Best 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Strategy? Draft Slots, RB-RB Starts & Jonathon Brooks | FantasyPros LIVE Q&A
August 16, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe episode opens with a practical admission: Derek Brown once lost a championship because he played ADP games, waiting too long on Lamar Jackson only to see the team ahead of him snatch the quarterback. That personal horror story frames the central tension of the conversation—how to balance market value with conviction when building a fantasy football roster.
The "Screw ADP and Get Your Guys" Principle
Brown’s overarching draft philosophy is captured in a five-word mantra: "screw ADP and get your guys." He is not advocating for reaching on a fifth-round player in the second round, but rather for being willing to take a player you believe in at the back end of the fourth round instead of waiting until the fifth and risking losing them entirely. The psychological mechanism here is simple: the pain of watching a player you were high on explode on someone else’s roster is worse than the perceived inefficiency of taking them a few picks early. Brown’s own scar tissue—losing a title because he assumed a team with two quarterbacks wouldn’t draft a third—reinforces that the market’s expectations are not a binding constraint.
Draft Slot Strategy and the RB-RB Start
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:57) **Derek Brown's Offseason Recap & Top 200 Release** - Brown returns after travel, announces the upcoming release of his top 200 rankings, and sets the tone for the live Q&A.
- 2 (06:11) **How to Prepare for a Draft with an Unknown Draft Order** - Advice on using mock simulators and league intel to stay flexible when you don't know your pick.
- 3 (09:22) **Justin Jefferson vs. James Cook at the End of Round One** - A direct player comparison where Brown strongly favors Cook, citing risk with Jefferson's price tag.
- 4 (13:03) **Where to Target Jonathan Brooks After the Chuba Hubbard News** - Brown reveals his aggressive ranking for Brooks and explains why the market is finally catching up.
- 5 (14:23) **How to Handle Live Drafts with Rankings and Cheat Sheets** - Practical advice for using the FantasyPros Draft Assistant and custom cheat sheets during an in-person draft.
- 6 (17:19) **RB-RB Start: James Cook & Chase Brown vs. Ashton Jeanty** - A debate on the best back-to-back RB picks at the 1-2 turn, focusing on Chase Brown's elite late-season production.
- 7 (18:39) **Is an RB-RB Start a Bad Idea with Deep WR Value in Rounds 3-5?** - A discussion on whether zigging while others zag at RB is viable given the deep WR pool in the middle rounds.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
What is the best strategy for your 2026 fantasy football draft?
Seth Woolcock and Derek Brown answer listener questions live on FantasyPros Twitch, covering draft preparation, ideal draft positions, positional runs, ADP values, keeper decisions, auction strategy, dynasty trades, and late-round targets.
The guys explain how to prepare when you don’t know your draft position, whether James Cook should be selected over Justin Jefferson, how aggressively to draft Jonathon Brooks following Chuba Hubbard’s injury, and whether an RB-RB start makes sense in 2026.
They also discuss Kenneth Walker’s value, George Pickens versus Zay Flowers, Colston Loveland’s positional advantage, the best draft slots in 10- and 12-team leagues, late-round quarterback strategy, Jared Goff versus Joe Burrow, and how your approach should change in keeper, auction, guillotine, dynasty, shallow, and deep leagues.
Timestamps (may be off due to ads):
0:00 – Intro
2:11 – How to Submit Your Fantasy Football Questions
4:02 – Mock Draft Sniping and FantasyPros Discord
5:55 – Preparing When You Don’t Know Your Draft Position
8:21 – James Cook or Justin Jefferson?
11:54 – George Pickens vs. Zay Flowers
12:41 – How Early Should You Draft Jonathan Brooks?
13:50 – Printable Rankings and Live Draft Tools
16:51 – James Cook, Chase Brown or Ashton Jeanty?
17:52 – Who Is the RB2 Behind Bijan Robinson?
18:09 – Is Starting RB-RB a Good Strategy?
19:22 – Cheat Sheet Creator and Draft Intel
20:53 – Kenneth Walker’s Keeper and Auction Value
24:40 – Shallow-League Draft Strategy
25:41 – Can You Start a Draft RB-RB-TE-QB?
26:38 – Guillotine League Draft Strategy
27:55 – How to Draft From the 10th Pick
29:05 – CeeDee Lamb, Ashton Jeanty or Jonathan Taylor?
30:22 – George Pickens vs. Colston Loveland as a Keeper
32:00 – Best Draft Slot in a 10-Team League
33:49 – Emeka Egbuka, Luther Burden or Cam Skattebo?
37:05 – FantasyPros Discord and Live Q&A Schedule
38:12 – Which Wide Receiver Should You Trade for RB Help?
40:04 – Preparing for a Randomized Draft Order
42:43 – Best Draft Slot in a 12-Team PPR League
44:01 – Tee Higgins vs. Jeremiyah Love
44:53 – Rashee Rice’s Fantasy and Dynasty Outlook
46:09 – Kenneth Walker as a First-Round Option
46:31 – David Montgomery, Bhayshul Tuten, Quinshon Judkins or Bucky Irving?
48:59 – Trade the 1.04 for a 2027 First?
49:49 – Puka Nacua vs. Rashee Rice as a Keeper
50:24 – When Should a Dynasty Team Sell Its Stars?
52:05 – Auction vs. Snake Draft Cheat Sheets
54:06 – Fernando Mendoza in Superflex Leagues
54:56 – Why Rounds 8–10 Are the QB Sweet Spot
55:36 – Jared Goff vs. Joe Burrow
57:27 – How Strategy Changes in a 16-Team League
58:52 – Is George Pickens Overpriced?
1:00:56 – Final Thoughts
1:01:28 – Outro
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