Every year, fantasy football creeps earlier and earlier into the calendar, with best ball drafts in full swing since January and high-stakes redraft leagues having kicked off not long after the NFL Draft concluded. Now would be the perfect time to partake in a fantasy football mock draft.
We’ve yet to see anything shake up the first round of redraft leagues significantly, but A.J. Brown is finally a New England Patriot, leading to some overreactions, despite this being commonly expected for months. With the information we have today, this is how to approach drafting your fantasy football team from the 1.03 pick.
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Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Pick 1.03
Players to Consider at 1.03 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
These players will likely be available when you make your selection:
- Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)
- Jahmyr Gibbs (RB – DET)
- Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
- Puka Nacua (WR – LAR)
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA)
It’s fair to assume that at least one of Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs will be gone, if not both, as they’re the consensus top two picks in average draft position (ADP).
There isn’t a clear consensus 1.01, but both players are strong selections. If either should fall to the 1.03 pick, they’re incredibly easy picks to make. Following them, the selection gets tighter between the cluster of top wide receiver talent.
Players to Target at 1.03 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)
Last year’s PPR RB2 in fantasy points per game, and now free from Tyler Allgeier, Bijan Robinson feels primed to take a big step forward in 2026.
Allgeier tied Robinson for 43.5% of the team’s carries inside the 5-yard line last season, and had 32 carries inside the red zone, compared to Robinson’s 35. The Falcons did add Brian Robinson Jr. in free agency, but they weren’t rushing to add a second body to this backfield, waiting almost two weeks before adding their second back.
Robinson led the league in missed tackles forced (75), with 27 more than any other player, while also ranking in the top five in rushing yards, explosive run rate and yards per carry, while topping the league in yards after contact per attempt (3.06). He also appeared on 18.5% of champion teams, according to FantasyPros’ league sync tool. That was the highest percentage of any player.
Where Robinson can take the leap is simple — touchdowns. Robinson scored only seven rushing touchdowns, which resulted in the lowest touchdown rate (2.4%) among the top seven running backs in fantasy. Nobody else was below 3%. Robinson is unlikely to make it past the 1.02 too often, but is a fantastic selection if he does.
Jahmyr Gibbs (RB – DET)
Another young running back who has seen things clear out behind him is Jahmyr Gibbs, with the departure of David Montgomery, and only Isiah Pacheco has been added to the running back room. The reality is that Pacheco has gone under four yards per carry in each of the last two seasons, has missed time in each of the last three seasons and has recorded more than 19 receptions just once in the past four seasons.
Perhaps a change of scenery helps Pacheco find his feet again, but Gibbs has the clearest avenue he’s ever had and is coming off a career-high 94 targets. Gibbs has had over 50 receptions in each of his three seasons in the NFL and averages 13 total touchdowns per season.
With more touches, Gibbs could be one of the highest ceiling plays in fantasy football, and an auto-click if he makes it this far.
Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
The Bengals might have slightly improved their defense, but they’re unlikely to become a unit that consistently allows them to move away from the passing game, and that continues to be excellent news for Ja’Marr Chase.
For two consecutive seasons, Chase has led the league in targets with 175 and 185, respectively. Chase also has two years with 1,400+ receiving yards, and his consistency is worth paying for. Much of Chase’s ceiling is tied to Joe Burrow‘s health. In games with Burrow at quarterback since Chase was drafted, he averages 0.78 touchdowns and 20.67 PPR points. In the games without Burrow, those numbers drop to 0.33 touchdowns and 15.48 points.
Those aren’t terrible numbers, but the lack of touchdowns hurt. Burrow is fully healthy this offseason, and the ceiling is the name of the game at the top of the draft. Lock Chase in for another WR1 overall season.
Puka Nacua (WR – LAR)
Off the field, Puka Nacua hasn’t had a great offseason, and the Rams seem slightly hesitant to extend him, with reports suggesting that’s not in their immediate plans, despite Nacua being extension-eligible and watching Jaxon Smith-Njigba reset the market.
Things can change quickly, but for now, it sets Nacua up for what should be a massive prove-it year, both on and off the field. Nacua is coming off a career-high 10 receiving touchdowns, which, until 2025, had been the only area of his game that lacked. He combined for nine total touchdowns in the previous two seasons.
Perhaps with an improving defense, the Rams don’t go quite as pass-heavy this year, but Sean McVay has nearly always been aggressive, and Nacua deserves to be a top pick while Matthew Stafford is healthy.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA)
It was a truly special year for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, leading the league in receiving yards (1,794), catching 119 passes on 163 targets for 10 touchdowns, and helping the Seahawks to a Super Bowl.
The only cause for concern is Klint Kubiak leaving to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, which could lead to a dip in Sam Darnold‘s efficiency. The positive side, though, is that the team didn’t make any major additions at receiver, aside from bringing back Rashid Shaheed.
If Zach Charbonnet isn’t back and rookie Jadarian Price can’t adapt to the NFL quickly, could we see even more volume from Smith-Njigba?
Players to Avoid at 1.03 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF)
Plenty of drafters have been hurt by fading Christian McCaffrey over the years, and it feels like a dangerous prospect when he was the fantasy RB1 in PPR points per game last season (24.5), averaging 2.5 more points per game than Bijan Robinson.
The trouble is that McCaffrey PPR scammed his way to first place with his worst rushing production in a while. His 3.9 yards per carry was his lowest mark since 2020 in Carolina. This ranked 48th among running backs with 50+ rush attempts, while also ranking 47th in yards after contact per attempt and 29th in missed tackles forced.
McCaffrey turns 30 on June 7th, and while 129 targets last year isn’t to be sniffed at, this bet does feel slightly thin at times. McCaffrey is a stronger pick slightly later than this.
Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)
Another tough fade for this selection is Jonathan Taylor, who, according to teams synced to our FantasyPros tools, led all players in advance rate to the playoffs at 66.8% last season. Sadly, though, that wasn’t the whole story.
Taylor was the fantasy RB4 in points per game, but from Week 12 onwards, he was the RB21, with an explosive run rate of 0.7% (41st) and ranking 36th in yards after contact, with just three rushing touchdowns.
Of course, much of this inefficiency was due to quarterback turmoil as Daniel Jones got beaten up and eventually tore his Achilles. If you’re that vulnerable to poor quarterback play, you do not deserve to be drafted with the third overall pick.
Roster Constructions to Consider at 1.03 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
We’re most likely looking at a wide receiver from this selection, with Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs the favorites for the top two picks.
Starting WR/WR could let you lean into Zero RB with an elite tight end such as Brock Bowers or Trey McBride. You could also add your first running back from a group of Omarion Hampton, Jeremiyah Love or Derrick Henry. If a running back does fall, your wide receiver options are likely between George Pickens or Ladd McConkey.
Either start can work, but it’s worth considering whether you’d rather want to start with Gibbs/Bowers/McConkey or Ja’Marr Chase/Hampton/Pickens.
Running Back tends to dry up quicker than usual this year, but only having one wide receiver through three rounds can leave your wide receiver room struggling to catch up.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft From the 1.03 Pick
We used our FREE fantasy football mock draft simulator to show you an example of a draft from the 1.02 position. You can sync your league for free and mock draft against your fantasy football league settings to prepare more specifically for your draft.
This draft saw Ja’Marr Chase fall to the 1.03, allowing us to start with Chase, Brock Bowers and Saquon Barkley through the first three rounds. While Barkley’s efficiency is questionable, that’s three players who could all finish in the top three at their respective positions.
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