Each round of fantasy football has its own traps and pitfalls. Fantasy managers can struggle with knowing which player to pick. In other cases, it’s not a matter of who, but when. Sometimes fantasy managers can even be caught overthinking, and this can lead to mistakes during fantasy draft season. Knowing which players to target by round, or at least having a plan, is helpful when it comes to preparing for your fantasy draft. To build a winning roster, fantasy managers need to find safe picks by position.
Keep in mind that your own personal strategies are just that, yours. If you are targeting these players or a compelling case is made for you to switch targets, adjust your draft strategy. That way, you have a battle plan for the rest of your draft. These suggested safe targets are also based on current average draft position projections (ADP). As a bonus, this article will include one player from each position for their respective rounds over the first five rounds of the fantasy drafts, starting with the first round.
Safe Fantasy Football Targets: First Round
Quarterback – Josh Allen, BUF
Josh Allen has been one of the most consistent fantasy quarterbacks over the last three seasons. Finishing no lower than the QB2, Allen is the premier target for the first-round IF (and that’s a big if), if you are looking to grab a quarterback early or if that is part of your draft strategy. Allen provides fantasy managers with a consistently safe floor and ceiling while offering major rushing upside. Allen finished each of his last three seasons with over 500 rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns. He also gave fantasy managers over 3,600 passing yards in each of those three seasons with 25+ passing touchdowns. Allen did get a new weapon in former Chicago Bears’ wide receiver DJ Moore via trade during the offseason. Moore gives Allen a more reliable pass catcher than he had last season, once Stefon Diggs was traded. Fellow Bills’ wide receiver Keon Coleman has yet to live up to his first-round tag a couple of seasons ago, but new head coach Joe Brady has backed his player with positive outlooks. And then there’s last season’s rushing champion, James Cook. In all, Allen has a decent number of weapons to work with and has averaged nearly 22 fantasy points per game over the last three seasons. If you are planning to reach for the stars at quarterback, all roads should begin with Allen.
Running Back – Jonathan Taylor, IND
If you’re looking for a safe pick at running back, you can look no further than Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. When healthy, Taylor has been a stalwart in the Colts’ backfield and a rock for fantasy managers. Last season, Taylor finished with 20 rushing touchdowns and averaged 21.3 fantasy points per game. While Taylor finished as the RB4 for fantasy in 2025, he was .3 points away from tying with Detroit Lions’ running back Jahmyr Gibbs as the RB3. Taylor will once again head into the 2026 fantasy season as the lead back for the Colts with little competition. As one of the few “bell-cow” backs left in fantasy, Taylor still presents himself as a safe target for fantasy. Taylor ranked first among all running backs in rushing attempts with 323 last season. He also finished third in rushing yards and averaged 4.9 yards per attempt. An underrated portion of his game is his receiving, but Taylor still finished with 55 targets (ranked 9th), adding more value in PPR formats. Taylor is still one of the toughest backs to bring down at the age of 27. Taylor ranked top 3 among running backs last season in Juke Rate and Explosive Rating, while finishing top 5 in Breakaway Runs. Big plays combined with a major opportunity make Taylor one of the safest targets at the running back position for fantasy football.
Wide Receiver – Amon Ra St. Brown, DET
There are a few big-name wide receivers who will go early in fantasy drafts, like Ja’Marr Chase and Puka Nacua. However, one player who’s a high-producer to target before the end of the first round is Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. ARSB is another player who provides consistency and safety at the wide receiver position in the first round, as his role has been cemented in the Lions’ offense. St. Brown finished no lower than the WR3 over the last three seasons for fantasy football, averaging nearly 19.4 fantasy points per game. St. Brown is a receiver whose opportunity doesn’t look to shrink even with a new offensive coordinator in the fold. Former Cardinals OC Drew Petzing will lead the offense this season, and St. Brown will still be a featured player. St. Brown was second in targets last season behind Ja’Marr Chase with 172 and finished fifth in receiving yards. St. Brown was also top 10 in both Yards Per Route Run and Fantasy Points Per Route Run, making him one of the more efficient high-value receivers for fantasy football coming out of the first round. St. Brown doesn’t suffer from any major offensive personnel changes either, heading into the season with Jared Goff at quarterback.
Tight End – Brock Bowers, LVR
Similar to the quarterback position, reaching for a tight end may feel like more of a reach. But if you are going to reach, you might as well reach big. Las Vegas Raiders‘ tight end Brock Bowers is that guy at the tight end position. His ADP puts him in the middle of the second round, but for “argument’s sake”, you will have to stretch to get him. Depending on where you are drafting, you may only have one opportunity to take him based on how your league drafts. Bowers gets an upgrade at quarterback as the Raiders moved on from Geno Smith to take up Kirk Cousins. Despite finishing as the TE2 in fantasy points per game, the fantasy world still views Bowers as the top dawg to target. Bowers did see a reduction in targets last season, dropping from 153 to 86 in his second season. However, with new head coach Klint Kubiak coming over and installing his offensive scheme, Bowers should return to fantasy glory in 2026. Bowers’ reliability as a pass-catcher is among the highest in the NFL, as he finished with just two drops on the season. The Raiders did add wide receiver Jalen Nailor during the offseason, but not much else is behind him. This could allow both Nailor and Bowers to remain as the top two options in the passing game. Bowers ceiling and talent are among the highest, if not THE highest, in fantasy among the tight ends.
