It’s important to remember the big picture warnings when entering a draft. Yes, I will list specific players that I want to avoid in 2026, but there are much bigger strategies to be aware of.
Today, we will get into all of it. Draft smarter, not harder.
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Fantasy Football 2026 Do Not Draft Strategies
Do not draft too many rookies
The offseason is ripe with gluttonous rookie talk. We hype up every player we love in every offense we love and it feels sexy to “what if” our way through the summer. But rookies don’t often hit in their first year, and when they do, it usually takes some time—hey, TreVeyon Henderson. If your leaguemates are often restless, they might even drop the rookies they’ve drafted onto waivers for you to scoop up by Week 4. Go get your guy, or whatever. Just be sure to get some proven veterans, too.
Do not draft multiple “red flags”
I love taking advantage of a player who is dropping in ADP just as much as the next guy, but we can’t put all of our reg flags in one basket. If you’re going to draft an aging veteran, be sure to draft some younger players at the other positions to balance out your roster. If you’re going to draft a player coming off of injury, don’t fill the rest of your roster with more guys coming off of injury. A roster filled with Cam Skattebo, Patrick Mahomes, Malik Nabers and George Kittle could fall apart before you know it.
Do not draft someone you hate
Look, I know we all want to win. But it’s not all about winning. White knuckling your way through a season with players you absolutely hate rooting for … It f*cking sucks.
It’s why I personally never drafted Deshaun Watson after his villain era commenced.
This one might be controversial, but I like to feel fully invested in my team. Either learn to love the players you draft or draft the players you love. I’ll choose the latter and draft the guys I want to root for.
Do not draft players you don’t believe in
EVERY PLAYER comes with a red flag if you look hard enough. It’s up to you to dig deep and decide how you want to view them. Do you believe in their ceiling or their floor? Do you want to judge them for their red flags or their green ones?
It doesn’t matter what the talking heads say when you’re on the clock. Who do you believe in?
Cooterdoodle’s 2026 Do No Draft List
You very well may have your own list of guys to avoid in 2026. Here are mine:
Kyler Murray: While I believe in Murray’s upside in a new offense with Justin Jefferson as his primary weapon, I’ve been burned too many times from his injuries and floor-level performances over the last few seasons. It would take prime Kyler Murray rushing upside to change my mind. And I won’t know if that guy still exists until I see him.
Khalil Shakir: It’s simple. Josh Allen spreads the ball around too much. Andddd I want to believe in a DJ Moore WR1 season, now that he’s not trying to catch balls from a QB with the third-highest uncatchable throw rate in the NFL.
Brian Thomas Jr.: I’ve talked about BTJ’s upside all offseason long, so this may feel like betrayal. The positives: BTJ’s WR4 finish in 2024 wasn’t that long ago, most of our anguish comes from his 2025 ADP that didn’t pan out, and Travis Hunter may take more reps at CB than WR this season. But when it comes down to brass tax, I’d rather take my chances on guys like Makai Lemon or Parker Washington, who are being drafted 10 picks later.
Aaron Rodgers: I don’t have to say much here. And I don’t want to be ageist. So I’ll just say that there are 29 QBs going off the board before Rodgers.
Malik Nabers: The injury history was a concern. The recent news of a second cleanup surgery in May was a concern. But now you’re telling me John Harbaugh used the term “slog” to describe Nabers’ rehab? That’s three concerns too many.
Jahmyr Gibbs: While I’d love to be contrarian here and tell you that Gibbs is on my do not draft list, I simply won’t be drafting him because I don’t have the 1.01 in any of my leagues. C’est la vie.
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