making him an appealing QB2 in best ball. Gamers can also draft Willis unstacked or backdoor stack him with one of his pass-catchers for dirt cheap.

The Saints are doing their part to provide Tyler Shough with a runway to prove he can be their long-term answer at quarterback. According to Spotrac, New Orleans signed guard David Edwards to a contract with the most guaranteed money ($45 million) and the second-highest average annual value ($15.3 million) among this offseason’s free agent guards.

New Orleans also splurged on Travis Etienne at running back. Shough flashed fantasy utility as a rookie, and he could take another step forward in his sophomore campaign.

Running Backs

While I didn’t gain an edge from speculating on stacking partners with Josh Allen at quarterback, I knocked it out of the park for closing-line value on Keaton Mitchell and Mike Washington Jr.

As I predicted, the Ravens didn’t extend Mitchell a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent, allowing him to land with Mike McDaniel as his offensive coordinator with the Chargers. Mitchell’s ADP has skyrocketed to 161.6 after opening in the 200s. His game is tailor-made for McDaniel to get the most out of him in a change-of-pace role, and Mitchell’s big-play ability should make him a best ball asset.

Washington tested like a freak show at the combine and was a bigger winner.

The incoming rookie went from a 20th-round pick at the start of the offseason to having a 134.8 ADP. Washington is still draftable at his current ADP in some roster builds, but he’s not a must-have pick anymore. I’ll reduce my exposure to him as we advance and enjoy the value I got.

According to SumerSports, the Bills and Ravens were tied for first in expected points added (EPA) per rush (0.08). James Cook and Derrick Henry finished first and second in rushing yards last year, and both are enticing selections.

Ray Davis is an exceptionally cheap handcuff, albeit with Ty Johnson a hindrance to a bell-cow role, even if Cook were injured. Still, Davis is a competent pass-catcher, and the Bills have 80% of their starting offensive line back from last season.

I highlighted Nicholas Singleton with Washington as an undervalued rookie to target back in February, and I’m still targeting him at his 199.2 ADP. Singleton almost certainly would have posted eye-popping testing numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine and enjoyed a similar meteoric rise to Washington’s if he hadn’t broken his foot in Senior Bowl practice.

Singleton could be a last-minute surger since he’ll be a full-go the week before the NFL Draft and could conceivably post some testing numbers.

I’m anticipating heartbreak over my high roster rate for one of Tony Pollard or Cam Skattebo. The Titans and Giants are potential landing spots for Jeremiyah Love, and the electrifying rookie would destroy the fantasy value of either. Pollard could luck out and get traded or cut and find a decent landing spot as part of a backfield committee if the Titans draft Love, but Skattebo’s fantasy value would be crushed.

Rachaad White is another player I’m getting excellent value on after drafting him often earlier in the draft season when he was cheap as a free agent. The Commanders are another candidate to pick Love, which would ruin White’s outlook.

Nevertheless, his ADP of 131.5 is palatable as the potential pass-catching part of a backfield committee for the Commanders. And, of course, Love projects as a workhorse in any landing spot and is priced appropriately.

Kenneth Walker III exploded in the NFL playoffs and followed up his Super Bowl MVP performance by inking a lucrative deal to headline Kansas City’s backfield. Walker’s fantasy value took a hit from Zach Charbonnet poaching short-yardage touchdowns last year, but he should be the presumed favorite for the bulk of Kansas City’s rushing work, including in scoring territory.

The Chiefs could spell him on third downs with Brashard Smith or Emari Demercado, but Walker should still get some early-down looks in the passing attack. He’s climbed from a third-round pick to a 20.1 ADP. Still, Walker is a tantalizing pick at his new ADP.

Wide Receivers

Terry McLaurin‘s target competition is weak. The Commanders will presumably add to the wide receiver room in the draft, perhaps picking one with the seventh pick.

According to the Fantasy Points data suite, among 109 wide receivers with at least 200 routes in the regular season last year, McLaurin was tied for 13th in air yards share (37.2%), tied for 23rd in targets per route run (0.24) and ranked 13th in yards per route run (2.38).

Unfortunately, McLaurin played only 10 games last season, but he was efficient and productive when he was on the field. A healthier year from Jayden Daniels could help Washington’s offense bounce back closer to its high-flying level from 2024. McLaurin is a strong pick, even with the understanding that the Commanders could draft a receiver in the first round.

Khalil Shakir is the WR52 in ADP, but he’s fallen a bit in the overall ADP since the Bills traded for DJ Moore. Shakir is an affordable stacking option with Allen and a stable option to mix in with volatile, boom-or-bust wide receivers. I made the case for drafting him so frequently when best ball contests opened.

I’ll likely mix in some other wideouts in his range to diversify my portfolio, but I won’t rule out picking Shakir at or beyond his ADP if he makes sense for the way a roster is shaking out.

Parker Washington had a breakout 2025 campaign. I recently wrote about why we should believe in him for 2026. Christian Watson is also a player I gushed about recently, highlighting him as a breakout candidate. Unsurprisingly, Washington and Watson are two of my highest-rostered wide receivers.

Chris Bell was trending toward being one of the top wide receivers picked in this year’s NFL Draft before he tore his ACL in late November. Even with the knee injury, Bell is 52nd on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board. He could be a helium guy in best ball drafts with positive news on his recovery and the potential for him to still sneak into the first round.

Jalen Coker was a more productive receiver than Xavier Legette when both were rookies in 2024, and the undrafted free agent surpassed the first-round pick last season. Per the Fantasy Points data suite, Coker had a 76.4% route participation rate compared to 70.5% for Legette last season.

The gap was even larger in Carolina’s final four games, with Coker logging an 82.9% route participation rate versus 54.8% for Legette. Additionally, among 114 wide receivers with at least 200 routes run last year, Coker was tied for 40th in yards per route run (1.71) and 14th in yards per target (9.96). He’s an ascending talent.

I alluded to my high roster rates for Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase above. They’re both outstanding wideouts, and the Bengals continue to have a pass-heavy offense. In the seven games Burrow started without leaving with an injury, the Bengals had a 4.2% pass rate over expectation (PROE).

That mark would have been the eighth-highest in the NFL over the course of the entire regular season. I’ve often picked Burrow after choosing Chase or Higgins, but not every time. However, I haven’t picked Burrow without Chase or Higgins.

Tight Ends

Dalton Kincaid‘s roster rate is slightly inflated by pairing him with Josh Allen. Still, he’s a player I am high on. His vertical usage and efficiency, albeit with inconsistent route participation, are perfect for best ball.

Travis Kelce is an OK pick at his present 141.8 ADP and was a smash pick when his ADP was near 200. I had little doubt he’d return this year, making it easy to click draft at his ADP earlier in the offseason, hence his high roster rate.

Brock Bowers and Trey McBride are compelling early-round picks because they have high ceilings and open the door to drafting only two tight ends. I’ll likely mix in more McBride now that Jacoby Brissett is positioned to start for the Cardinals again this year, and Gardner Minshew is a floor-raising backup.

There is some risk that the Cardinals draft a rookie quarterback and play them at the end of the season, which would be a suboptimal time for McBride’s fantasy value if the rookie struggles. Nevertheless, it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

Finally, I likely won’t draft Terrance Ferguson again outside of possibly tacking him on at the end of drafts where I’ve drafted Matthew Stafford. The Rams re-signed Tyler Higbee, and they didn’t cut Colby Parkinson. Los Angeles’ tight end room is too crowded to feel good about Ferguson.

Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.

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