ESPN Fantasy Football Draft Strategy For 2026: Is the Price Too High on Trey McBride?

Not everyone is a complete lunatic like us.

You see, we’ve been drafting fantasy football teams since April. Even before the actual NFL Draft, best ball drafts were taking place left and right. And to us true fantasy addicts, that was normal. But some (most?) people out there are just now starting to dive into fantasy football drafts.

Really?

Today we’re going to take a look at what’s going on in ESPN drafts. Because drafters on other sites are catching up, there can be some early fantasy football ADP points to take advantage of if you have mostly been drafting elsewhere.

Notable ESPN ADP Differences for 2026 Fantasy Football

For starters, we’re seeing the elite quarterbacks being pushed way up in ESPN leagues compared to Underdog. And while it’s always fun to have someone like Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson anchoring your roster, being able to pivot during a quarterback run allows you to find good value on high-end running backs and wide receivers. 

Traditional home leagues tend to see drafters focus on filling out their starting roster, rather than simply drafting good players when they become values, regardless of “positional need.” And that’s why you’ll also see middle-round tight ends that are often traps get pushed up in ESPN leagues.

My advice? Don’t worry about checking off each box of your starting roster. If you already have three receivers but there’s a tremendous value staring you right in the face, don’t forgo a fourth receiver selection for a middling running back just because it’ll complete your starting lineup. Remember, the starting lineup that you assemble in your August fantasy draft is going to look vastly different by late September, let alone the end of the season.

Let’s take a look at some early-round ADP differences between ESPN drafts and Underdog formats.

Ashton Jeanty | RB | LV

• ESPN ADP: 17.7 | Underdog ADP: 11.8

There was obviously a ton of hype surrounding Ashton Jeanty entering his rookie season. And after a somewhat disappointing first campaign, that hype is still there, especially over on Underdog where he remains a first-round fantasy selection. ESPN drafters appear to have a bit more trepidation, as Jeanty is coming off the board in the middle of Round 2. The key difference appears to be that De’Von Achane and Jeanty’s ADPs are basically the opposite from Underdog to ESPN, with the former still being drafted in Round 1.

Consider me excited about Jeanty’s Year 2 prospects.

The volume was already there as a rookie. Jeanty ranked third in snap share (78%), second in rush share (78%), sixth in route share (59%) and eighth in touches per game (18.8). That volume didn’t lead to league-alerting fantasy upside, as Jeanty finished as the RB15 in fantasy points per game despite ranking sixth in touches (321). Of course, the Raiders offense (and more importantly, the offensive line) told the story. 

Jeanty was stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage on a whopping 26.7% of his carries, the highest rate in the NFL. The Raiders averaged 3.50 adjusted line yards per attempt, tied for the worst mark in the league, while Jeanty averaged just 3.3 yards per carry on runs inside the tackles. His 27.6% success rate on such runs was also comfortably the lowest rate among qualified rushers.

More often than not, the runway for Jeanty was blocked. But entering his sophomore season, the former top-six pick should be cleared for takeoff.

This offseason, the Raiders signed center Tyler Linderbaum, who ranked fourth in PFF’s run block grade in 2025. That will drastically help the inside-run game, giving Jeanty more opportunities to hit home runs rather than constantly grounding out.

Trey McBride | TE | ARI

• ESPN ADP: 18.8 | Underdog ADP: 29.1

Over on Underdog, Brock Bowers is the first tight end off the board (19.6), with Trey McBride following him about 10 picks later. Even though McBride paced the tight end position in fantasy points, routes, targets, receptions and yards last year, a top-19 pick still feels a bit rich. 

Maybe Arizona is chasing points on a weekly basis again and McBride’s volume remains massive, but players like Drake London, Bowers, A.J. Brown and Derrick Henry are being drafted after him over on ESPN.

Tee Higgins | WR | CIN

• ESPN ADP: 56.9 | Underdog ADP: 34.2

With quarterbacks and tight ends being pushed up on ESPN, receivers like Tee Higgins are seeing their ADPs drop. Higgins is a third-round pick on Underdog, giving us a pretty large discrepancy here.

Last year, Higgins played 15 games (his most since 2022), finishing as the WR13 in PPG (14.1) thanks in part to 11 touchdowns. He’s scored double-digit touchdowns each of the past two seasons while averaging 0.93 end zone targets per game during that span. That ranks ninth in football, just behind teammate Ja’Marr Chase (0.94). 

Playing alongside Chase does cap his target ceiling, as Higgins has been held under a 20% target share three of the last four seasons. However, the Bengals throw more than enough for Chase to post overall WR1 numbers, while Higgins can still finish as a high-end WR2. Plus, there’s that elite contingency upside if Chase were to ever miss any time. In six career games with Chase sidelined since 2022, Higgins is averaging 8.3 targets, 6.0 receptions, 93 yards and 18.3 PPR PPG.

Tips for Drafting in ESPN Fantasy Football Leagues in 2026

• Know Your League: It sounds obvious, but fully understanding your league settings, scoring and opponents is helpful during draft day. The default ESPN format is 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1TE, 1FLX in full PPR scoring. And if you are playing in a 10-team league compared to 12 teams, understand that there is added value in the elite players, especially at the positions you only start one of (QB/TE).
• Draft D/ST and K with last two picks: This goes back to not feeling the need to complete your starting lineup in any particular order. There are plenty of times when drafters will just select one of the highest-ranked defenses in Rounds 10 or 11 because they feel like they drafted enough players. Don’t do this! Instead, continue to take shots on upside players until your final two picks. Then add your defense and kicker.
• Stream Your Defense: When selecting your defense with your final pick, there’s a strategy to it. You’re not just drafting anyone. Instead, find a defense that draws a very favorable Week 1 matchup that you can feel good about starting. And if they have a strong Week 2 matchup, roll with them again. If not? Drop them and add a new unit off waivers and play the matchups. Here are some strong D/ST to target for Week 1: Jacksonville Jaguars (vs CLE), Los Angeles Chargers (vs ARI Week 1, vs LV Week 2), Tennessee Titans (vs NYJ).