Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Way-too-early look at the first round of 2026

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It's the end of the 2025 fantasy football season, so of course we're already setting our sights to 2026. Yahoo analysts Justin Boone, Matt Harmon, Joel Smyth and Chris Allen got together to go pick-by-pick in the first round of a 2026 fantasy football mock draft. See who they're targeting at each draft slot for next season below. You can also watch the recap of their segment in the video above.

1. Puka Nacua, WR, Rams (Matt Harmon)

Harmon kept it short and sweet with his No. 1 overall choice for 2026, as Nacua offers so much value in fantasy. The Rams wideout was drafted toward the end of the first/early second round in 2025, and should finish this season as the WR2 overall in scoring. Nacua did miss Week 7 but was able to return, posting double-digit fantasy points in all but one game all season. He offers a very safe floor in Sean McVay's system as the go-to option for QB Matthew Stafford.

It's a bold move given Nacua isn't even going to finish as the top player at his position, while we have plenty of elite backs who also outscored the WR in 2025.

2. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Bengals (Chris Allen)

Allen noted this may be a homer pick of sorts as he's a Bengals fan, but Chase is deserving of a top pick given how he performed with and without Joe Burrow this season. Burrow will only play in eight games this season after Week 18 and Chase still put up elite numbers, finishing with 117 receptions for 1,316 yards and seven TDs. It didn't matter who was throwing Chase the ball; he averaged 8.0 targets per game with Jake Browning and 14.4 with Joe Flacco at QB while Burrow was out.

Again, this feels like a pretty safe pick in PPR formats but don't be surprised if the majority of managers lean on one of the top RBs at the top of the first round in 2026.

3. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Lions (Joel Smyth)

Smyth goes with Gibbs as the first RB off the board, given his stability in the Detroit offense. Smyth points out the QB situation being a bit better for Gibbs versus players like Bijan Robinson and Jonathan Taylor. Despite laying a few eggs in the fantasy playoffs this season, Gibbs has one of the highest ceilings in the game, posting the highest score of any player in 2025 at 53.9 points in Week 12 versus the Giants. He'll finish the fantasy season with 1,143 rushing yards, 13 rushing TDs, 74 receptions, 583 receiving yards and four receiving TDs.

Gibbs, of course, has the chance to finish as the top fantasy asset overall in 2026. Should he go over Robinson and Christian McCaffrey? Well, that's another debate entirely.

4. Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons (Justin Boone)

Robinson was the consensus RB1 taken in 2025 drafts behind Chase at No. 1 overall. Robinson isn't going to finish 2025 as the RB1 but is still a top-three back in fantasy. The big issues for Robinson were TD equity and game script. The Falcons offense is going to finish this season in the bottom-third in terms of points per game. Atlanta played from behind a lot and Robinson didn't find the end zone as frequently as the backs around him. But his role in the passing game helped him maintain elite status; Robinson will finish the fantasy season with 76 catches for 810 yards and four touchdowns.

Robinson at pick No. 4 feels like a steal. The Falcons should be improved to start 2026 and Robinson is entering a contract year.

5. Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers (Harmon)

Harmon, once again, kept it pretty simple with this pick. If CMC is healthy, he's going to be the top fantasy asset overall in 2026. While 2025 gave McCaffrey great fortune when it comes to health, you just never know, given his history. It's also unclear if McCaffrey can keep up this type of receiving production. He'll finish the fantasy season at 96 catches for 890 yards and seven receiving TDs. The last time he had numbers this high was back in 2019 with the Panthers. He's also on pace for a career high in touches; CMC had 403 that same year with Carolina.

If health is the only concern here, McCaffrey should be going in at least the top three in drafts for 2026. Just be sure to have an insurance policy at RB, and definitely snag whoever is his backup going into next season.

6. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seahawks (Allen)

JSN is going to finish 2025 as the WR1 overall after posting historic numbers in Seattle. It was a true Year 3 breakout for Smith-Njigba, who benefitted from the Seahawks adding QB Sam Darnold and OC Klint Kubiak before the regular season. JSN finishes the fantasy season as the league leader in receiving yards at 1,709 and is top-five in receptions, targets and receiving touchdowns.

Like Robinson, Smith-Njigba is entering a contract year and should break the bank in terms of salary for a wide receiver. Kubiak may bolt for a head coaching vacancy, but as long as Darnold is peppering him with targets, JSN feels like one of the safest picks in the middle of the first round for 2026.

7. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts (Smyth)

Smyth believes that the 7-slot in the first round is the perfect place to take JT after his bounce-back season in 2025. Taylor spent most of the first half of the season running away as the fantasy MVP. But then he ran out of steam after the Colts' Week 11 bye, facing a string of tough matchups while Indy lost QB Daniel Jones to a season-ending injury. Had that not happened, Taylor would have had a shot at finishing as the top overall flex scorer in fantasy. He had 1,559 rushing yards, 44 receptions, 365 receiving yards and 20 total TDs this fantasy season.

There's reason to believe the TDs may regress in 2026 but as long as Indianapolis has a healthy QB, JT should be a first-round asset.

8. De'Von Achane, RB, Dolphins (Boone)

Like CMC, Achane's preseason injury concerns are a big reason he fell down draft boards. But anyone who was smart enough to snag him was rewarded nicely. Achane didn't have a game below 11.3 fantasy points all fantasy season long. He was the focal point of the Miami offense, even more so after Tyreek Hill went down with a season-ending injury early on. What he lacked in TD equity, Achane made up for with receiving work. Achane enters the season finale with 67 catches for 488 yards. When healthy, Achane is a top-five RB in fantasy; one could argue he's going too low in this mock.

9. James Cook, RB, Bills (Harmon)

After finishing as a top-10 flex asset in fantasy in 2024, it was surprising to see Cook fall to the fourth round on average this season. Many were concerned Cook would continue to have TDs vultured by QB Josh Allen. Harmon says, "Who cares?" — Cook is so good, it doesn't really matter. This season, we saw the role sustained in an elite offense for a second straight year. Cook had four games with at least 100+ rushing yards and two TDs. While his passing-game role leaves a bit to be desired, there's no question he's the workhorse in the backfield for Buffalo.

This feels like a good slot for Cook, though he could settle in as an early second-rounder. As long as Allen is the QB, the Bills offense should remain elite, which bodes well for whoever is getting the bulk of the carries (which is Cook).

10. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys (Allen)

Allen isn't concerned about Lamb being on the same field as George Pickens, who had a breakout in his first season in Dallas. Despite missing four games, Lamb still finished the fantasy season with over 1,000 receiving yards. Dak Prescott is good enough and this offense is strong enough to sustain two top WRs. Had Lamb played the full season, it's safe to say he'd finish among the top-10 wideouts in fantasy.

11. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Lions (Smyth)

Smyth is rolling with another Lions skill position player in the first round, this time top wideout St. Brown, who has been a top-five player at his position for three straight seasons. Smyth points out that Amon-Ra has a higher red-zone target share than Rams WR Davante Adams at 41%, plus head coach Dan Campbell and QB Jared Goff are still in town. St. Brown missed a game and had a few duds, but finishes the fantasy season with 106 catches for 1,262 yards and 11 TDs, slightly ahead of Pickens for WR3 and behind Nacua and JSN.

St. Brown is a very safe pick in PPR formats for 2026. He also has the type of ceiling to be the WR1 and a top-five overall asset.

12. Trey McBride, TE, Cardinals (Boone)

Boone wraps up the first round with a (somewhat) surprising pick. He goes with the only tight end in the round in McBride, coming off a historic season at the position. McBride finished ranked 12th among flex options in points, hauling in an NFL TE record 119 catches with 1,174 yards and 11 touchdowns. What's even more impressive is McBride did this without elite QB play; first it was Kyler Murray and then Jacoby Brissett under center for Arizona the rest of the season.

McBride also outscored the TE2 (Kyle Pitts Sr.) by a very, very wide margin — nearly 100 more fantasy points. If we're talking Value-Based Drafting or positional scarcity, McBride should be a first-round asset, at the very least going in the early second round in 2026.

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