The Playbook: Planning a winning fantasy football draft strategy - ESPN

A new fantasy football season is upon us and — if you tuned out after February's Super Bowl — you have a lot of catching up to do.

The 2026 NFL offseason had a flurry of action that will bring massive changes to the upcoming fantasy season. It starts at the top, as we have 10 new head coaches and a whopping 19 new offensive playcallers. And then there are the players. Arizona selected Jeremiyah Love with the third pick of April's draft, and the rookie is immediately in the fantasy RB1 mix. Standout backs Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs) and Travis Etienne Jr. (Saints) both found a new home. A.J. Brown was traded to New England, Jaylen Waddle to Denver, DJ Moore to Buffalo and Michael Pittman Jr. to Pittsburgh. Oh, and future Hall of Famer Mike Evans? He's now on the 49ers. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

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This initial installment of The Playbook takes a thorough, position-by-position look at the fantasy landscape and offers advice and information that can help you make sound decisions on draft day. The focus will be on average-sized redraft leagues, but I didn't forget the more nuanced leagues, including dynasty, keeper, superflex and best ball, which will be covered in Part 2 of The Playbook (coming soon). In Part 3 (later this summer), I'll take a deep dive into managing your team postdraft and throughout the season.

The Playbook is a strategy piece for beginners and advanced players that shows you how I apply all that I've learned during my many years as a fantasy player and an offseason of research. I originally published a version of this series in 2021, but it is a living piece that I