By admin 
Everyone is drafting their perfect fantasy football team. There are many ways to forecast how that draft will go. I can explore average draft position, rankings, and projections. However, they all vary in what they say. I like to focus on the sharpest forms of analysis. With that in mind, I will project the sharpest first round of a non-PPR fantasy football draft using the highest-stakes reference.
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FantasyLife.com has an ADP tool to sort as needed. Underdog Fantasy, FFPC, and NFFC are the most brilliant platforms for the most serious fantasy players. That is what I use today.
1.1 – Jahmyr Gibbs
Most players have Gibbs as their 1.1. He is in a better upside situation than Bijan Robinson, adding a run-heavy offensive coordinator who will get Gibbs in space often and effectively. It is apples and oranges to Gibbs and Robinson.
1.2 – Bijan Robinson
In a non-PPR format, the running backs trump the wide receivers. Robinson is the guy, well ahead of Christian McCaffrey and James Cook.
1.3 – Christian McCaffrey
It can be anyone at 3rd overall. McCaffrey, Chase, and Puka Nacua are all worthy. My own projections have McCaffrey as the best player, as he should, as he plays in all 17 games.
1.4 – Ja’Marr Chase
Popular opinion favors Chase over Nacua, so that is to be expected to happen more often in this 12-team Non-PPR draft. They are ahead of Smith-Njigba based on touchdown upside above all. They are above St. Brown based on volume.
1.5 – Puka Nacua
If suspension weren’t in his range of outcomes, he may be drafted ahead of Chase. Nacua is my No. 1 wide receiver in standard and PPR formats.
1.6 – James Cook
Cook’s ceiling is higher than the other names left on the board. The Bills are argued to be the best offense in the NFL, with the Rams. Run-heavy in nature, Cook could score 15+ touchdowns with ease.
1.7 – Jaxon Smith-Njigba
In the sharpest ADP’s, Smith-Njigba is being favored. I have him right on par with Amon-Ra St. Brown. There is near-zero risk in picking this.
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1.8 – Jonathan Taylor
The people love volume in non-PPR formats. Taylor has a higher season-long score projection than anyone left on the board outside of our high outlook on Derrick Henry, which does not align with ADP’s.
1.9 – Amon-Ra St. Brown
St. Brown must be next off the board among wide receivers. He is quite possibly the No. 1 red zone target in football. He lacks the big-play upside that Nacua and Chase have because he is a non-slot receiver.
1.10 – Ashton Jeanty
High-stakes leagues are favoring Jeanty over consensus. They are also favoring him well above my own projection. I have to side with what might happen versus what I think should happen.
1.11 – Chase Brown
The Bengals could be the best offense in football. That is not to say that they will become that, but the team can be that. If it happens, Brown could finish as a top-5 running back. His ADP across the sharpest formats is 14th, but there will always be an unexpected selection.
1.12 – CeeDee Lamb
Let’s remind ourselves that Lamb has been fantasy football’s WR1. He did so under Brian Schottenheimer. He will be gone in this range in standard leagues.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as The Sharpest First Round Projection of a Standard-Scoring Fantasy Football Draft.
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This story was originally published August 19, 2026 at 12:10 PM.