Bijan Robinson and Fantasy Football 2026 Safest Players to Draft No. 1

Risk-taking is a must in fantasy football drafts.

It's just not something that needs to be done should you be fortunate enough to land the No. 1 pick in your league's draft.

With a selection this early, you're seeking out two things: star potential and safety. It'll be a while until the draft board snakes back your direction, so it's mission-critical for this pick to deliver a difference-maker who's almost guaranteed to produce at an elite level.

And despite the NFL's any-given-Sunday unpredictability, there are a few players who fit this archetype. So, let's minimize risk and maximize the potential return on investment by identifying the three safest players to consider with the No. 1 pick.

There are some theoretical availability concerns tied to Gibbs' lack of size (5'9", 202 lbs), but that's pretty much the extent of any worries tied to making him the first overall pick. And those concerns are seemingly nothing more than theoretical, since he has played all 17 games each of the past two seasons.

As for the safety, well that's tied to a lot of things. His rushing volume is heavy (493 carries the past two seasons), his work as a receiver might be equally spectacular (181 receptions in three seasons) and he has an obvious nose for the end zone (49 career scores in 49 contests).

In fact, his floor probably climbed up a level this offseason upon the exit of David Montgomery, who tallied 33 touchdowns during his three seasons alongside Gibbs. Maybe Gibbs doesn't wind up with all of the goal-line work Montgomery once handled, but even if Gibbs plays a part in Detroit's replacement plan, that could send Gibbs' touchdown count even higher.

If you're holding the No. 1 pick and planning to invest it in Gibbs, you should have a pretty clear idea of baseline expectations. Over the past two seasons, he has landed between 1,800 and 2,000 scrimmage yards with at least 18 touchdowns in each campaign.

When seeking out safety in fantasy football, what you're really looking for is volume. And no one cranks things up quite like Chase, who has led the league in targets each of the past two seasons.

During his five go-rounds in the NFL, he has never seen fewer than the 128 targets he totaled as a rookie in 2021. He's had triple-digit receptions in three consecutive seasons and finished the last two with better than 1,400 receiving yards.

Chase crushes it with both volume and efficiency, and he's almost guaranteed greatness with a healthy Joe Burrow orchestrating this pass-heavy offense. When Burrow stayed upright for all of the 2024 season, Chase delivered true video-game dominance: 127 catches on 175 targets for 1,708 yards and 17 scores—all best-in-the-business marks.

In PPR leagues especially, Chase presents a pretty compelling case for consideration as the first overall pick.

After making Robinson the eighth overall pick of the 2023 draft, the Falcons slowplayed him a bit as a rookie. The kid gloves came off during his sophomore season, though, and those should be buried in the closet by now.

Atlanta tasked him with 365 touches in 2024, and he responded with 1,887 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns. He handled one extra touch in 2025 and delivered an NFL-leading 2,298 scrimmage yards with another 11 scores.

A legitimate weapon as both a ball-carrier and a pass-catcher, Robinson is ensured tons of opportunities. His arrow might even be pointed up a bit after the offseason departure of Tyler Allgeier, who dominated the goal-line work and posted 16 touchdowns over the last three seasons.

Folks can argue over whether Robinson has the highest ceiling in fantasy, but his argument for being its safest contributor is a strong one.

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