Jamie Calandro's Preseason Fantasy Football Rankings - Industry's Top-3 Accuracy Ranker

July 24, 2026

2026 preseason fantasy football rankings and draft analysis for RB, WR, TE, QB from the No. 3 most-accurate expert industry ranker last year, Jamie Calandro.

Below are Jamie Calandro's preseason 2026 fantasy football lineup rankings, including notes and analysis for RB, WR, TE, and QB. Jamie finished as the #3 overall most accurate ranker last season, among the most accurate rankers in the industry -- and is here today to bring you his full preseason rankings!

It's important to remember that this is an evolving process. Rankings could change as injuries happen, and as camp battles play out during the summer, so be sure to check back for updates. After the top 250 overall rankings, you can also see the individual positional rankings tables below.

The fantasy football lineup rankings analysis is based on half-PPR scoring rules. Be sure to also bookmark our full fantasy football rankings portal -- loaded up with 11 different types of rankings, projections, stats, player news and more. All free! Jamie is also on X @jac3600 and in our RotoBaller Discord channels, answering questions.

2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 250

* Players marked with asterisks have injury designations with uncertainty

Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings

All aboard the Omarion Hampton train this season! I'm coming in way over consensus on him - his FantasyPros ECR is RB10, and I have him at RB6 while searching for reasons to go ever higher. Hampton's rookie season was derailed by injury. Still, he screams breakout this year thanks to the combination of Mike McDaniel becoming OC, an improved offensive line, and a seeming lack of much backfield competition.

I'm convinced Derrick Henry is a cyborg. He rushed for 1,595 yards with 16 TDs in his age-32 season, and doesn't look to show any signs of slowing down. Draft him with confidence as a top-10 RB. ... Saquon Barkley came back down to Earth last season, and finished outside the top 12. His ECR at RB9 feels right given the Eagles' run-heavy approach, but keep in mind there could be more efficiency issues as he ages. I prefer the younger Omarion Hampton, James Cook, and Ashton Jeanty.

Speaking of Jeanty, his stock looks to be on the rise. Despite playing in a very inconsistent offense, Jeanty still touched the ball 321 times and had an 84.3% opportunity share, per PlayerProfiler. Klint Kubiak, an improved offensive line, and a QB upgrade (whoever the starter is) should provide a boost to Jeanty's floor and ceiling.

Temper expectations on Jeremiyah Love. Yes, he looks like a dynamic talent, but Arizona could really struggle to score points this year. In addition, James Conner and Tyler Allgeier are both more than capable of eating into his workload (especially in the red zone). Love is a fine upside RB2, but I'd be wary going into leagues with him as your top back.

I'm in on David Montgomery. Before being phased out of the Lions' backfield last year, he still managed two top-15 finishes despite playing alongside the dynamic Jahmyr Gibbs. Woody Marks was not near efficient enough last year to scare me off drafting "Mandatory Montgomery".

TreVeyon Henderson is the flashy pick, but Rhamondre Stevenson's ADP is three rounds later, making him by far the preferred choice for me from the New England backfield. Stevenson averaged over two more touches per game than Henderson when both players were healthy and starting, and also beats him in yards per route run (1.46 to 1.02).

I'm not interested in Chuba Hubbard. He's getting buzz as the "starter" after the departure of Rico Dowdle, but Hubbard was incredibly inefficient (3.8 YPC, 4.5 YPT). If you invest in anyone from the Carolina backfield, it should be 22-year-old Jonathan Brooks. ...Kenneth (or is he Kenny now?) Gainwell and Rachaad White are excellent depth players in PPR who could easily outperform their ADPs.

Kyle Monangai and Blake Corum are both RBs that have standalone FLEX value, and vault into top-10 status if their respective backfield mates miss time. ... Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason are both rosterable, but cannibalize each other's value in a near 50/50 split. Jones in PPR formats, Mason in half-PPR or standard leagues. Tyrone Tracy Jr. is a must as a handcuff if you roster Cam Skattebo, as the latter is proving to be a certified lunatic (search "backflip" on X).

Alvin Kamara isn't dead yet, as the Saints resigned him. It's certain Travis Etienne Jr. will get the majority of the early-down work, but Kamara has a long career of being an elite pass-catcher and can provide sneaky FLEX appeal late. ... Keaton Mitchell's explosive tendencies in Mike McDaniel's offense are a fun end-of-the-draft pick.

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings

Even in "down years" for the last two seasons with the Eagles, A.J. Brown still banked two top-12 finishes, and this was playing for a squad that ranked 27th in pass rate. New England isn't exactly that much more pass-happy, but they have a dynamic gunslinger in Drake Maye who passed for 4,394 yards and 31 TDs despite having no true alpha WR1. He gets that and then some in Brown, and it's highly possible my ranking of Brown at WR8 is too low. Count me all the way in.

Sticking with the same theme, DeVonta Smith had a 33% target share and 2.65 yards per route run (per Fantasy Points Data) with A.J. Brown off the field. My WR11 ranking seems to be his floor, and there's upside for more if he has a TD spike. ... Tetairoa McMillan was 12th in targets and 14th in air yards in his rookie season. He profiles as a similar play to Devonta Smith, with fewer TDs being vultured at the goal line by his QB and RBs.

Ladd McConkey's yards per route run dipped from 2.56 in 2024 to 1.57 in 2025. However, he maintained his target share despite Keenan Allen being a thorn in his side. Not to mention, the offensive line was banged up, and he didn't have Mike McDaniel as his OC. I'm in on a total bounceback season for Ladd.

Emeka Egbuka was ninth in targets and sixth in air yards in 2025, and that's with him completely disappearing in the second half due to his own injury, Baker Mayfield's injury, and Mike Evans returning. Evans is in San Francisco now, so we may be getting peak Egbuka back. I'm fine with Egbuka being drafted as a mid-level WR2, but know that there is monumental upside for more there.

Denver traded a first-round pick for Jaylen Waddle. He's going to immediately become the alpha for that team, and we may see a ceiling unlocked that he hasn't had yet. Waddle's 13.1 aDOT combined with Bo Nix's #6 ranking in air yards could pay huge dividends, and it's possible/probably that Waddle is not yet high enough on my draft boards.

Speaking of the aforementioned Mike Evans, he should be in strong consideration for your teams with the move to San Francisco. Evans had 11 consecutive seasons of 1,000 yards before his injury-ravaged 2025, and his broken collarbone is fully healed. ... Similarly, D.J. Moore should see a nice boost going to Buffalo and Josh Allen. Moore is only one year removed from being tenth in targets and ninth in receptions with a raw Caleb Williams. The Bears fazed him out, but the talent and opportunity are there with the Bills.

Speaking of the Bears, the masses are on Luther Burden III far more than Rome Odunze, but I have them pretty even. Both should see boosts in a high-powered offense with D.J. Moore gone, and both have their appeal. Burden's 2.79 yards per route run ranked third in the league, and Odunze is looking at major positive TD regression. I like both, with Burden one spot higher. I'll also point out that I like Colston Loveland better than both.

Michael Wilson and Parker Washington were both top-15 WRs over the final four weeks of the season, yet are being drafted as low-end WR3s despite not much changing. The mentality is that fellow third-year wideouts Marvin Harrison Jr. and Brian Thomas Jr. will rebound for a breakout, but it's certainly possible Wilson and Washington match them, shooting past their current ADPs.

I get the Christian Watson hype. I really do. Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks are gone; they paid Watson big bucks, and his 2.67 yards per route run was elite. I just have a tough time locking him in as a WR2 with 24 games missed over the last four seasons, with a target high of 66 in his rookie year. This may be the year, but unless his ADP drops, he can be someone else's headache in my leagues.

Michael Pittman Jr. vs DK Metcalf is going to be a hot debate this summer. I'm personally on #TeamPittman with the idea that 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers will like relying on the quick underneath stuff. DK Metcalf should have more big-play upside, but these two will likely cannibalize each other. They're both fine for your FLEX on some weeks.

I think Wan'Dale Robinson is being overvalued (and I promise that's not the bitter Giants fan in me talking). I get he broke out last year (seventh in targets, seventh in receptions) and he'll remain with Brian Daboll in Tennessee. However, Robinson had no target competition whatsoever with the Giants (not the case with the Titans), and he still only had an aDOT of 8.5 yards. He's fine as a FLEX, but his high-end WR3 ADP is too optimistic.

At cost, I'm a lot more into Matthew Golden than I am Christian Watson in the Packers' offense. Golden has a clear path to a lot more work, and the second-year WR was top-10 in the league in target separation (per PlayerProfiler). Green Bay is not a pass-friendly team, but the concentrated target share should benefit Golden immensely.

Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings

Trey McBride is tough to bet against after his epic TE1 finish last season, especially with such a small sample size from Colston Loveland. I'm all in on Loveland in his second year with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. Over the last four weeks (two regular season, two playoffs), Loveland had 45 targets (25.6% target share) and 2.49 yards per route run. With D.J. Moore out of town, the target share could condense even more, and I trust the Bears offense WAY more than Arizona's this season.

Tucker Kraft was the TE1 through the first eight weeks of the season, and still led the position in yards after catch and was second in yards per route run. If the injury didn't derail him, we may be mixing him in the Bowers/McBride/Loveland group. If you can get Kraft at cost, he could be the steal of the draft.

Kyle Pitts Sr. finished the season with four top-7 finishes over the final six weeks, amassing 51 targets and four receiving TDs. The Atlanta offense could be very concentrated around Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson, and Kevin Stefanski has been known to favor tight ends. The key here is who plays QB, and how effective they are.

Dallas Goedert's TD spike can't be counted on again, but his 82 targets were the third-highest of his career, and A.J. Brown is gone. Goedert is a top-10 TE with upside for more. ... I want to like Sam LaPorta more in that Detroit offense. However, he was third among TEs in snap share, yet only had six red zone targets all season and ranked 32nd at the position in air yards (per PlayerProfiler). Drew Petzing coming on as offensive coordinator should help, but Laporta is scary to trust.

Isaiah Likely was ninth among TEs in aDOT, and finds himself in a great spot for a Giants' team that doesn't have a clear WR2 behind Malik Nabers (who is also still battling his way back). He could easily finish in the top 12. ... George Kittle says his goal is to be ready for the opener. I'm skeptical. When on the field, Kittle is elite, but he's 32 now, and it's possible these injuries finally take their toll. I'm fine with Kittle at his latest possible spot in your drafts, but make sure you back him up (Jake Tonges is the best direct path).

Dalton Kincaid's snap share has regressed from 65.6% to 57.5% to 38.3% in his three years in the league. He's such a dynamic athlete that he still holds appeal, but people drafting him as a TE1 seem to be holding onto the "he'll be good this year because I want him to be" ideal. Kincaid is best treated as an upside TE2.

I love Juwan Johnson as a value. He finished seventh in targets and third in air yards among TEs. He's fallen in the rankings with the additions of Travis Etienne and Jordyn Tyson, but it's still highly possible Johnson is the #2 option in a rising Saints offense. Count me in. ... Chig Okonkwo, Gunnar Helm, and Kenyon Sadiq are TEs I have ranked in the 20s that could greatly outperform that spot. Just don't count on them as your starter.

Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings

The biggest flag plant here is Caleb Williams sitting at QB5, ahead of the likes of Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts, and Dak Prescott. The Bears are flush with talent at the skill positions, and Williams is set to build on his QB7 finish (PPG) under Ben Johnson for another year. Williams is a legitimate dual-threat QB who was second among QBs in air yards while also finishing seventh at the position in rushing yards.

Trevor Lawrence matched Caleb Williams for the most part, finishing right with him in both passing yards and rushing yards while throwing for two more TDs. Despite that, Lawrence is being drafted as the QB10 as opposed to Williams' QB6 spot, and has just as many weapons at his disposal.

Jaxson Dart has one of the highest ranges of outcomes of QBs. His rushing ability (487 yards, nine rushing TDs) gives him a top-5 ceiling, but question marks in the passing game could relegate him to QB12-16 territory as well. His devil-may-care running style needs to change if he wants to stay on the field.

Patrick Mahomes ran for a career-high 422 yards last season, but that should diminish greatly following his ACL injury. He's on track to be ready for week one, but I have him more in the high-end QB2 range with his decreasing passing efficiency as well. Rashee Rice's status this season is also heavily tied to Mahomes' success.

With four top-12 finishes in the final six weeks of the season (and 150 rushing yards), the arrow is pointing up for Tyler Shough. Adding multiple pieces to the offense is only going to help Shough as well. The downside is if the league adjusts to him and he can't adjust back quickly enough, but Shough can be treated in a similar QB2 range as Patrick Mahomes right now with upside for more.

Possibly the biggest camp battle to watch is the one with the Minnesota QBs. I can't imagine Kyler Murray doesn't walk away with the starting job, and we're talking about someone who had four top-12 finishes in the six years before 2025. He has Justin Jefferson as his WR1, and there are way worse QB2s you can be taking in that range.

Jacoby Brissett doesn't seem worth it this year. His 40.3 passing attempts per game is unsustainable, and Arizona's drafting of Carson Beck signals their willingness to not just hand Brissett the keys for an entire season. Brissett is more a best-ball target while rostering other quarterbacks.

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