Must Draft Fantasy Football Mid-Round Picks Headlined By Dak Prescott And Our TE2 Overall

These are the players that you should be drafting as often as possible in the middle rounds of your fantasy football drafts.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) warms up before the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

It's easy to hit on superstars in the early rounds of your fantasy football draft, but leagues are won in the middle rounds. That's where the heart of your team is built. These are the top mid-round picks who you need to be scooping up in your fantasy drafts in 2026.

QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

I've admittedly never been high on Dak. He has been wildly inconsistent from year to year and has been a volatile fantasy option over the course of his career for numerous reasons. There aren't a ton of boom-or-bust quarterbacks, but Prescott is one of them.

In his bad years, injuries and poor play have both been issues; however, when he's good, he can be great. He heads into the 2026 season coming off a top-five fantasy finish with what we'd consider the best wide receiver duo in the NFL in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. If you wait on your quarterback, swing for the fences on a potential league winner who you can get in Round 7 based on his current ADP. We have seen him go even later. That's incredible value.

RB Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears

Monangai is being drafted significantly later than D'Andre Swift, but could have just as much upside in an expanded role heading into his sophomore campaign. We are projecting this backfield to look similar to what we saw in Detroit with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery when Ben Johnson was their offensive coordinator.

The big difference is, we aren't convinced that Swift is the clear-cut more talented back. Monangai is also much younger and on the rise. It will be intriguing to see how this backfield plays out over the course of this season. You are much better off fading Swift in the fourth or fifth round and grabbing Monangai late in the eighth round based on his current ADP. He comes with much more value in a backfield that we believe could be close to a 50/50 split.

WR Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts

In 2025, Pierce caught 47 passes for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns despite missing two games. His big-play ability has been evident for years, but this season, we are anticipating a huge spike in volume. We expect him to have a breakout season and believe he also has WR1 upside with a much higher floor than many fantasy owners realize.

This offseason, the Colts gave Pierce a four-year, $114 million deal and committed to him as their clear WR1. Along with extending Pierce, the team traded away Michael Pittman Jr. Despite that, Pierce is still being drafted as just a WR4, barely sneaking into the top 40 fantasy wideouts. Currently, he can be drafted in the seventh round based on his ADP. He could end up being one of the biggest steals in your draft.

TE Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts

Warren is my TE2 overall in fantasy this season. He had a fantastic rookie season, finishing as the TE4 overall. The biggest thing we love about him heading into his sophomore season is the fact that we expect him to be the top target in Indianapolis, which is something you don't see too often from the position.

Already, he is good enough to be a top option in the NFL. He is a special player and could be the second coming of Travis Kelce if the Colts utilize him the way we expect and how they have shown they want to. There is no reason he should be falling to the sixth round. We'd be willing to reach up multiple rounds to secure him.

More Fantasy Sports On SI News