Fantasy Football: 5 Players You Need to Draft (2026)

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 players our fantasy football experts love to draft.

2026 Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Must-Have Players

Here are players our experts love to pick in fantasy football drafts.

A.J. Brown (WR – NE)

A.J. Brown has a new home in New England for the foreseeable future. Brown has been a WR1 in fantasy points per game over the last four seasons (WR10, WR12, WR8, WR8), and I don’t see that stopping this season. Brown moves from an Eagles offense that ranked 15th in neutral passing rate to a Patriots system that ranked 9th in neutral passing rate and could climb even higher this season with the additions of Brown and Romeo Doubs this offseason. Brown could easily spike a career high in touchdowns this season. Last season, Philly ranked 32nd in passing rate inside the 10-yard line, while the Patriots ranked 15th. That jump in touchdown fuel (if it all works out) could send him into top five status this season among fantasy football receivers. Last year, among 109 qualifying receivers, Brown was ninth in target share (27.5%), 17th in yards per route run (2.23), eighth in first-read share (35%), and 20th in first downs per route run (0.104, per Fantasy Points Data). Brown was also 30th in separation score and 16th in route win rate among the same sample of receivers. While many will worry about Drake Maye spreading the ball around in 2026, I’m not because last year that was related to New England not having an alpha-level receiver like Brown on the depth chart. That isn’t the case now. Brown is a strong WR1 with more upside than he’s had in previous seasons, thanks to New England’s passing volume floor and ceiling this year.

Tyler Warren (TE – IND)

Tyler Warren had a fantastic rookie season as the TE10 in fantasy points per game, but there was plenty of meat left on the bone that should have fantasy football gamers excited going into 2026. Warren was the TE4 in expected fantasy points per game last year. Let’s begin the convo there. He should naturally see some regression this season, even before we consider the Colts moving on from Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason. Warren also ranked fifth among tight ends last year in red-zone targets and eighth in end-zone targets, yet he had only four receiving touchdowns to show for it. Warren was excellent last year on a per-route basis. Among 59 qualifying tight ends, he was sixth in target share, ninth in receiving yards per game, 18th in yards per route run and first downs per route run, and sixth in first-read-read share (per Fantasy Points Data). His target share and first-read share should increase this season with Pittman Jr. gone, and his per-route productivity should also improve if Daniel Jones can stay healthy for the entire season and be at least a shadow of his healthy self. Warren is a top-five tight end this season who could sniff top-three status if everything goes according to plan.

Check out all of DBro’s top fantasy football draft picks to target

Christian Watson (WR – GB)

Some people will dismiss Christian Watson out of hand because of his injury history. He’s missed 20 games in his four NFL seasons.

But Watson was excellent last season after coming back from an ACL tear at the end of the 2024 season. In 10 regular-season games last season, Watson averaged 17.5 yards per catch, 11.1 yards per target and 2.28 yards per route run. He produced at a 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown pace.

There should be increased target opportunities for Watson in 2026. The Packers have rotated four or five receivers in recent years. This year, it looks like it’s going to be a core three of Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden. Tucker Kraft could be a major player in this offense, too, but he’s coming off a torn ACL.

Watson is 6-foot-4, 208 pounds, and has 4.36 speed. He has a high-quality quarterback in Jordan Love.

The Packers have been run-heavy the last two years, ranking 31st and 22nd in pass rate over expected. What if Green Bay throws more this season and the targets are more concentrated among fewer receivers?

Watson has the potential to be special. And his current cost assumes he’ll miss a few games. With a season of good health, Watson investors could reap handsome rewards.

Check out all of Fitz’s top fantasy football draft picks to target

James Cook (RB – BUF)

James Cook led the NFL in rushing yards in 2025 (1,621). He finished as the RB6 in PPG and RB6 in total points scored. At 26 years old, the Bills RB is in his Uber Prime. He is improving every single season, and he has yet to be fully unlocked as a receiver despite being heavily touted as a pass-catcher coming out of Georgia. If Cook gets unleashed on all three downs under new HC Joe Brady, he could flirt with an overall RB1 status as the engine of the Bills’ offense. The Bills’ offensive line is still in great shape (although they remained very healthy last season).

The 200-pound back has a 44-catch, 445-yard receiving season on his resume, which only Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffrey, and De’Von Achane hit last season, with 1,000 rushing yards to boot. Buffalo also hired Pete Carmichael as the new OC, who spent seven years calling plays with Alvin Kamara as his starting RB in New Orleans.

So far throughout training camp, there have been reports about Cook and the other RBs being more involved as pass-catchers. Aligns with Brady’s comments about Cook taking another step in his game this season after silencing all haters with 18 TDs (led league) in 2024 and 1,621 rushing yards in 2025.

Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAC)

The Jaguars quarterback came close to finishing as fantasy’s best signal-caller last season in just his first year with Liam Coen. From Week 5 onward, Trevor Lawrence outscored all other players at every single position (23 PPG). Overall, he finished top-5 in PPG and No. 1 in expected fantasy points per game. Entering his second season with Coen (who Baker Mayfield threw for 40-plus TDs with back in 2024), the ceiling for T-Law is sky-high. The dual-threat QB is entering his uber-prime at just 27 years old, and projects to pile up TDs – both through the air and on the ground. In 2025, Trevor Lawrence attempted the 4th-most red-zone passes, and the third-most red-zone rushes (9 rushing TDs trailed only Josh Allen). His 38 total TDs trailed only Allen and Matthew Stafford. With an embarrassment of riches to throw to at WR/TE, Lawrence is teed up to smash in 2026.

YOU MUST RESPECT T-LAW.

Check out all of Erickson’s top fantasy football draft picks to target