Fantasy Football Rankings I'm Buying In 2026: Keep Drafting Kenneth Walker

It's crazy to think we are already at the midpoint of the summer and now less than two months away from the start of the NFL season. In just a few weeks, redraft season will start kicking into gear, and it will be very important to be in tune with fantasy football rankings, fantasy football ADP and how the typical draft board plays out. To help with that process, I am going to share some of my favorite spots where the Fantasy Life consensus rankings differ from that player's ADP.

When I say I'm 'buying' a ranking, I am referring to a player where the Fantasy Life consensus rankings are meaningfully different from the market, and I agree with our ranking. This can include players we are higher or lower on than their ADP, but we are taking a stand, and I like the side we are on.

One of the things I love about our consensus rankings is that we include the player's ADP, so you can easily see who we are above and below market on. That is helpful context for evaluating where you may want to deviate from our rankings when drafting, because you may be able to get the player you want later.

Fantasy Rankings I'm Buying in 2026

Kenneth Walker | RB | KC | 12th overall

The Fantasy Life consensus ranking is well ahead of Walker's ADP of 20th overall. I think that is the right side to be on, and I expect the market to converge on our ranking. The Chiefs made Kenneth Walker one of the highest-paid RBs in the NFL and finally added an explosive rushing element that they have been missing for years.

Last year, Walker topped 250 touches for the first time since his rookie season, and he should easily eclipse that in 2026 as long as he stays healthy. I want to bet on a bounceback for the Kansas City offense, and Walker is a great way to do that. He should see the large majority of backfield touches and will likely play a more prominent role at the goal line than he did in Seattle, something that has held back his fantasy value.

I'm also excited about what Walker can bring to the passing game as another weapon in the screen game for Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs have struggled to create explosive plays in recent seasons, and Walker is a home run threat every time he touches the ball. Andy Reid is one of the best screen designers in the NFL, and opposing defenses have to respect Mahomes when he drops back. That should set up nicely to get the ball in Walker's hands with space to run, a frightening sight for defenses.

Walker is one of my favorite second-round picks and a priority target for me with how underpriced he is. I hope not to have to draft him where we have him ranked, but he is in consideration for me with any pick of the second round.

A.J. Brown | WR | NE | 18th overall

It was the most predictable trade we have seen in the NFL in years, and yet I don't think the market has properly reacted to A.J. Brown joining the Patriots. It is true that 2025 was the least efficient season in Brown's career, and he has struggled with recurring knee and hamstring injuries throughout his career. It is fair to ask whether he is past his peak or not, but I want

I will admit that some of this is projection on my part because there are no stats that isolate a player's motivation, but it is clear that Brown had a falling out in Philadelphia, and the sides mutually agreed to move on. I am betting that a reinvigorated Brown still has a lot left in the tank at 29 years old and can bounce back to the 2.5 YPRR range where he has been for every season of his career before last year.

New England has re-tooled their passing game with the additions of Brown and Romeo Doubs, giving Drake Maye much better weapons than he had last season for the team's run to the Super Bowl. The Patriots should be a championship contender again, and Brown will be reunited with Mike Vrabel and paired with one of the best deep-ball passers in the NFL. I won't say there is no risk, but this is the type of recipe that leads to monster fantasy seasons. Getting Brown at his current ADP around the 2-3 turn is a steal, and he is close behind Kenneth Walker in the race for my favorite second-round pick.

Jaylen Waddle | WR | DEN | 43rd overall

Another WR who was traded this offseason, Jaylen Waddle, looks poised for a big 2026 season now that he is working with Sean Payton and Bo Nix. Yes, the Broncos have other capable pass catchers, but the amount that Denver gave up to get Waddle tells me that they plan to install Waddle as the top option in their passing game. It also helps that Waddle and Courtland Sutton have complementary skill sets, so I think they can both be valuable contributors in their respective roles.

Anyone who doubts Waddle's talent level needs to go back and review what he has accomplished in his career. Through five seasons, Waddle is at a career YPRR of 2.11 and has topped 2.5 YPRR in two seasons. At 27 years old, he is still firmly in the prime of his career and will now be playing in an offense that isn't severely limited by the QB's arm strength.

The stench of the 2025 Dolphins offense is causing Waddle to be undervalued in his new situation, and I want to take advantage. His current ADP of 53rd overall is way too low, and I would probably even be willing to draft him slightly above where we have him ranked. He is the perfect fourth-round target if you start with an RB-heavy build.

TreVeyon Henderson/Rhamondre Stevenson | RBs | NE | 63rd and 68th overall, respectively

I'm going with a two-for-one here because the Fantasy Life rankings are below market on TreVeyon Henderson and above market on Rhamondre Stevenson. I agree with our rankers that the ADP gap is too wide for these players when you consider that their per-game production was nearly identical last season.

I want to buy into the monster stretch we saw from Henderson when Rhamondre missed time, and I do believe the ceiling is higher for Henderson. However, this is a team with Super Bowl aspirations, and I am pretty confident that they want to rotate their RBs. Both players have massive contingent value if the other misses time, but when both are on the field, they should each be in the range of 10-15 touches per game.

I expect fantasy managers to be frustrated by how even the workload split is in 2026, despite Henderson clearly being the more explosive of the two backs. This is one of those situations where it is easy to drive yourself crazy waiting for the coaching staff to change what they are doing. Don't put yourself in that position by paying up for Henderson when you can get similar production from Rhamondre three rounds later.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt | RB | WAS | 110th overall

There is a weird dynamic playing out right now where some people are looking back at JCM's 2025 season as a disappointment. In my opinion, that is a crazy way to view an 805 rushing yards and 8 TD season for a seventh-round rookie RB. I understand it is happening because the offseason hype train got a bit out of control last year, but his rookie campaign has to be viewed as a success. Not only were the counting stats solid, but he was efficient too, posting 4.6 YPC (tied for 19th-best) and 3.50 yards after contact per attempt (eighth-best). That is very impressive for such a late draft pick.

This offseason, the Commanders made several additions to their RB room, but none of them should be particularly troubling to Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The most notable signing was Rachaad White, who will step into the passing downs role but has been an inefficient runner throughout his career. The team also signed Jerome Ford and drafted Kaytron Allen. If JCM shows any sort of progress heading into year two, he should easily hold off the rest of that group to be the team's primary rusher. For what it is worth, it seems like that is what the team wants for him, too.

The thing that really unlocks JCM's upside is the return of Jayden Daniels. Washington's franchise QB played in just seven games last season, which held back the rest of the unit and their fantasy production. A healthy Jayden Daniels will keep the offense on the field, create more scoring opportunities, and draw the focus of defenses who are worried about the QB's rushing ability. The lead RB in a resurgent Commanders offense will be worth a lot more than an 11th-round pick, which is where he is currently going.