Predicting the first three rounds of 2027 fantasy football drafts

With the regular season for fantasy football nearly reaching the halfway point, it may be time for some teams in keeper or dynasty leagues to think about 2027. Even for some redraft leagues, it's never not fun to think about next year - and, of course, for best ball players, you're always thinking about the next draft.

Here, I'll try to predict where I think the top three rounds end up prior to the start of the 2027 season, future injuries notwithstanding. Part projection of recent statistical performance, part behavioral analysis, this could lead to some wildly different results than we actually see. But it's my best guess!

Let's put on our prediction hats and see if we can strike lightning in a bottle.

2027 first three rounds: PPR draft prediction

1.01 - RB Jahmyr Gibbs

What's there to say here. Jahmyr Gibbs has been spectacular and the clear best pick overall. He'll head into 2027 with a similar role on a similar high-powered offense.

1.02 - WR Jaxson Smith Njigba

There was a bit of skepticsm that JSN could repeat the high target share and volume he saw in 2025, but so far in 2026, he's made the statement that he's here to stay. It's hard to see any other target competition coming in and interfering with his dominance, either. It should propel him to the top of the wide receiver list.

1.03 - RB Bijan Robinson

He hasn't looked nearly as dominant as Jahmyr Gibbs has, but overall, Bijan Robinson has still been a great pick even at the number two spot. Brian Robinson Jr. has been a bit of a thorn at his side, but not enough to keep him out of an early first round pick.

1.04 - WR Ja'Marr Chase

People love Ja'Marr Chase. And we know what the upside is here, as only one of four receivers in to hit the 400 point sesaon mark. He feels more likely than the other active player (no spoilers!) to do it again, with an archetype that leads to week-winning spikes. No pun intended, people will chase that.

1.05 - RB Kenneth Walker III

Despite the hype, this has gone even better than expected. Kenneth Walker III looks the part of the elite RB archetype in a good offense that clearly wants to make him the focal point. Concerns over his health have been generally exaggerated, but may still linger enough to keep him behind Bijan for 2027. The usage is similar, though, albeit with a little less receiving upside.

1.06 - WR Puka Nacua

Puka is probably QB proof, which is a good thing, as Matthew Stafford is most likely retiring after this season. But there will be enough question marks around it that Puka will slip from his 2026 ADP into the middle of the first round. He's also dealt with enough minor injuries that compounds some of the narrative we'll hear.

1.07 - RB Jeremiyah Love

It hasn't been the best of starts to Jeremiyah Love's career, but I think people will look at the flashes where he's looked great within a less-than-ideal offensive environment and project the second-year leap for Jeremiyah Love. We know what the profile looked like coming out, and we've seen the versatility so far in his rookie year when he's out there. But the collective "we" in the fantasy football community love to over-project young players, and this feels like the slam-dunk next one.

1.08 - WR CeeDee Lamb

CeeDee Lamb feels like a perennial back-of-the-first-round pick to this point, and I don't see anything changing given the start of his 2026 campaign. He gets volume in a high-powered offense at a relatively consistent pace. Simple as that.

1.09 - RB Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor has done nothing to hurt his stock heading into 2027. Sure, the offense has looked less-than-ideal so far in 2026, which has dragged the ceiling for JT down a bit, but he's performing as you expected when you drafted him. He somehow slips a couple of spots from his 2026 campaign because of the hype campaigns of players above him, but he's an excellent selection here.

1.10 - WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

The rise of Jahmyr Gibbs has led to the slip of Amon-Ra St. Brown. It's really hard for two players on the same team to produce first-round numbers. That being said, people will still hold onto priors with the Sun God, noting he's been a consistent producer of PPR points overall. I think regression to the mean is still coming in 2026, which will only reinforce the points on priors. I can't see him slipping into the second round.

1.11 - WR Malik Nabers

Malik Nabers isn't quite QB proof, but he's closer to Ja'Marr Chase than he is to Nico Collins. He can produce on his own talent so long as he stays healthy, as he's proven so far with both Jameis Winston and JJ McCarthy as his quarterbacks. Talent wins out, and talent - along with his highlight reels - will propel him into the first round in 2027.

1.12 - TE Brock Bowers

How long until the sites start flipping his position to wide receiver instead of tight end? He's played way more snaps out wide than in-line so far this year, acting as the team's number one outside receiver. So long as he stays a tight end, he'll be drafted at the 1-2 turn, because the upside at this position is insane relative to the field. I might even be too low on him.

2.01 - RB Ashton Jeanty

Ashton Jeanty has proven to be a workhorse, although you would've hoped for more efficiency from him so far in his career. Regardless, he catches balls out of the backfield and he's getting a large majority of the team's work out of the backfield, so numbers are numbers.

2.02 - RB James Cook III

Speaking of proven to be a workhorse, James Cook certainly has been that. Ty Johnson gets the occassional pass catching snap with a QB who runs, so, cool, but James Cook is pretty much monopolizing all the running back rushing work for this team. He's had some fumbling issues that (I guess) pose some risk, but he's been great otherwise and the team still hasn't gone away from him. He'll return right about to where he was.

2.03 - WR Zay Flowers

ZaY fLoWeRs CaN't CaTcH tOuChDoWnS! YoU cAn'T dRaFt HiM eArLy!

Ah, yes. What simpler times. Zay Flowers to the moon.

2.04 - WR Justin Jefferson

There's going to be a lot of questions about how to rank Justin Jefferson now that he has a history of not being fully QB proof. Still one of the most raw talented receivers in the league, his fall won't be massive, but people will at least question whether the ceiling is attainable with subpar QB play. Still, talent wins out.

2.05 - RB Derrick Henry

Speaking of talent wins out, the hardest player to rank here is probably Derrick Henry. On the one hand, Father Time is undefeated (more on that in a bit!). On the other hand, Derrick Henry has an elixir that repels the effect of Father Time. Which wins out? I can't see Derrick Henry falling precipitously yet while he's still performing now. Famous last words.

2.06 - RB Chase Brown

I'm on the record as saying that Chase Brown is a good, but not great, volume merchant. I still believe that, but in this Bengals offense, that's what's needed, and he's doing just that - what's needed. He does it all - large majority workload on the ground + catching passes out of the backfield. Probably a safe narrow range of outcomes here.

2.07 - WR Chris Olave

There will be a debate about where to draft Chris Olave next season. On the one hand, the upside is clear - high volume target potential with TD equity in a high volume offense. On the other hand, Jordyn Tyson exists, and so long as he doesn't look awful when he comes back from injury, he's going to absorb some volume, too. I'm of the opinion that these two can co-exist as the clear condensed target owners on the office, with Devaughn Vele and Juwan Johnson actually being the biggest dropoffs here.

2.08 - WR Drake London

Speaking of players that may not be fully QB proof, Drake London is going to endure a lot of QB questions heading into 2027. Michael Penix Jr. still cannot stay healthy, and everyone else behind him is not helping anyone. He's still the clear number one option here, and I don't think that changes in the 2027 draft, so you can still bank on target volume, but it's fair to consider whether the upside is here.

2.09 - RB Christian McCaffrey

Father. Time.

The 49ers are clearly cutting Christian McCaffrey's workload back, letting Kaelon Black handle some of the early-down, between-the-20s work. It's fair to wonder whether that will continue to accelerate. The downside risk is clear - remember Alvin Kamara's fall from grace? - and people will take that into account in 2027. But the floor? 80 catches and touchdown equity is still on the table.

2.10 - WR Tetairoa McMillan

Tet has shown the upside on both volume and efficiency to believe he'll be a riser coming into 2027. Sure, there'll be some that wonder about how much Jalen Coker impacts him, and yes, he's also good, but we don't make the same arguments with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, nor did I earlier with Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson. He's a stand out on his own and the preferred red zone target on the team. People will see the upside and chase it.

2.11 - WR AJ Brown

Talent has shown through for AJ Brown throughout his career, but the consistenty hasn't always been there - and there's not a very good supporting cast around him, either. I think it's fair that some people have questions about his fit in the Patriots offense. I'm not among them, so I think he still settles in as a second round pick heading into 2027. We know what the ceiling looks like - he could easily outpeform many of the receivers going ahead of him - but the floor certainly feels lower and an injury history is still building.

2.12 - TE Trey McBride

To me the clear #2 tight end by a wide margin, Trey McBride acts as the other difference maker at the TE position, with a high target volume on a condensed offense that, itself, may see an improvement. This is about where he was going in 2026, and I don't see any change in that heading into 2027.

3.01 - RB De'Von Achane

This is the start of the feeling a bit uncomfortable range of running backs. You mean to tell me that a player coming off an ACL tear on a bad offense is going this high??? Yes. New QB in the huddle, one that certainly could throw to the running back, and a guy that, presuming full recovery, has been one of the more explosive backs in the game? People will buy back into this.

3.02 - RB Saquon Barkley

One that people may not buy back into is Saquon Barkley, who has shown nearly a year and a half (and counting?) of underperformance relative to expectations. Still, the role is probably secure, and the upside case has happened before, plus name recognition, so there will be people that believe the risk is justified in the early third round. Remember, he used to be the 1.01!

3.03 - WR George Pickens

I'm of the opinion that George Pickens will be on a new team in 2027, and that landing spot will heavily dictate where he actually ends up. It makes him one of the hardest players to predict. There's a scenario where he's lined up next to JSN in Seattle and doesn't see the volume again despite being very efficient. There's a scenario where he's the #1 in Miami with (hopefully) a competent QB. The possibilities are endless.

3.04 - WR Parker Washington

Parker Washington has proved enough for people to believe that 2025 was not a fluke. He's becoming a higher volume player with efficiency tacked on. There will continue to be lingering concerns regarding target competition that mutes him relative to the guys above him, but the upside is right alongside them. He'll be a trendy pick again.

3.05 - Christian Watson

Another riser akin to Parker Washington, Christian Watson has proven the talent translates. Now combine that with a (knock on wood) string of good health, and most of the concerns are gone. Sure, this offense could go back to running the football too much, but the condensed nature of the passing game helps mitigate it.

3.06 - RB Javonte Williams

Still one of the least exciting picks on the board, but the Cowboys trust him and he's producing. What else is there to say. Maybe it's a bit dead zone feeling, but unlike the traditional dead zone archetype, it feels actually reliable.

3.07 - RB Kyren Williams

Blake Corum remains a thorn in Kyren Williams' side, and now he'll (presumably) have a new QB under center in 2027 in (also presumably) Ty Simpson. Will the offense maintain at least a portion of the efficiency it had with Matthew Stafford? Probably, but the ceiling is likely muted overall. Still, there are scenarios where they turn into more of a run + play action team, especially with an aging Davante Adams as their WR2 and a core of young tight ends. That certainly benefits Kyren to some extent.

3.08 - WR Nico Collins

What do we do here? CJ Stroud has continued to be up and down, dragging Nico Collins in either direction with him. There's no denying the talent is good enough, albeit not a true separator like the Justin Jefferson types, and yet he also continues to see guys drafted to help bolster the WR room alongside him, potentially eating into his target share. Jayden Higgins will be back healthy; they traded for Marvin Harrison Jr.; Tank Dell may still be around; Jaylin Noel has been at least okay; Xavier Hutchinson is a guy who apparently just gets random weeks with a bunch of targets. What this team needs is a running back to truly take the pressure off of Stroud and an offensive line that can support it, and I just don't see that happening in full in 2027.

3.09 - RB Breece Hall

Breece Hall can still perform as a focal point in the run game, but it's fair to question whether his receiving role ever returns to previous form given the emerging young talents (and the next guy on the list) on the team. You know what - let's just skip to Garrett Wilson.

3.10 - WR Garrett Wilson

The tough part with Garrett Wilson is that it's hard to see the upside scenario. The Jets are likely to draft a rookie quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft, theoretically providing an upgrade to the position and elevating Garrett Wilson's stock. But right behind him is breakout considerations for Kenyon Sadiq plus a possible breakout young receiver in Omar Cooper Jr. To be clear, Garrett Wilson should get his, but it's more volume-driven than anything, so any risk of a dip in target share could keep things in check. As I hinted at above, I think the biggest risk is actually for Breece Hall, but at least with Breece, we kind of expect he'll have the majority share of rushing work and touchdown equity, so people can still gravitate towards that. Here, we presume his target volume is safe, but with more playmakers around, what else is? People will still draft him though in the hopes of overall efficiency bumps, and I get that.

3.11 - WR Jeremiah Smith

It's Marvin Harrison Jr. all over again. No, I'm not saying that Jeremiah Smith's career will turn out how Marvin Harrison Jr.'s career has turned out so far; rather, it's a rookie receiver with a lot of hype who is going to land in an advantageous situation (Chargers?) to, on paper, be a breakout sensation. I debated putting him higher, but I think there'll be enough people that say "we did this once before, how did that turn out?" that it keeps his ADP in the third round. Still, I certainly could be too low here. Neer underestimate rookie hype.

3.12 - WR DeVonta Smith

Honestly, I had no idea who to put in this last spot. There were a bunch of names that I was considering. DeVonta Smith is probably the most talented among them, though, so here he is. Who knows what the situation will end up being with Jalen Hurts in 2027; there will be major question marks about this offense. DeVonta is probably the most neutralized from it all, though.

Where did I go wrong? Let me know in our Discord!

Join our FREE Discord where 200+ fantasy football brains are helping each other dominate every week! 👉️ https://whop.com/bbff/bbffdiscord/