Hayden's Favorite Pick in Every Round of 2026 Fantasy Drafts

This episode is Hayden's round-by-round "best-case" mock draft for 2026 redraft leagues, with Josh pushing back on or reinforcing each pick. The throughline is that value has shifted hard toward wide receiver depth and away from paying up at running back and quarterback, with Hayden repeatedly betting on offensive-line quality, target-share math, and training-camp buzz over name recognition.

The arguments

Puka Nacua at the four-spot is worth skipping the elite running back tier for. Hayden argues Nacua is the clear target-dominator in a Rams offense projected for the most points in football, and that his lone missing ingredient — red-zone touchdowns — is now available with Davontae Adams aging and nearly traded. Both hosts agree the bigger payoff of taking Nacua early is that it lets a preferred running back (Kenneth Walker) fall to round two instead of reaching for one at 24-25 overall.

Kenneth Walker in the middle of round two is a top-10-overall player in disguise. Hayden's case rests on Walker's usage rate (17.5 fantasy points per game on 60%+ snaps over his last 26 games), the addition of a genuinely talented offensive line (Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith), and Andy Reid's history of feeding running backs in the screen game (Jamaal Charles, Shady McCoy comps). Josh adds that Kansas City's run offense was efficient by success rate but 32nd in yards after contact, which is exactly the trait Walker brings.

Malik Nabers in round three is a full round of free value. Hayden points to Nabers' wide receiver 6 usage from Week 4 of his rookie year onward despite catching passes from a historically bad Giants offense and shaky quarterback play, and argues Jaxson Dart is an upgrade over that stretch's competition. Josh is more cautious, noting 43% of Dart's fantasy points last year came on the ground and won't repeat, but agrees the neighbors price (last pick of round three) is a bargain.

Travis Etienne in round four beats the round-four wide receiver glut. Hayden's argument is offensive-line and pace-driven: New Orleans' line is the best of his career, Kellen Moore's offenses lead the league in neutral pace, and Alvin Kamara is fading enough that Etienne can approach fringe-RB1 numbers even in a committee. Josh flags the Saints' line cohesion problems from 2025 as the counterpoint, though he agrees the offseason additions (David Edwards) address most of the roster's weak spots.

Kyle Pitts in round six is a bet on 13-personnel offenses reviving concentrated tight end usage. Hayden's reasoning leans on Atlanta having zero depth beyond Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson, plus Pitts' own comments about preferring heavier personnel, and a lowered average depth of target suggesting he can finally win on shorter, higher-floor routes. Josh's hesitation is about attaching any receiver to a declining Tua Tagovailoa, though he concedes the "second read in the pass game" archetype (comping to Trey McBride, Harold Fannin) is legitimate.

Parker Washington in round eight is one of the most egregious ADPs on the board. Both hosts agree he was Jacksonville's actual target and yards-per-route-run leader over Brian Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers from Week 7 on, and Hayden goes as far as naming him the Jaguars' true WR1 for 2026, contradicting an earlier stance favoring Thomas. The reasoning centers on Washington's every-down role (slot and outside) and reporting that he's more likely than Thomas to get a contract extension.

Matthew Golden should be drafted ahead of Xavier Worthy, and both moved up thanks to this show. Hayden cites Green Bay releasing Romeo Doubs and trading Dontayvion Wicks as organizational confidence in Golden, plus strong camp reports and a preseason touchdown, while conceding Golden's rookie tape had chemistry issues that a second offseason should fix. Josh agrees fully, noting he'd already take Golden two to three rounds earlier than his current ADP and worries one more good preseason clip could erase the value.

What it means for your roster

• Round 1: Consider Nacua over Jahmyr Gibbs if you want a running back to fall to you in round two rather than reaching in the 24-25 range.
• Round 2: Target Kenneth Walker as a top-13 (both hosts) or even top-10 (Hayden) player; he's climbed to roughly pick 16-17 on Yahoo but is still undervalued given his usage trajectory.
• Round 3: Draft Malik Nabers as a WR2/WR3-priced WR1; he's going as the last pick of round three, effectively a full round of discount.
• Round 8: Prioritize Parker Washington over Brian Thomas Jr. in Jacksonville's passing game — both hosts have him ranked far above his 87th-overall Yahoo ADP (Josh: WR54-66 range).
• Rounds 11-12: Use the "double-dip" quarterback strategy — wait on QB and pair two of Bo Nix/Jordan Love/Jared Goff/Malik Willis rather than reaching for a top-eight name early.
• Round 12: Take Matthew Golden ahead of Xavier Worthy; grab him now before a strong preseason snap inflates his price by multiple rounds.
• Late rounds (14-16): Stash Chris Rodriguez and Travis Hunter as touchdown-dependent/role-expansion lottery tickets, and take Keaton Mitchell in the final round as a cheap, efficient handcuff/flex piece behind Omarion Hampton.