Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame member Bob Harris and Gary Davenport have well over 40 years of experience as fantasy football analysts, with three Football Writer of the Year Awards between them. They know their stuff—or at least that's what they tell themselves.
From time to time, Harris and Davenport combine their knowledge (it isn't close to an even split) to answer five of the most pressing questions facing fantasy managers. With draft season in full swing, the answers to those questions could mean the difference between fantasy glory in 2026 or a fall and winter of gloom and despair.
So, it's probably a good idea to listen to Harris.
Davenport is all about gloom and despair.
QB Chicken Time
There are still a couple of unresolved quarterback situations across the NFL, but at the risk of sounding mean, the winners of those battles aren't winning any fantasy leagues.
What quarterback ranked outside the top-15 in ADP at Footballguys has the best chance to be that league-winner in 2026?
Harris: Daniel Jones resurrected his career with the Colts in 2025, leading Indianapolis to a record-setting first half. Through 10 weeks, with the Colts sitting 8-2, Jones topped the NFL in passing yards and ranked top six in completion percentage and yards per attempt.
Then the injuries hit. A hairline fibula fracture in his left leg sapped his performance over the following weeks, and a season-ending ruptured Achilles in his right leg ended things in Week 14.
Still, Jones ran one of the league's most productive offenses, with the Colts averaging over 31 points per game through eight contests. Production dipped slightly after that, but Indy was still scoring 28.1 points per game through the Week 14 finale.
The former Giant closed his abbreviated Colts debut 261-of-384 (a career-best 68 percent) for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, adding five rushing scores.
Although he was QB10 when his season ended in Week 14, Jones was QB5 over the first 10 games. He's currently being drafted as QB23 in Round 14.
The price is right, and we've seen the upside.
Davenport: The value present with Jared Goff of the Lions this year is appealing—he has finished seventh or higher in fantasy points each of the past three seasons and was second in the league in passing yards in 2025. But while Goff is a great value who won't lose you a league, he's not especially likely to win you it, either.
The quarterback being drafted just after him is a far riskier bet—but if he hits, Kyler Murray of the Vikings could legitimately be that league-winner.
For all the talk of Murray's struggles in recent seasons (talk that isn't without merit), he was a top-10 fantasy quarterback as recently as 2024. It's not like we haven't seen Murray play at a high level—he won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 and made the Pro Bowl the next two seasons. The Vikings present Murray with a better cast of weapons than he ever had in the desert. And Minnesota head coach Kevin O' Connell has something of a track record with reclamation projects.
In Murray's best season (2020), he threw for almost 4,000 yards, ran for over 800, and was second in fantasy points at the position. Murray has a top-five fantasy ceiling—we just need to get him a ladder so he can reach it.
Banged-Up Backs
As much as it has horrified fantasy managers, injuries have already hit the running back position, with the likes of Breece Hall of the Jets and Jeremiyah Love of the Cardinals going down. It hammers home the importance of depth in the backfield—and the potential value of "handcuff" backs.
Who is the most valuable, must-have "handcuff" back in fantasy in 2026?
Harris: Kaelon Black is quickly establishing himself as the man most likely to fill the void if something unspeakable happens to Christian McCaffrey.
Black, who missed time over the past month with an adductor injury, ran for 33 yards on eight carries in his first NFL action this past Thursday, running through tackles while flashing some spark.
As 49ers WebZone's Kirk Larrabee reminded readers this week, Black's selection drew plenty of criticism—the 49ers took him in Round 3 while some analysts had him as a late-rounder. So far, he looks the part, and he's benefited from injuries to Jordan James (rib) and Isaac Guerendo (pectoral).
Remember: McCaffrey, 30, led the league with 413 touches last year. That's the argument for drafting insurance. Available in Round 16 as RB61, Black is an affordable policy.
Davenport: Given how loudly I've beaten the drum about fading McCaffrey this year, I'm all about Kaelon Black. But if (when) McCaffrey does go down, don't forget about Jordan James—he's back on the practice field after missing time with a rib injury.
The obvious answer here is Mike Washington Jr. of the Raiders, who is one of the most talked-about players in fantasy since Ashton Jeanty went down on the practice field with an ankle injury. Fantasy managers appear to have ducked catastrophe with Jeanty, but "ankle injury" could mean anything from a week to a month, and if Jeanty does miss time, Washington appears to have locked down the No. 2 job in the backfield.
The problem with Washington is the price, which spiked before coming back down somewhat after it was revealed Jeanty's injury isn't believed to be especially serious. Jeanty's price has actually dropped some as well—to the point that he could be a speculative value with that injury discount. But if you're going to roll the dice in Round 2 that Jeanty will be fine, you'd better buy some insurance and be sure to roster Washington later.
