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John Hansen outlines his strategy for drafting 2026 fantasy football teams, including his main player targets and fades.

The Guru’s annual Draft Plan is designed to give fantasy managers a clear roadmap for attacking 2026 drafts, combining roster-building strategy with specific player targets, values, and fades based on current ADP trends. This article covers everything from his positional approach and favorite picks by round, to the Hansen 50, the Dirty 30, and, most importantly, “The Twelve” — the 12 players he believes are essential targets for building a championship-caliber roster.

1) Christian Watson (WR, GB, Round 6) — Hansen generally sees WR as less of a priority this year because the position isn’t as top-heavy as it’s been the last few seasons. He sees no need to load up on WR in the first 4-5 rounds with Watson available in Round 6, especially since he thinks the Green Bay wideout will produce like a 2nd or 3rd-round pick (if healthy).

2) Tyler Warren (TE, IND, Round 5) — He has a massive opportunity this year with top target Michael Pittman gone, so Hansen can see a world where Warren finishes as the overall TE1 on the season. You should be able to secure a pair of high-end options at RB and WR in the first four rounds before all the truly appealing options are off the board. And by the 5th round, Warren should stand out as one of the best players available and one of the highest-impact starters on the board.

3) Brock Bowers (TE, LV, Round 2) — Coming off an injury-plagued campaign that has dropped him down the board 10-12 picks, and with discernable upgrades at QB and offensive coordinator/playcaller, Bowers looks like a great buy in Round 2. Based on the 2026 ADP, one can acquire an elite RB like Jonathan Taylor in Round 1, get Bowers in Round 2, and then an anchor-type WR like Chris Olave in Round 3, which looks like a great foundational start.

4) Saquon Barkley (RB, PHI, Round 2) — He’s still in a top-10 environment, and he’s been healthy now four years in a row. Hansen does expect some speed bumps in a new offense, so don’t expect Barkley to touch his ‘24 production. But if healthy, he should have a strong season somewhere in between his 2024 and 2025 levels.

5) Terry McLaurin (WR, WAS, Round 5) — McLaurin has a huge opportunity on the receiver-poor Commanders, so he has a chance to produce at a WR1 level, as he did in 2024 (WR7 overall). That makes him a viable WR2, and a great WR2 in Round 5 if you go heavy on RBs and also take a stud TE like Brock Bowers.

Read the full article HERE for the rest of “The Twelve”, as well as an in-depth breakdown of The Guru’s overall approach, his plan of attack at each position, “The Dirty 30”, “Hansen’s 50”, his favorite picks by round, and MORE.

Former Cleveland Browns scout Scott DiBenedetto picks five offensive players he believes are set to take a leap during the 2026 NFL season.

1) Tyler Shough (QB, NO) — After taking over as the starter in Week 9, Shough totaled 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also completed 67.6% of his passes, which is impressive for a rookie. Shough threw for 250+ yards each of the final four weeks and was a relatively clean operator as the Saints somehow crept back into the NFC South race. He’ll have a chance to sneak into the Top-10 this season, as Chris Olave can make any quarterback look good, the Saints added Jordyn Tyson, the running back room is dangerous, and the offensive line is improved. Plus, year two of Kellen Moore should be a noticeable step forward, as the play-calling head coach gets more comfortable with his QB.

2) TreVeyon Henderson (RB, NE) — It’s tough to say that Henderson didn’t already break out in year one. He led the Patriots in rushing (911) and scrimmage yards (1,132), and was a big play waiting to happen. Henderson and backfield mate Rhamondre Stevenson are an excellent “thunder and lightning” combination, but DiBenedetto thinks the second-year RB is ready to take the reins. He sees this situation similar to when his Browns drafted Nick Chubb. Carlos Hyde had been signed that offseason as the veteran ball-carrier, and everyone expected Chubb to need some time to develop. Hyde only lasted six games before they traded him, and Chubb looked back.

3) Emeka Egbuka (WR, TB) — Mike Evans leaving Tampa Bay throws the door wide open for Emeka Egbuka to become the Buccaneers’ No. 1 option. After Evans’ Week 3 hamstring injury, Egbuka posted 101 and 163 yards in back-to-back weeks. He managed more than 64 yards just once after that, but DiBenedetto puts that on an injury-plagued Baker Mayfield being under duress behind a banged-up offensive line more than Egbuka hitting the rookie wall. Egbuka ultimately finished 10th in the league with 127 targets as a rookie and had an aDOT of 12.9. That number was second on the team for receivers with 10+ targets (Evans led that category at 14.1). Mayfield got comfortable with Egbuka quickly last year and should continue to feed him the ball.

Read the full article HERE for the other two players DiBenedetto thinks are set to smash in 2026.

Jake Tribbey identifies which NFL quarterbacks target which positions the most, and how we can use that information for fantasy football.

Read the full article HERE for target tendencies to slot pass catchers, outside pass catchers, and TEs.

National champion debate coach Brian Rubaie argues the pros and cons for three of the 2026 fantasy football season's top questions.

It’s easy to love the 2026 Chicago offense, but it’s harder to figure out who to love most. Which pass catcher wins the Battle of the Bears and leads Chicago in PPR scoring in 2026: Luther Burden, Colston Loveland, or Rome Odunze?

The Case For and Against Burden

Burden’s 2.69 YPRR was the 2nd-best rookie mark of the past 15 years and the 4th-highest of any pass catcher, rookie or vet, in 2025. He also finished 1st among all WRs by a good margin in yards per target over expectation (3.4) per Fantasy Points Data, 2nd in YAC/reception (7.23), and 4th in catch rate (78.2%). He stands to inherit a wealth of vacated targets following the departure of D.J. Moore, as he produced a 95th percentile mark in fantasy points over expectation while running a route tree that bears a strong resemblance to Amon-Ra St. Brown’s.

With that being said, Burden had only two targets and zero TDs on 28 red-zone routes, and his amazing YPRR number is a potentially misleading small sample. Burden’s 27.8-point explosion in the shootout against the 49ers was his only 20+ point outing, and he produced only a 6/66/0 combined line across two playoff games. Burden was excellent per route, but he was less efficient in FP/RR and TPRR than Colston Loveland was, and in a smaller role.

The Case For and Against Loveland

Loveland slowly began to take over the Chicago offense midseason, finishing as the TE2 from Weeks 9-18 in total fantasy points. He was first among TEs during that stretch in YPR (12.70) and aDOT (9.30) per Fantasy Points Data, and a close second in YPRR (2.37). Things truly took off after Week 15, when the Bears shifted half of their offensive snaps to heavy personnel. Loveland feasted in those sets, recording a 97.8% route participation rate to go with 4.66 YPRR. The final four games saw him log an average of 11.8 targets and 19.9 fantasy points per game, pacing Chicago in targets.

Unfortunately, drafting Loveland requires paying a king’s ransom at TE when you could get comparable production from other TEs later in drafts. You could draft Tee Higgins, who averaged 17.5 FP/G with Joe Burrow the past two years, at the same price. If you’re going to take a swing at Loveland in Round 4, you best not miss. He had a great finish, but can he do it with a healthy Odunze and a full-time Burden?

The Case For and Against Odunze

Odunze charged out of the gates with 19.9 FP/G as the fantasy WR3 from Weeks 1-4 and now stands to inherit many vacated targets as well. He ranks 9th in end zone targets since being drafted in 2024, but 2025 was a tale of two seasons—his 0.452 average separation score (ASS) over the first four weeks collapsed to 0.038 post-injury to end the season.

Aside from holding off Burden and Loveland, the big question is how well Odunze can return from injury. Early reports are mixed. Fantasy Points Injury Expert Jeff Mueller calls for caution, noting that Odunze is in a 1-2 year “remodeling” phase with a 5-7x recurrence risk due to altered biomechanics and compensatory injury risks that could require a future surgery. Add in scoring only 7.6 FP/G with a 38.2% catch rate from Weeks 9-18 per Fantasy Points Data, the 6th-most drops (including one on a potential playoff TD), and 37.7% of his fantasy points being TD-driven, and it may be wiser to pay up for Loveland or to take the upside bet on Burden.

The Judge’s Decision

Loveland will be Chicago’s PPR leader and earn the lion’s share of looks in a dangerous passing offense. His strong floor and TE1 ceiling justify the cost.

The upside case for each Bear is reasonable, but the downside risks to Odunze and Burden are realistic and highly plausible. Every potential setback for Odunze or Burden would expand Loveland’s role inside fantasy’s most explosive offense. At their current ADP, Loveland has both the best floor and ceiling case to produce strong ROI at cost.

Read the full article HERE for similar debates related to De’Von Achane’s 2026 outlook and the battle for Carolina’s RB1 between Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks.

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