Betting News Fantasy Football Draft Recap: CMC The Key?

Happy football season! Betting News held its 2026 fantasy football draft live on the network Thursday evening, with 20 participants split into 10 teams and two partners running each roster.

There were twists, turns, and a few selections that had the room talking. Some guys love their teams. Others are already workshopping excuses. As we inch closer to the season, though, the more useful exercise is to apply context — why these fantasy football experts drafted the way they did, and what we can take away from it.

Here is the recap, along with insight, tips, and a few theories on the picks that shaped the night.

Before your own draft, check out our late-round fantasy football running back values and the NFL odds on the top industry sportsbooks.

2026 Betting News Fantasy Football Draft Results

You don't have to look very long at this board to see things get shaken up.

Ronan Heykoop and Gretzky Betzky pulled the trigger on Jaxon Smith-Njigba second overall. That throws a wrench into the consensus, which generally gives you Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson first and second overall. In a 10-team league, that is a bold, unique way to start, and I respect the guy for going and getting his player instead of taking the safe route.

What I really loved was what came next: Ashton Jeanty on the way back at 2.9, right around the 2-3 turn.

We all know about the prayer circle heard around the world. Jeanty rolled up his ankle in a late August practice, and for a moment it looked much worse than it turned out to be. He avoided injured reserve, made the initial 53, and Raiders coach Klint Kubiak has since indicated he should be available for the Sept. 13 opener against the Dolphins.

If Jeanty is truly healthy and misses no more than a game, that pick could be an absolute smash. The Raiders have poured money and resources into that offensive line, which should be improved with Tyler Linderbaum installed at center, and pairing a healthy Jeanty with Smith-Njigba is a legitimate one-two punch.

That said, this is where personal preference enters the conversation.

Early Draft Slot Strategy for Fantasy Football

I love taking a running back in the top three slots in the first round, because when you get back to the 2-3 turn — especially in points-per-reception formats — you can hammer a couple of really good wide receivers and never look back.

That is exactly what Sukh and Trizzy did by taking Bijan Robinson third overall as their anchor running back, then coming back with A.J. Brown and Malik Nabers in Rounds 2 and 3. Anchor the backfield with an every-week workhorse, then let the receiver board come to you in a PPR format. I thought that was a really strong start to a draft.

Injury news like Jeanty's is exactly why we track this stuff daily. Keep up with our NFL picks and odds as we get closer to the 2026 NFL season.

The Christian McCaffrey Question

Another big talking point was Christian McCaffrey falling to Adam Kaufman and PJ Glasser at 1.7.

McCaffrey is truly the make-or-break player in fantasy football year after year. If he stays healthy, he could be the No. 1 overall scorer by a considerable margin, especially in PPR formats. He is also the definition of a polarizing pick in the middle-to-late portion of the first round, because the range of outcomes is enormous.

What made the build interesting is what followed. Kaufman and Glasser came back with a high-floor-ceiling CeeDee Lamb at 2.4, then added the de facto No. 1 quarterback in Josh Allen at 3.7.

Now we will see if the running backs behind McCaffrey can come through. Jeremiyah Love is already dinged up, dealing with a high ankle sprain suffered in his preseason debut that has kept him sidelined with no firm timeline from Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur. Quinshon Judkins should lead Cleveland in carries, but he is doing it in an offense that projects to struggle badly.

Still, I really like the thought process here. This team legitimately could have three players who finish as the No. 1 option at their respective positions if the cards break their way, and nobody would be too shocked.

Glasser is comfortable with the risk. "We feel like we got some really good value," he said. "We like our RB depth a lot. If CMC stays healthy, then our team will be a problem."

He is not wrong about the ceiling. A healthy McCaffrey alongside Lamb and Allen is a weekly headache for the rest of this league, and if Love's ankle cooperates, the argument holds up too.

Going Against The Grain At Running Back

It is always interesting to see what people decide to do later in the first round, and this year that seems to be a more challenging place to pick than in previous years. But a couple of teams made their intentions clear from the opening bell.

Picking out of the 12-hole, Chef T and Intern Jackson "Beast" McNeese took three straight running backs in a 10-team PPR format: De'Von Achane, Chase Brown, and Kyren Williams.

You cannot really hate the first two. But after that, Kyren Williams is the interesting one. Will he lose work to Blake Corum? Reporting out of Los Angeles suggests a timeshare is coming after Corum's usage grew late last season, so that is a fair question. They then took an elite quarterback in Lamar Jackson in Round 4.

But then, they had to play serious catch-up at wide receiver. DJ Moore and Luther Burden III are a fine start, with Courtland Sutton as the third wheel. But in a 10-team PPR, that group leaves much to be desired.

Still, I commend them for going against the grain. They were the only team in the league to open with three straight running backs, and I always applaud uniqueness. If they believe there is a path to taking this thing down, I cannot knock them too much. But that start isn't for me.

More Running Backs: Saquon Barkley and Jonathan Taylor

It wasn't just the 12-hole hammering running backs to kick things off.

Franco the Banker and Tones Takes took Jonathan Taylor and Saquon Barkley off the rip out of the 11-hole, but I think they made a good call grabbing Ladd McConkey in the third round. Taylor has been an absolute workhorse the last couple of seasons, and Barkley is looking to bounce back with new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, a system Barkley has already described as refreshing after a dip in production last year.

They followed with DeVonta Smith and Emeka Egbuka. I really like that balanced approach to open a draft, and I wouldn't be surprised if McConkey or Smith finished as a top-12 fantasy WR.

They also pushed quarterback down quite a bit, which is a defensible plan in a 10-team league. What I am less sure about is taking a defense in the ninth round. My amateur-hours flag is going off there. But the first five rounds of that draft were among my favorites in the room.

Two Teams Doubled Up At Tight End

Now let's talk about some bold decision-making.

Two teams in the heart of the draft took two tight ends inside the first six rounds. This is not tight end premium scoring, mind you. There are a couple of flex spots to fill here, but that is still a real commitment of premium capital to a position most people would rather solve once.

Picking out of the 5-hole, the team of Chris Adams and Nate Hornung selected Brock Bowers and Sam LaPorta in the third and sixth rounds, respectively.

Bowers is widely regarded as a top-two-round pick, and some people have been taking him as late-first-round talent. Getting him in the third round is pretty incredible value.

I love the start here. Puka Nacua, then Kenneth Walker, who is aiming to be the alleged workhorse in Kansas City if he can stay healthy, and then Bowers, who now gets to work with Klint Kubiak. That is very encouraging. Kubiak is the same coach who helped unlock Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Seattle last season.

What I do not love is having TreVeyon Henderson and Rico Dowdle as my next two running back options in a 10-team draft. Henderson has not been at Patriots practice in some time, including Thursday, and Rhamondre Stevenson has been getting the bulk of the camp work. But if Bowers truly has that ceiling year, he can help carry this duo alongside Nacua and Walker toward the top of the standings.

The 6-Hole Went Unorthodox

Alex Bohling and Danny Burke made a similar decision out of the 6-hole, taking Trey McBride in the third round and Colston Loveland in the fifth after opening with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Omarion Hampton, and Rashee Rice.

In the wise words of Larry David: "Pretty, pretty, pretty good."

Jadarian Price is the pick that will make or break this team. Taken in the sixth round as the RB2 here, the rookie is expected to be Seattle's featured back, but we will see how much he gets involved early and whether he can take control of the job.

There is already some coach speak floating around about George Holani getting a heavy dose of work, with reports suggesting Holani could handle third downs, short yardage, and goal-line duty. I am not sure I am buying all of that, but you have to wonder what this backfield looks like in the second half of the season.

Regardless, if Rice stays healthy and available, this is an interesting team despite being quite unorthodox, especially with Jalen Hurts able to tush-push a few in and steal points that way. I also love the pick of Blake Corum very late. Still, I cannot help but think the running back room feels a tad light in this one.

There are so many teams here that are intriguing for different reasons.

Pushing Quarterback Down The Board

Another bold call came from that same 5-hole duo with Bowers. They pushed quarterback down really far, and I am a huge proponent of that in general this year.

Matthew Stafford and Baker Mayfield give them two arms that can pour up points, and they can stream the better matchups week to week. That is personal preference, but it is a defensible way to build in a 10-team league.

If you are new to attacking the quarterback position from a betting angle as well, our NFL betting guide for beginners is a good place to start.

Defenses And Kickers Went Early – Not My Style

We saw a defense go as early as the ninth round, and a kicker go in the ninth round as well. Team Franco the Banker took the Rams defense, and Team GretzkyBetzky took Brandon Aubrey. That goes against my personal rule of thumb of the past two-plus decades: defense and kickers in the last two rounds, no matter what.

I do not mind those drafts overall. But let's put it into perspective. While those picks were being made, Team Sukh took Drake freaking Maye, who fell all the way to the ninth round. As much as I like pushing quarterback down, Maye in the ninth may have been the absolute steal of the draft.

So while kickers and defenses were coming off the board, other teams were filling up with ceiling, upside, and depth in that same range — guys like Rico Dowdle, Dalton Kincaid, and Michael Wilson. For me, I am filling out my roster before I even think about defense and kicker, if I take one at all.

My Team Out Of The 8-Hole

Speaking of which, yours truly teamed up with Mr. V Sauce out of the 8-hole, and we did not even take a kicker.

We will grab one off the wire before Week 1. In my opinion, there is more value in hoarding some of these elite handcuffs, such as Mike Washington in Las Vegas and Kaelon Black in San Francisco, for at least another week just to see what happens.

Honestly, I like the teamwork we had. We went with a balanced build early, established a foundation of running backs and wide receivers, and were still able to pick up Dak Prescott, who is heavily favored on plenty of sportsbooks to finish among the league leaders in passing yards and touchdowns. That is a really nice foundation with a quarterback who could finish top five.

Speaking of late-round picks, Rhamondre Stevenson is a polarizing player typically drafted much earlier, and Henderson has not practiced in quite some time. He was missing in action again on Thursday.

Then we did a Vsauce special and took MarShawn Lloyd in the 11th. This is a true boom-or-bust player in the wake of the Josh Jacobs knee news. Taking a guy with possible league-winning upside in Round 11 is totally worth the risk, especially when you already have three solidified running backs ahead of him if it does not work out.

All things considered, I really like the draft Vsauce and I had.

SPJ Builds A Foundation

We have to take a look at commissioner SPJ, the director of content here at Betting News, who teamed up with Betalytics out of the 4-hole. I know SPJ did not get his pipe dream of Bijan Robinson falling to No. 4, but I really love the first three picks in this draft.

Ja'Marr Chase is a PPR monster, and hopefully he is fully healthy after a brief knee scare in late August that turned out to be nothing serious. Derrick Henry does not catch passes, which matters in PPR, but you cannot ask for much better of a floor-ceiling combination at running back. And George Pickens is in an elite offense, with plenty of summer clamoring that he could finish ahead of CeeDee Lamb this season.

I like that they built a nice foundation with studs up top, added depth at the position, and were still able to wrangle Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence, two quarterbacks I have high aspirations for. Getting a late sleeper in Ja'Kobi Lane in Baltimore is a cool addition too.

The Best Value Of The Draft Came Out Of The 1-Hole

That segues nicely into the late picks, because this is where it gets really interesting.

Team Pham and Betting The Pitch, out of the 1-hole, may have had the best value in the draft with Brock Purdy in Round 13. Pound for pound, that is the one. Purdy is not just a great insurance policy for Joe Burrow. You could start Brock Purdy some weeks.

They also paired Purdy with preseason darling De'Zhaun Stribling in the 11th round, and his hype train has officially left the station.

The bigger story is three really good running backs. Jahmyr Gibbs, Javonte Williams — who is so boringly and amazingly reliable with that floor-ceiling combination in Dallas — and Travis Etienne Jr., who steps into a New Orleans backfield that will be without Alvin Kamara for at least a month after his MCL sprain. With that nucleus, it is very hard to totally screw up the first two or three picks of this draft.

And although they went running back heavy early, which I typically do not do in PPR formats, they still landed Nico Collins, whose projections got bumped by plenty of industry experts after Jayden Higgins tore his ACL and was ruled out for the season.

They added Jaylen Waddle in Denver in the fifth round, a high-upside guy who will not have Tyreek Hill next to him for the first time in a long time. We have seen Sean Payton develop receivers in a big way across the last decade or so. Christian Watson is another polarizing name with a real injury history, but he should have much more opportunity in Green Bay without Romeo Doubs in the picture.

Waddle and Watson might be the biggest keys to that team's success. We will see what happens, of course.

Post-Draft Fantasy Football Power Rankings

Now for my personal power rankings, fresh after watching this thing play out. As I said earlier, it is really hard to screw up the first couple of picks in a draft, and that shows up here.

• 1. Pham and BTP

My favorite draft in the room. The running back nucleus of Jahmyr Gibbs, Javonte Williams, and Travis Etienne Jr. is as sturdy as it gets, and then they layered on Nico Collins, Jaylen Waddle, and eventually Brock Purdy in the 13th. Value at the top, value at the bottom.

• 2. Sukh and Trizzy

Bijan Robinson as the anchor, then A.J. Brown and Malik Nabers in Rounds 2 and 3. Add Drake Maye falling to the ninth round, and this is a roster with almost no obvious hole.

• 3. V Sauce and Luuch

I can't rank us first, right? But I will rank us admirably in the 3-hole and dock ourselves a few points strictly because we took a Green Bay Packer in the top half of our draft with Tucker Kraft. Fair is fair.

The Best of The Rest

• 4. SPJ and Betalytics

I appreciate the pretty solid foundation here. You cannot get much of a higher floor-ceiling combination than their first three picks, and they backed it up with good depth. Tony Pollard is a real piece, while Jameson Williams and Parker Washington have both generated a ton of camp buzz. I also think they got a steal with Trevor Lawrence in the 12th round, considering how he came on in the second half of last season.

• 5. Kaufman and Glasser

I do not love taking a quarterback in the third round. That said, if you are able to pair Josh Allen with a possibly healthy Christian McCaffrey, the range of outcomes here is significantly wide. Garrett Wilson was a steal, even if the receiver room looks a little light overall. They also have some high-upside swings, with Jonathon Brooks handcuffed to Chuba Hubbard and George Kittle going super late — a player I had been eyeing the entire draft.

It is not hard to understand the thesis: a healthy McCaffrey can win any league, and pairing that player with Allen means this team will contend.

All in all, everything is really evenly matched. We are splitting hairs until some things shake out over the first couple of weeks. I think it is anyone's game, and we are in for an exciting season.

• 6. Franco and Tone

Going RB-RB at the beginning isn't my favorite, but you gotta do what you gotta do in the back of the draft. This is as good of an RB-RB start as you're probably going to get. They invested in three straight receivers with serious upside after acquiring two early workhorses.

Welcome to The 2026 NFL Season

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It's time to party.

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