20 Players Experts Target in Drafts (2026 Fantasy Football)

When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and which to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few picks fantasy football experts target in drafts.

2026 Fantasy Football Draft Advice: 20 Players Experts Target in Drafts

Here are 20 players fantasy football experts target in drafts when comparing expert consensus rankings (ECR) to average draft position (ADP).

RK	TIERS	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	POS	BEST	WORST	AVG.	STD.DEV	ECR VS. ADP
12	3	Drake London	ATL	WR7	9	25	14.1	4	7
15	3	Nico Collins	HOU	WR8	11	29	18.3	4.7	8
30	5	Tetairoa McMillan	CAR	WR14	14	51	32.7	7.4	10
31	5	Tee Higgins	CIN	WR15	28	44	34.3	4.4	6
36	5	Garrett Wilson	NYJ	WR17	26	50	37.7	5.9	7
44	5	Davante Adams	LAR	WR20	31	75	44.3	8.6	9
45	5	Terry McLaurin	WAS	WR21	31	58	44.7	6.3	9
48	6	Jaylen Waddle	DEN	WR23	26	64	46.1	8.3	11
59	6	Christian Watson	GB	WR27	43	83	57.9	8.8	8
64	7	Tucker Kraft	GB	TE5	45	96	65.6	10.5	8
68	7	Jaylen Warren	PIT	RB27	60	88	72.7	6.6	14
70	7	Alec Pierce	IND	WR31	48	101	74.1	10	6
73	7	Courtland Sutton	DEN	WR33	47	94	75.1	11.1	13
75	7	DK Metcalf	PIT	WR34	50	94	76.5	9.9	10
84	7	Michael Wilson	ARI	WR35	39	120	83.7	13.2	9
93	8	Jakobi Meyers	JAC	WR40	72	115	95.2	10.8	11
97	8	Michael Pittman Jr.	PIT	WR42	68	117	99.7	11.9	9
102	8	Ricky Pearsall	SF	WR44	81	149	104.6	16.8	8
104	8	Aaron Jones Sr.	MIN	RB36	86	142	106	12.8	20
109	9	Jacory Croskey-Merritt	WAS	RB38	85	172	111.5	14.8	18

Drake London was in the middle of a top-3 finish through 9 games before injuries cut short his 2025 season, finishing top-10 in fantasy points per game while dominating targets in Atlanta’s offense. The Falcons’ WR1 posted elite production alongside Michael Penix Jr., and there’s little threat to his massive target share entering 2026. Even if Atlanta opens the year with Tua Tagovailoa under center while Penix recovers, London’s role as the focal point of the passing attack should remain unchanged. With volume, talent, and red-zone usage all working in his favor, London profiles as a top-tier fantasy WR1 once again.
– Andrew Erickson

Tucker Kraft is coming back from an ACL tear and small meniscus tear that ended his 2025 season after eight games and torpedoed what was shaping up to be a monster season. After a breakout 2024 season in which he had 50 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns, Kraft was off to a torrid start last year, with 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns before getting hurt against the Panthers in Week 9. Kraft was TE2 in fantasy scoring behind only Trey McBride when he went down. If Kraft is fully healthy, he could produce big numbers in 2026. The Packers have parted ways with WRs Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, and they didn’t add any notable pass catchers in the offseason. Kraft averaged an astounding 2.33 yards per route run last season. He’s a beast after the catch who’s averaged 8.8 yards after catch per reception over his three-year career. Monitor the news on Kraft’s recovery over the summer and be prepared to pounce if he comes with an injury discount in 2026 fantasy drafts.
– Pat Fitzmaurice

Ricky Pearsall quietly flashed major upside in an injury-shortened 2025 season, posting four games with at least 85 receiving yards while leading the 49ers in receiving yards per game. The opportunity is massive entering 2026 with Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk gone, George Kittle recovering from a torn Achilles, and San Francisco carrying significant vacated targets and air yards. Pearsall has a realistic path to becoming a featured option in Kyle Shanahan’s offense if he can finally stay healthy. Surrounded by aging veterans and inexperienced competition, the former first-round pick profiles as one of fantasy football’s top breakout candidates.
– Andrew Erickson

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