Tier 1: The Milk and Honey Tier
These are the players who can take you to the promised land.
1. Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL
You could make an argument for about five guys (no burgers or fries) as the top fantasy option in 2026, but for me, for now, it’s Bijan Robinson. He’s a legitimate threat to reach 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards and is one of four backs to average over 4.50 yards per carry over the past three seasons (minimum 100 carries). The others are Jahmyr Gibbs, James Cook, and DeVon Achane (well, technically, Achane was at 4.47 in 2024, but we round up here). I could pepper you with an array of stats that show Bijan’s awesomeness, but I think these two paint the perfect picture: Robinson averaged a league-best 3.06 yards after contact in 2025, and despite ranking fifth in carries, he was first in forced missed tackles. Fantasy points, rushing yards, yards per carry, receptions, and receiving yards have all gone up in all three years of his professional career. Bijan could have the type of fabled fantasy season that’ll be talked about for generations.
UPDATE: The addition of Brian Robinson Jr to the backfield does nothing to impact the fantasy value of Bijan. It does raise an interesting question, though. What will the back of their jerseys look like? Bi. Robinson and Br. Robinson? Robinson and Robinson Jr? Will Bijan then make “Who’s your Daddy” jokes? These are the hard-hitting questions we should be asking.
2. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, CIN
It’s hard to imagine a world where Joe Burrow stayed healthy all season and Ja’Marr Chase didn’t finish as the WR1 overall for the second straight season. But despite a trio of starts from Jake Browning and a one-game suspension (for an uncharacteristic spitting incident), the stud receiver still finished in the top five at the position in total points and in the top three in points per game (getting targeted 42 times over a two-game span by Joe Flacco certainly helped the cause). The reason I have to put Chase over the likes of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Puka Nacua, and Amon-Ra St. Brown is that he has arguably the most stable situation among them. Give me the guy who’s a lock for 150+ targets with his BFF at quarterback and smack dab in the middle of his prime.
3. Puka Nacua, WR, LAR
In the two seasons Puka Nacua played at least 16 games, he’s seen at least 160 targets and caught 100+ passes for over 1400 receiving yards. With Sean McVay calling plays and Matthew Stafford at quarterback, Nacua is poised for another top-five fantasy finish in 2026.
UPDATE: Stafford’s back; Puka’s a top-five fantasy receiver. Well, as long as he sorts out his off-the-field things. It’s not enough to concern me from a fantasy perspective just yet.
4. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET
If you were hungry for fantasy points from your running back in 2025, Jahmyr Gibbs fed you a diablo sauce-covered RB3 season with spike weeks that hit like that first sip of Baja Blast. But the lows were low, low, like biting into that Beefy 5-layer Burrito from Taco Bell and realizing they added sour cream when you specifically asked them not to. There was plenty of good. Gibbs set a career-high 16% target share and handled over 50% of the team’s carries for the first time in his career. At first glance, it doesn’t look like he wore down over the second half of the season. Gibbs’ efficiency and elusiveness increased from Week 10 onward. But if you dig a little deeper into the grade of the ground beef at Taco Bell, much of that can be attributed to two nuclear games against the Giants and Commanders, where he averaged a combined 12 yards per carry. Outside of those two games, Gibbs had just one game over 3.5 yards per carry. Now, don’t hear what I’m not saying. Gibbs is easily an RB1 in 2026 and should be one of the first backs off the board. But that efficiency drop is certainly concerning.
UPDATE: The Lions hired Drew Petzing to take over the offense and shipped a disgruntled David Montgomery/Knuckles to Houston, replacing him with Isiah Pacheco (Metal Sonic?). I’m excited to see what Petzing does with this offense, as he’s been at the helm of top 10 running games in Arizona two of the past three seasons. He’d likely have gone 3/3 had it not been for injuries to all the running backs in Arizona.
5. Kenneth Walker III, RB, KC
There’s a running back who’s the reason for the teardrops on my guitar keyboard. Watching Kenneth Walker III break tackles (first in missed tackles forced per attempt), run ever so explosively (second-highest explosive run rate), then get immediately lifted from the game for Zach Charbonnet was enough to make me want to drop-kick my TV. But the good news is it’s officially time to FREE KENNY WALKER. He’s a free agent, and I pray to sweet baby Jesus, in your fleece diaper and golden manger, that he signs with a team that will fully unleash the beast. He left some room for improvement in yards after contact, but even if it doesn’t improve much, his talent in other areas is enough to overcome it. It’s a similar situation to Breece Hall‘s. The talent is there; he just needs to go to the right situation. If Walker lands on a team where he’ll get the most carries and a serviceable run-blocking line, he has darkhorse RB1 overall upside.
UPDATE: I’ve not worn pants since the day Walker signed with the Chiefs. The run-blocking being serviceable is yet to be determined, but Walker wound up in one of the best, if not the best, places for his fantasy upside. Eric Bieniemy is back as Chiefs OC. Isiah Pacheco is in Detroit. Kareem Hunt is still a free agent and likely won’t return with the addition of Emari Demercado. I’m not concerned that the Chiefs ran with a committee backfield during Bieniemy’s first tenure as Chiefs OC. They haven’t had a running back this talented since Jamaal Charles.
6. Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN
Alec Pierce. Quentin Johnston. Michael Wilson. Three of the 31 receivers who finished the 2025 season averaging more fantasy points per game than Justin Jefferson. Obviously, nobody’s questioning the talent of one of the most talented active receivers in the NFL. But everyone’s questioning who his quarterback will be in 2026. J.J. McCarthy’s injuries and struggles didn’t help, but even as his play improved toward the end of the season, his connection with Jefferson didn’t. Jefferson ranked outside the top six for the first time in a full season, scoring 10 or more points just three times after week 9. There’s a wide range of outcomes for where JJettas final preseason rank will land as the offseason moves along. Until we have a clearer picture of what that looks like, I can’t rank him among the top 10 receivers where he belongs. I know. I know. It hurts me too.
UPDATE: It appears Kyler Murray will be the starter for the Vikings in 2026. While he doesn’t throw the best deep ball, anybody is an upgrade over Nine. I’m ready to be hurt again.
7. CeeDee Lamb, WR, DAL
CeeDee Lamb is a perfect example of why it’s so important to look at a player’s points per game finish versus their total points. Lamb missed four games early in the season, so it’s not like he was expected to finish as the WR1 overall in total points. But a WR22 finish has some spooked that the emergence of George Pickens spelled the end of Lamb’s days as an elite fantasy receiver. Yes, Pickens finished as the WR6 in points per game after a career year in Dallas. But Lamb wasn’t far behind, tied for WR12 with Malik Nabers and Zay Flowers. Pickens’ impact has been overestimated, and with him returning to Dallas, there’s a solid chance Lamb goes into draft season undervalued. If there’s any discount, keep things in sync and buy, buy, buy.
8. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, DET
Mr. Sun god, I’m sorry. I was dumb. I doubted you after Ben Johnson’s departure, and you proved you’re more than just a scheme. You are one of just five receivers to catch eight or more touchdowns in each of the past two seasons and have three straight top-five fantasy finishes. Buuuuuuuut… I do have an ever-so-slight concern. Well, two. First, your teammate Sam LaPorta. It’s true you put up some monster performances before his season-ending injury in Week 10. But your 8.7 targets per game before the injury increased to an enormous 10.6 after. Don’t get me wrong, St. Brown is a top-10 fantasy receiver. But his situation is similar to teammate Jahmyr Gibbs. With a healthy LaPorta, would ARSB have finished top five, or more toward the back end of WR1s?
UPDATE: New OC Drew Petzing runs a balanced but slightly run-heavy type offense, but ARSB should still be used plenty. He doesn’t have the stratospheric upside of some of the guys above him, but he’s as reliable a WR1 as they come.
9. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, SEA
All it took for Jaxon Smith-Njigba to break out was for both DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett to leave town. OK, there was a little more to it than that, but it certainly played a major role. Improvements to the O-line gave Sam Darnold enough time to prove 2025 wasn’t a fluke, and JSN was the main beneficiary. The former Buckeye wideout was one of two players to average over 100 receiving yards per game (Puka Nacua being the other) and one of two receivers to average over 3.7 yards per route run (Nacua again the other). Since 2021, there have been only two other instances of receivers averaging over 3.5 YPRR, let alone 3.7. But probably the most remarkable part of it all is that Seattle had the fourth-fewest pass attempts per game. Smith-Njibga was aided by an absurd 32.6% target share and accounted for 44.1% of his team’s total yards. Yet another feat that’s only been accomplished two other times since 2021. All impressive, yes. Also all highly unlikely to be repeated. I’m not saying you shouldn’t treat JSN as a WR1 for fantasy. But I am saying I doubt I’ll be buying all the risk and drafting him among the top three or so.
10. Rashee Rice, WR, KC
Rashee Rice is facing domestic violence allegations about a year after criminal charges stemming from a high-speed car accident in Dallas. When Rice is on the field with a healthy Patrick Mahomes, he’s an elite fantasy option, as made evident by his league-leading 7.98 yards after the catch. But his 2026 status is impossible to predict given his off-the-field issues and the unclear timeline for Mahomes’ return from a torn ACL. When both are on the field, Rice is easily a WR1. This is a volatile ranking that could change drastically by the time draft season rolls around.
UPDATE: It was a good Friday for Rice, as the league announced on April 3rd that they would not pursue any discipline related to offseason allegations. Things could always change, especially with Rice’s history of off-field issues. But for now, Rice slides right back into the top 10 and is a candidate for WR1 overall if Mahomes plays the majority of the season.
11. Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND
You know that horse-drawing meme? The one where it starts off beautiful but ends looking like it was drawn by a four-year-old who just shotgunned a Wild Cherry Pepsi? That’s kind of what Jonathan Taylor’s season was, but better. Think more along the lines of it started as a drawing by Picasso and was finished by your local high school art teacher. JT was in early MVP talks after scoring three total touchdowns in 50% of his games through the first 10 weeks, helping him produce seven games with 23 fantasy points. He set career highs in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, in part because 60% of Daniel Jones’ passing attempts were nine yards or fewer (including behind the line of scrimmage). But Jones’ Week 14 season-ending injury derailed more than the Colts’ playoff hopes; it slammed shut the ceiling on what was shaping up to be a legendary fantasy season. Taylor was still solid down the stretch, but after scoring less than 18 points just five times through Week 13, he failed to surpass that mark in the five games after. Had Indiana Jones stayed healthy, JT likely would have carried fantasy teams straight through the playoffs, with his early-season dominance delivering them there. Jones is back in Indy, so the Colts’ quarterback situation is no longer in flux. But Taylor can put up RB1 numbers with just about anybody under center. If Jones stays healthy all season, JT is right back in the RB1 overall convo.
Tier 2: The “Skip Intro” Tier
You know the plot, just start them.
12. Ladd McConkey, WR, LAC
What a weird season it was for Ladd McConkey. Kind of a reverse turd sandwich, if you will. He had a productive midseason stretch that was bookended by a whole lot of suck. McConkey failed to score 10 points in three of the first four weeks and in four of the final six, but in the middle of the season, he had five of six games over 14 fantasy points and a trio of 20-pointers. The Chargers’ offensive line was an injury-plagued mess, giving Justin Herbert no time and a broken hand to boot. McConkey was honestly being overdrafted as a WR1, but if he falls back into WR2 territory, he’ll be a nice value heading into next season.
UPDATE: MIKE MCDANIELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL…ahem. Excuse me. What I meant to say was that my heart starts skipping a beat when I think about how snugly McConkey fits into McDaniel’s system. A system with oodles of horizontal routes that emphasize quick catches and let receivers YAC it up. McConkey happens to be one of just six receivers with at least 100 targets and a YAC of 4.5 or more. The other YAC-finity stones? Couple of no names: Puka Nacua, Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The hire has made me much higher on Ladd for 2026. He should bounce back bigly and be a candidate to finish as a top 10 receiver.
13. Malik Nabers, WR, NYG
Oh, what could have been. Malik Nabers didn’t get to play a full game with Jaxson Dart under center, and he was still tied for WR12 in points per game (mainly thanks to a monster game against Dallas). Dart did enough to make Wan’Dale Robinson a high-end WR2, and with the hiring of John Harbaugh, a WR1 overall finish isn’t out of the question for Nabers. The only question now is Nabers’ health, as there have been questions about his Week 1 availability while recovering from his torn ACL. Whenever Nabers can get on the field, he’s immediately a top-five, maybe top-three fantasy wide receiver.
UPDATE: While I anticipated Todd Monken would follow Harbaugh to New York, Monken became the head coach in Cleveland instead, and the Giants hired …gulp… Matt Nagy as OC. All in all, it doesn’t change much for Nabers. What the Giants do in the draft and how fast he can recover from injury are the things to watch.
14. James Cook III, RB, BUF
James Cook heard what you said about touchdown regression. He said you can take it, shine it up real nice, turn it sideways, and [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [ILLEGAL TO SAY OR TYPE IN 48 STATES] [REDACTED].
Anywho… Cook is the stud fantasy back nobody seems to want to draft come August and regrets the decision come September. Yeah, the Bills back scored four fewer touchdowns than in 2024, but that doesn’t really matter when you get an additional 102 carries and two extra targets. He was one of seven backs to average over five yards per carry, finishing as an RB1 for the third consecutive season and recording his second straight top-10 finish. Cook is the stud fantasy back nobody seems to want to draft come August and regrets the decision come September.
15. Omarion Hampton, RB, LAC
Omarion Hampton was in line to become the next great rookie running back before suffering a sprained ankle that cost him nearly half the season. The former Tar Heel was on his way to his third straight 20-point game in Week 5 before leaving with the injury. Despite easing back in upon his return, he finished the regular season strong. Hampton scored 14+ fantasy points in three of the Chargers’ final four regular-season games, even at less than 100%, and Kimani Vidal was involved. Najee Harris is likely gone after signing a 1-year prove-it deal that he never got a chance to, you know, prove it. Technically, Vidal is a free agent, but as an Exclusive Rights Free Agent, the Chargers can sign him to a minimal deal to bring him back. I expect Vidal to return and possibly a veteran signing to handle some of the grunt work, but Hampton should pick right back up as the bell cow and potential RB1 stud.
UPDATE: MIKE MCDANIELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. Ahem. Yeah, sorry. I mean… if there wasn’t already enough to love about the former Tar Heel’s sophomore potential, he gets the same offensive coordinator who made dead bones rise with Raheem Mostert‘s 31-year-old breakout season in 2023. Despite McDaniel’s propensity to use a committee in the backfield, he showed he’s not afraid to feed a superstar bellcow volume, with De’Von Achane seeing nearly 60% of Miami’s carries in 2025. Hampton’s ceiling was already RB1 overall, but his floor gets a nice rise with McDaniel running the offense.
16. Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF
It was yet another season with an avalanche of injuries for the 49ers, but somehow, Christian McCaffrey was the lone fantasy-relevant player to stay healthy the entire season. That led to a YUGE workload, with a career-high in targets and over 100 catches for the first time since he joined San Francisco. CMC came within 100 yards of becoming the first player in NFL history with two 1,000 rushing/1,000 receiving yard seasons. But he was not the same ole’ CMC. He ranked 39th in yards per carry among qualifying backs and 37th in explosive run rate. For context, Chris Rodriguez and Kimani Vidal were higher. No matter what, McCaffrey turns 30 in June, but he’s the type of talent like Derrick Henry who can and likely will buck the trend of production dropoff over 30. He’s no longer efficient or explosive, but he has the pass-catching chops to continue to be an RB1 for multiple years. His floor isn’t what it once was, but he sure does have that same sky-high ceiling.
17. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Rookie
Jeremiyah Love is the crown jewel of a down year at running back in the 2026 class. The Notre Dame product is as polished as they come — a true every-down back with the vision to hit the gap before it opens, the burst to take it the distance, and the pass-catching ability to make defensive coordinators miserable on third down. He’s not just a bellcow; he is THE bellcow, and should be a fantasy RB1 from the moment he steps on an NFL field. He’s the clear first overall pick in dynasty rookie drafts and a first-rounder in redraft.
NFL Comp: Bijan Robinson
18. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, NO
I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong, and even though Travis Etienne Jr. finished as RB14 in points per game, I still think my process of fading him was the right one. Nobody could have seen Tank Bigsby‘s trade coming, and although ETN started the season en fuego, the same issues persisted. Etienne ranked 32nd in yards after contact, 27th in explosive run rate, and 22nd in yards per carry. So how’d he finish so high? Touchdowns, baby! Etienne had a career-high 13 touchdowns, with nearly half coming on another career-high, 6 touchdown receptions. Etienne came into the season with one career touchdown reception. Touchdowns are among the most volatile stats from year to year and are nearly impossible to predict. With his inefficient, explosive rushing production so heavily touchdown-reliant, I’m likely staying far away from the free agent to be, whether he’s back in Jacksonville or somewhere else.
Update: Etienne (pronounced “Achane”. Yes, actually) signed in one of the best possible scenarios for his fantasy value. It sounds like Alvin Kamara isn’t going anywhere, so there will be a dreaded two headed backfield committee. But this isn’t the Kamara of even two years ago, and I fully expect ETN to carry the majority of the load.
19. Nico Collins, WR, HOU
Nico Collins started 2025 inconsistently, as did the entire Texans offense, but finished the season strong thanks to a boost from… yes… Davis Mills. Collins scored 14+ in six of his final nine games and 20+ in four. Tank Dell is expected to return from injury, and rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel are taking a step forward. That may reduce the target share available. But even if that’s so, the smaller percentage of the pie should be offset by the pie being bigger thanks to an improved offense (and hopefully an offensive line). Considering the defense, multiple mouths to feed, and at times inconsistent play, I don’t think Collins has a top-3 fantasy ceiling like some others. But don’t let that cause you to discount him as one of the safest WR1s in fantasy, with a sky-high floor and plenty of spike weeks mixed in.
20. George Pickens, WR, DAL
George Pickens enjoyed a career year in Dallas, finishing as the WR6 in points per game and WR5 in total points. Pickens set career highs across all receiving stats, proving he has the WR1 upside we saw flashes of in the Steel City. But that upside also came with bouts of disinterest, putting a damper on what should have been a positive season. If he re-signs with Dallas, slot Pickens right back in the low-end WR1, high-end WR2 range with a chance to go nuclear each and every week. If he signs elsewhere, his upside depends on the situation. On a pass-friendly offense as the top target, Pickens has top-five potential.
UPDATE: He’s back in Dallas. Rinse/Repeat 2025.