Our analysts went through a full 15-round fantasy football draft, picking one player per round they’d target at that specific price, plus two bonus picks for the players they most wish they’d been able to squeeze in. Here’s the complete round-by-round guide.
- 2026 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Dynasty Rankings
- Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer
- Best Fantasy Football Rankings
2026 Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Picks to Target in Every Round
Round 1
Puka Nacua (WR – LAR) could be a season-defining player if he hits his ceiling. In his healthy games last year he averaged 24.7 PPR points per game, and simply flipping the receiving touchdown gap with a teammate would have pushed that number past 26 points per game, a mark no receiver has hit in a full season dating back to 2013. He’s already an elite target-share earner and one of the most efficient receivers in the league on a per-route basis; the only piece missing is a bigger red zone role, and if he gets it, he could decimate every league he’s in.
James Cook (RB – BUF) has already shown flashes of every skill needed to be the overall RB1: a big receiving season, an 18-touchdown season, and a 1,600-yard rushing season, just never all in the same year. Real reports suggest his team wants to get its running backs more involved in the passing game this year, and if he combines his rushing volume with expanded receiving work, he has a real path to finishing as the top overall running back.
Round 2
AJ Brown (WR – NE) is positioned for a potential career year. He wasn’t washed last year even in a difficult context, still posting elite target share and route-running marks, and he’s moving from a run-heavy offense to a much more pass-heavy one with real red zone upside, given his new team ranked far ahead of his old one in red zone passing rate last year with room to climb even higher.
Chase Brown (RB – CIN) has real top-three overall ceiling that isn’t being discussed enough. Last year he joined a very short list of running backs with at least 400 receiving yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season, elite workhorse company. His team and quarterback both love him, and he’s entering a contract year with real motivation to feast.
Round 3
Javonte Williams (RB – DAL) was actually the RB1 in fantasy points per game last year, yet he’s being drafted like a mid-tier RB2 this year. He’s not a dead-zone back either, ranking top 20 in explosive run rate and top three in yards after contact per attempt last year, real efficiency backing up the results.
Zay Flowers (WR – BAL) is set up for touchdown regression in the best way. Every other receiver who topped 1,200 receiving yards last year scored at least eight touchdowns except him. He just signed a big extension, remains the clear focal point of his offense, and posts elite target share and per-route efficiency numbers that make him a near-lock for touchdown correction this year.
Round 4
Jaylen Waddle (WR – DEN) has a genuinely high ceiling in his new offense. In games last year when the receiver ahead of him in his old situation was limited, Waddle averaged over seven targets and 68 receiving yards per game, all in a run-heavy context. His new team trended toward a more pass-heavy approach late last season and faces a tough early schedule that should keep it throwing, and it added him specifically to generate more explosive plays.
Colston Loveland (TE – CHI) has real number-one-overall tight end upside, not just top-12. Over a five-week stretch late last season once he was fully unleashed, his per-game production in target share, receiving yards, yards per route run, and first-read share would have made him better than either of the last two seasons’ actual top overall tight end. He doesn’t have to finish number one to be a great value at his price, especially with a tough team schedule and a departed veteran receiver funneling more volume his way.
Round 5
Bhayshul Tuten (RB – JAX) is an easy breakout candidate entering his second season. He matched a teammate closely in efficiency metrics last year but brings real explosiveness that teammate lacks, and he already took over the presumed starting job and red zone work as a rookie in a high-flying offense.
David Montgomery (RB – HOU) is a strong RB2 with real RB1 upside, not a dead-zone back. He ranked top 12 in yards after contact per attempt and first downs per route run last year, and directly outperformed a more hyped teammate in nearly every efficiency category, including pass protection, despite that teammate getting more offseason buzz.
Round 6
Christian Watson (WR – GB) profiles as a year-four breakout disguised as a year-five breakout given how much time he’s missed to injury. He hit career highs in receiving yards and yards per route run upon returning from a torn ACL last year and never saw fewer than four targets in any healthy game. Reports suggest a shift toward more of an underneath role this year rather than pure deep threat duty, which should let him use his after-the-catch explosiveness more consistently.
Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI) offers access to elite quarterback play at a real discount. His expected fantasy points last year would have made him a top-two overall quarterback, yet he’s currently going outside the top five at the position. His touchdown rushing total dipped to a career low last year in an unusually pass-heavy red zone approach behind an injured offensive line, and a new offensive coordinator is expected to bring back more commitment to the run game near the goal line.
Round 7
Jonathon Brooks (RB – CAR) is finally fully healthy entering his third season after barely playing since being drafted. Camp reports describe him as fully cleared for a significant role, particularly as a receiver, a real strength of his and a weakness of the incumbent starter, who already lost his job to a journeyman back last year and posted a genuinely unique level of poor explosive-play production.
Parker Washington (WR – JAX) is the true upside swing to take at wide receiver this year. Over a specific four-game stretch late last season, he averaged over 22 PPR points per game backed by real high-value volume, including red zone and deep targets, not just underneath work, and he’s expected to keep getting fed in high-leverage spots this year.
Round 8
Jaxson Dart (QB – NYG) offers real rushing upside paired with rookie-year efficiency that was genuinely elite outside of one statistical outlier game. He’s getting significantly more weapons around him this year after producing well even with a relatively bare receiving corps as a rookie.
Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAX) outscored every player at every position in fantasy points per game from week five onward last year. In games when his current top weapons were all healthy and playing together, he averaged more fantasy points per game than any other quarterback in the league over that stretch, offering real QB1-overall upside at a late-round price.
Round 9
Quentin Johnston (WR – LAC) is the real wide receiver one of his offense, not the more hyped teammate typically drafted ahead of him. In his genuinely healthy games last year, he led his entire team in target share, yards per route run, red zone targets, deep targets, and first-read share, at a full-season pace that would have made him a top-16 receiver.
Rachaad White (RB – WAS) is reunited with a college teammate at quarterback who has publicly called him the best quarterback he’s ever played with. He’s caught 40 or more passes in four straight seasons, a genuinely reliable receiving-back profile, and even improved his efficiency metrics last year, especially in short-yardage situations, positioning him to vacuum up high-value touches even if he loses some between-the-tackles volume.
Round 10
Isaiah Likely (TE – NYG) should run a lot more routes this year than a rival late-round tight end target, given a full recovery from a foot injury and a new coaching staff bringing over a trusted piece from a previous stop. His pre-injury efficiency was strong across target rate, yards per route run, and fantasy points per route run, and he’s expected to be the clear number two target earner in his new offense.
Dalton Kincaid (TE – BUF) posted elite per-route efficiency last year, ranking first among tight ends in several rate categories despite playing only about a third of his team’s offensive snaps. If his role simply expands, he has real upside to smash his current price, and even in a similar limited role, the underlying efficiency already supports usable production.
Round 11
Jakobi Meyers (WR – JAX) led his team in routes run, catches, and targets over the final ten games of last season following a midseason trade, quickly earned a contract extension, and remains one of the more underrated target earners in the league.
Deebo Samuel (WR – SF) has an ADP that’s unlikely to catch up to his actual talent level fast enough. He finished as a top-30 fantasy receiver in points per game last year and remains one of the few healthy players on an injury-riddled receiving corps, positioning him to be leaned on heavily again.
Round 12
Wan’Dale Robinson (WR – TEN) is one of only a handful of receivers over the last two seasons to command 130-plus targets in back-to-back years, alongside several clearly elite names. He already proved he can hit that volume even while sharing the field with another highly drafted rookie receiver, supporting confidence he can do it again this year.
KC Concepcion (WR – CLE) is a talented rookie who can threaten a defense at all three levels. Real quarterback uncertainty exists on his team, but that same uncertainty applies to several other hyped rookie situations too, and he’s already generating real buzz in camp.
Round 13
Tre’ Harris (WR – LAC) fits the archetype his new offensive coordinator’s coaching lineage has historically favored at receiver, positioning him as a potential riser in the pecking order over two more established, higher-drafted teammates.
Jayden Higgins (WR – HOU) offers more proven substance from his rookie season. Over an 11-game stretch last year, he finished as a top-36 receiver in the majority of those games and ranked well among qualifying receivers in target rate per route run and route win rate. A more reliable quarterback situation this year should mean more catchable targets and real breakout potential.
Round 14
LA Chargers D/ST is a short-term streaming pick, favored for a soft opening schedule against two of the league’s weaker offenses, acknowledged as a likely droppable play after the first couple of weeks rather than a season-long roster piece.
Jalen Coker (WR – CAR) shouldn’t have as large a gap in ADP as he currently does compared to a more hyped teammate. Over a specific late-season stretch last year, he directly out-produced that teammate in target share, yards per route run, red zone targets, and first-read share, positioning him as a legitimate flex play that should stay rosterable all season.
Round 15
Greg Dulcich (TE – MIA) was directly named by his team’s general manager as the player he’s most excited to see take a leap this season. He ranked second among all tight ends in yards per route run from week nine onward last year and second in yards after the catch per reception among tight ends, real efficiency backing up a name still available at the very end of drafts.
Malik Willis (QB – MIA) is the ultimate late-round insurance policy and dart throw. His team’s likely negative game scripts should force plenty of throwing and running, and his limited career sample already shows elite big-time throw rate and rushing production that would rank among the league’s best at the position, real top-12 quarterback upside at an end-of-draft price.
Bonus Picks
Brock Bowers (TE – LV) is a long-shot dark horse for Offensive Player of the Year. His new head coach has a track record of building an entire passing offense around a single dominant slot-style weapon at a prior stop, and Bowers effectively plays like a glorified slot receiver when healthy, with real odds to lead the league in catches and touchdowns if the offense elevates around him. His long-shot award odds mostly reflect that tight ends rarely win the award, not doubts about his talent.
Emeka Egbuka (WR – TB) offers real top-five receiver upside if his hot start from last season extends across a full year, positioned as his team’s clear top receiver under a new offensive coordinator as long as the starting quarterback stays healthy.
View the Best Fantasy Football Team Names
Fantasy Football Draft Rankings
Check out the consensus 2026 fantasy football draft rankings from our experts.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio