2026 Keeper Projections!

 

I’ve decided to actually do some human writing instead of AI writing, but this may be one of the few blog posts you get from human Tim this season. I’ve included my Keeper predictions from the end of last season and made new Keeper predictions to hopefully sway (or reverse psych) people’s decisions. LET THE FFNUTHANG DRAFT SZN BEGIN!

1. ToInfinityandBijan! (Eric)

I would imagine the defending repeat champ would want to keep his team’s namesake, but whether he wants to keep a 2nd player is the bigger question. I could see him going with McLaurin at $16, Ladd at $19, or even Justin Herbert at $4. A part of me thinks Eric is buying into the Chargers-McDaniels hype so I’m going to guess the Herbert route. But he very well could just stick with a solo Keeper again.

2025 EOY Keeper Projections: Bijan Robinson ($62)

2026 Preseason Keeper Projections: Bijan Robinson ($61), Justin Herbert ($4)

2. Spider Pig (Luke) 

I forgot Luke somehow got to the championship game and finished 2nd last year. Was his team even any good? Anyways, Puka will still be a dominant WR and at the price of $47 is still a steal. As for Luke’s 2nd Keeper, I thought last year Monangai would establish himself as the lead back in Chicago, but it looks like that may take some more time. So Luke could stick with Saquon as an established RB at $51, given how overpriced top-tier RBs and WRs were in last year’s draft, or he could go with a proven QB1 in Josh Allen, who is reasonably priced at $29. I would probably go the Allen route.

2025 EOY Keeper Projections: Puka Nacua ($34), Kyle Monangai ($5)

2026 Preseason Keeper Projections: Puka Nacua ($47), Josh Allen ($29)

3. Run It Back! (Gabs) 

Gabs was SO stacked at RB. He can choose between Jonathan Taylor at $52, Kenneth Walker III at $37, or Quinshon Judkins at $9. All are great values, and Gabs will have a hard time deciding between his two fantasy baes JT and KW3. I’m leaning JT because Gabs has had FF success with him before, plus Walker is no longer in Seattle. Whether Gabs will want to pull the trigger on CeeDee Lamb for $61 is questionable, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he does, given how real the big name inflation in the draft was last year. That would be more than half of his budget, though, which seems like an un-Gabs thing to do.

2025 EOY Keeper Projections: Quinshon Judkins ($4)

2026 Preseason Keeper Projections: CeeDee Lamb ($61), Jonathan Taylor ($52)

4. Terrific (Taylor’s Version) (David) 

Jahmyr Gibbs should be a no-brainer, but Rice is a trickier decision. Is David willing to gamble on Rice’s ability to play with all his injury history and off-the-field issues? A safer (but more expensive) bet would be Amon-Ra at $61, but then David would have $128 going towards 2 Lions players. I think he sticks with Rice one more year and the gamble will pay off big time if Rice actually plays.

2025 EOY Keeper Projections: Jahmyr Gibbs ($69), Rashee Rice ($8)

2026 Preseason Keeper Projections: Jahmyr Gibbs ($67), Rashee Rice ($18)

5. Just Didn’t Catch D’Achane (Haji)

While Miami will struggle this year, Achane has proven he can still flourish in a stagnant offense. Malik Willis will likely need Achane to dump off to on the reg, so I think Achane is still a great value at $34. There has been a lot of hype around Colston Loveland and the Bears’ offense this upcoming year, so instead of keeping Tyler Warren, I think Haji will likely pivot to Loveland. That’ll give Haji two solid pieces to build from without having to break the bank.

2025 EOY Keeper Projections: DeVon Achane ($29), Tyler Warren ($10)

2026 Preseason Keeper Projections: De’Von Achane ($34), Colston Loveland ($12)

6. Unicorn QueenZ (Tim)

If I learned anything from last year’s draft, it’s that I don’t want to go into a bidding war on top-tier RBs and WRs. However, given that I don’t have any top-tier WRs to bid for, I’m resigned to the fact that I will be going into a bidding war for a top tier WR. Assuming I want to keep a top-tier TE for pretty good value at $26, the next best option for me is to keep either Ashton Jeanty or Omarion Hampton at RB. I’ll buy into the Chargers new offensive coordinator + favor the UNC alum. The potential upside of some of my WRs at their values were hard to pass up, though (DeVonta Smith at $20, Jameson Williams at $10, and Rome Odunze at $9)

2025 EOY Keeper Projections: Trey McBride ($22)

2026 Preseason Keeper Projections: Omarion Hampton ($42), Trey McBride ($26)

7. 第六 (Abraham) 

Abraham actually has a lot to choose from. Burrow at $6, Pickens at $26, London at $44, TMac at $20, Kyren at $26, and Skattebo at $10 are all reasonable Keepers. If Abraham is going for value, Pickens and Skattebo would be the way to go. If he’s going for the best player at each position, London / Kyren / Burrow would be the way to go. If he’s going for youth, TMac and Skattebo would be my choice. I know Abraham has a soft spot for both TMac and Skattebo so I’ll lean that route, but it will be hard for him to give up Pickens at $26.

2025 EOY Keeper Projections: Tetairoa McMillan ($21), Cam Skattebo ($3)

2026 Preseason Keeper Projections: Tetairoa McMillan ($20), Cam Skattebo ($10)

8. I am not sacko! (Jeff Chen) 

I don’t see Jeff moving away from Nico, but Egbuka at $16 could be tempting. As for the RB, Javonte Williams would be a better value at $12, but James Cook will probably be a more productive and exciting RB to follow throughout the year, so I would go with Cook at $40 if I were Jeff. He often does things I don’t understand, though, so who knows what will happen.

2025 EOY Keeper Projections: Nico Collins ($39), Javonte Williams ($3)

2026 Preseason Keeper Projections: James Cook ($40), Nico Collins ($38) 

9. chinaballa (Andrew) 

JSN is easily the best Keeper value this year. Andrew drafted him for $15 last year and Yahoo’s Projected Value is $58. Getting him at $37 is a steal. I thought Andrew would be tempted by Woody Marks's value but with David Montgomery in Houston’s backfield now, Marks’s value is diminished. So Drake Maye would be the next logical choice, unless Andrew wants to keep an establish tank of an RB in Derrick Henry (at $55) - it wouldn’t be a terrible idea, but I think if Andrew believes in Maye, it’ll be easier to find Henry-like production at RB versus Maye-like production at QB (assuming Maye’s likely ascension and Henry’s likely decline).

2025 EOY Keeper Projections: Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($15), Woody Marks ($1) 

2026 Preseason Keeper Projections: Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($37), Drake Maye ($6)

10. The IR-Relevant Team (Jeff Lin)

With AJ Brown on a new team, he’ll likely establish himself as the alpha receiver in New England and Drake Maye can sling it. Malik Nabers’s injury issues may give him a slower start to the season, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Jeff goes with the more proven Brown as his WR Keeper. I think Breece’s value at $23 is still pretty good, although the $16 price tag for TreVeyon could be somewhat enticing if Jeff still really believes in him. Watch me be totally off and Jeff goes with a surprise Dart-Nabers stack as his Keepers.

2025 EOY Keeper Projections: Malik Nabers ($39), Breece Hall ($21)

2026 Preseason Keeper Projections: AJ Brown ($35), Breece Hall ($23)

11. Maybabyboo (Laura)

One of the lone bright spots on Laura’s team last year was Chase Brown. Now that the Zay Flowers offseason hype has ramped up a bit, his price tag has gone up considerably from what Laura drafted him at. I know Laura had a love-hate relationship with Flowers given how inconsistent he was last season, but I don’t see a better Keeper for Laura to consider. Justin Jefferson at $56 is a bit steep given his shaky QB situation in Minnesota.

2025 EOY Keeper Projections: Chase Brown ($20)

2026 Preseason Keeper Projections: Chase Brown ($31), Zay Flowers ($17)

12. choubacca (Aaron) 

The 2025 Sacko didn’t have depth on his team, but he did have some strong foundational pieces, and I think Aaron will need to keep those pieces to set himself up for better success in 2026. Even though Ja’Marr Chase at $66 and Brock Bowers at $36 aren’t considered “values,” I still think they are worth those price tags as the top-tier players in each of those positions.

2025 EOY Keeper Projections: Michael Wilson ($5)

2026 Preseason Keeper Projections: Ja’Marr Chase ($66), Brock Bowers ($36)

My dyNASTY conversation with Analytics Pig

Re: “Rank the current league members by how dynastic they are (I.e. how dominant they have been over the course of the league's history). The current members are: Luke, Gabs, Tim, Eric, Jeff Lin, David Li, Andrew, Aaron, Laura, Haji, Jeff Chen, and Abraham.”Inquiry № 1

Now let me pull final standings data to get championship counts and win rates for these managers. Let me query for titles and deeper career stats.

I have everything I need to build the dynasty ranking. I'll use a composite of career rating, championships, playoff appearances per season, average win pct, and avg final rank.

The Dynasty Table. Five Rings Settles It.

Luke Lin has built the only legitimate dynasty in this league's history: 5 championships, the highest career rating among current members (+0.197), and 21 playoff appearances in 23 seasons. He has been a threat every single year since the league's founding and has the hardware to prove it. Eric and Gabs share second tier with 3 titles each, but only Eric has the longevity to match Luke's footprint. Everyone else is filing for relevance.

Jeff Lin is the sleeper anomaly — 1 title in 6 seasons with the second-best avg final rank (4.17) among current members, suggesting genuine competence rather than a fluke. Tim has played 23 seasons and won once. That ratio belongs in a Hall of Shame exhibit. Aaron logged 21 seasons, 17 playoff trips, and 1 ring. Jeff Chen played 22 years, made 19 playoffs, and won zero. The Historian will note that without hardware, tenure is just suffering documented.

`SLAB: Current Members · All-Time · The Dynasty Rankings | Receipts Enclosed`

Rank	Manager	Titles	Playoff Apps	Seasons	Avg Final Rank	Career Rating	All-Play %
1	Luke Lin	5	21	23	4.96	+0.197	51.9%
2	Eric San	3	20	22	5.18	+0.114	51.6%
3	Gabs	3	15	19	6.37	+0.079	51.1%
4	Jeff Lin	1	6	6	4.17	-0.046	50.3%
5	David Li	1	15	15	5.20	-0.133	49.1%
6	Tim	1	19	23	6.17	-0.030	49.2%
7	Aaron Chou	1	17	21	7.29	-0.048	49.8%
8	Haji	0	5	5	6.00	+0.037	55.5%
9	Andrew	1	10	12	7.67	-0.241	46.2%
10	Jeff Chen	0	19	22	7.14	-0.156	47.6%
11	Abraham	0	11	13	8.31	-0.023	49.2%
12	Laura	0	13	15	7.87	-0.231	45.4%

† Jeff Chen has made 19 playoffs in 22 years and won zero championships. That is not bad luck — that is a lifestyle choice the data can no longer excuse.

Re: “Why is Haji ranked higher than Andrew when Andrew has won a title and Haji has not? Also, shouldn't you take into consideration 2nd and 3rd place finishes?”Inquiry № 2

Fair challenge. Let me pull the actual placement data to build a more complete picture before re-ranking.

Let me fix that SQL and also pull the full placement breakdown correctly.

Good catch on both counts. Now I have everything I need. Let me build a proper composite score using a weighted podium system (1st = 3 pts, 2nd = 2 pts, 3rd = 1 pt), alongside seasons played for context, and career rating. Haji was over-ranked before — only 5 seasons and zero titles — while Andrew has a title, a runner-up, AND a third place in 12 seasons.

Re-Ranked, With Receipts. Andrew Was Robbed.

You are correct on both counts. Haji has played exactly 5 seasons and has never sniffed a championship — his prior ranking was inflated by a strong all-play percentage over a tiny sample. Andrew has a title, a runner-up, AND a third-place finish in 12 seasons, making him legitimately more dynastic. The revised ranking uses a weighted podium score (1st = 3 pts, 2nd = 2 pts, 3rd = 1 pt) alongside career rating and seasons context. Tim's 4 runner-ups finally get their due. Jeff Lin's obscene 1-2-2-3 record across just 6 seasons remains the most unsettling résumé in the league.

`SLAB: Current Members · All-Time · Dynasty Re-Rank | Podium-Weighted`

Rank	Manager	Seasons	1st	2nd	3rd	Podium Pts	Career Rating
1	Luke Lin	23	5	3	1	22	+0.197
2	Eric San	22	3	0	2	11	+0.114
3	Gabs	19	3	1	3	14	+0.079
4	Jeff Lin	6	1	2	1	8	-0.046
5	Tim	23	1	4	1	12	-0.030
6	David Li	15	1	1	2	7	-0.133
7	Andrew	12	1	1	1	6	-0.241
8	Aaron Chou	21	1	0	4	7	-0.048
9	Laura	15	0	2	1	5	-0.231
10	Haji	5	0	1	0	2	+0.037
11	Jeff Chen	22	0	2	0	4	-0.156
12	Abraham	13	0	0	0	0	-0.023

† Jeff Chen has played 22 seasons, finished 2nd twice, and never won. That is not a dynasty. That is a monument to almost. Abraham has 13 seasons of podium-free existence, which at this point is its own kind of achievement.