Round 1 of Fantasy Drafts
Competitive 12-man PPR leagues will draft the first six players exactly like this in 2026.
Pick 1: Jahmyr Gibbs (DET)
Gibbs was already an elite fantasy producer in a timeshare… now he gets more claim on the touches, a friendlier schedule, and a 5th-year option that signals the Lions are building around him for years to come.
David Montgomery is gone to Houston, and his replacement (Isiah Pacheco on a 1-year, $1.81M deal) is getting backup money. Gibbs becomes the undisputed lead back after getting 89 targets (3rd), and scoring 17 TDs (2nd) while splitting work all season.
His efficiency numbers are elite across the board: 5.8 yards per touch (3rd), a 30.9% juke rate (3rd), and 1.11 fantasy points per opportunity (2nd)… all while sharing carries that he no longer has to share.
The schedule upgrade is one of the biggest of any player in the league: his RB strength of schedule improves from 25th easiest in 2025 to 3rd easiest projected in 2026. That paired with the Montgomery departure is a confluence of positive factors that rarely aligns for a single player.
Gibbs posted 21.7 fantasy points per game in a timeshare against tough opponents. His sole-starter ceiling in a top-5 offense facing the third-easiest RB slate in football makes Pick 1 a straightforward call.
Pick 2: Ja'Marr Chase (CIN)
Chase spent the better part of 2025 catching passes from backup quarterbacks and was suspended for one game… and still finished as a WR1 with 1,316 yards, which means his 2025 season looks more like his floor heading into 2026.
The target volume is historically dominant: 175 targets (1st), a 32.7% target share (3rd), and 21 red zone targets (3rd), all with an injured or backup quarterback under center for much of the year.
He proved remarkably quarterback-proof, with 117 receptions (2nd), 590 yards after catch (2nd), and a 15.8% juke rate (3rd). So Chase creates yardage regardless of who's throwing to him.
His schedule improves significantly: SOS for WRs goes from 20th easiest in 2025 to 5th easiest projected in 2026. And if Joe Burrow enters the season healthy, the only direction this profile goes is up.
A healthy Burrow turns Chase's 2025 floor into a ceiling — and at Pick 2, you're betting on one of the most target-dominant receivers in football to finally have his quarterback for a full season.
Pick 3: Bijan Robinson (ATL)
Robinson led the NFL with 2,298 total scrimmage yards in 2025 despite playing in an offense with QB chaos… and now the red zone vulture who robbed him of touchdowns is gone, the new head coach runs a heavy offense, and Bijan's role has never been more secure.
His efficiency is the best in the league by multiple measures: 6.5 yards per touch (1st), 1,700 yards created (1st), a 32.2% juke rate (2nd), and 112 evaded tackles (1st). Robinson is the most elusive back in football, full stop.
Tyler Allgeier, who stole multiple goal-line TDs, most notably in Weeks 10 and 11, is now gone to Arizona. New HC Kevin Stefanski brings a historically run-heavy identity, and Robinson's 78.6% snap share (4th) and 100 targets (2nd) project to grow, not shrink.
Despite QB instability throughout the season, Robinson averaged 22.7 fantasy points per game (2nd) and earned 1st-team All-Pro honors. He's QB-proof, and a 5th-year option exercised by Atlanta signals he's the offensive cornerstone for the foreseeable future.
Robinson was the best running back in football by scrimmage yards with the red zone being taken from him. Now that the vulture is gone and a run-first coach is in charge, the TD upside finally matches the volume.
Pick 4: Puka Nacua (LAR)
Nacua was the overall WR1 in 2025, leading the sport in fantasy points per game, receptions, yards after catch, yards per route run, and fantasy points per route run. And he did it against a difficult slate of opponents for WRs.
The efficiency metrics are unprecedented: 3.88 yards per route run (1st), 0.83 fantasy points per route run (1st), and a 36.7% target rate (1st) — Nacua is the first or second read on nearly every passing play in the NFL's most prolific offense.
The Rams finished 1st in total yards (6,709), 1st in passing yards (4,557), and 1st in points scored (518) in 2025. Matthew Stafford returns, Davante Adams returns, and the scheme is largely unchanged, so there is no cleaner situational backdrop for a receiver in football.
His WR SOS improves dramatically (from 29th easiest in 2025 to 15th projected in 2026) meaning he dominated against one of the hardest WR schedules in the league and now faces a significantly lighter slate, with no new competition for targets after Tutu Atwell's departure.
The personal situations that seem to surround him notwithstanding, Sean McVay has expressed full support and Nacua is expected ready for Week 1, and when he is, he's the alpha in the best passing offense in football with a schedule upgrade in his pocket.
Pick 5: Jaxson Smith-Njigba (SEA)
The NFL's Offensive Player of the Year just signed the richest wide receiver contract in NFL history: $168.6M over four years. He finished 2025 with the most receiving yards in football, a 36.2% target share, and the second-best yards per route run of any pass catcher alive.
JSN led the NFL with 1,709 receiving yards, paired a 36.2% target share (1st) and 34.1% target rate (2nd) with an explosive rating of 146.9 (2nd)… this is the most dominant volume-and-efficiency combination at the position.
He was the WR2 overall in fantasy and is locked in through 2031 with zero contract or role uncertainty. The $168.6M extension isn't just money, it's Seattle telling you exactly who their offense runs through.
The supporting cast is settled and non-threatening: Rashid Shaheed (re-signed, 3 years/$51M) is a gadget threat, Cooper Kupp is aging and role-limited, and a new run-first OC may modestly reduce overall passing volume, but also keeps defenses honest and JSN working in favorable coverage.
JSN finished second in the league in fantasy points per route run and led the NFL in receiving yards while playing in a run-first offense. If anything, he's underpriced at Pick 5.
Pick 6: Jonathan Taylor (IND)
Taylor led the NFL in touchdowns, finished second in rushing yards, and earned the RB3 overall slot in fantasy… all while carrying the load against the hardest RB schedule in the entire league and losing his starting quarterback mid-season.
The workload is unmatched in the NFL: 100% snap share (1st), 85.8% opportunity share (1st), 309 carries (1st), and 73 red zone touches (2nd). Taylor is not a timeshare back, he is the offense, and the Colts drafted only depth in 2026.
He scored 20 TDs (1st in the NFL) and rushed for 1,139 yards in just his first 10 games before the offense cratered when Daniel Jones tore his Achilles — Jones is expected back in 2026 with the full offensive staff returning, which restores the quarterback variable that made this a top-5 situation.
His RB schedule improves from 32nd easiest in 2025 (the toughest in the league) to 10th easiest projected in 2026, one of the most dramatic SOS upgrades of any player in football. He led the NFL in TDs against the worst possible draw; now he gets a fair one.
Taylor is in a contract year, healthy, and backed into an offense with elite usage, a returning QB, and a dramatically easier schedule. So at Pick 6, this could be the best value on the board.
So that’s the list. The first 6 guys that will go off the board in fantasy football 2026. Come back tomorrow for picks 7-12.
-Joe