With 30 best ball drafts under my belt (including a recent "experiment" where I multi-tabled five drafts at once), I now have a pretty good idea of how I like to attack drafts.

Generally speaking, my plan is to prioritize RBs early (because 2026 Zero RB strategy is tricky), aggressively target QBs so I don't get stuck with one who isn't guaranteed to start 17 games, and take advantage of all of the late-round WR value (specifically the incoming rookies).

I also know which players I'm willing to embrace risk on—guys like George Kittle and Travis Hunter, both of whom have question marks but still strike me as awesome asymmetric bets with significant upside.

But I'd be lying if I said there wasn't one portion of the draft board that completely trips me up and it's a cohort of veteran WRs going between pick 150-200. Instead, I've been prioritizing guys before them (Xavier Worthy, Jayden Reed, Josh Downs, KC Concepcion, Omar Cooper Jr., Denzel Boston) and the free rookie WRs going after them (Chris Brazell, Germie Bernard, Elijah Sarratt, etc.).

These veterans—who either aren't currently on a team or are returning from a significant injury (in the case of Tyreek Hill, both)—represent significant blind spots in my portfolio.

When I see their name on the clock, I immediately ignore it as if they don't even exist. This is both due to laziness and the deep desire to always stack and correlate my picks, which is obviously not possible with players currently not on teams.

My hope today is to figure out if I'm justified in fading these guys or if I need to reconsider my stance …

Premium

Go FantasyLife+

Your league is unique. Your advice should be too. Get personalized tools, rankings, and projections tailored to your fantasy football league settings.

Learn More

Buy or Sell The Remaining Free Agents In Best Ball Drafts?

Jauan Jennings | ADP: 148.0 | My Exposure: 0%

Current Situation: Jennings remains unsigned, which is somewhat bizarre considering he has led the Niners in TDs and receiving yards the past two years. San Francisco, however, has moved on after signing both Mike Evans and Christian Kirk. Meanwhile, the asking price from Jennings' camp is apparently too rich for any other team to pull the trigger right now.

Verdict: I'm honestly comfortable with a full fade on the 28-year-old Jennings at this price, and much prefer Hunter in this same range. With Jennings, it feels like you need to hit a multi-leg parlay that he signs somewhere decent (John suggests the Titans here), and he returns to form after his production dipped from 975 yards in 2024 to 643 in 2025

Stefon Diggs | ADP: 154.5 | My Exposure: 3.3%

Current Situation: Diggs had a better year than Jennings, leading the Patriots' WRs in fantasy points (11.5 ppr/game) and clearing over 1,000 receiving yards. But New England released him to the open market and signed Romeo Doubs in free agency. Diggs still doesn't have a team and is facing a felony strangulation charge with a pretrial hearing pending. 

Verdict: This is a spot I think I want to course-correct on. I think I'm being lazy here and just fading because he's old (33) and doesn't have a QB yet with whom you can stack him in drafts. But as Danny notes here, he hauled in 85% of his targets last year and notched 10.13 yards per target (10th in the league). In the right spot, he can absolutely beat this ADP. I will try to add a few more shares over the next week.

Brandon Aiyuk | ADP: 157.1 | My Exposure: 6.7%

Current Situation: It's hard to think of a current NFL player with more messy baggage than Aiyuk. Maybe A.J. Brown, but at least AJB steps foot on the field. Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL in October 2024, missed the entire 2025 season, went AWOL from team activities, had $27 million in guaranteed money voided by the 49ers, and was placed on the reserve/left team list in December. Other than that, everything is fine. Still, it seems hard to believe that another team wouldn't kick the tires on a 27-year-old who has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, but at this point, it's a genuine question mark.

Verdict: Everyone assumes Aiyuk will eventually end up with his college pal Jayden Daniels in Washington, but I'm skeptical. At 6.7%, I might be underweight, but I feel like that's an appropriate position. FWIW, Jake and Chris are skeptical of him in dynasty as well.

Deebo Samuel | ADP: 166.7 | My Exposure: 0%

Current Situation: Deebo's 2025 season in Washington was decent (72 catches, 727 yards, five TDs; led the team with a 25% target share), but ultimately a disappointment. At 30 years old, it appeared like he had lost the yards-after-catch juice that made him such an exciting fantasy asset earlier in his career.

Verdict: There's hope/rumors that he returns to San Francisco or teams up with Josh Allen in Buffalo (John thinks the Chargers would be a nice fit), but I'm not even sure those landing spots would resuscitate his fantasy value. The Swiss army knife days are over. I'm at peace with a full fade.

Tyreek Hill | ADP: 180.9 | My Exposure: 6.7%

Current Situation: Ok, maybe Tyreek can also challenge Aiyuk for most baggage. The Dolphins released Hill after a nasty, season-ending knee injury. To be fair, though, he was on pace for 1,100 receiving yards in the four games he played. Now, he's a 32-year-old free agent who is also dealing with a separate set of off-field concerns that have muddied his prospects.

Verdict: Unlike Jennings/Aiyuk, this feels like a more cut-and-dry situation. If Reek gets healthy, he's clearly a smash at this price … but that is a big if. Similar to Kittle, I don't like the idea of fading these guys who are true physical freaks—especially if he reunites with Patrick Mahomes. I think my 6.7% exposure blanket feels comfy right now, but I wouldn't mind a couple more shares. The potential for a zero is high here, but that can be said for any player going after pick 180.

***

Looks like I'm 50/50 on my blind spots with some sharp instincts and some laziness. I'm comfortable with the fades on Jennings and Aiyuk, but want to boost my exposure to Diggs and Tyreek.

Join Our Newsletter

Trusted by 400,000+ fantasy football players. Get access to Fantasy Life's free award winning newsletter and tools, all in one step.

Email Address

Subscribe

By registering or logging in, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.