Fantasy Football Draft Decisions: 4-Player Decision and a WR Battle

Let's break down some more fantasy football draft decisions as we get closer and closer to the start of the regular season.

These are all taken from the FantasySP Who Should I Draft page. Similar stories can be located on the FantasySP draft kit.

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Should You Draft Amon-Ra St. Brown, Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb or James Cook?

We have just two draft decisions in this article, but the first one is a four-player doozy. Let's break down St. Brown, McCaffrey, Lamb and Cook - those are all guys drafted in the first 15 picks in most fantasy drafts this season.

The first one off draft boards is McCaffrey, who is at pick 6.25 on average. St. Brown sits at 9.75, while Cook is at 11.25 and Lamb at 12.5.

McCaffrey was the top fantasy player of the group last season, and by a decent margin too. Over 17 contests, he had 1,202 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, plus 924 receiving yards and seven more scores on 102 catches and 129 targets.

Cook was a very good fantasy asset in 2025 as well. Over 17 contests, he rushed for 1.621 yards and 12 touchdowns - he caught 33 of his 40 targets for 291 more yards and two scores.

St. Brown was another really good fantasy player a season ago. He played in 17 games, catching 117 of his 172 targets for 1,401 yards and 11 touchdowns. 

Lamb was good as well a season ago, but had lower numbers after only getting in 14 games. He caught 75 of his 117 targets for 1,077 yards and just three touchdowns.

As training camp and the preseason have moved along, fantasy football owners have settled onto their favorite first-round picks. Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson are the first two picks, in whatever order you want, and then Ja'Marr Chase, Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are three really good wideouts who typically go next. Jonathan Taylor has snuck into that group of players as well.

After them, things get a little crowded, and that's what creates this fantasy draft debate. And truthfully, there's no wrong answer. Let's look at each guy individually, then I'll offer up my opinion on things.

With McCaffrey, you have a risk vs. reward guy. When healthy, he's a fantasy stud, especially in PPR formats. He's already battled some injuries this season though, so I'm a bit skeptical of taking him early, and I think that's why his ADP has fallen as the regular season nears.

With St. Brown, you are talking about a very consistent fantasy wideout, with a strong floor and high ceiling. He'll be the top pass catcher for the Lions' offense this coming year, and he should be a high-end fantasy talent if he stays healthy.

Then there's Cook, who has seemingly gained momentum as a draft asset as the season nears. He's coming off a big season and is another proven fantasy asset, which is even more important for RBs.

Finally, there's Lamb, who is a riskier option coming off some injury-shortened seasons. When healthy, he's still a high-end option, but the emergence of George Pickens also causes some to be hesitant about taking Lamb.

For me, I'm about getting high-end fantasy players, but also like proven/consistent options from past years, especially early on. So between the four we are discussing, I prefer St. Brown. If you want to take a running back first, I'd go with Cook - St. Brown and Cook are close in my eyes.

Between Lamb and McCaffrey, I like CMC, as he's got a higher ceiling than Lamb. Both are risks, but especially in PPR formats, McCaffrey just offers more upside than Lamb.

Again, the debate between these four comes down to your personal opinion on each player. I could justify taking any one of them if I were on the clock near the end of round 1. 

Do some mock drafts and see how your roster ends up after trying each guy near the end of round 1 and see which one you like best. That's the best advice I can offer for this four-player battle.

Should You Draft Rashee Rice or Chris Olave?

Let's end this article on a two-receiver battle between Rice and Olave.

Olave's ADP is 31.75, while Rice sits at 34.75. So they are going within a few picks of each other, and usually near the end of round 3, or early in round 4.

Last year, Olave was the better fantasy option over Rice, but that had a lot to do with how many games each wideout played. Olave played 16 games, while Rice appeared in just eight.

Olave finished with 1,163 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Rice had 53 grabs for 571 yards and five scores, plus had 20 rushing yards and a score on five attempts.

Olave heads into the season with high expectations after his big 2025 campaign. His outlook is even better now that rookie teammate Jordyn Tyson is out with an injury. I think Olave could thrive again in 2026, especially with Tyler Shough improving a bit at quarterback.

Rice is a riskier option after missing significant time in each of the past two years - he also has off-the-field issues to be concerned about. When active though, he's delivered plenty, and that makes him worthy of an early fantasy pick.

As you might already guess, I prefer the safer Olave over the risky Rice. Olave is on a worse offense overall, but I think his floor and ceiling are safer than Rice's. Rice might have a higher ceiling, but his floor is very low with injury, or other, concerns.

So give me Olave near that 30th pick. I don't mind him as a fantasy WR1, and I really like him as a WR2. Rice I prefer a bit deeper into the 30s, but if you are scrambling for wideouts there, then he's an OK option too.