RotoWire Urges 12-Team Drafters to Wait on QB in 2026 Strategy Guide

Q: Why does a top fantasy analyst want you to completely ignore star quarterbacks like Joe Burrow in your 2026 drafts?

Because in a traditional 1-QB, 12-team half-PPR draft, Ian McMillan believes Joe Burrow’s price is too high relative to the edge he gives you. His strategy is built on positional value. In one-quarterback leagues, usable starters are deep enough that managers can wait and still get quarterbacks like Justin Herbert, Brock Purdy, Jared Goff or Kyler Murray several rounds later. McMillan’s view is that spending a mid-round pick on Burrow means passing on scarcer running backs and wide receivers, where those same picks can create a bigger weekly advantage. Burrow is also a weaker fit for the fantasy profile many analysts want at quarterback. He offers elite passing upside, but little rushing production, and rushing has become one of the clearest ways quarterbacks separate in fantasy. If Burrow’s touchdown rate dips for a stretch, he does not have the same rushing floor that dual-threat quarterbacks provide. There is also the risk component. Burrow has missed significant time in multiple recent seasons, and McMillan appears to see that injury history as an added reason not to pay a premium. In his guide, he similarly fades Matthew Stafford at cost, reinforcing that this is less about star power and more about avoiding overpriced quarterbacks. So the message is not that Burrow cannot be good. It is that in this format, McMillan thinks the smarter move is to ignore the name value, wait on quarterback, and use those earlier picks on running back and wide receiver depth.

2 articles · Updated · RotoWire · Aug 27

RotoWire’s 2026 cheat sheet for 1-QB, half-PPR, 12-team leagues tells managers to be the last team to draft a quarterback, then take two late-round shots such as Brock Purdy, Jared Goff or Kyler Murray.
The guide instead prioritizes roster construction at RB and WR: secure a second running back by Round 5, target 5 wide receivers by the end of Round 9, and use mid-to-late rounds on ambiguous backfields and handcuffs.
At tight end, RotoWire recommends a “first or last” approach—pay up early for Brock Bowers or Colston Loveland, or wait for cheaper options like Dalton Kincaid and Isaiah Likely rather than spending in the middle tiers.
The position-by-position strategy also flags players to target or avoid at ADP and singles out Baltimore’s defense as the preferred DST, framing the overall plan as a one-size-fits-all draft blueprint for standard formats.