DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST: 023-26

David's Daily Digest

August 29th 2026

Saturday Night Edition

Saturday Night Fantasy

Sports Page

The Draft Notebook: Quarterbacks

The 2026 NFL season is inching ever so close, a little less than 2 weeks before it all kickoffs on Wednesday September 8th. With the 2026 Kickoff moving closer and closer, the draft season continues to heat up more and more.

While everything starts to get exciting, for a successful draft, I get calm. The calm before the storm, where I unleash all of my fantasy football prowess and dominate. With the holiday weekend approaching and three more home leagues to draft, it's time to open the notebook and breakdown strategy.

In the opening rounds as most of us will do, we look for the best available, highest floors, with tremendous upside is what we should be targeting. When I am building my roster, I am prone to look for my quarterback and tight ends in the later rounds, but this is not written in stone. As I watch my draft progress, I am targeting top tier players to start and adapting to the flow. If some top tier talent, like tight end Trey McBride (ADP 18) falling to the 4th round, or quarterback Joe Burrow (ADP 53.0) sliding into the 8th round, I am not hesitating to take either or both. 

But if my draft follows suit, these are a handful of quarterbacks I am comfortable snagging in the later portion of the draft, after the 7th round. The first candidate is the Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (ADP 91). Herbert was QB11 last season, posting 7 games with at least 18.8 fantasy points. With a new OC in Mike McDaniels, he's certainly capable of improving this season.

The next candidate on my watch list is the Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (ADP 79). Going around the 7th round, Nix is right there on the border of where I might take him. I prefer him in the 8th, but will reach in the late 7th. Nix (QB10 in 2025) is coming off a 3,911 yards passing, 25 passing touchdowns with 5 rushing touchdowns last season. If the ankle is good to go, I am good to draft Nix in the 8th.

What I definitely consider a bargain and great value this season is the Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (ADP 132). Goff finished last season as QB12, but with the weapons he has at his disposal, he clearly has a path to a Top-10 finish. Last season had some dips, but in 11 of his starts in 2025 Goff posted at least 15.2 fantasy points, including 4 games with 24.8 or more. He's a back end QB1 in 12 team formats that you can wait on.

One more notable that's not getting much ink these days is the Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (ADP 98). Mahomes was the QB4 in 2025 (points per game) and while his numbers seemed down, he still performed as a Top-5 fantasy quarterback. He's coming off the boards in the 9th round and offers plenty of upside, especially with the return of Rashee Rice.

That's My Take

~David G. Ortega

DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST: 022-26

David's Daily Digest

August 26th 2026

Wednesday Night Edition

WEDNESDAY WATERCOOLER 

WRAP

DRAFT TARGETS

With the kickoff of the 2026 season now less than two weeks away, it's time to take a hard look at draft strategy and potential draft day targets to mark throughout your draft. From the 1st round of the draft, even with the last pick, you should always be looking for value to improve your team.

As I review my upcoming drafts and consider my own drafting strategy, I am going to share some of my favorite targets for the 2026 Fantasy Draft (PPR format - 12 team).

Right out of the gate, the first round is pretty straight forward. I've made it no secret that I like King (Derrick) Henry (ADP 17.5) this season, even if I am at the top or in the middle of the second round, he's my 2nd round target. Regardless of his total touches last season or over the past five season, this dude is a beast and produces.

Moving into the early mid-rounds, I am looking for a pair of Packers, wide receiver Christian Watson (ADP 58.9), followed by tight end Tuck Kraft (ADP 100.4) a little later. The timing of Kraft will depend on the league and my leaguemates tendencies, may go a round, round and a half sooner. But with Watson, I am looking to grab him as a second wide receiver in the 5th or 6th round. Although his numbers have never been historic, if he can stay healthy and give me at least 12 games this season, he can be a difference maker.

Moving along deeper into the draft, I like Broncos rookie running back Jonah Coleman as a huge potential sleeper this season. He's going to get play, but how much to start we'll see, but by week 8 he could have a huge role.

My breakout candidate this season is the Packers quarterback Jordan Love and I will be targeting him as a later round back up quarterback. If he hits, I'll have the capital to improve my team and be able to ride his arm into the fantasy playoffs. I am excited about what we might see and what he can do this season.

After my defense and kicker are taken, I'll survey the fantasy landscape and a name that surfaces more times than not is Dolphins tight end Greg Dulcich (ADP 182.3). Dulcich is a dart throw and the tail end, but I like him as a deep flyer. The Dolphins offense may only be a shell of what it was, but new quarterback Malik Willis will have to throw to someone. My Spidey-senses are telling me, Dulcich will be one of the benefactors. I think he could crack the Top-12.

That's My Take

~David G. Ortega

DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST: 021-26

David’s Daily Digest

August 24th 2026

Monday Night Edition

THE FANTASY SPORTS PAGE

Making the headlines out here in California, not only is the weather heating up (with no end in sight), so is the fantasy football draft season. It’s all the rage, at least in my circles and probably most NFL fans. Whether you play on the ESPN platform or any other sites, you are prepping mad and planning your draft strategy.

For myself and my 9 league mates, we are one down with our most competitive (deepest-35 player roster that includes IDP) and longest running draft having just completed yesterday (Sunday, 8/23). It was a marathon of a draft, but very enjoyable and filled with all of the nuances and phases of draft anxieties, highs, and lows.

The first highlight of our draft without question, was our annual spread. I am very lucky, in this league I play with a couple of armchair chefs who are pretty good. There’s nothing like endless sides (such as meatballs, queso, potato salad, chips with homemade salsa) paired with smoked brisket and whiskey flavored ribs. This graded out off the charts with an A+.

Throughout the day, the draft was filled with those moments of drafting Kenneth Walker (ADP 22.1) in the first - a small reach that could pay huge dividends, and selecting D’Andre Swift (ADP 45.8) in the 3rd round. While a 5th round pick of Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (ADP 51.9) seemed like such an early take with the 44th pick, a 5th round selection of Panthers wideout Tetairoa McMillan (32.6) at the end of round offered lots of value.

There were plenty of debates as we ventured deeper into the draft, with Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr (ADP 148.5) being taken with the 99th pick. But there’s always that one guy, even without the help of Autodraft he finds a way of grabbing a kicker (Brandon Aubrey in the 12th round) much earlier than the consensus. One of the biggest reach without question, but I am a homer, so don’t ask me, was the pick of Broncos rookie running back Jonah Coleman (ADP 155.4) with the 114th pick - I loved it and think he'll be relevant by week 6 this season.

At the conclusion of the draft, after 25 rounds of drafting we all anxiously awaited for our draft grades, as if our lives depended on it. Our reigning champion staked his claim for his run at back to back titles, coming out on top with a draft grade of A - his top pick and overall number one running back Jahmyr Gibbs and 3rd round pick tight end Brock Bowers anchored his draft. My team rated a solid B, as I found value with a 4th round selection of tight end Trey McBride and 8th round quarterback Joe Burrow.

My sleeper pick and probably the best of the draft came in the 23rd round when I took the Dolphins tight end Greg Dulcich. The best thing for me with this pick, he was my backup tight end.

All-in-all, when it was all said and done, this year’s draft was a great success, filled with more memorable moments, great food, and great friends. Here’s to the 2026 fantasy football season!

That’s My Take.

~David Ortega

DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST: 020-26

David’s Daily Digest

August 21st 2026

Friday Evening Edition

Friday’s Fantasy Fixx

It’s Draft weekend for me, well my first home league draft and the first of many. As I prepare for Sunday’s big draft I am making notes for several players I will be looking for throughout the draft (but at the right price).

In a lot of ways, your fantasy draft is just like bargain shopping. You have to know where (and when) to look for the best deals as you are building your Championship team. The early rounds should prove to be easy enough, as only the top tier talent is what is on my radar. But as I move along into the draft, past the first round, a player that I am looking at toward the back end of the 2nd or even early 3rd as my RB2, the Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III (ADP 22.3). Two words say it all for me, Andy Reid. Kareem Hunt and LeSean McCoy come to mind when I think about Walker lining up in the Chiefs backfield. When Reid has a weapon, he uses it.

Next up as I move into the 4th and 5th rounds an RB3 I will be looking for is the Saints running back Travis Etienne Jr (ADP 41.2). With Saints veteran ball carrier Alvin Kamara sidelined for several weeks Etienne Jr should be able to carve out a hefty role in the offense bolstering his fantasy stock capital. The fantasy RB12 last season, Etienne’s pass catching upside (minimum of 35 receptions each of his four seasons) should help keep him deep in the RB2 conversation.

Moving right along, around the 8th and 9th rounds, it becomes time to fill your bench and one player I want in reserve is the Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (ADP 94.6). I am sold on quarterback Jordan Love this season, and one of the reasons is Reed, who enters the 26 campaign healthy. Reed missed a majority of the 25 season, but he’s a weapon that could be a difference maker on Sunday. In his first two seasons, he posted 15 or more fantasy points in 12 games. He’s a bit of a boom or bust candidate, but when he hits it can be big.

Beyond the projected starting quarterbacks in fantasy, your QB1’s, a name that has moved up my ranks is the Giants 2nd year quarterback Jaxson Dart (ADP 117.9). He finished as the fantasy QB14 having played in 14 games, but two of his included games he basically made cameo’s. In his 12 other games, Dart topped 19 fantasy points in 9 of those starts, finishing in the Top-10 in eight. Dart is coming off the board late enough to be your back-up, but may end up your starter.

Lastly, another simple conclusion based on circumstance. A healthy Lamar Jackson in Baltimore and the departure of Isaiah Likely, should open the door a little wider for Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (ADP 129.5) coming off draft boards as the fantasy TE12. It’s hard to imagine Andrews recapturing some of the magic that had him as the fantasy TE3 (in 2022), TE5 (in 2023) and TE7 (in 2024). He fell off significantly last season with an injured Jackson under center, but the lights are shining bright and all signs are pointing up here in 2026. Andrews could be a TE1, basically getting drafted in the 10 or later. He’ll be on my radar.

That’s My Take.

~David Ortega

DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST: 019-26

David’s Daily Digest

August 19th 2026

Wednesday Evening Edition

WEDNESDAY WATERCOOLER 

WRAP

DRAFT DAY TARGETS

It’s that time of the year, fantasy football season is in full swing and it’s time for me to prepare myself for my six annual home fantasy league drafts. I’ve been reading a few articles, listening to a lot of podcasts and radio shows (on Sirius) for information, as well as replaying all of the preseason games (only one week thus far) on NFL+.

It’s safe to concede, I am confused as ever, with information and stats oozing out my ears, but nonetheless I am as prepared as ever. Running backs in the early rounds, a top flight receiver and ball carrier in the early rounds. Should I look to grab a quarterback early or wait on the position and what about tight end?

I am balancing the usual dilemmas faced when draft day approaches, but I am feeling confident with my outlook. The top tier players should fall into place per normal, but as I look into the mid rounds, I am noting the players I see upside and probability.

I am eying the Bills wide receiver DJ Moore (ADP 49.8) as an early WR3 and I feel good about that, with his quarterback being Josh Allen. His ADP puts him coming off the board early in the 5th round (fantasy WR26 - flex). I am more likely to sit on him until the 6th, but if he’s my third receiver I’ll be primed to make the move.

Another wide receiver that falls into this same space will be Christian Watson (ADP 58.7). The Packers wideout is coming off the board near the end of the 5th as the fantasy WR28 (flex). If I can slot him in as my third receiver, I’ll be very happy, especially since I think he’s got Top-20 upside.

I’m going to share my homer pick here with my take on Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (ADP 63). With the arrival of Jaylen Waddle, Sutton may see a slight reduction in target share, but a significant rise in quality chances especially in the red zone. I love his skill and talent and see him as a back-end WR3/flex with upside.

I won’t wait too long reaching for the Packers tight end Tucker Kraft. I know he’s coming off an ACL injury from last season and may not be ready for week 1 (although he is trending in the right direction). I think Kraft is a legit Top-10 tight end with Top-5 upside, especially in the 2nd half of the season. If I do grab Kraft in drafts, I’ll likely back him up with some insurance (maybe Isaiah Likely or Oronde Gadsden).

One more draft day note. Another homer pick, running back Jonah Coleman(ADP 160.4); maybe, maybe not. With his current draft position of early 14th round, he definitely qualifies as a late round flyer or Dynasty stash. Even in redrafts, I am leaning toward filling the last spot on my bench with Coleman. In a very small sample size, I thought he impressed against the Falcons last week, but more than that I like the history of head coach Sean Payton - the days of Darren Sproles, Deuce McCallister, and Reggie Bush. I think the kid has a shot of working his way into the lineup.

That’s My Take.

~David Ortega