Basement League

The Big Board

ESPN TOP 25 · 2026 PPR Know your first two rounds

1

Jahmyr GibbsDET

RB

2

Bijan RobinsonATL

RB

3

Ja'Marr ChaseCIN

WR

4

Puka NacuaLAR

WR

5

Jaxon Smith-NjigbaSEA

WR

6

Christian McCaffreySF

RB

7

Jonathan TaylorIND

RB

8

Amon-Ra St. BrownDET

WR

9

CeeDee LambDAL

WR

10

De'Von AchaneMIA

RB

11

Justin JeffersonMIN

WR

12

James Cook IIIBUF

RB

13

Jeremiyah LoveARI

RB

14

Drake LondonATL

WR

15

Ashton JeantyLV

RB

16

Rashee RiceKC

WR

17

Trey McBrideARI

TE

18

Saquon BarkleyPHI

RB

19

Derrick HenryBAL

RB

20

Chase BrownCIN

RB

21

Kenneth Walker IIIKC

RB

22

Breece HallNYJ

RB

23

Omarion HamptonLAC

RB

24

Brock BowersLV

TE

25

Nico CollinsHOU

WR

Source: ESPN draft room rankings · Updated Aug 16, 2026 · Rankings shift all summer, so check the draft room before draft night.

Chet's Spotlight

CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY

RB · San Francisco · ESPN No. 6

The résumé needs no introduction, and neither does the concern: the odometer. Some backs hit the wrong side of the mileage curve and fall off overnight; others reinvent themselves and pick their spots for two more years. McCaffrey at sixth overall is a bet on which version shows up, and the truth is nobody knows. Not even San Francisco. If you're picking in the middle of round one in our league, this is the decision that could define your season. Choose wisely.

Chet's Spotlight

SAQUON BARKLEY

RB · Philadelphia · ESPN No. 18

Two summers ago this was a consensus first-overall conversation. Now he's sitting at 18, the ninth running back off the board. Rankings like that are the market talking, and markets overcorrect in both directions. If the heavy workloads of the title runs took their toll, the slide is justified. If they didn't, somebody in the Basement League is getting a superstar in the middle of round two. I'm not telling you which way I lean. I'm telling you that pick 18 is where leagues get won or lost.

Chet's Spotlight

JEREMIYAH LOVE

RB · Arizona · ESPN No. 13

The first running back taken in April's NFL draft is now ranked inside the top 13, which puts a rookie squarely in round one of a 12-team league before he's played a snap. Meanwhile, the camp chatter out of Arizona still has the veterans taking first-team reps. So either the market is ahead of the depth chart, or the depth chart is about to catch up to the market. In a head-to-head league those are two very different Septembers. The owner who drafts him at 13 is making a statement. So is the one who lets him slide. Rookie backs will humble you either way.

2025 Final Standings

SEASON COMPLETE

2025 FINAL · WEEK 17

1

HOPE IS COMING 🏆

CHAMPION

REC

9-5

PF/G

120.7

DIFF

+11.6

2

FELLOWSHIP 🥈

RUNNER-UP

REC

7-7

PF/G

111.5

DIFF

-3.0

3

KRAEMERICA 🥉

THIRD PLACE

REC

10-4

PF/G

134.0

DIFF

+28.0

▲ PLAYOFFS ▲

4

ZADDY

9-5

115.5

+9.9

5

BRUISERS

9-5

114.3

+10.6

6

BED TIME

7-7

103.8

-4.4

▼ MISSED PLAYOFFS ▼

7

SCALABRINE

6-8

120.1

+2.9

8

BRIDGE FOUR

6-8

119.5

-6.5

9

WOLFHOUNDS

6-8

108.3

+0.2

10

HOUSE OF WENKE

6-8

101.0

-19.2

11

CKWADE

5-9

110.6

-9.7

12

HAHA

4-10

109.1

-20.6

NEXT UP: 2026 DRAFT · WED SEP 2 · 8:00 PM EST

🏆 Hall of Champions

Hope is Coming

2014, 2020, 2025

Bed Time

2012, 2017, 2019

Wolfhounds

2013, 2024

Scalabrine

2021, 2022

Fellowship

2015, 2023

House of Wenke

2016

Kraemerica

2018

2026 Season Storylines

Storylines by Chet McNulty, Senior Basement League Insider

👑

RING NO. 4 IN PLAY

Three rings, a .596 all-time win percentage, and a 75% playoff appearance rate, which is the highest in the league alongside Bed Time. Hope is Coming has made the postseason in 9 of 12 seasons including three straight, and has finished 9-5 or better in four of the last five. There's no reason to think the machine slows down as this is the most consistent team in the league, and now they're playing with house money. An odds on favorite for the 2026-2027 season.

🔥

KRAEMERICA: THE BEST TEAM YOU CAN'T BACK?

It's difficult to find the bear case here. 10-4 in back-to-back regular seasons and a league-best 134.0 points per game in 2025 while outscoring the field by nearly 14 points a week. A +28.0 point differential nobody else came close to touching. By every measure outside of the bracket, this was the best team in the league last year. So why am I hesitant? Because we've been here before. The 2018 ring is the only championship Kraemerica has converted from a strong regular season, and the playoff math has been brutal ever since. Bank on another strong draft from Kraemerica. Championship windows close, that 2nd ring is the big question for this team.

🌶️

HOT TAKE

DON'T SLEEP ON BED TIME

After spending four full years on the sideline, Bedtime came back to a 7-7 season and snuck into the playoffs with a very questionable roster. Some are calling it rust, others are saying he lost his fastball, a few believe he's just getting warmed up and the league should be on notice. As far as stats go, Bed Time's 12-1 campaign in 2014 remains the best single-season record in league history, and he added an 11-2 season in 2017 for good measure. Three rings, a .610 career rate and now he's tied with Hope is Coming for most all-time titles, with a clear chip on his shoulder. All eyes are on Bedtime's 2026 draft. Let's see if he can shake the nickname of "Rusty Bill"

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