Mike Clay’s 2026 Fantasy Football Board: Achane’s 5.62 YPC and Love’s ADP Value

Senior writer Mike Clay outlines his 2026 fantasy football blueprint, highlighting De'Von Achane's 5.62 career YPC and Jeremiyah Love's top-12 rookie potential.

Fantasy football senior writer Mike Clay has released his round-by-round blueprint for the 2026 season, prioritizing players like De'Von Achane, who leads all qualified backs with 5.62 yards per carry (YPC) since entering the league. Achane, age 24, has recorded either 11 or 12 touchdowns in each of his three NFL campaigns and finished both of the past two seasons as a top-five fantasy running back. Clay’s strategy for a 12-team league championship involves targeting high-upside performers such as Jeremiyah Love, a rookie who was the No. 3 overall pick in April’s draft. Love is currently recovering from an ankle injury sustained in his preseason debut but is expected to miss only one game at most, with a possibility of being active for Week 1.

Early Round Values and Roster Core

The opening round of 2026 fantasy football drafts features a split of six running backs and six wide receivers. Clay identifies Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson as the primary targets for those with a top-two selection. Middle-round options in the first include Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Taylor, while the wide receiver pool consists of Ja'Marr Chase, Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Amon-Ra St. Brown, CeeDee Lamb, and Justin Jefferson. In the second round, coach Jeff Hafley has indicated a massive workload for Achane, despite the departure of playcaller Mike McDaniel. Other options at the Round 1-2 turn include Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Kenneth Walker III. For those drafting in the latter half of the second round, Drake London, Nico Collins, A.J. Brown, and George Pickens are the preferred wideouts, while Trey McBride and Brock Bowers represent the top tight end selections.

Mid-Round Targets and Breakout Candidates

Jeremiyah Love aims to become the 10th consecutive running back selected in the top 12 to finish as a top-12 fantasy performer during his rookie year. If Love is unavailable in the third round, Malik Nabers and Rashee Rice serve as primary alternatives. Nabers is recovering from a torn ACL suffered last season but is expected to play in Week 1. Rice remains a target after handling 9.8 targets per game last year and securing top-12 weekly finishes in five of his eight active games. Breece Hall and Josh Jacobs remain in the RB6 through RB15 tier for this range. In the fourth round, Garrett Wilson offers value after a 2025 season where he missed 10 games but maintained a 33% target share and 14.2 fantasy points per game (PPG). Wilson will now catch passes from Geno Smith, who previously led Metcalf, Lockett, and Smith-Njigba to top-16 finishes between 2022 and 2024.

Tight End Strategy and Quarterback Sleepers

Tyler Warren emerges as a key value at tight end in the fifth round. During his rookie season, Warren averaged 13.1 PPG and scored five touchdowns in 12 games with a healthy Daniel Jones, compared to 6.3 PPG and zero scores in five games without him. Warren ranked in the top five among tight ends for both total targets and end zone targets while also recording three goal-line carries. Rome Odunze is the sixth-round target, having shown WR1 potential with five touchdowns in his first four games last season. Jaxson Dart is the highlighted quarterback in the ninth round; as a rookie, he secured eight top-10 weekly finishes in 12 games. Dart now plays under coach John Harbaugh and benefits from the return of Malik Nabers, to whom he threw only three passes last year.

Late Round Fliers and Depth Building

Courtland Sutton enters the 2026 season having produced 1,000-plus yards and top-20 fantasy finishes in consecutive years. Sutton ranks third in the NFL in end zone targets over the last four seasons and will work with quarterback Bo Nix. Nix himself has finished exactly seventh in fantasy points in both of his NFL seasons and now has Jaylen Waddle as a teammate. Michael Pittman Jr. is another veteran target, having reached 800 receiving yards in five straight seasons and finishing four of six years in Indianapolis as a top-20 receiver. In the later rounds, Matthew Golden is a Year 2 breakout candidate following the departures of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. Rookie De'Zhaun Stribling, the No. 33 overall pick who ran a 4.36 40-yard dash, will compete for targets in a San Francisco offense that has ranked in the top six for passing yards for three consecutive years.