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Who should I draft for fantasy football in 2026? Fantasy football outlooks for Colston Loveland, Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Tyler Warren, George Kittle, Tucker Kraft, Dallas Goedert, Sam LaPorta, Juwan Johnson, Isaiah Likely.
Who Should I Draft? Use this tool to assist you with some common 2026 fantasy football draft decisions regarding players like Colston Loveland, Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Tyler Warren, George Kittle, Tucker Kraft, Dallas Goedert, Sam LaPorta, Juwan Johnson, and Isaiah Likely. 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:
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles) caught 57 of 69 targets for 628 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025. Having missed six games due to injury, his overall production lagged behind his peers, but he was the second-ranked tight end in fantasy points per game. Unfortunately, his season came to a devastating end when he ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Despite the serious injury, Kittle's stated goal is to play in Week 1 of the 2026 season.
The condition and location of the rupture - a clean tear in an area with high blood flow - allow for quicker healing and optimism that the two-time All-Pro can beat the typical recovery timeline of nine to 12 months. The question of exactly when Kittle will be game-ready, not to mention what condition he will be in, has contributed to a hefty discount in early fantasy football drafts compared to past years. A return to form is no guarantee, but given Kittle's prominence in the 49ers' passing attack, rolling the dice on him shouldn't be out of the question. Kittle is the TE15 in RotoBaller's current rankings.
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta was the half-PPR TE7 through Week 9, securing 40 catches for 489 yards and three TDs, before ongoing back pains culminated in a fully herniated disc, ending his year in Week 10. He had initially tried to rehab it, but surgery was ultimately necessary after a month off didn't solve things. And Dan Campbell said that LaPorta is "trending the right way" amidst a mid-June minicamp practice.
Given that LaPorta is holding onto a half-PPR ADP around pick 80 in June as the No. 8 TE, it seems the market is echoing Campbell's positive statements. A healthy Lions team has many mouths to feed, so looking at that electric rookie campaign with 120 targets and 10 TDs sets unrealistic expectations. But his prominent role in a high-scoring offense does afford a lofty ceiling and median outcome that is well worth his current price tag in most draft rooms.
LaPorta's Week 1 status is now uncertain due to a hip injury suffered on a hit in practice. He still boasts a sizeable ceiling, and his ADP should slip to maintain value. Monitor the situation.
Isaiah Likely, New York Giants
New York Giants tight end Isaiah Likely steps into a featured role after John Harbaugh saw what he was capable of in Baltimore, but can we get consistent production here? He was limited by injuries in 2025, both to himself and Lamar Jackson, which led to just 27 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown. Likely required surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot, which shelved him through August and forced him to miss the first three games of the season.
But alongside the overall offensive depression, he was far behind Derrick Henry, Mark Andrews, and Zay Flowers. Though the Giants' offense will be different than '25, if Likely goes from last year's 53% route participation rate toward Theo Johnson's 73% mark, we could be very happy. Mix in that Malik Nabers (knee) is no sure bet to recover, and the 6-foot-4 Likely could find himself with a prominent role with lots of red-zone attention.
Though it's been nearly two years since he dominated the Chiefs for 111 yards and a TD (nearly two, those pesky toes) in Week 1 of 2024, the 26-year-old has a ceiling that most TEs don't possess. As a result of the talent, the Harbaugh connection, and the path to more involvement, his RotoBaller rank as the half-PPR TE12 is close to his TE11 ADP (pick 107) in late June.
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson enters his age-30 campaign having just blown past his career-best marks with 102 targets, 77 catches, and 889 yards. This only led to three touchdowns, but one can't help but feel bullish with such enticing volume. He came out of the gate hot, finishing Weeks 1 and 2 as the TE4 and TE3, respectively. In fact, he'd be the TE13 or greater in seven of his first 10 games, and 10 of the 17 tilts overall.
The Saints waited until the middle of Week 8 to flip Tyler Shough in at quarterback, all while the running back group dealt with injuries and ineffectiveness, so the second half is a better indicator for 2026 expectations. And between Weeks 9-17, Johnson's 9.6 half-PPR fantasy points per game was the seventh-best tally (min. 5 games) even without a single end-zone target in that span.
His two TDs in that window were caught 5-10 yards out, and he looked like a secondary read on both plays. In fact, Johnson only had one end-zone target all year, and no Saint had more than three outside of Chris Olave (14!). If they funnel action to Olave, or newcomers Jordyn Tyson and Oscar Delp, and don't let Johnson eat in the red zone, then fantasy managers will be disappointed given the half-PPR ADP at the 139th pick (TE17). Our rank around pick 150 bakes in a bit more volatility.
Johnson's early-season value could rise with Tyson set to miss at least the first two months, making him a prime late-round TE.
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride put together a phenomenal 2025 season, ranking as the overall TE1 in PPR leagues with 126 catches, 1,239 yards, and 11 touchdowns. He was at his best when the Cardinals had Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. In his five weeks with Kyler Murray, he averaged 12.5 fantasy points and ranked as the TE4. That's not bad by any means, but it's significantly inferior to his production through 12 weeks with Brissett, when he averaged 21.1 points per game. During that span, he was the undisputed TE1, scoring a whopping 90 points more than the TE2 (Kyle Pitts).
He's a target machine who is capable of making athletic plays downfield, breaking tackles, and scoring touchdowns. Every year, there's a debate about whether one tight end should be selected in the first round of fantasy football drafts. In 2026, that player is McBride. For what it's worth, managers are typically drafting him closer to the mid-second round, as he currently owns an ADP of 18.95.
Nevertheless, he's a very appealing draft target considering how much production he offers at the tight end position relative to other tight ends in the league. With Brissett and the Cardinals agreeing to a new contract earlier in training camp, McBride is set up for another TE1 campaign.
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 - Colston Loveland, Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Tyler Warren, George Kittle, Tucker Kraft, Dallas Goedert, Sam LaPorta, Juwan Johnson, Isaiah Likely. 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 Colston Loveland, Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Tyler Warren, George Kittle, Tucker Kraft, Dallas Goedert, Sam LaPorta, Juwan Johnson, Isaiah Likely:
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