Last Updated: August 19th at 4:15 pm ET
Our fantasy draft is not going to go perfectly. We’re going to get sniped, we’re going to panic when on the clock, and our best-laid plans will go awry.
But we can still dream. These are my favorite players in each round, while taking roster construction into account, as of Aug. 19. Note that I am using the half-PPR ADP on our site to more closely replicate a “home league” setting. However, I’m also being realistic — Matthew Golden has an ADP of 142.7, but I know he’ll go much higher in most of your leagues.
For more help with your draft:
* Levitan’s Favorite Fliers
* Levitan’s 2026 Draft Strategy
* Our rankings
* Exploiting the Default Ranks: Yahoo, ESPN, Sleeper
ROUND 1
Ideal: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Lions — I consider Gibbs in a tier of his own. The Lions have the softest schedule in the NFL. They have the second-highest implied team total, and I expect them to lead the league in touchdowns. Speaking of touchdowns, David Montgomery is gone, and Isiah Pacheco is barely an NFL player. Montgomery stole 14 carries from inside the 5-yard line in 2025 (T-8th most) and 17 in 2024 (T-5th most). Gibbs is going to set career-high marks in snaps, touches, and goal-line carries.
Runner-up: Puka Nacua, WR, Rams — Puka’s off-field idiocy won’t matter because he is one of the best football players on Earth. Now we put him on the field with 33-year-old Davante Adams and a bunch of tight ends. The targets per route run here will be nutty, and those targets are coming from arguably the greatest WR Kingmaker of our lifetime (Matthew Stafford). If I get Puka at 4, I still have a good shot at a top-12 RB in Round 2.
ROUND 2
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