Fantasy Football Draft Decisions: Allen or Lamar? McCaffrey or Taylor? Which Steelers' RB?

Let's continue discussing fantasy football-related things and go over another “Who Should I Draft” article.

Here was the first one we did a couple weeks ago.

These are pulled off the trending decisions section of the Who Should I Draft tab on FantasySP.

Fantasy football average draft position data can be found on FantasySP in the leadup to the 2026 NFL season! Conduct your fantasy football mock drafts through FantasySP too - you can now customize the scoring settings to tailor to your fantasy leagues!

Should You Draft Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson?

Let's start with a fantasy quarterback debate between Allen and Jackson.

Allen is currently QB1 in fantasy drafts, going at pick 27.25 on average. Jackson is No. 2, sitting at pick 43.

Looking back to last year, it wasn't a close battle between the two, because Allen played 17 games, while Jackson played just 13, and missed the ends of a few others.

Both are dual-threat quarterbacks and can power your fantasy teams to greatness, but the decision between the two is a rather easy one in my eyes.

I like Allen as the first fantasy quarterback taken, and clearly ahead of Jackson, or any other fantasy QB, for that matter. Allen combined for 39 touchdowns and over 4,000 yards last season, which is elite fantasy production, and made him one of the top fantasy players in the game. I expect something similar again in 2026.

Jackson is capable of those kinds of numbers, but has dealt with too many injuries over his career to go that early in a fantasy draft. I think his ADP has stabilized though to where he offers some value near that draft slot, but it's still risky given some injury concerns with Jackson.

Between the two quarterbacks though, give me Allen all day.

Should You Draft Christian McCaffrey or Jonathan Taylor?

Next up is a running back question between McCaffrey and Taylor.

They are going within two picks of each other, and both are first-round selections. CMC is fifth, while Taylor sits seventh so far. Only Jaxon Smith-Njigba is between them.

Both backs played in 17 games last year, so we have a fair battle in that regard. Taylor had 1,585 rushing yards and 18 scores, while McCaffrey had 1,202 yards and 10 scores on the ground. 

McCaffrey led the way as a pass catcher though, going for 924 yards and seven scores on 102 receptions. Taylor had 46 grabs for 378 yards and two scores.

CMC was the better fantasy player between the two, and he was the top scorer in PPR leagues overall. Taylor had CMC beat in non-PPR leagues, so that matters when discussing the two.

It's hard to argue against CMC in PPR leagues, even with an injury history - Taylor has a little injury history too. Both backs should be elite fantasy backs again in 2026, but CMC has a slightly higher ceiling in PPR leagues, so I'd take him in those leagues.

For non-PPR leagues, I like Taylor over McCaffrey. Taylor was the better option last year in that format, and while it should be close again, I'll say he edges CMC by the end of the season.

You really cannot go wrong with either back, and be confident in both guys to be big fantasy assets for the 2026 season.

Should You Draft Rico Dowdle or Jaylen Warren?

Let's end with another RB battle, this time between new teammates. Warren has been in Pittsburgh, while Dowdle is joining him in 2026.

Dowdle played 17 games last season, while Warren played 16. Dowdle ended up serving as the Panthers' lead back for several weeks, while Warren was dealing with Kenny Gainwell.

Dowdle had 1,076 rushing yards and six scores, while Warren went for 958 yards and six touchdowns. Warren led the way as a pass catcher, going for 333 yards and two scores on 40 receptions - Dowdle had 39 receptions for 297 yards and one score.

So really, these were two very evenly-matched fantasy running backs a season ago. It might end up being a fantasy football nightmare with them on the same team now.

Warren is projected to start for the Steelers, but Dowdle might get just as many touches. It really could be a 1A/1B backfield, which has been a staple in Pittsburgh for several years now.

Warren is pick 68.75 on average, while Dowdle is pick 87. While they are separated by about 20 picks, I feel it's much closer to that. I wouldn't be surprised if that gap shrinks, and they go within a few picks of each other. I think both could end up as weekly fantasy assets, especially if the Steelers' offense is solid overall.

Given how close I view the two backs, I prefer Dowdle over Warren, because his ADP is later. If you could get Warren around Dowdle's ADP though, I'd give him a slight, slight edge over Dowdle.

Really, you want to be taking either Pittsburgh back as a secondary fantasy back option, not someone you have to count on weekly. Only draft both guys if you are really weak at that position, or if you are in a deeper league.

Again, I could see both backs being productive in 2026, so take them as a flex-level starting option, or fantasy RB depth and hope your guy stays healthy all year.