7 Players to Target in PPR Leagues (2026 Fantasy Football)

Always check your scoring settings. They absolutely matter. Even though they’ve become pretty mainstream at this point, PPR fantasy football leagues can drastically alter values. Not all pass-catchers rely on explosive plays and touchdowns; some rack up points one catch at a time.

PPR Fantasy Football Targets

In full PPR formats, receiving backs, slot receivers and underneath tight ends can become weekly difference-makers. That said, here are seven players being drafted outside of the first round, according to average draft position (ADP), who see the biggest boost in PPR leagues.

De’Von Achane (RB – MIA)

De’Von Achane is currently going just outside of round one with an ADP of 15.5, but that has more to do with uncertainty around his offensive environment than his talent. Gone are Mike McDaniel and checkdown king Tua Tagovailoa. Those two leaving town raises questions about Achane’s passing-game usage, which has been massive over the past two seasons.

Since 2024, Achane has amassed 145 receptions for 1,080 yards and 10 scores through the air. Last year, Achane ranked second among all running backs in target share (19.8%), seventh in routes run (317) and ninth in yards per route run (1.54), per PlayerProfiler.

In 2025, 43.3% of Achane’s fantasy points came via receiving. In 2024, it was an absurd 57.8%. To say pass-catching has been a big part of Achane’s fantasy success would be a massive understatement.

This season, Malik Willis is slated to be under center for Miami. He’s a dual-threat passer who will take away some of Achane’s receiving opportunities when he decides to tuck it and run.

Passing volume may also be down in general; Willis has never thrown more than 23 passes in his six career NFL starts. He’ll likely top that this season, but he’s a quarterback who wants to stress defenses with his legs more than his arm.

If Achane gets roughly 75-80% of the targets he’s been getting, he’ll be a fine second-round selection. But if the receptions plummet, he’ll be hard-pressed to pay off his fantasy football ADP.

Rashee Rice (WR – KC)

This format elevates Rashee Rice into the elite wideout conversation — for fantasy purposes, not skill. He’s not a great route runner and can’t regularly beat man coverage, but he excels on manufactured touches in the underneath areas of the field. Those easy button catches prop Rice up a ton, but that’s perfectly fine in PPR.

Last season, Rice played only eight games, but he was pacing for 113 catches, 1,213 yards and 11 touchdowns over a full season. In a three-game sample back in 2024, his 17-game pace was even better: 136 catches for 1,632 yards and 11 scores.

This season is a vital one for Rice, who’s heading into the final year of his rookie contract. He’s playing for a new deal and trying to shake off all the negative publicity from his off-field antics. If Rice can lock in and stay healthy for a full season, top-five output is in play.

Kenneth Gainwell (RB – TB)

After a few forgettable seasons in Philadelphia, Kenneth Gainwell finally got on the fantasy map in his lone season with the Steelers. He earned Aaron Rodgers‘ trust and was a checkdown machine, catching 73 balls for 486 yards. Gainwell also added 537 yards on the ground, pushing him over 1,000 total yards to go along with eight total touchdowns.

It wasn’t just empty catches, though. Gainwell was supremely efficient, ranking as the RB2 in fantasy points per opportunity (1.11), RB4 in yards created per touch (4.32) and RB7 in yards per route run (1.59), per PlayerProfiler. It was the receiving that supplied a whopping 63% of his fantasy points.

Gainwell is now in Tampa Bay and will operate as the 1B to Bucky Irving‘s 1A. Together, they should give the Buccaneers an explosive 1-2 punch in the backfield, with Gainwell likely seeing the bulk of the passing-down work. Coming off the board with an ADP of RB32, Gainwell could smash if he sees a similar workload to what he had a year ago in Pittsburgh.

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Wan’Dale Robinson (WR – TEN)

Can you believe Wan’Dale Robinson has back-to-back 140-target seasons? Pretty wild. He’s basically the poster child for PPR scoring, with 93 and 92 receptions over the past two seasons, respectively. Last season, he topped 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.

In free agency, Robinson followed former head coach Brian Daboll to Tennessee, signing a four-year, $70 million deal, making him a locked-in starter. The Titans spent the fourth overall pick in the draft on receiver Carnell Tate, so 140 targets aren’t likely to happen for the third straight season, but Robinson should still see plenty of looks as Cam Ward‘s main slot weapon.

Even though he finished as the WR14 in fantasy points per game (13.6) in 2025, Robinson is coming off the board around WR49 in ADP. If you’re playing with full PPR scoring, Robinson should be on your radar as early as the eighth or ninth round.

Rachaad White (RB – WSH)

It may not seem like it, but Rachaad White has been one of the best receiving backs in football since entering the league in 2022. He averages 51 receptions per season, with his best numbers coming in 2023: 64 catches for 549 yards and three scores. That year, he finished as the RB4 overall in PPR.

White left Tampa Bay this offseason to join his best friend, Jayden Daniels, in Washington. He’s there on a cheap one-year deal, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he took over the bulk of the backfield duties given his pass-catching prowess.

With only Jacory Croskey-Merritt and rookie sixth-rounder Kaytron Allen as his main competition for touches, White could end up being this year’s Javonte Williams if he takes the job and runs with it — pun intended.

Khalil Shakir (WR – BUF)

He’s been Josh Allen‘s favorite target over the past two seasons, yet Khalil Shakir is only relevant in fantasy because of PPR scoring. With an average depth of target (aDOT) of just 3.7 yards last season, he does his damage on short throws and designed targets near the line of scrimmage.

Shakir excels with the ball in his hands, where he can make people miss and rack up yardage. He ranked fifth among all receivers with 508 yards after the catch in 2025.

Shakir is a solid floor receiver in PPR formats because he’ll get you four or five catches a week for roughly 10 fantasy points. Sometimes that’s useful in a pinch. Just don’t draft Shakir expecting much more than that. He has only 11 career touchdowns, and his best output came in 2024, when he averaged 12.2 fantasy points per game.

Jake Ferguson (TE – DAL)

Dallas’ No. 1 TE finished as the overall TE5 in total fantasy points last season, despite totaling only 600 receiving yards. How is that possible? PPR scoring. Jake Ferguson caught 82 balls and scored a career-high eight touchdowns while averaging 11.1 fantasy points per game, good for TE10.

Ferguson benefits immensely from this scoring format. He had a 4.6 aDOT last season, which ranked 35th among tight ends, and he’s topped 10 yards per reception only once in his four-year career.

Ferguson depends on those short dump-offs from Dak Prescott to fuel his fantasy output. As long as he continues to rank in the top 10 in targets and receptions, he’s a fine tight end to grab in leagues that award a full point per reception.