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Hello, everyone. Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) here, and we're inching closer to the start of the 2021 NFL regular season and even closer to your Fantasy Football draft days. We're nearing our final weekend of preseason football and it's time to put the final touches on your draft boards. Today, we'll be looking at one player from every position group who can be a league-winning draft pick. These are the types of players who ultimately give you the biggest roster edge based on value.

At the start of each week from now until the end of the Fantasy season, I'll be organizing a panel of sorts asking questions of our FFT team and they will be delivering answers. We'll hear from Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Chris Towers, Heath Cummings and Adam Aizer. If you have any burning questions you want to be answered, reach out to me on Twitter @DanSchneierNFL. If the questions are good, I'll work them into the weekly panel.

Without further ado, let's dive into this week's questions:

1. Who will be a league-winning pick at QB?

Adam: Jalen Hurts as a Round 8 or 9 pick is incredible value considering nine QBs are being drafted in the first six rounds. Hurts rushed for 60 or more yards in all three games he started (and didn't get benched) in 2020, and the addition of Devonta Smith will be a big help for him. He could easily be a top-five QB. 

Dave: Jalen Hurts, who you can get in Round 8 or later. Most home leagues will see quarterbacks get picked early, but plenty of Fantasy managers are skittish on Hurts because he was pretty inaccurate as a passer last year. But reports over the past two weeks have been very positive about his throwing, his receiving corps is improving, his offensive line is healthy and his rushing numbers should never, ever be ignored. You could very easily take Hurts in the middle rounds and pair him with a late-round quarterback as an insurance policy in case he struggles.

Jamey: Jalen Hurts. He's being selected as the No. 12 quarterback off the board based on the CBS Sports Average Draft Position, but he could be a top-five quarterback this season based on his ability to run. The improved offensive line and receiving corps should help Hurts, but he's the perfect quarterback to wait for on Draft Day.

Chris: Justin Fields. He's got elite athleticism and has rushed for 79 yards in two partial preseason games, so you've got that kind of game-breaking rushing ability we're always looking for in breakout quarterbacks -- think Jalen Hurts last season. Except Fields enters the NFL as a better passer than Hurts was, and he's got much better skill players around him. With a legitimate alpha WR to lean on in Allen Robinson, Fields could be a top-five QB this season and I wouldn't bat an eye. 

Heath: Dak Prescott is currently the No. 8 QB being drafted in CBS drafts. In 4.5 games last year he was the runaway best quarterback in Fantasy. While that pace isn't repeatable, Prescott's 17-game pace with Kellen Moore is actually better than the all-time passing yards record in a season. Moore has run a fast-paced, pass-heavy offense and Prescott has arguably the best receiving corps in the league. He could absolutely average 30 FPPG and finish as the QB1.

2. Who will be a league-winning pick at RB?

Adam: Javonte Williams may not be a league winner in the first half of your Fantasy season, but just like Jonathan Taylor, D'Andre Swift, J.K Dobbins and Cam Akers did in 2020, Williams could have a huge impact down the stretch. He'll eventually pull away from Melvin Gordon and bring you a Fantasy championship with a huge second half. 

Dave: Michael Carter, who you can get in Round 7 or later. Everyone's making a big stink over Carter not playing with the starters in the preseason game at Green Bay. No one's remembering him starting their first preseason game (with the rest of the starting offense), and no one's considering how good he's looked through two games! He remains the Jets' most explosive, elusive running back, complete with the ability to pick up yards after contact and catch the ball. He even had two nice pass protection reps against the Packers, something he was miserable at in college. It's a long season and Carter's on a team with an offense that's a little underrated. Take Carter for running back depth and be patient!

Jamey: Saquon Barkley. He's not yet back in Round 1 based on his ADP, but he's getting closer to where he likely should be selected now that he's close to full strength after last year's ACL tear. If he's 100 percent, he could be the No. 1 running back this year or a top-three option, and I'll buy that type of upside all day with a pick at the back end of Round 1 or early Round 2.

Chris: The problem with this kind of question at RB is that volume is king at RB, but we're not very good at projecting volume. So, one way to look for league-winning upside here is to look for the traits high-end running backs tend to share, and that's three-down ability. I love A.J. Dillon as a mid-round RB, but I'm not sure he'd be a true three-down RB even if something happened to Aaron Jones, so I'll pass on him and focus on someone I've started to talk myself into: Chase Edmonds. He's not that cheap, typically going in the fifth or sixth round, but if the Cardinals use James Conner as a true complementary back, rather than a Kenyan Drake replacement, Edmonds certainly has three-down skills in an offense that could be ready to explode. 

Heath: The groin injury is rightfully hurting his ADP, but if D'Andre Swift plays 17 games healthy, he has top-five upside in the Alvin Kamara/Austin Ekeler role. Last year Swift scored at a high rate despite being on a bad offense and his Fantasy points per touch put him among the best rookie seasons in recent memory. He has 100-target upside if he can just stay healthy.

3. Who will be a league-winning pick at WR?

Adam: Michael Thomas could be available to you in Round 7 or later. Remember, Fantasy Football championships aren't won in the first half of the season. Play the long game (especially if you have an IR spot) and draft Thomas and get a stud in the second half. 

Dave: Jerry Jeudy, who somehow has an ADP of 90.24 on CBS Sports. He's been incredible in limited preseason snaps, breaking away from coverage on the regular and flashing violent running after the catch in each game. And no drops! Last year was a disaster, but let your league-mates dwell on that -- he's easily the most talented receiver in Denver and has some chemistry established with Teddy Bridgewater, who will be the Broncos' starter eventually. I would take Jeudy in Round 5 if I had to, but the sweet spot to get him is Round 6 ... or Round 7 if you play with a bunch of dolts.

Jamey: Michael Thomas. He's the definition of this exercise. He typically goes in most drafts I've done recently around No. 75 overall. We don't know how long he'll be out with his ankle injury, but if he's back in Week 7 following the Saints bye in Week 6 then you could have arguably the best receiver in the NFL for the majority of the season -- and the Fantasy playoffs. 

Chris: Will Fuller. I know my colleagues aren't on the Fuller train with me, but I love the idea of getting him as my fourth or fifth wide receiver. He was just behind A.J. Brown in points per game last season despite having one game without a catch while dealing with a hamstring injury, and now he's available after the 100th pick in nearly all drafts. There is more competition for targets in Miami, and losing Deshaun Watson is obviously a downgrade, but Tua Tagovailoa looks like he might be ready to take a huge leap, and Fuller could be his No. 1 weapon. 

Heath: Ja'marr Chase is another guy whose stock has fallen in camp, but as we saw last year with Justin Jefferson, that doesn't always mean anything once the lights come one. I'm still willing to bet on the guy who delivered 1,780 yards and 20 TDs as a 19-year-old in the SEC. If Joe Burrow is right and this team is as pass-happy as last year then all three Bengals receivers will be good for Fantasy, but Chase has the most talent and the most upside.

  • Sony Michel was traded to the Rams. What does this mean for Darrell Henderson? And for Michel? Adam Aizer and the crew you covered on a Fantasy Football Today pod breaking down the trade:

4. Who will be a league-winning pick at TE?

Adam: Mark Andrews has a lot of downside simply because the Ravens don't throw much, but Andrews is so heavily targeted in the red zone and near the end zone that he should have a pretty high TD floor. He has the potential to be more involved in the passing game and be a true star and an easy pick to make in Round 5.

Dave: I've settled on Logan Thomas as my seventh-favorite tight end, who you can find after 100th overall according to our ADP. At first he was on my bust list because I wasn't sure just how many targets he would get from Ryan Fitzpatrick. And the preseason hasn't necessarily convinced the world that he'll get a ton since he has only three targets and two receptions. But both receptions were long throws and there's certainly more to come -- reports out of Washington suggest he's a consistent target from Fitzpatrick. The bearded wonder has never had a good year out of a tight end before, but he's also never had a gargantuan who could move like Thomas. I'm confident that Round 8 or 9 pick will pay off in a big way. 

Jamey: Irv Smith. Saying one of the top six tight ends is a waste of time because all of them should be good, but all of them are being drafted in the first six rounds based on ADP. I'll go with Smith, who should be a huge weapon for the Vikings this year. I've said plenty of times that I can see Smith scoring double digits in touchdowns this season, and he's a top eight tight end for me in all leagues on Draft Day.

Chris: Kyle Pitts. Like RB, it's harder to go deep at tight end, because anyone with a whiff of this kind of potential gets pushed up draft boards. I have Pitts sixth at the position, but I don't think Mark Andrews or T.J. Hockenson really shares the kind of upside Pitts has -- that exists exclusively in the realm of the Big Three. Pitts could be the No. 2 option in a high-volume passing game, and if he's truly used more like a wide receiver than a tight end, as many have speculated, a record-shattering season for a rookie TE is entirely possible. It's not the most likely outcome, but if you're looking for someone who could break into that high-end tier at tight end, Pitts is the best choice. 

Heath: Mark Andrews is the elite-tier tight end being drafted two rounds after the rest of the elite-tier tight ends. He's been a low-volume version of George Kittle and Darren Waller, but the Ravens plan on passing more and no one else is healthy, so he may not be low volume anymore. Andrews has been elite at drawing targets on a per pass basis, he's been elite at producing on a per target rate, and his touchdown rate is even better than Waller and Kittles. If he sees a 10% boost in targets and stays healthy all year, he might just be the TE1.