Fantasy Football 2026: Must-draft players in best ball

• RB Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders: Jeanty will compete for the overall RB1 finish.

• WR Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings: Playing with an improved quarterback room should help the star wideout.

Maximizing value via the average draft position (ADP) at one’s draft pick spot is critical for achieving apex outcomes in best ball formats. While some player profiles are imperfect, their upside, ideally coupled with a reliable floor, qualifies them as must-draft fantasy football assets.

The article below breaks down four must-draft players in Rounds 1-2 across two commonly used best ball platforms. Underdog Fantasy uses half-points-per-reception (half-PPR) scoring, while DraftKings uses PPR scoring. ADPs are listed for one or both of the corresponding websites.

Round 1

RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions: 1.01, RB1 on Underdog Fantasy and DraftKings

Gibbs, 24, enters his fourth NFL season and his first as Detroit’s bellcow running back. After banking top-four positional finishes in both points-per-reception (PPR) and half-PPR scoring formats in each of the past two seasons, he warrants drafting at the 1.01 ADP spot. 

Among 36 NFL running backs with at least 175 offensive touches in 2025, Gibbs’ 86.1 PFF offense grade ranked fifth; his 27.2% missed tackles forced rate and 25.0% adjusted target rate ranked fourth; and his 1.67 yards per route run (YPRR) ranked third.

Gibbs’ season-long positional finishes in Weeks 1-17 over the past three seasons

Gibbs finished as the No. 6 overall scorer in PPR formats (346.6 points) and as the No. 9 overall scorer in half-PPR formats (309.6 points) from Weeks 1-17, 2025. His 572 offensive touches over the past two fantasy football seasons place eighth among NFL running backs in Weeks 1-17, 2024-25.

Gibbs’ expected workload increase puts him in contention for becoming the 2026 NFL season’s touch-count leader. He is the deserved 1.01 pick.

WR Justin Jefferson, MinnesotaVikings: 1.10, WR6 on Underdog Fantasy, 1.09, WR5 on DraftKings

The Vikings’ quarterback corps earned a 47.3 PFF passing grade last season, tying for dead last among units in 2025. Jefferson earned a career-worst 80.2 PFF receiving grade and averaged a career-low 1.88 YPRR, yet the two figures ranked 14th and 15th, respectively, among 28 NFL wide receivers with at least 100 targets in 2025. His 25.2% target rate sat ninth, and his 140 target was sixth. 

Minnesota’s possible new starting quarterback, Kyler Murray’s 69.5 PFF passing grade finished 21st among 40 NFL quarterbacks with at least 195 dropbacks in 2025 and is a substantial upgrade for Jefferson.

Jefferson is being drafted on par with his target volume from last season, which he earned while in a dysfunctional passing offense. Expect a bounce-back this season.

Round 2

RB Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders: 2.05, RB7 on DraftKings

In late May, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak indicated he is willing to feature Jeanty as a full-time, three-down player rather than employing the two-player backfield split he used last year as the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator. Less than two weeks later, Raiders running backs coach Omar Young echoed the notion, saying Jeanty “is doing all the right things” to ensure he earns a three-down role.

Among 36 NFL running backs with at least 175 offensive touches in 2025, Jeanty’s 70.9 PFF offense grade slotted 26th; his 26.2% missed tackles forced rate was fifth; his 321 offensive touches ranked ninth; his 19.5% adjusted target rate was 12th; and his 0.96 YPRR sat 23rd. 

Jeanty’s Herculean efforts as a tackle-breaker could not salvage the Raiders’ poorly schemed offense, whose -0.198 expected points added (EPA) per play concluded the season 31st among NFL offenses.  Expect improved efficiency this season.

Jeanty will benefit from Kubiak’s frequent fullback use and creative play designs. He is a candidate to finish as the overall RB1.

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TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders: 2.08, TE1 on Underdog Fantasy

Bowers landed hard on his left knee in Week 1 against the New England Patriots last year, resulting in a bone bruise and a PCL sprain that limited his play all season. Now fully healthy, Kubiak’s “football robot from heaven” is set to operate as the Raiders’ high-volume, No. 1 pass-catcher. 

Bowers is one of just 14 NFL tight ends with at least 100 targets from 2024-25. Despite the knee injury, Bowers ranks fourth in deep-target rate (8.1%) and yards after the catch per reception (5.3), third in targets (148) and second in receptions (112), receiving yards (1,194), target rate (25.0%), slot target rate (13.2%) and YPRR (2.02) while grading out as the second-best player (88.4 PFF receiving grade).

Kubiak’s 21 personnel use will significantly benefit Bowers. He should be treated as the TE1 this season.