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Who should I draft for fantasy football in 2026? Fantasy football outlooks for James Cook, Bhayshul Tuten, Rico Dowdle, Christian McCaffrey, De'Von Achane, D'Andre Swift, Quinshon Judkins, Jordan Mason.
Who Should I Draft? Use this tool to assist you with some common 2026 fantasy football draft decisions regarding players like James Cook III, Bhayshul Tuten, Rico Dowdle, Christian McCaffrey, De'Von Achane, D'Andre Swift, Quinshon Judkins, Jordan Mason. We are here to help make these calls and build winning teams in 2026. Draft your optimal fantasy football teams for 2026 with our Who Should I Draft? tool. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to draft... all free!
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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:
James Cook, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III faced plenty of skepticism entering the 2025 season. Fantasy managers questioned whether he could replicate his 18-touchdown total from the year prior, which allowed him to finish as the overall RB8 in PPR leagues. Not only did he repeat his success, but he blew his 2024 fantasy production out of the water. Last season, Cook rushed for 1,621 yards, caught 33 passes for 291 receiving yards, and scored 14 total touchdowns.
He played all 17 games, eclipsed 300 fantasy points (PPR) for the first time in his career, and ranked as the overall RB6. Heading into 2026, Cook remains an RB1 with top-five upside at the running back position. His role remains unchanged after the Bills didn't make any major additions to their backfield, and he has shown that he can remain fantasy relevant despite the rushing upside of Josh Allen, who has 100+ rush attempts and 12+ rushing touchdowns in each of the last three years.
At the running back position, managers should look for running backs with clear lead-back roles and a good offense. Cook checks both of those boxes, as DraftKings currently has the Bills' line set at 10.5 wins. As long as he stays healthy -- which has not been an issue in the past -- Cook will remain one of the top running backs in fantasy football. As such, he's worth drafting near the middle to end of the first round in 2026 drafts.
Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars
After being drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten finished his rookie season with 386 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns on 93 touches across 15 games. The 23-year-old flashed high-end upside throughout the year, but he was ultimately blocked from fantasy-relevant production by the presence of former Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. Entering 2026, Etienne Jr. is no longer in Jacksonville after signing a big-money free agent contract with the New Orleans Saints.
As a result, Tuten could be poised to emerge as the new lead back for the Jaguars. Jacksonville did make a move in free agency to fortify its backfield after losing Etienne Jr. by signing former Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. Rodriguez Jr. rushed for 500 yards and six touchdowns on 112 carries in 2025 and could steal touches away from Tuten.
Still, Tuten profiles as the higher-upside back and enters the year with the advantage of experience in Jaguars play-caller Liam Coen's system. If Tuten can seize the majority of the backfield work in Jacksonville, he could be on the verge of a breakout season. RotoBaller ranks Tuten as its RB23 entering 2026.
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
Even in what could be considered a down year by his own lofty efficiency standards, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey finished as the RB1 in 2025 while seeing a career-high 432 opportunities. No other non-quarterback in the league came within 40 touches of McCaffrey, and the unmatched volume potential that makes him the most dominant fantasy running back of the last 20 years is paradoxically what also makes him the riskiest pick in 2026 drafts.
McCaffrey's injury history is well-documented, and he has logged back-to-back 100-carry seasons only once since 2019. 2025 marked the fourth time he ran the ball more than 240 times, and in two of the previous three instances, he failed to play more than six games the following season. Turning 30 before the start of the season, injury concerns are as much a part of his fantasy profile as ever, but his league-winning upside remains obvious, having now finished as the RB1 three times and no lower than RB3 in any of his five healthy seasons since 2018.
McCaffrey saw only 8.7% of his runs go for 10 or more yards in 2025, down from the 12.4% rate of his first eight seasons, and yet he was still a first-team All-Pro who finished fourth in MVP voting. For drafters who view the decline as an inevitable sign of aging, that could be enough to pair with his unfavorable medical history and allow someone else to take him at his current slotting of RB3 and sixth overall in RotoBaller's redraft ranking. However, even if his efficiency continues to decline in 2026, if McCaffrey is able to log anything close to another full 17-game slate, he is undoubtedly going to make fantasy managers regret passing on him.
D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift had a career year under first-time head coach Ben Johnson. Swift rushed for 1,087 yards on 223 rushing attempts and nine touchdowns while catching 34 passes for 299 yards and a score over 16 games last season. The 27-year-old also averaged 16.1 touches per game while averaging 2.9 yards after contact. He did split touches with backfield teammate Kyle Monangai. However, the two formed a solid duo and elevated the Bears' rushing attack, as the team averaged 144.5 rushing yards per game, third-best in the NFL.
Chicago did not sign or draft a running back this offseason and will roll with the Swift/Monangai combination again in 2026. The Bears o-line should be solid again, and quarterback Caleb Williams will look to build on his excellent sophomore season. Swift is entering the final year of this three-year contract with the Bears and should continue to see plenty of usage to remain a solid fantasy RB2.
He is currently ranked as RB19 in the latest RotoBaller rankings and is projected to rack up 1,332 yards from scrimmage with 32 receptions and nine touchdowns in 2026. Despite Monangai being the Bears' closer and taking some touches away, Swift is a solid mid-round pick heading into upcoming fantasy football drafts.
Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins (ankle) had an eventful rookie season that, somehow, still left a major imprint in fantasy football. Judkins overcame tribulations stemming from a July arrest related to a domestic violence charge - from which he was cleared - to join Cleveland's backfield in Week 2, and he handled 230 of the Browns' 353 total running back carries despite breaking his leg in Week 15 against the Bills.
The team's struggling passing game required Judkins to face a stacked box on a whopping 45.2% of snaps, so his first-glance efficiency metrics don't tell the full story as much as ranking fourth in rushing yards against stacked boxes (356), per NFL's Next Gen Stats. The 22-year-old underwent surgery in late December to address a dislocated right ankle he suffered in Week 16.
Cleveland went to work improving its offensive line and wide receiver corps in both free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft, drafting rookie WRs Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion, and OL Spencer Fano, creating a better situation for Judkins and whichever Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders gets the nod at quarterback.
Likely due to Judkins' positive prognosis for returning to full football activities in June, the Browns did not add a running back despite losing Jerome Ford to Washington in free agency, suggesting the sophomore's monopoly on early-down and goal-line touches should remain, even with a new coach, Todd Monken, calling plays.
The running back's sixth-round ADP (63 overall) on Sleeper could be far too late if the offensive improvements manifest in an opportunity to produce double-digit touchdowns, and his role on passing downs could always increase. Dylan Sampson isn't deemed to be as effective in that role as hoped, and Judkins should be the bellcow in Cleveland's offense as long as he's healthy. RotoBaller has Judkins ranked 56th overall, making him a value pick at his current Sleeper ADP.
Who Should I Draft - Fantasy Football Tool
Read more about the Who Should I Draft tool here:
2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - James Cook III, Bhayshul Tuten, Rico Dowdle, Christian McCaffrey, De'Von Achane, D'Andre Swift, Quinshon Judkins, Jordan Mason. 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 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 circles), 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. 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 James Cook III, Bhayshul Tuten, Rico Dowdle, Christian McCaffrey, De'Von Achane, D'Andre Swift, Quinshon Judkins, Jordan Mason:
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