16 Players Experts Target or Avoid (2026 Fantasy Football)

Best ball drafters and rankers are still in the process of adjusting rankings and expectations for players for the 2026 fantasy football season in the wake of the NFL Draft. The landscape will continue to change with post-NFL Draft free-agent activity, trades, training-camp reports, preseason performances and injury news.

For this article on average draft position (ADP) inefficiencies, I’m using best ball expert consensus rankings (ECR) to examine notable players at each end of the spectrum. The pluses and minuses for ECR versus ADP are relative to the individual position group rankings, not the overall rankings. Furthermore, I’ve opted to group the players by common themes, sometimes loosely.

Players Fantasy Football Experts Target or Avoid

Pass-Catching Running Backs

The expert consensus rankings value a trio of pass-catching running backs more than the best ball drafters. Isaiah Davis was more intriguing before the Jets and Breece Hall agreed to a contract extension, as he had sneaky late-season upside if the Jets traded Hall while he was playing on the franchise tag. But Hall is now officially in the team’s long-term plans.

Still, Davis is a more appealing late-round pick than teammate Braelon Allen, who is also ranked 12 spots ahead of the ADP in ECR. Allen has been a much less efficient and explosive runner than Davis since both entered the NFL in 2024, and Allen offers nothing in the passing game, while Davis excels there. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Davis has 0.18 targets per route run (TPRR) and 1.19 yards per route run (YPRR) in his career.

Ty Johnson, like Davis, shares the backfield with another backup running back whose ECR is better than their ADP. Ray Davis is only three spots better in the ECR than in best ball ADP, though.

According to the Fantasy Points Data Suite, among 67 running backs with at least 75 routes in the 2025 regular season, Johnson was tied for 20th in YPRR (1.34). He’s a quality pass-catching running back, and he could occasionally hit best ball lineups — namely, if the Bills pass more frequently under Joe Brady. However, Johnson has no path to a workhorse role, as an injury to James Cook would likely result in Davis handling early downs while Johnson retains his third-down gig.

Dylan Sampson was a more effective pass-catching option as a rookie than fellow rookie running back and teammate Quinshon Judkins:

Sampson and Judkins have complementary skill sets, which could make Sampson a strong best ball option. If Judkins doesn’t recapture his pre-surgery form from his fractured fibula and dislocated ankle, Sampson could be more than just a passing-down sidekick to Judkins.

Backup Running Backs

Trey Benson is presently the No. 4 RB for the Cardinals. The team spent the third pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Jeremiyah Love, signed Tyler Allgeier in free agency and agreed to a restructured contract with James Conner. Benson is not a viable fantasy option as long as he’s on the Cardinals.

Kenneth Walker is the crown jewel of Kansas City’s backfield. Emari Demercado might have been a viable contrarian selection as a possible pass-catching specialist in the last round of best ball drafts if the team hadn’t drafted Emmett Johnson. Instead, Johnson is the late-round running back to target from Kansas City’s backfield.

Tyjae Spears will battle Nicholas Singleton for the backup running back gig in Tennessee. Spears was selected by the previous regime, while current general manager Mike Borgonzi drafted Singleton. The rookie is an athletic freak, and he’s an intriguing late-round dart throw with the build to handle a bell-cow role if Tony Pollard gets injured. Spears could beat out Singleton for the backup job, but I’m putting my chips down on Singleton.

Undervalued Wide Receivers

Jaylin Noel and Rashod Bateman are vastly different players, but both avoided a massive investment at wide receiver, and each is in a wide-open wide receiving corps. The Texans spent a sixth-round pick on wide receiver Lewis Bond in this year’s draft, and the Ravens selected wideouts Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

Houston hopes Tank Dell can return to pre-injury form, and Jayden Higgins was picked earlier and was more involved and productive than Noel in their rookie seasons. Christian Kirk departed in free agency from the Texans, and tight end Isaiah Likely left in free agency from the Ravens, while DeAndre Hopkins is a free agent after posting a 37.5% route participation rate for Baltimore in 2025.

Nico Collins and Zay Flowers are the unquestioned top pass-catching weapons for the Texans and the Ravens, and the secondary and tertiary spots are up for grabs in both offenses. Noel and Bateman are in the mix for those opportunities.

Rookie Wideouts

The Steelers picked Germie Bernard in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The Commanders popped Antonio Williams in the third round, and the Dolphins scooped up Kevin Coleman in the fifth round. While Bernard has the most significant draft capital investment, he joins the best receiving corps of the trio, with DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. topping Pittsburgh’s depth chart.

Terry McLaurin headlines Washington’s receiving room, and the team could swing a trade for or sign Brandon Aiyuk when the 49ers cut him before the season to avoid paying him a nearly $25 million roster bonus on September 1st. Still, nothing is set in stone with Aiyuk joining McLaurin as a running mate, and it’s unclear how Aiyuk will perform after playing in only seven games in the previous two years, including zero in 2025.

Coleman has the least draft capital of the three rookie wideouts in this section, but Miami’s pass-catching hierarchy is up for grabs among the incoming rookies and uninspiring veterans.

All three wide receivers also profile as slot wideouts, which can make them easier to target. It could also leave them watching from the sidelines when their respective clubs use multiple tight ends, a fullback or jumbo personnel groupings at the expense of 3-WR and 4-WR sets.

Old Faces, New Places

Tyreek Hill is a free agent while he continues to recover from reconstructive knee surgery. Jauan Jennings was a free agent until recently signing with the Vikings. Now that Jennings has a home, the gap between his ECR and ADP will likely close.

According to SumerSports, the Vikings played in 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers) at the 10th-highest rate (63.84%) last year.

Jennings won’t siphon snaps from Justin Jefferson, but he could battle Jordan Addison for reps in 2-WR sets, and Kevin O’Connell could slightly tick up 11 personnel with Jennings in the fold. Even if he continues to deploy three wideouts at the same rate, the Vikings aren’t a bad landing spot for Jennings.

Plummeting Value

The Bills traded a second-round pick for DJ Moore and drafted Skyler Bell in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. The Bills haven’t pulled the plug on Coleman, but the additions, coupled with Josh Palmer entering the season healthier, put Coleman’s playing time in jeopardy after he was often a healthy inactive on game days last season.

The Dolphins have completely shaken up their receiving corps, signing Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell and Terrace Marshall in free agency, drafting Caleb Douglas in the third round, selecting Chris Bell in the third round and also adding Kevin Coleman in the fifth round.

Maybe Malik Washington can carve out a meaningful role in a wide-open receiving competition. Still, with a new front office and coaching staff in place, handpicking players to add to the mix, Washington’s outlook isn’t promising.

General Manager James Gladstone recently stated Travis Hunter will continue to play wide receiver this year while seeing an “uptick in corner usage.” Parker Washington, Brian Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers were the club’s top three wideouts down the stretch last year after Hunter suffered a season-ending injury.

The Jaguars also used their top draft pick (No. 56 overall) on tight end Nate Boerkircher. The organization also drafted tight end Tanner Koziol in the fifth round, wide receiver Josh Cameron in the sixth round and wide receiver CJ Williams in the sixth round.

They didn’t draft a cornerback or make a meaningful addition at the position in free agency or via a trade. Jacksonville’s actions back up Gladstone’s statement that Hunter will play more cornerback this year.

An injury to one of the top three wide receivers ahead of Hunter on the depth chart could open up a more straightforward path to fantasy football utility this year. Nevertheless, Hunter’s stock has declined following Jacksonville’s offseason moves.

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