Thunder Dan's Fantasy Football Draft Guide: Where To Target Each Position (2026)

September 2, 2026

Thunder Dan Palyo outlines how he is approaching fantasy football drafts in 2026 with a primary focus on when to draft which positions in standard redraft formats.

As we close in on the first week of NFL games, fantasy football drafts are ramping up around the nation. Even if you're already done with your Best-Ball drafts or other early drafts, there's still a pretty good chance that you have some leagues drafting this weekend.

Everyone has their favorite way to approach drafts, and there are multiple paths toward a championship. Often it's the teams that stay the healthiest who are in contention for the title come January, but we also can't avoid every player who is deemed an injury risk. I mean, this is the NFL! Even if a player has never dealt with injury issues, they are still an injury risk!

Every year, I like to explain how I have been approaching drafts from a strategy standpoint. We all have our favorite targets and others who we are planning to fade, but this article will focus more on how I intend to build out my team and focus on certain positions at specific parts of the draft.

Early Round Strategy

So it's not all that easy to summarize how I'm approaching the first few rounds because which draft slot I end up with is ultimately probably going to dictate, to a degree, how I attack that draft.

But to keep things somewhat simple, I am all about going heavy on running backs and receivers in the first half of the draft. Yep, I am not touching a quarterback or a tight end in the first six rounds (more on those positions in a bit), and if I finish round six with three backs and three receivers, I'm feeling good about my start.

If we drill down a bit further, I think we can get a bit more specific with draft slots. Let's use a standard 12-team league for these hypotheticals.

Draft Slots 1 or 2

If you end up with a top-2 pick, congrats, you just landed Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson, and I wouldn't overthink it. Gibbs gets my vote for the top spot as I think Detroit's offense could go nuclear this year. However, I wouldn't fault anyone for taking Bijan at No. 1 overall if he's your guy.

Taking a top-tier running back here is great, but you'll likely watch the rest of the top backs vanish from your queue by the time that your second-round pick rolls around at 23 or 24 overall.

So from these draft slots, I find myself going with some of my favorite WR targets, which are Chris Olave, Nico Collins, and DeVonta Smith (in that order). Yes, we are in "Round 2 Olave" territory, and I think he's perfectly draftable on the round 2/3 turn.

I wouldn't overthink it...DeVonta Smith is an easy click in Round 3. https://t.co/eE41kE3pTo

— "Thunder Dan" Palyo (@ThunderDanDFS) August 27, 2026

If you happen to land two receivers in rounds 2 and 3, then you can snag your RB2 in round 4. Starting RB-WR-WR-RB is one way to ensure a very safe floor and keep your options open to take the best available with each pick in the middle rounds.

Draft Slots 3, 4, 5 or 6

This is the range where I'm pretty comfortable taking a wide receiver ahead of the second group of running backs. I think the consensus around Christian McCaffrey is that he's a good bet for regression and an injury risk, which pushes him down the board a bit. I'm also not high enough on Jonathon Taylor to take him over this elite group of receivers.

Ja'Marr Chase had a brief injury scare, but is a no-brainer for me at No. 3 overall. I think both Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Amon-Ra St. Brown have a legitimate case for the fourth overall pick, with Puka Nacua slipping a bit due to his health and off-field antics. It's enough to drop him down my board, but I probably wouldn't let him slide past the sixth pick (though with new allegations arising, I wouldn't blame anyone for passing).

If I take a receiver here, then I absolutely must take a RB in round two. I'm really not all that comfortable with a running back outside the first few rounds as my RB1, and I think it's a pretty tough year for those who take a Zero-RB approach.

Draft Slots 7 through 12

These are the most common slots for where I am getting an RB-RB build through two rounds. I've been pretty vocal about fading De'Von Achane and being lower than the field on Kenneth Walker III, but I am fine with two of Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley (bounce-back season loading), James Cook III (more of the same this year in Buffalo), Chase Brown (target monster and high-value touch machine), Omarion Hampton (huge breakout season incoming), and Ashton Jeanty (could play in Week 1, buy the dip).

If I go with two backs in the first two rounds, then I'm prioritizing the WR position in rounds three and four. Occasionally I'll snag a third back in round 4 depending on who's available (I keep landing on David Montgomery), but a RB-RB-WR-WR build through four rounds feels optimal.

Middle Rounds: Building Depth

So by round five, I ideally have two backs and two receivers on the roster. But in a standard league, we still start a third WR and a FLEX, which is far more likely to be a RB/WR than a tight end (though it's not out of the question if you have a strong TE2 with a good matchup). So while there are some tempting options in these rounds at QB and TE, my priority is still building depth at RB and WR.

Yes, that means I'm letting someone else chase the upside of Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts, and Caleb Williams at QB. And I've yet to draft my favorite tight end from last season, Tyler Warren, as he's now a fourth or fifth-round pick this year instead of the 9th-round value that he was last season.

These rounds are loaded with quality players who will likely end up in my starting lineup each week. I already mentioned David Montgomery, but a few other mid-tier running backs I am "in" on this year are Bhayshul Tuten, Jadarian Price, Rhamondre Stevenson (sorry TreVeyon Henderson fans), and Jaylen Warren.

As far as mid-round receivers, here are a few players that I am usually eyeing in this part of the draft.

Christian Watson ranks tied for WR3 in YPRR over the last two seasons, but ranks just WR58 in target share

That's so insane 🤯 it almost feels impossible

One must think his target share will probably go up with Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks no longer on the team, right? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/36galhaLEI

— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) August 30, 2026

Christian Watson's price is climbing in the wake of the Josh Jacobs news, but I think he's still a smash pick in the fifth round. Rome Odunze should be, too, and he's the most affordable of Caleb Williams' weapons as Luther Burden III, D'Andre Swift, and Colston Loveland are all off the board first.

You'll probably have to reach for Parker Washington ahead of his ADP as he's a trendy pick, but I love targeting him in this range, too. Jordan Addison is another favorite of mine as I think Kyler Murray could represent a major upgrade for all of the Minnesota pass catchers this year. And the last guy I'll mention is Chris Godwin, who is set for a sizeable role as the WR2 in Tampa Bay as long as he can stay healthy.

I will admit that I've caved in a few times and drafted Sam LaPorta and Tucker Kraft if they fall into the late sixth or early seventh round, but I really want to focus on my favorite values at the RB and WR positions in these middle rounds.

So, When Do I Draft a Quarterback?

I used this chart in my Late-Round Quarterback article, but it's pretty important to review it again as we discuss the merits of waiting to draft QBs.

I'm making a concerted effort to fade the early-round QBs this year. The trade-off involved in taking someone like Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen that early is likely a weaker running back or receiver room, and I think that there are plenty of compelling quarterbacks to be had well after pick 100.

I wrote about Kyler Murray, Jared Goff, Jordan Love, and Tyler Shough as my favorites, but I am also interested in guys like Baker Mayfield and Matthew Stafford. In fact, I will often end up with two of these QBs on my roster, and I am perfectly fine playing the matchup game with two competent QBs, while those who spent an early-round pick on someone like Lamar Jackson feel compelled to use them every week (and they should).

Wait on Tight Ends This Year, Too?

The tight end position can be tricky from year to year, I'll admit it. I really admire Brock Bowers and his talent, and I think he will have a good season. But I'm not taking him in the second round of a standard league. Nor am I drafting Trey McBride...or Colston Loveland.

Yes, there's a chance that one of those top tight ends laps the field in scoring, but the number of really good tight ends in this league is only growing by the year. And play-callers are utilizing tight ends better each year, creating mismatches with opposing defenses and feeding these monsters more targets in the middle of the field to help move the chains as more and more defenses sit back in Cover-2 shells trying to take away the big play.

If I don't end up with Tucker Kraft or Sam LaPorta, I'm probably skipping over Kyle Pitts (in my fades article), George Kittle (how can we trust his health?), and Travis Kelce (Father Time catches up to all of us).

This year, I think you can find plenty of suitable tight ends in the later rounds.

I think Isaiah Likely could match Kyle Pitts in production, and Juwan Johnson could provide me with just as much production as Kelce or Kittle. Dallas Goedert could be in line for more targets in Philly, while Chig Okonkwo could end up being Jayden Daniels' new safety valve in Washington.

Yes, I'm perfectly content with any of those players as my TE1, but I'll snag another player with upside as my TE2, too. Terrance Ferguson could break out in this elite Rams offense, while Dalton Schultz should be heavily involved in Houston again. I have quite a few shares of Greg Dulcich as well, as he could end up being one of Malik Willis's top targets in Miami this season.

Sample Draft

This is from a recent draft on Underdog, and while it's a Best-Ball lineup, it still illustrates my strategy while providing proof that you can accumulate the players I mentioned earlier at each stage in the draft. This was picking from the 10th slot earlier this week.

Most standard league rosters won't be this deep at each position, obviously, and you'll need to add a kicker and a defense. But at least you can see an example of how I prioritized each position at each stage of the draft.

Defenses and Kickers Last - Always!

There's been a pretty widespread movement to get rid of kickers in fantasy football, and perhaps your league already has. But even if you have kickers in your league, you shouldn't be taking them ahead of important backups at other positions.

There's always one team that drafts a kicker far too early, but don't be that person! While certain kickers are far more accurate and reliable than others, trying to predict which kickers will have more scoring opportunities than others is a fool's errand. You can stream kickers weekly if you don't end up with a reliable option on a good offense.

When it comes to defenses, there are really only a handful of team defenses that are must-start units every week. I'd much rather draft position players than defenses in the later rounds, and stream defenses down the stretch if I have to than spend a 12th- or 13th-round pick on a top-5 defense.

Streaming defenses is a very common strategy that can be employed successfully, especially if you read our defense streamer rankings and weekly content at RotoBaller every week!

Be Ready To Attack The Waiver Wire Early

Drafting your team is only the first step towards winning a championship and simply provides a foundation. Actively managing your team throughout the season is arguably more important than the draft! There will be players who weren't drafted who will emerge with fantasy value throughout the season, but this also tends to happen more often in the first month of the season, so be aggressive with those waiver claims!

You can follow our waiver wire advice all season right here at RotoBaller, as well as get any help making those tough start/sit calls from week to week.

Best of luck with your drafts, now go get your guys!

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