Scott Pianowski’s Fantasy Draft Playbook: 16 Targets and 16 Fades by Position

Yahoo Sports fantasy analyst Scott Pianowski has published another position-by-position set of recommendations for the upcoming NFL fantasy football draft season, presenting two lists for each spot on the roster. The premise is straightforward: identify 16 players he is most inclined to draft and 16 he is less interested in selecting, with the goal of helping fantasy managers avoid common late-draft mistakes and concentrate on paths to consistent production.

The format matters because fantasy drafts reward patterns, not isolated players. Pianowski’s approach, as described in the Yahoo Sports item, is built around quick-hitting blurbs that translate his longer 150-plus page draft playbook into a usable reference for people making in-draft decisions. Instead of treating every pick as equal, the guide frames each position around its typical volatility and the types of roles that tend to stabilize week-to-week value.

The “targets” side of the framework is essentially an emphasis on players Pianowski believes have a clearer path to usable fantasy volume, whether through touches, snaps, or a role that supports recurring production. The “fades” side is the mirror image, highlighting players he believes come with too much outcome uncertainty relative to what managers must pay for them at their likely draft range.

Because the article is positioned as an excerpt from the larger Yahoo Fantasy Ultra playbook, it reads less like a comprehensive statistical report and more like a decision tool. That is relevant for how fantasy managers should interpret it. A short recommendation can be helpful as a starting point, but it still requires the manager to connect those opinions to league format rules, roster construction (particularly quarterback and tight end settings), and how other managers are likely to draft around the same ideas.

The timing also slots the content into the calendar stage when people begin to lock in draft plans. With training camp and preseason work beginning around the same period, perceptions about roles can shift quickly. Even so, Pianowski’s lists are presented as draft-season guidance, meaning the recommendations are meant to be evaluated alongside the information available at the time, rather than as guarantees of how preseason usage will ultimately shake out.

For fantasy managers, the practical takeaway is not to treat these lists as instructions to draft specific names blindly, but to adopt the logic behind the targets and fades. If a given pick is being faded, it usually indicates that the expected fantasy return does not justify the risk the player carries in that slot. If a given player is targeted, it typically indicates that the analyst sees a more reliable route to points, even if the player’s weekly ceiling varies.

As drafts progress, the most important thing to watch is whether the roles implied by these recommendations become more or less credible. If usage trends and team decision-making after camp reinforce the assumptions behind the “targets,” those players can become easier to justify at their current draft cost. If those trends undercut the rationale behind the “fades,” that may create openings for managers who are willing to revisit the draft board rather than hold firm to a pre-camp narrative.