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Who should I draft for fantasy football in 2026? Fantasy football outlooks for A.J. Brown, Wan'Dale Robinson, Terry McLaurin, Michael Pittman Jr., Jayden Higgins, Courtland Sutton, DJ Moore, Christian Watson, DK Metcalf.
Who Should I Draft? Use this tool to assist you with some common 2026 fantasy football draft decisions regarding players like A.J. Brown, Wan'Dale Robinson, Terry McLaurin, Michael Pittman Jr., Jayden Higgins, Courtland Sutton, DJ Moore, Christian Watson, DK Metcalf. 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:
A.J. Brown, New England Patriots
Newly acquired New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown was the focal point of one of the largest trades of the offseason. After being linked to the Patriots for several months, the Eagles finally opted to send their WR1 to New England to join MVP runner-up Drake Maye. Even though Brown expressed frustration with the Eagles' offense throughout the 2025 season, the wideout still turned in a productive campaign, catching 78 of his 121 targets for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns.
This stat line made him the overall WR11 in PPR scoring and marked the second time over his past three seasons in which Brown finished as a top-12 option at the position. Brown has been a stable force in the red zone, scoring seven touchdowns in three straight seasons and drawing at least 120 targets in two of his last three, despite playing in a run-heavy offense. Brown should see his fantasy ceiling rise significantly, joining Maye, who finished as the QB2 as a sophomore despite lacking a true WR1 in his offense.
Brown will now slide in as the top option for Maye, sharing the field with Romeo Doubs and Kayshon Boutte. Even though the Patriots leaned on their rushing attack in 2025 (sixth-most rushing attempts in the sport), bringing in a true WR1 to this offense will help them drive the ball downfield.
Playing with one of the game's premier passers should keep Brown firmly in the WR1 tier, making him a great selection going off the board as the WR12 (28.0 ADP) on PPR Sleeper drafts for those who opt to target the running back position early in their drafts.
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson is in a fantastic position to succeed in 2026. The Packers' wide receiver room is the least crowded it has been since Watson's rookie season. After jettisoning fellow wide receivers Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, this team has stated its faith in Watson, Matthew Golden, and Jayden Reed. Watson is entering the 2026 season with some momentum. Despite only playing in 10 games in 2025, Watson fell just nine yards short of his career high in receiving yards.
He also caught an impressive six touchdowns in those 10 games. His performance made him an effective contributor in fantasy. Additionally, Watson is on a prove-it deal in 2026. He signed a one-year $11 million contract extension last season, and we have seen many massive seasons over the years from players looking to secure a new contract. At the end of the day, Watson is going to be the No. 1 target in a good offense. He is perfectly positioned to record his first 1,000-yard season. As such, Watson is worth a shot around the eighth round in fantasy drafts.
DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf has failed to return ADP value in each of the past two seasons. Most recently, in his first year with the Steelers, he finished as the WR26 after coming off the board around WR20. Heading into 2026 as RotoBaller's WR35, he could still struggle to reverse that trend even at the lowest ADP since his 2019 rookie season. In 2025, Metcalf was the most persistent deep threat in a passing offense that lived largely in the short to intermediate areas of the field.
At 42 years old, Aaron Rodgers ranked dead last among 33 qualified quarterbacks on intended air yards per attempt, finishing 1.6 yards below the league average. With Rodgers back in the fold for his 22nd and final professional season and the Steelers spending the offseason surrounding him with low-ADoT targets such as Michael Pittman Jr. and second-round pick Germie Bernard, there is no reason to expect a more aggressive downfield approach in 2026. In addition to adding more target competition, a philosophical shift to the Steelers' offense could create further obstacles to Metcalf's fantasy success.
With Arthur Smith still running the offense in 2025, only the Baltimore Ravens deployed three-receiver sets at a lower rate, which allowed Metcalf to reach a 33.5% first-read target share. With new head coach Mike McCarthy having last run a Dallas offense operating out of 11-personnel on more than 70% of their 2024 snaps, both Pittman and Bernard are likely to be on the field regularly, earning targets.
Metcalf is still the most naturally talented receiver on the roster, but in an environment not necessarily set up to take advantage of his skill set, he's fallen into the seventh round of 2026 drafts, and even at that range, the upside case is surprisingly difficult to make for a 6'4", 229-pound receiver who has three times topped 1,000 yards in a season.
DJ Moore, Buffalo Bills
There's quite a bit of optimism in upstate New York: Josh Allen is the best quarterback DJ Moore has ever played with. Conversely, Moore is the best receiver that Allen has had to throw to since Stefon Diggs left the Bills. Facing less target competition and with a better offense, fantasy managers hope he can rebound as a WR2, a status that evaded him last season.
Moore had one of his best seasons under Buffalo head coach Joe Brady when the pair teamed up in Carolina in 2020, but he's now 29 years old, and advanced metrics may point to a receiver losing a half-step (74th in yards per route run in 2025). The Bills are, as currently constructed, also a run-first football team. Moore may not be dominant enough to command targets as Diggs did, but he will be the preferred option in the Buffalo offensive machine, and that alone warrants a fourth or fifth round pick
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton put together another rock-solid season in 2025, hauling in 74 receptions for 1,017 yards and seven touchdowns on 124 targets across 17 games. Sutton has been extremely consistent in recent years, collecting just under 2,900 receiving yards and 25 touchdown catches since the start of 2023. However, Sutton could be in line for a reduced role in Denver this season after the team's offseason acquisition of former Miami Dolphins wideout Jaylen Waddle.
With Waddle in town, Sutton's current streak of five consecutive seasons as the Broncos' lead target-earner appears to be in jeopardy. Denver also has a pair of up-and-coming wideouts in Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin, both of whom could be utilized to reduce Sutton's workload as he enters his age-31 season. Sutton's reliability in the red zone should give him a safe floor as a flex option, but he no longer projects as a top-24 wide receiver entering 2026.
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 - A.J. Brown, Wan'Dale Robinson, Terry McLaurin, Michael Pittman Jr., Jayden Higgins, Courtland Sutton, DJ Moore, Christian Watson, DK Metcalf. 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 A.J. Brown, Wan'Dale Robinson, Terry McLaurin, Michael Pittman Jr., Jayden Higgins, Courtland Sutton, DJ Moore, Christian Watson, DK Metcalf:
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