Your championship starts with the first five rounds, and Jake Ciely is revealing the players he'd prioritize to kick off your 2026 fantasy football draft.

Chris Welsh and Jake break down the best draft strategy for the early rounds, including why Jackson Smith-Njigba belongs in the elite WR conversation, Chase Brown's RB1 upside, Kyren Williams' safe floor, Colston Loveland's massive breakout potential, and why Drake Maye is one of the biggest quarterback values in fantasy football.

Whether you're drafting from the early, middle, or late part of Round 1, this episode will help you avoid costly mistakes and build a championship-caliber roster.

Timestamps: (May be off due to ads)

Intro - 0:00:00

Jaxon Smith-Njigba - 0:02:10

Chase Brown - 0:06:45

Kyren Williams - 0:11:12

Colston Loveland - 015:08

Drake Maye & Jayden Daniels - 0:18:58

FantasyPros Cheat Sheet Creator - 0:24:15

Helpful Links:

Hard Rock Bet - Sign up for Hard Rock Bet and make a $5 bet and you'll get $150 in bonus bets if you win. Head over to Hard Rock Bet, sign up and make your first deposit today. Payable in bonus bet(s). Not a cash offer. Offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in FL. Offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital, LLC, in all other states. Must be 21+ and physically present in AZ, CO, FL, IL, IN, NJ, OH, TN or VA to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling? In FL, call 1-888-ADMIT-IT. In IN, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-9-WITH-IT. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER (AZ, CO, IL, NJ, OH, TN, VA)

Draft Wizard - Dominate your fantasy football draft with Draft Wizard. Run fast mock drafts, test different strategies, build custom cheat sheets, get pick-by-pick draft advice, and learn your leaguemates' tendencies before draft day. Just download the FantasyPros App or head to fantasypros.com/draftwizard

Follow us on Twitch - The team here at FantasyPros is taking questions all week, every week on Twitch. Follow us on Twitch at twitch.tv/fantasypros and never miss a stream!

Discord – Join our FantasyPros Discord Community! Chat with other fans and get access to exclusive AMAs that wind up on our podcast feed. Come get your questions answered and BE ON THE SHOW at fantasypros.com/chat

Leave a Review – If you enjoy our show and find our insight to be valuable, we’d love to hear from you! Your reviews fuel our passion and help us tailor content specifically for YOU. Head to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts and leave an honest review. Let’s make this show the ultimate destination for fantasy football enthusiasts like us. Thank you for watching and for showing your support – https://fantasypros.com/review/

BettingPros Podcast – For advice on the best picks and props across both the NFL and college football each and every week, check out the BettingPros Podcast at bettingpros.com/podcast, our BettingPros YouTube channel at youtube.com/bettingpros, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Your championship starts with the first five rounds, and Jake Ciely is revealing the players he'd prioritize to kick off your 2026 fantasy football draft.
Chris Welsh and Jake break down the best draft strategy for the early rounds, including why Jackson Smith-Njigba belongs in the elite WR conversation, Chase Brown's RB1 upside, Kyren Williams' safe floor, Colston Loveland's massive breakout potential, and why Drake Maye is one of the biggest quarterback values in fantasy football.
Whether you're drafting from the early, middle, or late part of Round 1, this episode will help you avoid costly mistakes and build a championship-caliber roster.
Timestamps: (May be off due to ads)
Intro - 0:00:00
Jaxon Smith-Njigba - 0:02:10
Chase Brown - 0:06:45
Kyren Williams - 0:11:12
Colston Loveland - 015:08
Drake Maye &amp; Jayden Daniels - 0:18:58
FantasyPros Cheat Sheet Creator - 0:24:15
Helpful Links:
<a href="https://www.hardrock.bet/">Hard Rock Bet</a> - Sign up for Hard Rock Bet and make a $5 bet and you'll get $150 in bonus bets if you win. Head over to Hard Rock Bet, sign up and make your first deposit today. Payable in bonus bet(s). Not a cash offer. Offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in FL. Offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital, LLC, in all other states. Must be 21+ and physically present in AZ, CO, FL, IL, IN, NJ, OH, TN or VA to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling? In FL, call <a href="tel:1-888-ADMIT-IT">1-888-ADMIT-IT</a>. In IN, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-9-WITH-IT. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL <a href="tel:1-800-GAMBLER">1-800-GAMBLER</a> (AZ, CO, IL, NJ, OH, TN, VA)
<a href="https://www.fantasypros.com/draftwizard">Draft Wizard</a> - Dominate your fantasy football draft with Draft Wizard. Run fast mock drafts, test different strategies, build custom cheat sheets, get pick-by-pick draft advice, and learn your leaguemates' tendencies before draft day. Just download the FantasyPros App or head to <a href="https://www.fantasypros.com/draftwizard">fantasypros.com/draftwizard</a>
<a href="https://www.twitch.tv/fantasypros">Follow us on Twitch</a> - The team here at FantasyPros is taking questions all week, every week on Twitch. Follow us on Twitch at <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/fantasypros">twitch.tv/fantasypros</a> and never miss a stream!
<a href="http://fantasypros.com/chat">Discord</a> &ndash; Join our FantasyPros Discord Community! Chat with other fans and get access to exclusive AMAs that wind up on our podcast feed. Come get your questions answered and BE ON THE SHOW at <a href="http://fantasypros.com/chat" data-stringify-link="http://fantasypros.com/chat" data-sk="tooltip_parent">fantasypros.com/chat</a>
<a href="https://fantasypros.com/review/">Leave a Review</a>&nbsp;&ndash; If you enjoy our show and find our insight to be valuable, we&rsquo;d love to hear from you! Your reviews fuel our passion and help us tailor content specifically for YOU. Head to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts and leave an honest review. Let&rsquo;s make this show the ultimate destination for fantasy football enthusiasts like us. Thank you for watching and for showing your support &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&amp;redir_token=QUFFLUhqbHBfckhnRFdIX2FzWkNDdFNGX0s1a29jMGU5UXxBQ3Jtc0ttU2FXdFFtRXBnUTA4YURKNjNYY21zZ0toWk5BelkxVEZ3RWdWS3IxOEl5Qjl6UHVNa1lvTkZtYUNUdzZxNHNRd21HX0dkSzNHXzl6WWRibDVJQW1yMFZqcFBpeUNWblZfN2gzN0tsMDFET0NYcEp3WQ&amp;q=https%3A%2F%2Ffantasypros.com%2Freview%2F&amp;v=BAl3QLjILB0">https://fantasypros.com/review/</a>
<a href="https://bettingpros.com/podcast?distinct_id=user_ca068c52-c0d9-4057-8346-79eabfcfa21d">BettingPros Podcast</a>&nbsp;&ndash; For advice on the best picks and props across both the NFL and college football each and every week, check out the BettingPros Podcast at&nbsp;<a href="https://bettingpros.com/podcast?distinct_id=user_ca068c52-c0d9-4057-8346-79eabfcfa21d">bettingpros.com/podcast</a>, our BettingPros YouTube channel at&nbsp;<a href="https://youtube.com/bettingpros">youtube.com/bettingpros</a>, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

FantasyPros provides hard-hitting fantasy football analysis while keeping you entertained. Get the tips needed to win your league from a trusted network of 100+ experts. Find out who to draft, pick up and start while receiving analysis of the latest news from around the league.

FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast

Your championship starts with the first five rounds, and Jake Ciely is revealing the players he'd prioritize to kick off your 2026 fantasy football draft.  Chris Welsh and Jake break down the best draft strategy for the early rounds, including why Jackson Smith-Njigba belongs in the elite WR conversation, Chase Brown's RB1 upside, Kyren Williams' safe floor, Colston Loveland's massive breakout potential, and why Drake Maye is one of the biggest quarterback values in fantasy football.  Whether you're drafting from the early, middle, or late part of Round 1, this episode will help you avoid costly mistakes and build a championship-caliber roster.

Jake Ciely's 5 Early-Round Fantasy Football Draft Picks to Target (Ep. 2086)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/50cc4ff4-6928-4bcf-a596-b481014db2db/transcript