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Fantasy football cheat sheets are timeless. Nothing better than the fresh, warm smell of printer ink ahead of a fantasy football draft. And it doesn’t get much better than some in-person NFL trash talk among a group of your buddies. But let’s get down to business, shall we? You can skip to the bottom of the article if you wanna dive headfirst into the cheat sheets with auction values for PPR, Half-PPR, Standard/Non-PPR, Superflex and IDP league formats. Every summer, fantasy football rosters get built on a mix of proven volume and unproven opportunity, and 2026 follows that pattern with a few twists. Running backs are getting drafted earlier than they were a year ago, wide receiver is deeper than usual, and the quarterback pool runs far enough that managers in single-quarterback leagues can wait. Tight end offers a rare split between a true top tier and a long stretch of usable depth. Superflex and IDP formats each carry their own separate math. The positional breakdowns below explain the general strategy at each spot, along with the specific spots where the rankings behind this cheat sheet break from the expert consensus. Quarterback Quarterback runs deep enough in 2026 that managers in single-quarterback leagues can wait several rounds and still land a proven starter. Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts form a clear top tier, with five more passers who shouldn’t last past Round 2. The rankings here match the field almost everywhere in that top group, but Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford and Daniel Jones all sit several spots higher than the field has them, betting on efficient offenses over name recognition. Bo Nix and Drake Maye sit lower, since rushing equity alone does not make up the full gap against pure pocket passers with better weapons. MORE: 6 NFL quarterbacks under the most pressure in 2026 Running Back Running back values have jumped compared to a year ago, with the top 12 backs likely gone by the end of Round 2 in most drafts. Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Christian McCaffrey anchor the position, with workload and receiving usage mattering more than name value once the top names are off the board. The clearest disagreement with the field comes late. Dylan Sampson and Zach Charbonnet both rank well ahead of consensus here, betting on their receiving work translating into standalone value. Quinshon Judkins and J.K. Dobbins sit lower, reflecting more caution about their paths to touches behind more established backs. MORE: Why Quinshon Judkins is 2026’s biggest fantasy football bust Wide Receiver Wide receiver is on sale in 2026. Running backs have climbed draft boards, pushing several true WR1-caliber players past where they typically land. Ja’Marr Chase, Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba lead the position, and reliable production stretches well into the middle rounds behind them. Michael Wilson and Jaylen Waddle both rank ahead of consensus here, leaning on quarterback and scheme fit over draft-day name value. Stefon Diggs and Carnell Tate sit further back than the field has them, reflecting less confidence in target competition and offensive context carrying their per-game upside. MORE: Jalen Coker, KC Concepcion among the best late-round WR sleepers for 2026 Tight End Tight end is unusually deep in 2026. Brock Bowers and Trey McBride sit clearly above the field, but the differences between the middle tiers and replacement level have narrowed compared to years past, making a streaming approach more viable than in previous seasons if the top names are gone. Oronde Gadsden II and T.J. Hockenson both rank ahead of consensus, betting on expanding roles. Dalton Schultz and Brenton Strange rank lower, reflecting skepticism that target competition in their respective offenses will cap their upside. MORE: NFL offensive line rankings ahead of the 2026 season Kicker Kicker remains the least predictable position from year to year, so the approach stays simple: draft one in the final round and stream the position off the waiver wire based on matchups. The rankings here mostly track the field, with only minor shuffling among the low-end names that rarely shows up in actual points scored. DST Defense scoring swings more with matchups than roster talent, making it a late-round afterthought rather than an early investment. The rankings track close to consensus overall, with only small differences near the middle of the board that reflect marginal confidence in specific defensive lines and secondaries over a full season. MORE: 6 overrated NFL teams most likely to have a worse record in 2026 Superflex Superflex changes the math at quarterback more than any other position, since two starting lineup slots double the demand without adding a single new passer to the pool. The disagreements with the field show up almost entirely at quarterback here. The rankings lean notably higher on backup-caliber arms than consensus does, including Fernando Mendoza, Shedeur Sanders, and Michael Penix Jr., along with a more proven veteran in Daniel Jones. That reflects a bet that superflex depth matters more than the field is pricing in once the top tier is gone. Bo Nix and Malik Willis rank lower here, reflecting more caution about unproven passing volume carrying value once the rushing floor evens out. IDP IDP scoring flips the usual value order, since off-ball linebackers and safeties who rack up tackles carry more weekly floor than most defensive linemen. Jordyn Brooks, Jack Campbell and Myles Garrett lead the position overall. The clearest lean here favors linebackers and safeties over edge rushers and interior linemen relative to the field. Jacob Rodriguez, Dre Greenlaw and AJ Haulcy all rank meaningfully higher than consensus, while Leonard Williams, Brian Burns and Montez Sweat rank lower, reflecting less confidence that raw pass-rush profiles outweigh tackle volume in most weekly scoring formats. Printable one-page fantasy football cheat sheets with auction values (Last updated Friday, 9/4 at 9:00 a.m. EST.) - Overall (Half-PPR) - PPR - Half-PPR - Standard / Non-PPR - Superflex (Half-PPR) - IDP Overall – Top 180 - IDP – By Position — Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —