Paulsen's Players: Position-by-Position Fantasy Football Draft Targets (2026)

Aug 27, 2026

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

These are my primary targets at each position for 2026. Everyone knows I’m a value hound. This year, there are several really appealing mid- and late-round values that have allowed me to go Elite QB or Elite TE, sometimes both in the same draft.

Quarterbacks

I normally deploy a late-round quarterback approach, but ADP is such that I’ve pulled the trigger on Josh Allen in the third round a few times, and I’ve liked the results. I’ll explain how that’s worked as I go.

Josh Allen, Bills (ADP 28)

Josh Allen is the safest pick at the position. He has finished in the top two in SIX STRAIGHT SEASONS. Last year, he was 93rd percentile in EPA per dropback and 87th in CPOE. But the rushing is his superpower: 37.4 yards per start and 14 rushing touchdowns, his third straight season with at least 12. And the Bills handed him D.J. Moore to go with Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid, his deepest receiving group since Stefon Diggs was in town.

If Allen goes early, then I’ll typically wait until the eighth or ninth round before I start thinking about the position. Jayden Daniels/Drake Maye in the sixth and Justin Herbert/Trevor Lawrence in the seventh are legit options for those who don’t want to wait too long.

Brock Purdy, 49ers (ADP 100)

Brock Purdy only played eight games last season. In those eight, he was the overall QB2 on a per-game basis at 21.5 points, and he closed with 26.2, 30.9, and 36.9. The efficiency was terrific: 96th percentile in EPA per dropback and 98th in CPOE out of 45 qualified passers. San Francisco lost Jauan Jennings but added Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Christian Kirk (if he can get healthy) and camp star De’Zhaun Stribling. George Kittle is trending well. Durability is the only real knock here. And at pick 100, you can afford to back him up with another good passer and run a committee.