RADIO
Who should I draft for fantasy football in 2026? Fantasy football outlooks for Christian McCaffrey, Bucky Irving, Jonathon Brooks, Luther Burden III, Javonte Williams, Josh Jacobs, Tee Higgins, Carnell Tate, Garrett Wilson.
Who Should I Draft? Use this tool to assist you with some common 2026 fantasy football draft decisions regarding players like Christian McCaffrey, Bucky Irving, Jonathon Brooks, Luther Burden III, Javonte Williams, Josh Jacobs, Tee Higgins, Carnell Tate, Garrett Wilson. 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!
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to draft...
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:
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins has battled injuries throughout the majority of his career, but when on the field, the Clemson product produced at an elite level. Across 15 games last season, Higgins found the back of the end zone an impressive 11 times and brought in 59 of his 98 targets for 846 yards. This stat line made him the WR15 in total PPR scoring, despite missing time.
During the 2024 campaign, Higgins was just as dominant, bringing 10 touchdowns and 911 yards on 73 receptions over just 12 games. However, while the 27-year-old has missed ample time in his career, his quarterback, Joe Burrow, is also no stranger to the injured reserve. Burrow played in just eight games last season and only 10 in 2023, with his 2024 season serving as his only full 17-game season since the early stages of his career.
When Burrow is on the field, Higgins is able to produce as a low-end WR1 despite sharing the field with superstar Ja'Marr Chase, given the team's massive passing volume. Since the Bengals are often trailing in games and have a subpar defense (third-most PPG allowed in 2025, eighth-most PPG allowed in 2024), the offense is forced to push the ball downfield. In the offseason, the Bengals did not make many major additions on defense and even lost superstar edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
Even though Higgins is the WR2 to one of the best pass catchers in the game, the 27-year-old is well-positioned to provide great value at his current 32.0 Sleeper ADP (WR14) in PPR drafts as he could finish as a borderline top-12 WR if Burrow can stay on the field.
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.
Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson was enjoying an impressive start to the 2025 campaign before suffering a knee injury. Over his first five games, Wilson would total more than 19.0 PPR points in all but one before suffering this injury in Week 6. While Wilson would return to action in Week 10, the former first-round pick would then face a setback and not suit up for the remainder of the campaign.
During his first six games (removing his Week 10 showing), Wilson continued to operate as the clear WR1 in a weak Jets passing attack, drawing 9.3 targets per game. Throughout most of his time in New York, Wilson has served as the undisputed WR1, which has provided him a high floor in fantasy, even though he has typically had subpar play under center.
While the QB situation once again has questions in 2026 with veteran Geno Smith slated to take over after posting a rough 19:17 TD:INT with just 3,025 yards over 15 games with the Raiders last season, Wilson faces far more target competition than he did last fall. In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Jets added two premier pass catchers in the opening round, selecting top tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wideout Omar Cooper Jr. Additionally, the team's current WR2, Adonai Mitchell, a former first-round talent, showed promise down the stretch in 2025, seeing 8.6 targets per game and tallying 52.0 yards per game over his last five contests.
While Wilson should remain the top option in this offense, Smith's underwhelming QB play and added target competition could limit his upside in 2026. Currently, the former Ohio State Buckeye is going off the board on Sleeper PPR drafts as the WR16 (37.0 ADP), which makes him a high-floor WR2 with limited upside given that the New York passing offense looks far more balanced than it has in years past.
Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate was selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, demonstrating the team's belief that he can be a true No. 1 pass-catcher at the next level. Over the last half-decade, we've seen no shortage of wide receivers make immediate impacts, and Tate's primary competition for targets is a combination of Wan'Dale Robinson, Calvin Ridley, Chimere Dike, and Gunnar Helm.
While Tate's floor and ceiling are dependent on Cam Ward's development in Year 2, the Ohio State product has all the skills and traits to be a fantasy football contributor in his rookie campaign. While sharing the field with Emeka Egbuka (2024) and Jeremiah Smith (2024-2025), Tate tallied 103 receptions for 1,608 yards and 13 touchdowns across 26 games over the last two seasons. Expect offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to force-feed the 21-year-old as early as the first game of his NFL career. He offers plenty of upside outside the top 50 overall picks in half-PPR setups.
Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys placed a lot of faith in running back Javonte Williams as a free agent acquisition before the 2025 season, and Williams delivered with 1,201 rushing yards and 13 scrimmage touchdowns, which both ranked in the top 10 overall at the running back position. The Cowboys awarded Williams with a three-year, $24 million extension this offseason after his career year.
Despite missing a game due to a shoulder injury, he handled the majority of the Cowboys' rushing attempts with 252 carries. The 26-year-old proved capable of catching passes with 8.4% of the team's target share (51 total targets). Dallas spent the draft trying to improve its defense, meaning that Williams' competition for snaps with Malik Davis is basically unchanged entering the 2026 campaign.
Another year of cohesion for a relatively unchanged offensive line could create more running lanes and red zone scoring conversions for Williams.
The Cowboys return all major skill players and their playcaller from a group that ranked fifth in scoring offense last year. He currently has a Sleeper ADP of 40, which aligns with his RotoBaller ranking of 36, and is set for another top-10 fantasy running back finish in 2026 as long as he can stay healthy.
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 - Christian McCaffrey, Bucky Irving, Jonathon Brooks, Luther Burden III, Javonte Williams, Josh Jacobs, Tee Higgins, Carnell Tate, Garrett Wilson. 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 Christian McCaffrey, Bucky Irving, Jonathon Brooks, Luther Burden III, Javonte Williams, Josh Jacobs, Tee Higgins, Carnell Tate, Garrett Wilson:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
