Ten league winners. Just list guys going in the first round, right? Simple. Job done.
That’s boring.
For this article, I used FantasyPros’ Real-Time ADP to build a list of 10 players who fantasy managers can realistically target through the first 10 rounds of an actual draft. My goal was to find one player in each round with either proven production or upside to help carry your squad to a championship in 2026.
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Let Them Do the Heavy Lifting
Amon-Ra St. Brown | WR, Detroit Lions
When you look up the word “consistency” in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of Amon-Ra St. Brown next to it.
The Lions’ wide receiver has been as steady as you can get in fantasy. He’s finished as the WR4 in fantasy points per game (FPPG) each of the past three seasons. And because he rarely misses any time, St. Brown has been better in total scoring, finishing as fantasy’s WR3 in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Amon-Ra St. Brown’s Career Stats
Guaranteed a ton of volume and tied to Jared Goff in one of the league’s most explosive offenses, St. Brown provides fantasy managers that rare combo of a high floor and a massive ceiling. That happens when you finish second in total targets (172) and first in red-zone targets (33) at your position.
He wasn’t just a volume hog, either. St. Brown was also highly efficient. Last year, he ranked third in fantasy points per route run (0.59), fourth in first downs per route run (0.130), sixth in yards per route run (2.57) and ninth in EPA (+68.6).
When I’m selecting someone in Round 1, I want a guy I know is going to smash while also providing reliability. St. Brown checks those boxes, making him one of the safest bets you can make at the top of fantasy drafts.
Derrick Henry | RB, Baltimore Ravens
The Big Dog keeps defying Father Time, and I’m betting he can hold him off a little while longer.
Even though Derrick Henry is 32, the King has shown no signs of slowing down. In fact, he looks better than he did when he signed with Baltimore two years ago.
Derrick Henry’s Advanced Metric
After three straight seasons of averaging between 4.2 and 4.4 yards per carry in Tennessee, Henry has averaged an absurd 5.6 YPC on 632 carries while with the Ravens. That’s right in line with De’Von Achane, the NFL’s current YPC leader.
Over the past two years, Henry has averaged 1,758 rushing yards, 172 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns per season. Preposterous production from the future Hall of Famer.
He’s not going to catch a ton of passes, but I can basically pencil him in for 1,500-plus rushing yards and 15-plus trips to the end zone as long as he stays healthy.
Fantasy managers have lost a lot of money betting against Henry recently, thinking this is the year he finally slows down. Until I see it, I’ll keep riding him to championships.
Josh Allen | QB, Buffalo Bills
Here’s a titillating Josh Allen stat: he has six straight seasons with 39 or more total touchdowns. The next closest player in NFL history has only two. Insert any “mind blown” GIF you want, here.
Everyone knows how good Allen is as a fantasy quarterback. If he retired today, he’d be on the Mount Rushmore of fantasy signal-callers after finishing as the QB1 or QB2 for six consecutive seasons.
Taking him near the Round 2-3 turns means you’re passing on some very good running backs or receivers, but you’re getting a player who can almost single-handedly drag your squad into the playoffs. Per Dwain McFarland of Fantasy Life, ESPN managers with Allen made the playoffs roughly 60% of the time over the past four seasons:
- 2025: 58%
- 2024: 58%
- 2023: 62%
- 2022: 59%
Allen’s combination of consistency and spike-week potential makes it hard to skip past him when you’re on the clock. Take him and prosper; just adjust your build afterward by waiting on tight ends and hammering running backs and wide receivers over the next few rounds.
D’Andre Swift | RB, Chicago Bears
On ESPN and Sleeper, D’Andre Swift is listed as a fifth-round pick. Kyle Monangai‘s knee injury has pushed Swift’s ADP up a bit, to the point where he’s now regularly going in the fourth round.
Round 4 or Round 5, it doesn’t matter. In either spot, I think fantasy managers are getting a potential RB1 with Chicago’s lead back.
D’Andre Swift’s Advanced Metrics
While Swift has been a perennial RB2 for years, he might mess around and finish as a top-12 back in 2026. Ben Johnson recently said, “It’s the best I’ve ever seen him look this time of year.” Don’t forget: Johnson also coached Swift back in Detroit. He knows his RB1 well.
Even with an ascending quarterback and explosive weapons in the passing game, Johnson’s offense is still powered by the run. Swift will be the lead back and could potentially top his highs in rushing yards (1,087) and touchdowns (10), which he established just last year.
Johnson has openly talked about breaking the NFL scoring record set by the 2013 Broncos. If that’s his goal, I want pieces of this Bears offense. If that means taking the explosive Swift as my second RB, I’m happy to make that click, too.
Luther Burden III | WR, Chicago Bears
Another Bear? Yep. This is the point in drafts where your core is already established, and you can start taking shots on guys with immense upside. Luther Burden III has that in spades.
We saw what type of impact he can make in a game when he lit up the 49ers in Week 17 last year. During fantasy championship week, Burden racked up eight receptions on nine targets for 138 yards and a touchdown. He finished with 27.8 fantasy points, making him the overall WR1 that week.
This offseason, coach Johnson mentioned, “I’m buying Luther Burden stock right now,” signaling a breakout for the second-year wideout. It’s hard not to be bullish when you hear that type of endorsement combined with Burden’s advanced metrics as a rookie.
Among all receivers, Burden finished second in target separation (2.63), third in yards per route run (2.79), and 12th in first downs per route run (0.115). The Burden production train is about to leave the station. Are you on it?
Christian Watson | WR, Green Bay Packers
Is this year the Packers finally let Jordan Love air it out? With Josh Jacobs on the Commissioner’s Exempt List and only unproven backs behind him, it feels like a good bet.
And if Green Bay does lean into a more voluminous passing attack, Christian Watson could be the biggest beneficiary.
For one, the target tree should be more concentrated. The Packers traded Dontayvion Wicks to the Eagles and let Romeo Doubs go in free agency. That should keep Watson on the field plenty in both 11 and 12 personnel sets.
Christian Watson’s Athleticism Score
Not only that, but Watson is by far the most explosive and efficient player in Green Bay’s receiver room. Last season, he ranked second in fantasy points per target (2.41), fourth in yards per route run (2.65), and 10th in first downs per route run (0.121).
He did all that after returning from a torn ACL he suffered in January of 2025, during the Packers’ regular-season finale.
Now, Watson is healthy and has the full backing of the organization after signing a four-year, $92-million deal this offseason. If the lower-body injuries are truly a thing of the past, Watson should go nuts in 2026 and easily put together the best season of his five-year career.
Kyle Pitts | TE, Atlanta Falcons
Who loves Kyle Pitts? I do, I do, I do-oooh!!!
The highest-drafted tight end in history smashed in 2025, setting personal bests in targets (118), receptions (88) and touchdowns (five), while racking up 928 receiving yards. The numbers were good enough to finish as fantasy’s TE2 overall, behind only Trey McBride.
There’s no reason to expect anything different this season. In fact, Pitts’ output could go up. Head coach Kevin Stefanski is somewhat of a “tight end whisperer,” consistently funneling targets to the position and producing several fantasy-relevant seasons during his time in Cleveland.
Kyle Pitts’ 2025 EPX
If you pair the expected volume with Pitts’ efficiency from last year, we should see another standout fantasy campaign. Among all tight ends, the former Gator finished third in EPA (+55.9), fifth in first downs per route run (0.101) and ninth in yards per route run (1.80). Pitts also ranked fourth in PlayerProfiler’s Explosive Rating with a mark of 115.7.
There’s also very little competition behind him. Austin Hooper is on the “back nine” of his career, and Charlie Woerner is predominantly a blocker. Pitts, who signed a three-year, $54-million deal this offseason, should be on the field a ton as a result.
I have Pitts as my TE4 for 2026. He hasn’t missed a game in three straight seasons and is just now entering what should be his prime. Pitts will bless those who believe, and I’ll continue taking him near the Round 6-7 turn.
Jordan Mason | RB, Minnesota Vikings
Ever since Kyler Murray was named the starting quarterback, Jordan Mason has been a steady riser. It’s not hard to see the correlation; Murray’s rushing ability should open better running lanes for Mason to attack.
That’s what Mason does well. He only has 395 career carries, but his 5.1 career YPC average would be tied for fourth with James Cook among active rushers with at least 500 carries. The only running backs ahead of him are J.K. Dobbins (5.2), Jahmyr Gibbs (5.3) and De’Von Achane (5.6). Pretty impressive company.
Jordan Mason’s Career Stats
I’m anticipating a banner season for Mason with assistant head coach Frank Smith now in Minnesota. Smith comes from Miami, where he served as the offensive coordinator for the last four seasons. Achane’s ridiculous rushing average came in Smith’s wide-zone scheme, which has some Kyle Shanahan concepts and helped turn Achane into a fantasy superstar.
That’s good news for Mason because he has familiarity with the scheme from his three seasons in San Francisco. In 2024, Mason kicked off the season as the starter while Christian McCaffrey was injured. All he did was rack up 504 total yards and find paydirt three times in the first four games. He eventually cooled off, and his season ended after only 12 games due to an ankle injury, but Mason still finished with 789 rushing yards and averaged 5.2 YPC.
The talk all through training camp was that Mason looked like a stud. Perhaps this is the year he’s finally unleashed and unlocked.
He’s currently RB36 in ADP, but I’m willing to be aggressive and take him closer to RB30 for the upside he possesses. RB2 output is in play, and all it costs is a pick near the Round 8-9 turn.
Stefon Diggs | WR, Washington Commanders
Last year, Stefon Diggs proved age and injuries don’t always end one’s story. Coming off a torn ACL at age 31, he became Drake Maye‘s No. 1 target last season and nearly helped the second-year quarterback win the league’s MVP award.
Diggs finished as the WR21 in fantasy points per game (12.4) despite playing just 56.6% of the snaps. Sure, 85 receptions for 1,013 yards is impressive. But it was Diggs’ under-the-hood metrics that really popped.
In what ended up being his lone season catching passes from Maye, Diggs finished:
- Third in first downs per route run (0.131)
- Fourth in EPA (+87.9)
- Fifth in Explosive Rating (123.3)
- Seventh in yards per route run (2.55)
- Ninth in fantasy points per route run (0.53)
Unc still has it. Now, he’ll be catching passes from Jayden Daniels in an offense that really only has Terry McLaurin as an established and dangerous pass-catcher.
Stefon Diggs transitions from New England to Washington as a core weapon for Jayden Daniels. 🏈 New role, new system, huge upside. 📊 pic.twitter.com/72i93gRAsU
— Commanders Nation (@WasCommandersCP) August 28, 2026
Diggs will be on the field when Washington is looking to throw, and that makes him a tremendous value this late in drafts. If you go RB-heavy early, make Diggs a priority click. He may be old, but the production is still there.
Brock Purdy | QB, San Francisco 49ers
For some reason, you’ll start to see kicker Brandon Aubrey and the Houston Texans D/ST go in this range. No, really; that’s their ADP. Don’t be that drafter. Continue taking skill-position players. If you don’t have a quarterback yet, Brock Purdy makes for a terrific target here.
Since fully becoming San Francisco’s starter in 2023, only three signal-callers have averaged more fantasy points per game than Purdy. Their names are Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Jalen Hurts. That’s it.
When Purdy is on the field, he’s amazing. Last year, he played only nine games due to a turf toe injury, but he was the QB1 in expected fantasy points per game (20.6). He finished as the QB5 on a per-game basis, averaging 20.8 points.
Brock Purdy’s 2025 Advanced Accuracy Metrics
Purdy was also deadly accurate, ranking first in deep-ball catchable pass rate (62.9%) and second in clean-pocket catchable rate (81.1%). He also ranked first in completion percentage against man coverage (67.3%).
Now, Purdy gets to sling deep bombs and end-zone jump balls to future Hall of Famer Mike Evans and toss it to second-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling, who caught 11 passes for 109 yards on just 34 preseason snaps. San Francisco also brought back yards-after-catch monster Deebo Samuel, who will see his fair share of screens and handoffs.
Guys like Purdy sitting there in Round 10 are why waiting to take a quarterback can pay off in fantasy drafts, and another productive season awaits him if he and his teammates can escape the wrath of the electrical substation.
Wolf Trelles-Heard is a fantasy football analyst for PlayerProfiler.
Follow @DynastyFFWolf
