Episode Details

This segment was taken from the 2026 FantasyPros Fantasy Fest, our 4-hour marathon livestream to help you be fully prepared for all of your upcoming fantasy football drafts! Click here to watch the whole thing on the FantasyPros YouTube channel at youtube.com/fantasypros

Chris Welsh and Derek Brown were joined by The Athletic's Jake Ciely to break down the best early-round draft strategies, targets and roster builds for the 2026 season.

Should you leave the first four rounds with two running backs and two wide receivers? Is an RB-RB start the way to attack the back of Round 1? Or should you take advantage of elite WR value and adjust your strategy as the draft unfolds?

The guys build teams from different draft positions and debate some of the biggest names on 2026 fantasy football draft boards, including Ja'Marr Chase, Brock Bowers, James Cook, Chase Brown, Christian McCaffrey, Javonte Williams, Chris Olave, Jaylen Waddle, Emeka Egbuka and more.

Whether you're drafting from the beginning, middle or end of Round 1, use these strategies to build a championship-caliber roster.

Timestamps: (May be off due to ads)

Intro - 0:00:00

Ja’Marr Chase and Brock Bowers - 0:05:54

James Cook and Chase Brown - 0:07:49

FantasyPros Draft Assistant - 0:12:32

Javonte Williams and Emeka Egbuka - 0:13:10

Chris Olave and Jaylen Waddle - 0:16:39

Chat Q&A - 0:22:47

Outro - 0:27:12

Helpful Links:

2026 FantasyPros Fantasy Fest - We were joined by some of the industry's BEST experts for our 4-hour-long FantasyPros Fantasy Fest 2026 livestream, the biggest fantasy football event of the year! Missed the stream or didn't have the time? No problem! Click Here to watch the whole thing on the FantasyPros YouTube channel at youtube.com/fantasypros. Don't forget to subscribe and drop a like if you love what we do and want more content just like this!

LeagueBase is a private clubhouse for your fantasy league. Connect your Sleeper, Yahoo, or ESPN league, and everything that makes your league yours—the trades, records, rivalries, running jokes, and league history—finally has one home. You can also get $50 in credit toward your league’s first season at LeagueBase.com with code FP50—that’s F-P-five-zero. And right now, LeagueBase is sponsoring a draft trip for one league. Sign up free at LeagueBase.com/fest and you’re automatically entered to win a trip for your entire league next offseason. Wherever your league wants to go, LeagueBase picks up the trip. Official rules at LeagueBase.com/fest.

Draft Wizard - Dominate your fantasy football draft with Draft Wizard. Run fast mock drafts, test different strategies, build custom cheat sheets, get pick-by-pick draft advice, and learn your leaguemates' tendencies before draft day. Just download the FantasyPros App or head to fantasypros.com/draftwizard

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