Just following a fantasy ranking guide won't win any leagues. If you're going to make a splash, that means getting bold with a handful of your draft picks. Sure, bargains will slide down the boards as the night progresses -- but just as important as finding tarnished stars is identifying and landing the players capable of vastly outplaying their preseason projections.
Who's going to shine above and beyond their station? We've got some ideas -- six players who might get you clowned on for drafting in the preseason, then prove you right on your way to fantasy football glory.
Joining me is fantasy expert and Rhode Island Scumbag, Mike "Yaj" Boyajian. We've teamed up to completely blow up each other's strategies and ensure neither one of us leave
our fantasy draft happy.
We've got more than just a video for you, however. Here are the six players we're taking ahead of their preseason ADP this August.
Christian: WR Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens (38)
Can I convert you to the followers of the Modern Zay Saints? The Ravens are once again hoping to backfill their receiving corps with young prospects selected in the middle of the draft – a strategy that has produced non-stars like Devin Duvernay, James Proche, Tylan Wallace and Myles Boykin. Rashod Bateman plummeted back to earth last season.
Mark Andrews is coming off his least efficient season as a pro, posting negative expected points added (EPA) and yards after catch over expected (YACOE) for the first time in his career in his age 30 season. Isaiah Likely is a New York Giant. Ja'Kobi Lane has looked great in the preseason... but that's the preseason.
This is all to say, Flowers has a chance to build on last year’s career-high 118 targets. He’s entering his age 26 season and coming off the most efficient performance of his NFL tenure to date. The floor is high, but the ceiling could be a top five fantasy performance at wideout. And yet, he’s been an early fourth rounder in early fantasy drafts this summer. Sure, his value rises when you get to full-PPR drafts… but only to 36th in ADP. Too low! Way too low!
Yaj: WR Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers (66)
For the past few seasons, the Packers have had one of the hardest wide receiver rooms to project on a game by game basis. Targets were typically scarce, and pass catchers seemingly took turns with productive weeks.
This season, that gets a whole lot easier with the departures of Romeo Doubs (Patriots) and Dontayvion Wicks (Eagles). This has given us a much better picture of what the Packers plan to do with their top pass catchers this season, and all signs point to Watson being the biggest benefactor.
In ten games last season, Watson averaged approximately 11.5 PPG in half PPR, good for around WR17 during that stretch. Yes, he had some uneven weeks, but that was the nature of the Green Bay passing attack. Let’s keep in mind that Watson averaged a touchdown catch every six receptions (six on 35 receptions), and now has a bonafide WR1 role in the offense, even if his biggest target competition is Tucker Kraft. I will gladly take a chance on a guy that could put up top 15 WR numbers at a WR30 price.
Christian: WR Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars (71)
From Week 9 onward, Washington put up a 77-catch, 1,200-yard, eight touchdown full-season pace. Jakobi Meyers’ arrival didn’t cut into his fantasy stock; the space he created boosted it. With Travis Hunter focusing more on defense and the jury still out on how to undo the Mon-stars curse put on Brian Thomas Jr., there’s a chance he can rack up 110-plus targets this fall. And you know he’s in the circle of trust, because he turned a dozen targets into 107 yards and a touchdown in Jacksonville’s Wild Card loss last January.
Washington had a nearly 30 percent target sharewith both Meyers and Thomas in the lineup last season, which suggests his big finish was no fluke. Despite the lowest separation average of his career (2.3 yards), he still had a positive catch rate over expected (CROE) andhis 1.7 yards after catch over expected (YACOE) per reception was eighth-best in the league. He shouldn’t languish until the butt-end of the sixth round.
Yaj: RB Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings (108)
Last season we got a glimpse of what Mason could be for the Vikings. Unfortunately, horrendous quarterback play could not be overcome no matter how good the defense and run game were. Still, Mason averaged 4.8 yards per carry and finished with over 750 rushing yards to go with 6 touchdowns on just under 160 attempts. He was clearly the Vikings' preferred early down back, and ranked near the top of the NFL for explosive run rate and missed tackle rate.
For 2026, the QB situation is (slightly) better with Kyler Murray under center. His ability to push the ball downfield should lighten the load on the Vikings’ backs this season. The Vikings also brought in Frank Smith, who should help install a similar run scheme to that of Miami, where he recorded a top five yards per carry mark among NFL offenses two of the last three years. Camp reports have been glowing, and all signs point to Mason vastly outplaying his ADP of RB39. This is potential league winning upside, people!
Christian: RB Trevor Etienne, Carolina Panthers (n/a)
How undervalued is the younger Etienne? Well, Fantasy Pros doesn’t even have him among the top 344 players in this year’s fantasy ranks. And, indeed, it’s pretty risky to stake a mid-draft pick on a player with 20 career NFL carries. But the 2025 fourth round pick was immensely efficient in college, averaging 5.6 yards per carry over three seasons and finishing his 2024 at Georgia with 32 catches in 10 games.
That followed him to a small sample size in the pros. He averaged 1.3 rush yards over expected (RYOE) per carry as a rookie (again, a tiny sample size, but an encouraging one). He earned a few targets out of the backfield (very few: three) and laid a foundation of trust in Carolina. But, more importantly, look who is in front of him. Chuba Hubbard’s -0.22 RYOE/carry were eighth-worst in the NFL last season… and he’s already dealing with a hamstring strain. Rico Dowdle is a Pittsburgh Steeler. Jonathon Brooks has played 23 NFL snaps in two seasons due to injury.
I don’t think I’d take him before the rounds hit double digits. But if he’s available, there’s sneaky good potential here.
Yaj: WR Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers (133)
It’s easy to forget all about Deebo’s scorching start to 2025. With Terry McLaurin holding out last preseason, it was Deebo who came out of the gate as Washington’s de facto WR1, averaging a top 10 wide receiver finish in three of those four weeks (19.1, 13.9 and 19.6 half-PPR points Weeks 1, 2 and 5). However, the injury bug took down Deebo (and seemingly half of the Washington offense) last season, and the first five weeks served as a bright spot in an otherwise underwhelming season.
Why go back to him for 2026? His situation has improved, heading back to a familiar scheme and role in San Francisco. He should be able to jump right back in to his old role as a hybrid WR/RB in Kyle Shanahan’s system.
The 49ers look to alleviate some of Christian McCaffrey’s touches as well, which bodes well for Samuel and his bread and butter; QB dumpoffs and jet sweeps. With the 49ers already giving The Walking Dead vibes, I don’t mind making a play for a WR3 when he’s practically free in the double digit rounds.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 6 fantasy football players worth reaching for in 2026 drafts to beat their ADP
