Fantasy Football: Derrick Henry is officially a boring-value vet — he leads this list for 2026

Sometimes I think fantasy football turns us all into marketing reps. We want an exciting team, a buzzy team, a team we can promote. But it's important to not lose the plot — at the end of the day, all that matters is the points. Flash is nice, but it's a game about numbers.

Hunting for boring-value veterans has been a fantasy staple of mine for a while, both in fantasy baseball and fantasy football. It's important to see this as a part of a balanced fantasy diet, not the complete meal. I wouldn't want any singular roster overflowing with this type of player, but I nonetheless will be tempted when these values show up over and over again at the August draft tables.

He doesn't run, he doesn't draw attention to himself, he's as vanilla as it gets. But Goff knows how to fill the box score — over the last four years, he has the most passing yards and touchdown passes in the league. How does that apply to fantasy production? He's the QB10, QB7, QB6 and QB9 the last four years . I don't see how much changes this season — the Lions have star skill talent, a favorable schedule and a bunch of indoor games. The current draft market is giving you Goff at the QB17 price, an absolute giveaway.

There's plenty of buzz tied to the Green Bay passing game, as Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden and Tucker Kraft show up regularly on target lists. It feels like this is the year head coach Matt LaFleur moves away from a platoon system and lets his best talents cook. If any of those guys pop, it will happen because the underrated Love is mixing the ingredients. And heck, we've already seen some proof of concept here, as Love logged a QB5 season back in 2023 . Since then he's been a little unlucky with injuries and the shape of the offense. But with RB Josh Jacobs on the back-nine and ascending talents on the outside, Love is primed for an easy profit season.

Okay, he's a second-round pick, but I need to squeeze Henry into this piece. His draft price is an enormous opportunity. We all know Henry is moving into his age-32 season and we like to trend younger with our running backs. But Henry shows zero sign of slippage. He's been the RB7, RB3, RB8, RB4, RB16 (despite missing two months!), RB2 and RB3 the last seven seasons , and since he joined the Ravens two years back, he's averaging 5.6 yards a carry. I understand the cliff comes calling for everyone eventually, but Henry hasn't lost a step yet.

And even if Henry does show some skills decline this year, the end zone can bail him out. He's spiked 34 times in 34 Baltimore games, and remember: Lamar Jackson rarely runs at the goal line . Henry could have a bad year and still score a dozen or so times in 2026. He's a perfect target if you pick in the middle or late stages of the second round.

Warren has been an underdog his entire career — the Steelers added him as an undrafted free agent — and maybe that's been baked into his ADP. It's clear the team views him as a committee back — Kenneth Gainwell shared time with Warren last year, and this fall it will be Rico Dowdle. But we can still make a profit here. Warren is reliable as a pass-catcher (139 receptions the last three years, and a lovely 83.7% catch rate) and that directly links with veteran QB Aaron Rodgers, who loves to dump short passes to his backs. Let's face it, Rodgers is on that final lap of his career — he has no interest in getting hit.

Warren could easily catch 60 or more balls this year, in addition to handy work as a platoon back. You might draft him as an RB3 or RB4 and see him rise 1-2 slots on your depth chart as the season moves along.

Back in 2024, Robinson picked up the "PPR scam" label in the fantasy streets. That's what happens when you catch 93 passes but they only go for 699 yards. Robinson kept the volume but turned it downfield last year, finishing with a 92-1,014-4 line. His YPC rose from 7.5 to 11.0, a notable jump. This type of player probably needs a specific scheme and coach to stay in business, but no problem for Robinson — Brian Daboll (his former Giants coach) joins him in Tennessee. Robinson's draft price is kept muted by the presence of rookie Carnell Tate, and I understand anyone who's worried about QB Cam Ward. But I'll be shocked if Robinson doesn't lead the Titans in catches. That WR50 tag is an absurd value.

I understand some of the hesitation here, as Jaylen Waddle joins the team and the Broncos also have a bunch of young, ascending receivers. But Sutton is coming off WR10 and WR12 seasons , and he's scored 25 touchdowns in three years. Are we supposed to assume he's completely mothballed? I understand some reluctance, as Sutton enters his age-31 season. But we can't just look at a player like this, scream "Regression!" and drop the mic. Nobody expects Sutotn to repeat last year's WR12 finish, but he can fall an awfully long way and still beat his WR41 tag. Regress and Win , baby.

If you followed the money, you hit on this last year. Johnson received a juicy extension before the 2025 season, then cranked out a 77-889-3 season. Sure, we'd like more touchdowns. But that type of volume is useful in any league with some form of PPR scoring. Kellen Moore turned out to be a smart hire for the Saints, and Tyler Shough did some good things as a rookie. And Johnson will probably be the team's No. 2 target on opening day, given that WR Jordyn Tyson will miss about two months. Johnson's ADP started in the TE19 range and has merely risen to TE16 since the Tyson news. He was the TE10 last year in half-point PPR leagues , and could easily find that area again.