4 Mid-Round Draft Picks Experts Target (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 notable fantasy football picks expert Derek Brown loves to target in the middle rounds of drafts.

2026 Fantasy Football Draft Advice: 4 Mid-Round Draft Picks Experts Target

Derek Brown shares four mid-round fantasy football draft picks he targets.

David Montgomery (RB – HOU)

David Montgomery now finds himself as the Texans’s do it all workhorse for 2026. Last year, he was phased out of the Lions’ offensive plans as the season moved along, which led to his RB32 finish in fantasy points per game. In Weeks 12-18, he was the RB43 in fantasy points per game with a 32.1% snap rate, 8.2 touches per game, and only 42.8 total yards per game. Montgomery still has the juice to produce as a workhorse this season. Last season, he ranked 30th in missed tackle rate, but he was 12th in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). His receiving chops are also still alive and well, as he was also 22nd in yards per route run and 12th in first downs per route run. Many will worry that Montgomery will split Houston’s backfield workload with Woody Marks this season, but I don’t see that happening. Montgomery should absorb a workload close to what Joe Mixon saw in 2024. In 2024, Mixon ranked fifth in opportunity share, 14th in snap share, and 13th in carries among running backs, finishing with 281 touches. Last season, Montgomery bested Marks in explosive run rate, missed tackle rate, rushing success rate, yards after contact per attempt, and yards per route run. Legit, every per-touch metric that I care about. Montgomery is the superior back, even at this stage of his career, and he’ll be a strong volume-driven RB2 that could flirt with RB1 production.

D’Andre Swift (RB – CHI)

D’Andre Swift arguably had a career year last season for the Bears as the RB16 in fantasy points per game. He finished with 257 touches and 1,386 total yards while splitting work with Kyle Monangai. Monangai’s presence didn’t hurt Swift a ton as he was the RB20 in fantasy points per game after Monangai’s emergence in Week 9. During Weeks 10-18, Swift remained the preferred passing down back for Chicago with a 43% route share (Monangai 28.8%, per Fantasy Points Data), but he split up the red zone work with Monangai, with 18 red zone rushing attempts to Monangai’s 19. This is worrisome, but not something to freak out about in today’s NFL, where most teams are utilizing some form of committee approach. It was nice to see Swift’s efficiency numbers bounce back after a horrible 2024 season. Last year, he ranked 13th in explosive run rate, 11th in rushing success rate, and 20th in missed tackle rate. Swift should be a mid-range RB2 again this season.

Jadarian Price (RB – SEA)

Jadarian Price was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Seahawks to be their new Kenneth Walker (and maybe more). Walker led the backfield last year for Seattle, but they limited his usage in the red zone and in the passing game. Price remains an unknown in the passing game after only 13 targets over the last two collegiate seasons at Notre Dame, but he could easily surpass Walker’s red zone usage in 2205. It’s unknown when we’ll see Zach Charbonnet back to 100%, and outside of him, Price is competing with Emanuel Wilson and George Holani for work. Price is a wonderful rushing talent ranking 25th and fifth in yards after contact per attempt, 31st and 3rd in breakaway rate, and 15th and 39th in elusive rating over the last two seasons in college (per PFF). Price is an intriguing RB2 with a ton of upside in 2026.

Bhayshul Tuten (RB – JAC)

With Travis Etienne gone, Bhayshul Tuten will compete with Chris Rodriguez to be the lead back for the Jaguars in 2026. I want to bet on Tuten this year and his talent. Last year, Tuten was unfortunately robbed of the stretch run of his rookie season as he was sidelined by a finger injury. Before the injury, he was starting to make some noise. This could be the big breakout season for Tuten, who, on a per-touch basis, flashed the immense talent that I really liked when he was in college. Last season, among 55 qualifying backs, he ranked fifth in rushing success rate, 11th in missed tackle rate, and 17th in yards after contact per attempt. Rodriguez will remain a worry for Tuten at the goal line and to his overall touch count until we see his role fleshed out this season, but if he can be the clear lead guy, he has the talent to match Etienne’s RB13 finish last year in fantasy points per game.

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