6 Fantasy Football Must-Drafts for 2026: The Players We’re Taking EVERY Time (Ep. 2145)

August 21, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

6 Fantasy Football Must-Drafts for 2026

The hosts of the FantasyPros Football Podcast—Alfredo Brown, Debro, and Erickson—don't want you to leave your draft without six specific players this year. The logic behind each pick is a blend of talent, opportunity, volume, and a belief that the market's ADP is simply wrong. "When it's a confluence of talent, opportunity, volume, and then I feel like the ADP is wrong, then I'm just gonna continue drafting the guy in almost every spot," Debro explained. The psychological test is simple: if you pass on a player and feel a "pit in your stomach" when someone else takes them, that's a must-draft.

Early-Round Anchors: Chase Brown, Ken Walker, and Jalen Waddle

Erickson led with Chase Brown (RB5 in his ranks), who goes near the 1-2 turn. The Bengals back averaged over 20 half-PPR points per game from weeks 13 through 17 last season, despite playing only about 70% of snaps. The key mechanism: a three-down skill set in a high-powered offense, entering a contract year, with touchdown variance likely to swing his way. "He's never scored more than 11 total touchdowns in a season," Alfredo noted. "So he's kind of due for one of those outlier seasons where he scores 14, 18 touchdowns."

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What you'll learn

1 (01:07) **Show Introduction & Defining "Must-Have"** - The hosts introduce the concept of six must-draft players they refuse to leave a draft without, explaining the criteria of talent, opportunity, volume, and mispriced ADP.
2 (02:48) **Chase Brown (RB - CIN) - Erickson's Early-Round Must-Have** - Erickson argues Chase Brown is a top-5 RB, perfect at the 1-2 turn, due to his three-down skill set and elite production in a high-powered offense.
3 (05:19) **Jalen Waddle (WR - DEN) - Debro's Early-Round Must-Have** - Debro makes the case for Jalen Waddle as a WR1, citing elite per-route metrics and a massive upgrade in offensive environment from Miami to Denver.
4 (07:17) **Kenneth Walker (RB - KC) - Alfredo's Early-Round Must-Have** - Alfredo identifies Kenneth Walker as a league-winning pick at the 1-2 turn, citing his explosive talent, Andy Reid's history of featuring bell-cow backs, and his playoff usage spike.
5 (10:40) **Mock Draft Simulator Plug** - A brief ad for the FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator, emphasizing the importance of practicing from different draft positions to build confidence.
6 (11:28) **Transition to Late-Round Must-Haves** - The hosts shift the focus to players outside the top 75, where championships are often won, and introduce the next segment.
7 (11:49) **Jonathan Brooks (RB - CAR) - Debro's Late-Round Must-Have** - Debro is all-in on Jonathan Brooks, arguing he is a bell-cow back at an RB3 price due to his health, draft capital, and Chuba Hubbard's poor performance.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Alfredo Brown

Show Notes

Alfredo Brown, Derek Brown and Andrew Erickson break down their six favorite must-draft targets — players they’re willing to take ahead of ADP because they simply don’t want to miss out on them.

The guys start with Chase Brown, who could have legitimate top-three RB upside in Cincinnati, before diving into Jalen Waddle and why his move to Denver could unlock a much bigger fantasy season.

Then it’s time for Kenneth Walker, a player the guys believe could be one of the biggest league-winning picks of the 2026 fantasy football draft. They also identify three players outside the top 75 who could provide enormous value: Jonathan Brooks, Carnell Tate and Malik Willis.

If you're preparing for your 2026 fantasy football draft, these are the players to know, especially if you're looking for targets who can outperform their ADP.

Timestamps: (May be off due to ads)

Intro - 0:00:00

Erickson's Must-Have within the top 75: Chase Brown (CIN) - 0:01:38

Dbro's Must-Have within the top 75: Jaylen Waddle (DEN) - 0:04:09

Alfredo's Must-Have within the top 75: Ken Walker (KC) - 0:06:13

Draft Simulator Promo - 0:09:37

Dbro's Must-Have in later rounds: Jonathon Brooks (CAR) - 0:10:24

Erickson's Must-Have in later rounds: Carnell Tate (TEN) - 0:13:48

Alfredo's Must-Have in later rounds: Malik Willis (MIA) - 0:17:15

Outro - 0:20:37

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