9 Players We Can't Stop Drafting in 2026 Fantasy Football

A.J. Brown is receiving significant hype for moving from a run-centric offense to New England's pass-happy system, and is ranked as a WR1 everywhere with deserved expectations.

AJ Brown could lead the NFL in touchdown catches this year, according to the analyst.

Analyst projects a career season for AJ Brown and ranks him as wide receiver 5, closer to a one-two turn pick than his current second or third round ADP.

Ranked as WR5 in rankings, closer to the one-two turn in overall rankings, with true top-three upside due to improved red zone opportunity with the Patriots.

Despite playing in run-centric offenses, AJ Brown has produced as a wide receiver 10, 12, 8, and 8 in fantasy points per game over the last four seasons, demonstrating consistent elite production.

Last season, despite injury concerns early on, AJ Brown ranked 9th in target share, 17th in yards per route run, 8th in first read share, and 20th in first downs per route run.

Despite a down year, ranked 9th in target share, 17th in yards per route run, 8th in first read share, and 20th in first downs per route run, demonstrating elite efficiency metrics.

Moving from Eagles (15th in neutral passing rate) to Patriots (9th in neutral passing rate) provides improved passing volume opportunity.

Positioned to score the most touchdowns in a single season of his career due to Patriots being 15th in passing rate inside the 10-yard line versus Eagles at 32nd.

Will be the clear, undisputed number one receiver for the Patriots, commanding elite alpha-level target share close to 30% based on his proven skill set.

If A.J. Brown scores 12 touchdowns with similar peripheral volume, he projects as a top-five wide receiver option due to increased touchdown equity.

A.J. Brown is positioned as the clear, undisputed number one receiver for New England with significant touchdown upside given his historical 7 or fewer receiving touchdowns per season.

If he scores 12 touchdowns with similar peripheral stats, he projects as a top-five option despite being WR10-12 the last three seasons with no more than 7 receiving TDs each year.

A.J. Brown is ranked ahead of ADP and is being heavily targeted by sharp money drafters in FFPC and NFFC leagues, with some pushing him toward the beginning of the second round.

A.J. Brown has a higher floor and higher ceiling than Drake London due to superior quarterback play and offensive scoring opportunities with the Patriots.

Brian Thomas Jr. was the high-dot field stretcher when he returned last season and will fill that role again, which is not a high-volume role compared to Parker Washington's usage.

Chase Brown has top-three running back upside this season based on his production in various iterations of previous seasons.

Despite a slow start (RB34 in weeks 1-5), Chase Brown was RB6 in fantasy points per game from weeks 6-18 and maintained 60.5% snap share and 70.6% red zone snap share even after Samaje Perine returned in weeks 13-18.

Chris Godwin had a seven-game stretch in 2024 under Liam Coen where he was absolutely cooking, with consistent production of 18+ points in five of the last seven games, showing the sample size was not inflated by one big blow-up week.

Christian Watson's ADP has risen significantly and he is now being drafted near older wide receivers like DeVante Adams, Mike Evans, and D.J. Moore in high-stakes formats.

Christian Watson is ranked as wide receiver 19 in rankings despite rising ADP in high-stakes formats, suggesting potential overvaluation relative to his projected performance.

Analyst ranks Christian Watson as WR19 in rankings with top-15 or WR1 upside, projecting a Will Fuller/Terry McLaurin ceiling outcome.

Watson was the clear #1 for Green Bay weeks 8-18 last year, producing as a top-24 WR with 61.1 receiving yards per game and leading the team in target share.

With Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks gone, Watson's role is expected to expand significantly as the clear alpha WR1 in Green Bay's offense.

Watson had a 68% route share last year (56th out of 109 qualifying WRs) and posted elite 2.67 yards per route run efficiency, suggesting significant upside if route share increases.

If Watson's route share increases while maintaining his elite per-route efficiency, he projects as a top-15 or possible WR1 this season.

Watson is currently going at WR26 in FFPC, which the analyst believes is undervalued; he prefers Watson over Mike Evans, DJ Moore, Davante Adams, and Rome Odunze.

Green Bay's contract extension and commitment to Watson signals confidence in his health and upward trajectory, positioning him as an alpha WR1 who will be heavily featured.

Watson has been at a 19% target share and could realistically reach 22-23%, which would increase his weekly floor and make him a more consistent part of the game plan.

Christian Watson is used as a comparison to Parker Washington—when an offense leans on a guy and he answers the bell, they don't go away from him, as Watson got paid after proving himself as an elite weapon.

Christian Watson answered the bell as an elite weapon after getting paid, establishing himself as a key target in the Packers offense.

Chuba Hubbard is slightly behind Jonathan Brooks in FFPC ADP but 30 spots behind in NFFC, indicating market disagreement on the backfield hierarchy.

Courtland Sutton is the established WR1 in Denver, but Derek Brown argues he's only held that role because there was no other elite receiver to step up alongside him, and Waddle changes that dynamic.

Courtland Sutton had a career season in Bo Nix's rookie year, but Theo notes he's an older WR and the market may be overweighting his recent production.

David Montgomery is positioned to deliver RB1 type production similar to Joe Mixon's 2024 breakout season, with an incredibly high floor and RB1 upside in Houston's physical offense.

David Montgomery is projected to flirt with 300 touches and will surpass Joe Mixon's 2024 usage metrics (fifth in opportunity share, 14th in snap share, 13th in carries), positioning him for elite volume.

David Montgomery is not a dead zone back despite his age; he's efficient on a per-touch basis (30th in missed tackle rate, 12th in yards after contact per attempt, 22nd in yards per route run, 12th in first downs per route run) and surpasses Woody Marks on every efficiency metric.

Getting David Montgomery at mid to low-end RB2 prices while he's positioned to flirt with RB1 value and production this year; he's a smash pick as the unquestioned bellcow.

David Montgomery is a smash pick available at mid to low-end RB2 prices while offering RB1 value and production, with unquestioned bellcow status in Houston's offense.

David Montgomery is currently ranked RB21 and available at the four-five turn in hero RB builds, representing significant value in the draft.

Montgomery is the old guy surrounded by year-two players (Chatwood, Judkins, Trey Henderson, Basil Tooten), which structurally aids his bellcow role and value.

David Montgomery is a strong pick in round five as part of a hero RB build strategy, allowing access to elite wide receivers and tight ends earlier.

Wicks is no longer with Green Bay after having inconsistent usage patterns with sporadic blow-up games followed by disappearances.

Drake London's ADP has fallen behind AJ Brown in recent ADP movements across FFPC, NFFC, and Underdog platforms.

Drake London has upside and could crush from a volume perspective with a high floor and spike weeks, though A.J. Brown is preferred due to superior offensive environment.

Analyst expresses strong conviction on Drake London, stating "I think he's that guy" and plans to talk about him throughout the offseason, indicating high confidence in his breakout potential.

Likes spreading the ball around, which some analysts cite as a potential concern for A.J. Brown's target volume, though the analyst pushes back on this narrative.

Analyst is fading Jakobi Meyers in favor of double-tapping on BTJ and Parker Washington in the Jacksonville offense.

With Wicks and Doubs gone, the three-WR rotation is expected to tighten significantly, with Reed, Golden, and Watson becoming the primary options in Green Bay's offense.

Reed will be one of three primary wide receivers in Green Bay's offense alongside Calvin Watson and Golden, with consistent usage in both two and three wide receiver sets.

Derek Brown calls Jaylen Waddle "the best wide receiver value in fantasy football right now," ranking him as WR10 despite being drafted as a low-end WR2/high-end WR3, which he considers egregious undervaluation.

Waddle is transitioning from Miami's run-heavy offense (29th in neutral passing rate) to Denver's pass-happy system (4th in passing attempts), positioning him as Denver's unquestioned WR1 over Courtland Sutton.

Waddle was top 12 in every key efficiency metric on a per-route basis in Denver, including target per route run rate, yards per route run, and first downs per route run—besting Courtland Sutton in all of them.

Denver's coaching staff is comparing year-three Bo Nix with Waddle to year-three Josh Allen with Stefon Diggs, suggesting elite WR1 potential for Waddle in the new offense.

Theo argues Waddle's floor is WR23 and that his ADP should reflect the Denver offense bump, noting the market has failed to price in his move from Miami's bad offense to Denver's pass-happy system.

Analyst has Jaylen Waddle ranked as wide receiver 10 in their FantasyPros rankings, significantly higher than his current ADP of wide receiver 23, suggesting substantial upside potential.

Waddle has shown multiple elite seasons in his career with different skill expressions (100+ receptions in year one, 1,350 receiving yards in year two), and his skillset was held back by Tua Tagovailoa, suggesting potential to explode in Denver.

Waddle's skillset was held back with Tua Tagovailoa in past years, and there's a chance he explodes this year with a potential change in offensive structure.

At wide receiver 23 ADP, Waddle represents strong value; the analyst would 'take the under on wide receiver 23 all day long' and expects his ADP to rise throughout the summer.

Waddle is expected to rise from his current ADP and settle into the tier with Emeka Egbuka, Garrett Wilson, and Tutu Atwell, making him a strong pick if drafting in July.

Jonathan Brooks is rising in ADP and ranked RB30 in FFPC, slightly ahead of Chuba Hubbard, with NFFC drafters gravitating toward his upside.

Jonathan Brooks has moved from 9th-10th round expectations to round 6-8 territory; you can probably comfortably get him in round seven, but round eight or lower is unlikely in sharper drafts.

Brooks can be comfortably drafted in round seven in home league drafts, ranked as RB29 overall at 77th overall, offering top-tier RB3 range value with potential to take over the backfield.

Jonathan Brooks is ranked RB29 at 77th overall, positioned at the top tier of RB3 range with upside to truly take over the backfield unlike other committee backs.

Brooks has significant upside to take over the backfield from Chuba Hubbard, who was one of the most inefficient running backs in the NFL last year with zero explosive runs on 130+ carries.

Brooks is projected to become a top-15 back weekly by mid-season as the clear RB1 on an improved, run-centric offense, potentially becoming an RB2 in flex spots.

Brooks is an elite receiver and pass-catcher who fits Dave Canales' offensive scheme better than Chuba Hubbard, with elite potential in the screen game.

Brooks' college numbers at Texas were in line with Bijan Robinson's and he was the first running back selected in the 2024 draft class, indicating high-level prospect pedigree.

With Green Bay viewing themselves as a big contender after back-to-back playoff disappointments, there's reason to lean into Jordan Love for increased performance.

Parker Washington was Jacksonville's Amon-Ra St. Brown in the back half of last season and will maintain a high-leverage role with red zone and deep target opportunities.

From weeks 6-19, Parker Washington posted a 28.9% target share, 3.78 yards per route run, and 33.3% first-read share—Amon-Ra St. Brown-level elite usage numbers.

In weeks 6-19 last season, Parker Washington averaged 22.3 PPR points per game, which is Ja'Marr Chase-level top-three wide receiver output, and he is set up to smash this year.

In a stretch of games, Parker Washington averaged 22.3 PPR points per game, which is Ja'Marr Chase level top-three wide receiver output. Even if production is nerved to 17-18 PPR points per game, he represents a massive ADP win.

If Parker Washington produces at or near his weeks 6-19 pace, he will be a massive draft pick that flips leagues.

Parker Washington was the clear undisputed wide receiver one to end the season with nearly a 30% target share, and the analyst questions why Liam Coen would move away from that level of production and usage.

Parker Washington commanded nearly a 30% target share in Jacksonville's offense and was hyper-targeted in the playoff game against Buffalo, demonstrating elite slot usage and explosive play ability.

In the playoff game against Buffalo when the stakes were highest, Jacksonville hyper-targeted and hyper-used Parker Washington, demonstrating his importance in crucial moments.

Parker Washington represents really interesting value when available in round seven, offering explosive play potential and manufactured touches.

Romeo Doubs is no longer with Green Bay after being a constant headache for fantasy managers with inconsistent usage.

Averaged 12.5 PPR points per game last year with 1,000 receiving yards, serving as the baseline comparison for A.J. Brown's expected upgrade at the WR1 spot.

Analyst is worried about Travis Hunter's fantasy impact this year because Jacksonville needs him to play full-time corner, and when he does come on the field, the analyst doesn't see significant fantasy production.

Travis Hunter will need to play full-time corner this year and is unlikely to significantly impact Parker Washington's field time, as Jacksonville may use 10 personnel with four wide receivers instead.

Trevor Lawrence is at a fun price in the sixth round, and the analyst believes the Jacksonville offense could score a lot under Liam Coen's play calling.

Woody Marks is not a concern for David Montgomery's workload; Montgomery surpasses Marks on every efficiency metric and is the unquestioned bellcow.