When the Super Bowl clock hit 00:00, the 2026 NFL season officially started. It's difficult to rank players this early, as we are working with an incomplete puzzle. Will Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson finally get their backfields to themselves? Who will draft Jeremiyah Love? Will Breece Hall and Ken Walker III return to their respective teams or test the market? Will Garrett Wilson finally get a quarterback? Will Trey McBride be banished back to Kyler Murray's dungeon again?
There are many unanswered questions at this point in the offseason, but those gray areas are where value can be found. Sure, you and your 11 buddies probably aren't drafting your home league this weekend. But there are best-ball drafts happening. More than anything, though, this article shows that fantasy football rankings are a living, breathing document throughout the entire offseason. We are laying the groundwork now for a solid foundation in the summer.
Ken Walker III, for instance, falls into these rankings as the 30th player. Maybe he's still my 30th player in August. But maybe the Kansas City Chiefs let Isiah Pacheco walk in free agency and give Walker a multi-year contract. In that hypothetical, Walker probably moves up to the top of Round 2. What if Walker just wants to go home? Let's imagine that he takes a hometown discount to go to Tennessee, where Robert Saleh puts him in a committee with Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears behind a bad offensive line? Likely? No. But possible, and enough to push Walker way down from his current spot.
We have to get through releases, free agency, the draft, and training camp to get a clear picture of every team and player, but it's never too early to start.
The first half of Round 1 this year feels relatively locked in. These are young players in proven situations who deliver elite production, and little should change that. But once you get to Pick 6, the draft really starts. There are a handful of defensible picks to make there, and that could change throughout the offseason, as free agents and rookies fill in roster gaps. We'll cross those bridges as we get to them.
Let's dive in, starting at the top, where players are situationally independent from fantasy production.
Round 1
1 - Jahmyr Gibbs - Over the last two seasons, 67 running backs have logged 25-plus games, and none average more than Jahmyr Gibbs' 21.5 PPR points per game. While he's been an elite fantasy running back, there's potentially untapped upside next year. Gibbs has played in six career games without David Montgomery, and he's averaging 27.4 points per game in those outings. The Lions structured Montgomery's contract with an option to release him this offseason and save them over $3.5M. Going into his age-24 season, Gibbs is entering the running back sweet spot.
2 - Bijan Robinson - Right behind Gibbs' 21.5 points per game over the last two seasons is Bijan Robinson's 21.0. Robinson has been a touchdown-scoring and pass-catching machine since coming into the league. The one thing missing from his repertoire has been big plays. Going into the 2025 season, Robinson had just one career play of 40-plus yards. In 2025, he had six. Robinson's backfield mate, Tyler Allgeier, is likely leaving town this offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Robinson, like Gibbs, is entering his age-24 season. Choosing between these running backs is tough, but they deserve to go first and second in drafts this year.
3 - Puka Nacua - Since coming into the league in 2023, Puka Nacua's 20.0 PPR points per game lead all receivers. With Matthew Stafford winning the MVP and stating his desire to return in 2026, Nacua should be the first receiver off the board in fantasy drafts. He gets peppered with high-quality targets and churns out elite efficiency, leading the league with an eye-popping 3.7 yards per route run. The only downside to rostering Nacua so far has been his reckless playstyle, which occasionally leads to injuries. But going into his age-25 season and tied to the quarterback who helped unlock his WR1 ceiling, he's the obvious choice as this year's WR1.
4 - Jaxon Smith-Njigba - Second only to Nacua in total and per-game PPR points, Jaxon Smith-Njigba was a classic Year 3 wide receiver breakout. DK Metcalf was traded to Pittsburgh, and Tyler Lockett was released. Following those moves, Smith-Njigba earned the sought-after role as Klint Kubiak's WR1 and delivered a huge season, culminating in an Offensive Player of the Year award. Smith-Njigba led the league with an absurd 35.8 percent target share and was second to only Nacua with 3.6 yards per route run. Some noise will be made about Kubiak's departure, but Smith-Njigba has established himself as one of the league's best receivers, regardless of who is calling plays.
5 - Ja'Marr Chase - Ranking Nacua, Smith-Njigba, and Ja'Marr Chase is a tough exercise. But the Robinson-Gibbs duo and this trio of receivers should round out the top five in most 2026 fantasy drafts. Chase's 19.99 fantasy points per game since the start of 2023 are second only to Nacua's 20.00. He's still tied to Joe Burrow and an awful defense that puts them in situations where they have to throw. A half-season of lackluster quarterback play marred Chase's 2025 campaign, but he's a prime candidate to bounce back in 2026.
6 - Drake London - There was a stretch this year where Drake London looked like the best receiver in football, but injuries make his full-season production a bit murkier. A shoulder injury late in Week 1 and a knee injury in Week 11 both impacted his on-field play. In a stretch of games from Weeks 4-11, though, where London was completely healthy, he averaged 11.2 targets, 7.3 receptions, 108.5 yards, and 24.2 PPR points per game. Still just 24 years old, London is approaching his age apex. There are a lot of different directions drafters can go with the sixth pick, but few possess London's upside.
7 - CeeDee Lamb - Like London, CeeDee Lamb's 2025 season was impacted by injury more than people realize. Through the first couple of weeks of the season, Lamb was averaging eight receptions and 12 targets per game. He exited Week 3's game without logging a single statistic, missed the next few weeks, and was limited over his next handful of games upon return. However, from Weeks 12-17, Lamb was back to his normal self, averaging 9.2 targets and 86 receiving yards per game. There are some obvious concerns about how Lamb can coexist with George Pickens, but his role as the team's target leader should remain intact.
8 - Omarion Hampton - A promising start to Omarion Hampton's rookie season was derailed by injuries to both him and the offensive line. The Chargers lost Rashawn Slater in the preseason. Joe Alt was injured early in the year, missed some time, returned, and then fell victim to a season-ending ankle injury. During that time, Hampton suffered a broken ankle. He returned late in the year but was limited. What we saw before the injury inspires hope for the future. Hampton logged 294 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 43 opportunities in two games. Slater and Alt are expected back next year, and the team added Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator. Hampton, a first-round pick with the size, speed, and physicality to handle a three-down workload, is a dark horse to finish as fantasy's top running back in 2026.
9 - Christian McCaffrey - The outlook for Christian McCaffrey is pretty straightforward. When he is healthy, he's the best running back in fantasy football. When he is injured, he is not. He was injured in 2024, resulting in a discount to his 2025 draft value. He was healthy in 2025 and finished as fantasy's top-scoring running back. His 102 receptions were the sixth-most of all NFL players last year. He's a pass-catching machine, and the 49ers utilize him heavily as a receiver. However, he's going into his age-30 season. There is an injury history tough to ignore. McCaffrey can absolutely finish the 2026 season as fantasy's RB1 again, but age and usage concerns must be baked into his cost.
10 - Jonathan Taylor - No player looked like a better pick in fantasy through the first half of the 2025 season than Jonathan Taylor. Through Week 10, Taylor was pacing for 2,378 scrimmage yards and 29 touchdowns. But Daniel Jones came out of the bye week nursing a fibula injury. Two games later, he tore his Achilles. After the bye, Taylor's production plummeted. His 17-game pace was 1,369 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns over the final seven weeks. Taylor is still in his athletic prime, about to play his age-27 season. He's a phenomenal running back behind a good offensive line. If the Colts can get serviceable quarterback play again in 2026, Taylor should return to form as an elite running back.
11 - James Cook - Last year's rushing leader, James Cook, is coming off the best year of his young career. Much was made about his unsustainable touchdown rate from 2024. And while that did regress, he offset that dip with career bests in rushing attempts and rushing yards. Cook was rewarded last preseason with a hefty multi-year deal. He will cede some touchdowns to Josh Allen, and Ray Davis and Ty Johnson will be annoyingly involved in the passing game. But a young, talented back on a good offense who is efficient with his carries and targets should garner first-round consideration in fantasy drafts this year.
12 - Amon-Ra St. Brown - 2025 marked the fourth straight season in which Amon-Ra St. Brown has been a top-ten fantasy wide receiver. While there was a slight knock to his efficiency this year, St. Brown registered a 31.3 percent target share, by far the best of his career. Sure, his ceiling is capped. He's on a run-first offense with other viable pass catchers. But St. Brown turns in elite production every year and should not fall out of the first round of fantasy drafts.
