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
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