2026 Fantasy Football Draft Strategy From Pick 5: 10-Team PPR

Pick 5 might be the most comfortable slot in a 10-team draft.

I'm not waiting forever at either turn.

My picks are:

1.05 → 2.06 → 3.05 → 4.06 → 5.05

That makes it easier to react to runs without reaching 15 picks ahead of where I value someone.

1.05: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

I'm taking Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

JSN's 2025 season was ridiculous:

119 receptions

1,793 yards

10 touchdowns

The question is the coordinator change.

Klint Kubiak left Seattle.

But Seattle hired Brian Fleury with continuity in mind rather than blowing up the entire offensive system.

That's important.

I don't expect the Seahawks to look at a receiver who just put up nearly 1,800 yards and decide the solution is to completely reinvent his job.

2.06 / 3.05: Stay Flexible

My targets:

• Rashee Rice • Saquon Barkley • Derrick Henry • Chase Brown • Kenneth Walker III • Breece Hall • Brock Bowers • Nico Collins

I like taking at least one RB after JSN.

But the middle slot gives me the luxury of not having to reach.

Brock Bowers + Klint Kubiak

Bowers is especially interesting because Kubiak is now in Las Vegas.

Kubiak used multiple-TE personnel extensively in Seattle.

More importantly, the Raiders aren't pretending Bowers is just another TE.

He's one of the offense's centerpiece players.

That's the kind of early TE I'm willing to pay for.

4.06 / 5.05: Keep Accumulating Weekly Starters

Targets:

• Josh Allen if he falls and I don't have Bowers • Travis Etienne • Kyren Williams • Quinshon Judkins • Emeka Egbuka • Ladd McConkey • Jaylen Waddle

I still prefer RB/WR here unless Allen becomes a clear discount.

6.06 / 7.05: An Important RB Pocket

Targets:

RB

• D'Andre Swift • David Montgomery • Jadarian Price

WR

• Marvin Harrison Jr. • Carnell Tate • DJ Moore • DK Metcalf • Michael Pittman Jr. • Jameson Williams

QB fallers

• Lamar Jackson • Drake Maye • Jalen Hurts • Jayden Daniels

Jadarian Price

Seattle used Pick 32 on Price.

Their front office said he stood alone on the board at that point and called him a great fit.

That's important to me.

A first-round running back doesn't guarantee a workhorse role.

But it tells me Seattle made a substantial investment.

I want to buy before the workload becomes obvious rather than after.

8.06 / 9.05: TE Becomes Really Interesting

Possible targets:

• Kyle Pitts • Sam LaPorta • Parker Washington • Jaxson Dart • Trevor Lawrence • Dak Prescott • Mike Evans

Sam LaPorta + Drew Petzing

This is one of my favorite coach-history fits.

Petzing spent the last three seasons coordinating Arizona.

In 2025 Trey McBride finished with:

126 receptions

1,239 yards

11 touchdowns

Petzing clearly knows how to feature a receiving tight end.

LaPorta isn't McBride.

But they share the trait that matters for this comparison: both can be used as receiving weapons rather than only traditional in-line tight ends.

If LaPorta falls, I'm interested.

10.06 / 11.05: QB or Backfield Upside

QB

• Justin Herbert • Patrick Mahomes • Brock Purdy • Caleb Williams • Dak Prescott

RB

• Jaylen Warren • Rico Dowdle • Kenneth Gainwell • Jonathon Brooks • Chuba Hubbard • Jacory Croskey-Merritt • Rachaad White

Herbert is particularly interesting because McDaniel wants to make Herbert more efficient without taking away what makes him special.

That is exactly the kind of offensive coaching change I want to bet on.

12.06 / 13.05: Finish TE or Add Depth

Targets:

• Isaiah Likely • Dalton Kincaid • Jake Ferguson • T.J. Hockenson • Jordan Mason • Blake Corum • Makai Lemon • KC Concepcion

If TE is still empty, I'd rather solve it here than reach several rounds earlier.

Round 14: Pick 136: Swing for Something

My targets:

• Chris Rodriguez Jr. • De'Zhaun Stribling • Denzel Boston • Juwan Johnson • Keenan Allen • Keaton Mitchell • Raiders pass catchers • Dolphins pass catchers

Keaton Mitchell + Mike McDaniel

This is exactly what a Round 14 pick should look like.

Mitchell brings elite speed.

McDaniel's scheme is built around creating space and forcing defenders to run horizontally.

I don't know that Mitchell gets a major role.

That's why he's cheap.

I'm betting on how dangerous he could become if his opportunity increases.

Round 15: Kicker

My kicker board:

• Brandon Aubrey • Cameron Dicker • Harrison Mevis • Ka'imi Fairbairn • Will Reichard

I don't need to draft Aubrey at Pick 105 because he's my K1.

That's not how I approach kicker.

I'd rather use that pick on a player who can become my FLEX.

At Pick 145, I'll take whichever member of this tier is available.

What I Want From Kicker

• secure job • strong leg • offense capable of crossing midfield consistently • enough stalled drives to create field-goal attempts

Aubrey's range puts him first.

Dicker's combination of accuracy and the new Chargers offense makes him my other favorite.

Round 16: Defense

My preferred Week 1 streamers:

• Chargers vs. Cardinals • Jaguars vs. Browns • Steelers vs. Falcons • Cowboys at Giants • Seahawks vs. Patriots • Titans vs. Jets

The mistake is drafting a defense because it finished third last year.

Defensive fantasy scoring is volatile.

Matchups are much easier to attack.

I'm taking whichever of these Week 1 situations I like best and then checking the Week 2 waiver wire before I decide whether to keep them.