Breaking Down 3 Trending Fantasy Football Draft Decisions, Including Burden vs. Moore
These three pairs of fantasy football players are being drafted close together, but which player should you actually target?
Let's discuss some fantasy football draft decisions for those of you still working through drafts!
We have three head-to-head matchups to discuss here, so let's dive right in!
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Should You Draft Luther Burden or D.J. Moore?
The first draft debate is between a pair of wide receivers going within a few picks of each other. In PPR leagues, Burden is at pick 68.25 on average, while Moore is at pick 62.25.
A year ago, it was Moore who was the better fantasy wideout, but Burden did more on a per-game basis. Of course, those two were both on the Bears, and now Moore is with Buffalo, which opens up more production for each wideout.
Moore played in 17 games, hauling in 50 passes for 682 yards and six touchdowns. He got 15 rushing attempts as well, going for 79 yards and a score. Burden played in 15 games, catching 47 passes for 652 yards and two scores, while adding in 37 rushing yards on six attempts.
Moore has the better quarterback throwing to him, and he has less high-upside pass catchers around him. Josh Allen is the best fantasy QB in the game, and he can turn any wideout into a good fantasy asset. Buffalo has Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir as the other projected wideouts, with Joshua Palmer and rookie Skyler Bell as additional options - don't forget about tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox either.
In Chicago, Caleb Williams is a quarterback on the rise. He is still a bit inconsistent for my liking, but his upside makes any Bears' pass catcher an intriguing fantasy asset. Rome Odunze and Kalif Raymond are the projected starters alongside Burden, with Jahdae Walker and rookie Zavion Thomas as additional wideouts. There's also multiple tight ends, Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet and rookie Sam Roush.
So really, both Burden and Moore are in similar situations going into the 2026 season, so the draft decision between them is a fair argument. I feel safer with Moore, even though I think Burden's ceiling is a touch higher. Both are fine picks in the 60s though.
Should You Draft Cam Skattebo or Bucky Irving?
The next draft battle is between two running backs. Skattebo is sitting at pick 48.25 on average, with Irving going at pick 64.5.
Last season in eight games, Skattebo tallied 410 yards and five scores across 101 rushing attempts. He had 24 receptions for 207 yards and two more scores. Irving rushed 173 times for 588 yards, but just one score across 10 games. He added 277 receiving yards and three scores over 30 receptions.
Both are coming off injury-plagued seasons, and I think they are closer than the ADPs suggest.
Irving is still the top back for Tampa Bay, but the addition of Kenny Gainwell clouds things up a bit. Sean Tucker is still around too, and he could take some touches/production away from Irving.
Skattebo is the top back for the Giants, and his role seems a bit more secure. Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Singletary and Najee Harris are on the roster as well, so the Giants have several options too.
I personally think Skattebo is going too early in drafts. I'm worried about all those additional backs on the roster, so I think he should be being drafted later. That makes Irving the better pick in my eyes, because you can get him over a round later.
Both could end up being weekly starting options, but they are each better flex-level starting options to kick off the season. Drafting both guys in the late 50s is the best option in my eyes.
Should You Draft Rico Dowdle or Jonathon Brooks?
We'll end on another running back debate between Dowdle and Brooks. Dowdle is going at pick 121 on average, while Brooks is at pick 120.25, so they are back-to-back picks.
Dowdle played in 17 games last season for Carolina, and he eventually won the starting role. He got 236 rushing attempts, going for 1,076 yards and six scores, while adding 39 receptions for 297 yards and a score.
Brooks didn't play at all a season ago, and his health is still in question a bit as the regular season nears. He's played in three NFL games since being drafted 46th overall in 2024.
Dowdle is part of a backfield that includes Jaylen Warren. Most expect it to be a split backfield between those two, so Dowdle is in a very similar situation to a year ago, so we'll see if he can win the job outright eventually.
In Carolina, Brooks will be battling Chuba Hubbard for touches/production. Most have Hubbard as the lead back, but Brooks has a higher ceiling if he can simply stay on the field.
With some of Brooks' injury concerns, this makes picking between him and Dowdle an easy choice in my eyes - give me Dowdle, who could be available for 17 games. If Dowdle is off the board near that pick, then taking a gamble on Brooks isn't the worst idea, especially if you are pretty set at RB already.
