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Who should I draft for fantasy football in 2026? Fantasy football outlooks for Rashee Rice, Malik Nabers, Chris Godwin Jr., Christian Watson, Ricky Pearsall, Mike Evans, Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, Jalen Nailor.
Who Should I Draft? Some common 2026 fantasy football draft decisions are regarding players like Rashee Rice, Malik Nabers, Chris Godwin Jr., Christian Watson, Ricky Pearsall, Mike Evans, Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, Jalen Nailor. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning teams in 2026. Draft your optimal fantasy football teams for 2026. Our free Who Should I Draft? tool will help make your fantasy football draft decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to draft... all free! Make the right decisions.
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Fantasy Football Draft Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider drafting in 2026:
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (knee) was released from Dallas County Jail after serving 30 days for a probation violation, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. After being released, Rice ran away from cameras and refused to speak to the media before being taken away in an SUV. In addition to more off-the-field issues this offseason for the 26-year-old, Rice had a clean-up surgery on his right knee in May, but head coach Andy Reid said he expects Rice to be ready for the start of training camp in late July.
Barring a setback with his knee this summer, Rice should be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season in early September, although another potential suspension to begin the year hanging over his head will have fantasy managers hesitant to take him early in drafts. When active, Rice has clearly established himself as the WR1 in KC as quarterback Patrick Mahomes' (knee) favorite weapon, but injuries and off-the-field issues have limited him to just 12 regular-season starts in the last two years. The former second-rounder in 2023 out of SMU is a risk/reward, low-end WR2/high-end WR3 target in upcoming 2026 fantasy drafts.
Malik Nabers, New York Giants
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee) suffered ACL and meniscus tears in Week 4's game against the Los Angeles Chargers, prematurely ending his season. Nabers caught 18 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns over four games before the season-ending injury. The 22-year-old initially had the knee surgery in late October and had a procedure in April to remove scar tissue. He continues to progress and is expected to return to the field soon. According to head coach John Harbaugh, he's making "really good progress," and he's "very hopeful that he'll be back soon."
Harbaugh added that Nabers is 70-80 percent through his rehab process. Barring a setback, Nabers will likely be ready by the time training camp rolls around. Some of the offseason changes besides the addition of HC Harbaugh include new OC Charles Nagy, wide receiver Darnell Mooney, and tight end Isaiah Likely. All of Nabers' production, except Week 4, came with now-retired quarterback Russell Wilson. The Giants' offense was gradually better with then-rookie QB Jaxson Dart.
Nabers is targeting a Week 1 return and should produce with Dart as long as he's healthy. RotoBaller ranks the former first-round pick as WR18 and projects 77 catches, 1,103 yards, and seven touchdowns in 2026. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Nabers' progress throughout training camp, but all signs are pointing up for the LSU product heading into fantasy football drafts.
Chris Godwin Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. could be the odds-on favorite to take over the team's WR1 job in 2026 now that Mike Evans is in San Francisco, according to River Wells of Sports Illustrated. Godwin signed a big deal worth $22 million per year before the start of last season, but he was hurt for most of 2025 and finished with 33 receptions on 55 targets for a career-low 360 yards and two touchdowns in nine games (six starts) in his ninth year in the NFL (all with Tampa).
The 30-year-old has spoken at length about how good he feels about where his health is. Godwin got a lot of looks in the slot during organized team activities and minicamp and looked crisp with the ball in his hands. Second-year wideout Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan should also have bigger roles in 2026 in Tampa's passing game, but Godwin has plenty of trust from veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield and could return excellent value in PPR leagues if he can stay healthy.
Godwin has played in only 16 games the last two years due to injuries, but before that, he had three straight 1,000-yard campaigns. RotoBaller currently has him ranked as the No. 48 fantasy WR going into the 2026 season.
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson has yet to play a full 17-game season, and for most of his four-year career, he's been part of a muddled depth chart. As a result, he has never topped 41 catches or 620 receiving yards in a season, but 2026 is set up for a true breakout.
Watson is now approximately 18 months removed from the ACL injury that kept him sidelined for the first seven weeks of the 2025 season, and after the Packers moved on from two of their more heavily involved receivers from a year ago, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, the team committed to Watson in the form of a four-year, $92 million extension.
Throughout his career, in games where Watson has seen at least a 75% route share, he has averaged 14.1 half-PPR fantasy points per game, which would have ranked as WR7 in 2025 and no lower than WR12 over the past four seasons. Set to see a full-time role in 2026, the 27-year-old Watson is one of the most high-upside buy candidates as RotoBalller's dynasty WR37, and it should surprise nobody if he flirts with WR1 status over the coming seasons.
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A broken collarbone, a concussion, and a nagging hamstring issue limited six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans to only eight games in 2025, ending his historic run of 1,000-yard campaigns. In signing a three-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, Evans will seek a fresh start for his 13th season, and if health allows him to stay on the field, he could be well-positioned for a 2026 bounceback.
Throughout his career, Evans has been one of the most productive players in the league with two or fewer receivers on the field, and with head coach Kyle Shanahan's propensity for fullback usage, that is a situation he should find himself in regularly. The team's leading wide receiver from each of the past two seasons, Jauan Jennings, departed in free agency, and with All-Pro tight end George Kittle potentially requiring an early-season ramp-up period as he recovers from a torn Achilles, San Francisco's offense could run through Evans and Christian McCaffrey to begin the year.
At almost 33 years old, the health concerns that plagued his final season in Tampa have not suddenly disappeared, but as RotoBaller's WR26, Evans is a pure upside swing in 2026 drafts, and if he can manage anything close to a full season, he could ultimately finish the year in familiar territory among fantasy's biggest difference-makers.
Who Should I Draft Tool
Read more about the Who Should I Draft tool here:
2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Rashee Rice, Malik Nabers, Chris Godwin Jr., Christian Watson, Ricky Pearsall, Mike Evans, Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, Jalen Nailor. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football drafts.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Draft? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Draft? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy football drafts. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats and projections, ADPs, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research, and update it constantly throughout the preseason. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players that are ranked.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Rashee Rice, Malik Nabers, Chris Godwin Jr., Christian Watson, Ricky Pearsall, Mike Evans, Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, Jalen Nailor:
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