10 Fantasy Football Targets to Know Before Your 2026 Draft

If you’re like most fantasy football participants, you already have your eye on a must-have player or two for this season. Or for the more adventurous, a whole collection of dream teamers.

Unfortunately, draft day eventually arrives and a new reality quickly sets in. Within five minutes of the first pick, you’re already disappointed – you’re not going to get Jahmyr Gibbs, Jaxon Smith-Njigba AND Christian McCaffrey. You might get ONE if you’re lucky.

But which one and when? Figuring out who is most likely to fall onto your lap after you get your draft position is the key to maximizing the possibility of landing multiple dreams-come-true and avoiding deflating outcomes.

There are about 40 guys I’d love to have on my team this season. But using published Average Draft Positions (ADP’s), I can count on about 30 of them being gone by the time I get a realistic shot at them.

Here are the 10 I feel most comfortable about landing and when that’s most likely to occur …

Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions RB.

OK, let’s start off with the least realistic, because you’re going to have to pick either first or second to get him. But if you do … there are only two choices: Gibbs and Bijan Robinson. I’m taking Gibbs, who has a trustworthy quarterback, a better all-around offensive team and – believe it or not – a softer schedule.

CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys WR.

The top five of the draft (in no particular order) are pretty much set in stone: Along with Gibbs and Robinson, you have star wideouts Smith-Njigba, Ja’Marr Chase and Puka Nacua. But starting at pick No. 6, the choice gets tougher. I’m taking Lamb, in part because you might get him even if you have the last pick of the first round, and in part because I don’t trust the Dallas defense will be much improved this year. Once again, the Cowboys are going to have to score 30 points to compete, and that’s going to mean a lot of busy afternoons for Lamb.

Derrick Henry, Ravens RB.

Your second-round pick might be the most important, yet most difficult, of the entire draft because you can make a case for more than a dozen players, half of whom will keep you competitive, and half of whom will disappoint. What makes Henry stand out is this: Baltimore’s new coach is defensive-minded, which usually means a conservative offensive approach. And his choice of offensive coordinator has a history of being run-oriented. With little competition for touches, Henry should have a big season.

Cam Skattebo, Giants RB.

There are two guys I feel a lot stronger about than most people, and it starts here. The Giants, with a developing young quarterback and one of the top wideouts in the league, will be much improved offensively. I strongly recommend taking Malik Nabers or Skattebo, both of whom are coming off injuries. Nabers is more of a risk and is going an average of eight spots higher in ESPN’s drafts, plus quality running backs tend to disappear faster than wideouts. And here’s a wild card: Skattebo is a touchdown-scoring machine who is fun to call your own.

TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots RB.

Here’s my first prediction on your fantasy football season: You will win your league title if you get this guy in the fourth round or lower. On average, he’s being taken 60th in the ESPN leagues, which is an indication that he’s expected to split carries – like last year – with Rhamondre Stevenson. And maybe he will … on Opening Day. But soon – very soon – Mike Vrabel will figure out what he’s got in Henderson. And when that happens, the person who drafted him will have, in essence, a second first-round pick on the roster. Yes, he’s THAT good.

Jameson Williams, Lions WR.

If you look at my dream team so far (discarding Gibbs), you see three running backs and one wideout. I’m good with that, given the option of using one of the backs at the flex position and given the incredible depth of wide receivers available. Williams was one of the most improved wideouts in the league last year, and they’re raving about him in camp. The Lions have a cupcake schedule and you’re going to want at least one of them. Williams is the most realistic given his price.

Mike Evans, 49ers WR.

Some wonder how a guy like Evans, who tends to stay outside the hash marks, will be used by Mike Shanahan, who loves to throw the ball down the middle. Here’s how: At the goal line. The guy has 10 TD’s written all over him, and yet he’s going, on average, 83rd on ESPN. It says here: Evans will lead all wideouts in touchdowns this year.

Jordyn Tyson, Saints WR.

No rookie lands in a better situation than Tyson, who will benefit both from an underrated quarterback (Tyler Slough) and a star sidekick (Chris Olave). And have I mentioned that the Saints – by my calculations – face the second-friendliest fantasy schedule behind only the Eagles? Low risk (86th pick on ESPN) and high reward – the ideal fantasy backup.

Dallas Goedert, Eagles TE.

I actually like the Ravens’ Mark Andrews better as a low-round TE selection. But I’m not crazy about having two guys from the same team, and in this scenario, I’ve already got Henry. Goedert is intriguing for two reasons: 1) As noted earlier, nobody plays a softer collection of defenses than the Eagles; and 2) Without A.J. Brown around, there’ll be more balls – and touchdowns – for the dependable tight end.

Kyler Murray, Vikings QB.

Are you bold enough to wait until the 11th round to take your quarterback? If you did last year, you could have lucked into Drake Maye (No. 3 in QB scoring), Jared Goff (No. 6) or Bo Nix (No. 7), all of whom could have taken you to a championship. Who are this year’s sleepers? Actually, the list is deeper than a year ago and includes the likes of Trevor Lawrence, Brock Purdy and Goff again. But I’ll go with the talented Murray, who gets a new lease on life and – most importantly – Justin Jefferson.

Brandon Aubrey, Cowboys K.

OK, I’m sneaking an 11th guy onto the list because I absolutely, positively will have this guy on my team this season. How do I know this? Because I will be the first to draft a kicker. It’s just nice knowing that when Dallas crosses the 50, which it does two-thirds of the time, Aubrey becomes a possibility. I’m no Cowboys fan, but Aubrey makes all their televised games tolerable.