Every year our analysts have a list of players they prefer to target in drafts. They like the players given their draft cost and potential upside. However, there are a few handful of players that they are really willing to stake their name to. These are their flag plants, sometimes referred to as “Our Guys.” These are the players they feel most strongly about in 2026. They feel a little sick if they don’t wind up with them in their own drafts. Take a look at their true must-have players for 2026 below.
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Fantasy Football Flag Plant Players for 2026
Here are players our fantasy football experts prioritize in their 2026 drafts.
Pat Fitzmaurice’s Flag Plant Players of 2026
It seems like everyone in the fantasy community is fading Bucky Irving, but I’m buying. After a terrific rookie season in 2024, Irving dealt with foot and shoulder injuries in 2025, limiting him to 10 games and making him far less effective. From Week 10 of his rookie season through the Buccaneers’ playoff loss to the Commanders, Irving averaged 111.6 yards from scrimmage per game and scored six touchdowns over nine contests. That stretch included a game in which he played only 10 offensive snaps after getting banged up, but he otherwise logged at least a 44% snap share in every game. Irving reached that threshold only once in his first nine games before then-offensive coordinator Liam Coen realized Tampa Bay’s offense was better with Irving on the field than with Rachaad White. Irving finished his rookie campaign with 1,514 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per carry. His 3.93 yards after contact per attempt ranked first among all running backs with at least 60 carries. During his injury-plagued 2025 season, those averages fell to 3.4 yards per carry and 2.33 yards after contact, while his breakaway-run percentage dropped from 34.9% to 13.4%. Tampa Bay’s injury-riddled offensive line didn’t help matters, either, falling from second in adjusted line yards in 2024 to 22nd in 2025.
Many fantasy managers expect Irving to be part of a committee this season. Sean Tucker could receive goal-line carries because he’s bigger, while Kenneth Gainwell could play on third-and-long because he’s a better pass blocker. But Tucker handled the goal-line work last season and White played on third downs, yet Irving still averaged 20.3 touches per game — workhorse usage by modern standards. Gainwell averaged a career-high 6.7 carries per game for Pittsburgh last year, and the numbers suggest Irving is the better receiver. Irving has averaged 1.56 yards per route run in the NFL, compared with 1.19 for Gainwell, and he caught more passes in his best college season than Gainwell did while facing better competition. It’s strange that so many people have forgotten how good Irving was over a meaningful stretch during the second half of his rookie season. Buy the dip.
One of my favorite maxims for fantasy drafts is, “Miss small, hit big,” and Blake Corum fits that philosophy perfectly. At worst, he’ll spend the season backing up Kyren Williams in what should be an outstanding Rams offense. Corum won’t contribute much as a receiver after catching only eight passes in 2025, and he could be less efficient following a season in which he averaged 5.1 yards per carry. Even so, a down 2026 season would qualify as only a small miss at his current ADP of RB34 and 96th overall.
The potential payoff is significant if Williams misses time. Corum would become the lead back for the current championship favorites, who are likely to benefit from run-friendly game scripts throughout the season. In any week without Williams, Corum would likely rank as a top-10 fantasy running back. That would represent a big hit on a mid-round pick, making Corum a bet worth taking.
I think tight end is worth paying up for this year, and I’m willing to take Brock Bowers anywhere in the back half of the second round in 12-team drafts. Widely considered one of the best tight end prospects ever, Bowers immediately delivered 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns on 153 targets as a rookie. He opened last season with five catches for 103 yards in Week 1 but suffered a PCL injury and bone bruise in his left knee during the game. Bowers clearly wasn’t himself over the next three weeks before being shut down for three games. Once he returned, he scored seven touchdowns in eight contests before the Raiders placed him on injured reserve for the final two weeks, protecting their star while helping secure the No. 1 pick in the draft.
With an anemic wide receiver corps in Las Vegas, Bowers should be awash in targets this season. New head coach Klint Kubiak has been tasked with repairing the Raiders’ offense, and his track record suggests he can right the ship. No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza provides hope, while the Raiders also have tight end-friendly quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins was starting for Atlanta in Week 15 last season when Kyle Pitts caught 11 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns. Bowers could produce the same type of numbers in 2026 that Trey McBride delivered for Arizona in 2025.
Derek Brown’s Flag Plant Players of 2026
Parker Washington ended last season with a remarkable stretch of production, and if he carries that momentum into 2026, he could be one of the best values in fantasy football. From Weeks 16-19, Washington established himself as Jacksonville’s clear WR1, averaging 22.3 PPR points and 113.5 receiving yards per game while drawing six red-zone targets and 13 deep targets, according to Fantasy Points Data. Over those four games, he also posted a 28.9% target share, 3.78 yards per route run and a 33.3% first-read share which are elite numbers across the board.
There is some uncertainty surrounding Jacksonville’s target hierarchy with Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter healthy. Both players could limit Washington’s ability to produce monster numbers in 2026, but that risk is already reflected in his draft price. Washington remains an excellent upside swing in the later rounds.
Christian Watson earned a new contract this offseason and should enter 2026 as the Packers’ clear WR1 after proving last year that he could handle the role. From Weeks 8-18, Watson ranked as the WR21 in fantasy points per game while recording an 18.2% target share, 61.1 receiving yards per game, 2.67 yards per route run, a 23.9% first-read share and 0.122 first downs per route run, according to Fantasy Points Data. His target and first-read shares should increase with Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks gone and Watson likely moving into a full-time role.
Watson was limited by a 68% route share last season, which ranked 56th among 109 qualifying receivers. More playing time and greater usage should make his per-route efficiency even more dangerous in 2026. Among those same 109 receivers, Watson finished fourth in yards per route run, 10th in first downs per route run and sixth in fantasy points per route run. He should be viewed as a strong WR2 with the upside to deliver even more this season.
It’s Jaylen Waddle season, and I can’t wait to see what he does in Denver’s passing attack. Waddle should receive a significant increase in volume after moving from an offense that ranked 29th in neutral passing rate to one that finished fourth in the metric last season. Denver also ranked fourth in overall passing attempts, trailing only Arizona, Cincinnati and Dallas.
Waddle stands out regardless of the metric. Among 109 qualifying wide receivers last year, he ranked 12th in targets per route run, 12th in yards per route run, seventh in first downs per route run, 12th in separation score and 11th in route win rate, according to Fantasy Points Data. He also outperformed Courtland Sutton in every category except route win rate, where Sutton held a narrow 15.5% to 15.3% edge. Waddle is one of my flag-plant players this year and can easily be drafted as a WR2 with WR1 upside.
Andrew Erickson’s Flag Plant Players of 2026
Trevor Lawrence nearly finished as fantasy football’s top quarterback last season in his first year with Liam Coen. From Week 5 onward, Lawrence outscored every player at every position with 23 fantasy points per game. He finished the season among the top five quarterbacks in points per game and ranked first in expected fantasy points per game. Lawrence was even better when all of his receivers were healthy, averaging nearly 28 points per game.
Now entering his second season with Coen, who helped Baker Mayfield throw more than 40 touchdown passes in 2024, Lawrence has a sky-high ceiling. The dual-threat quarterback is entering his prime at 27 years old and should continue producing touchdowns through the air and on the ground. Lawrence attempted the fourth-most red-zone passes and recorded the third-most red-zone carries in 2025, while his nine rushing touchdowns trailed only Josh Allen. His 38 total touchdowns ranked behind only Allen and Matthew Stafford. With an abundance of receiving talent around him, Lawrence is positioned for another massive season in 2026. You must respect T-LAW.
Kenneth Walker III landed in arguably the best situation of his career after joining Kansas City this offseason. He immediately projects as the lead back in one of the NFL’s best offenses, which ranked eighth in rushing success rate and had the third-lowest stuff rate last season. Walker remains one of the league’s most explosive runners, ranking second in explosive-run rate and first in missed tackles forced per attempt. He has also displayed underrated receiving ability, and Andy Reid and the Chiefs’ coaching staff have praised his pass-catching skills while working to improve his pass protection and route running so he can remain on the field more often.
Kansas City is unlikely to deploy Walker as a true three-down workhorse, but his projected role should still be extremely fantasy-friendly. His big-play ability is an ideal fit for an offense in which defenses must account for Patrick Mahomes once the quarterback is fully healthy. The Chiefs could also give Walker additional opportunities early in the season while Mahomes returns from his injury. Most importantly, Walker is the favorite for goal-line and red-zone work, giving him access to touchdown upside that wasn’t available in Seattle. He averaged 23.4 half-PPR points during the postseason and scored 22.0 points in a 2025 regular-season game without Zach Charbonnet, offering a glimpse of his RB1 ceiling when featured.
Another Kansas City running back, whether Emari Demercado, Emmett Johnson or someone else, will undoubtedly be involved. However, Walker’s competition appears much less threatening than what he faced in Seattle. Even if his snap share fluctuates, his efficiency and scoring opportunities should remain elite. The Chiefs also have the third-easiest schedule to begin the season, and early camp reports suggest the team could lean heavily on Walker. His combination of high-end talent and an ideal team fit makes him one of the most enticing RB1 candidates in fantasy football entering 2026. Giddy up.
Greg Dulcich could emerge as a fantasy sleeper and potentially become Miami’s No. 1 target, given how barren the Dolphins’ depth chart is. When new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan was asked on Kevin Clark’s podcast which player he was most excited to see improve and take a leap in 2026, he named Dulcich. The 26-year-old finished second among tight ends in yards per route run from Week 9 onward and also ranked second at the position in yards after the catch per reception last season, trailing only Tucker Kraft. According to ESPN’s receiver score, Dulcich’s 2.7 yards per route run in 2025 is the fourth-highest mark by a tight end since 2022.
Dulcich’s rookie breakout in Denver also coincided with his time working with tight ends coach Jake Moreland, who previously coached under Slowik. Miami’s new head coach comes from Green Bay as well, so he understands what a strong yards-after-the-catch tight end can add to an offense. With opportunity available and several encouraging efficiency metrics, Dulcich has a chance to take a meaningful step forward in 2026.
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