Heath Cummings' Fantasy football quarterback tiers 3.0: Brock Purdy emerges as a favorite draft-day value

Fantasy football preparations for the 2026 season have intensified with the release of updated player rankings and strategic tiers. According to coverage from CBS Sports, Heath Cummings has released his 'Fantasy football quarterback tiers 3.0,' a comprehensive update that identifies specific value opportunities for draft day. A central point of this analysis is the emergence of Brock Purdy, who is currently positioned as a favorite draft-day value for those looking to optimize their quarterback selection. This shift suggests a refined perspective on Purdy's potential production relative to his projected cost in drafts. Beyond the quarterback position, multiple sports outlets are focusing on high-upside targets in the running back category.

Sports Illustrated reports that Jonah Coleman has been identified as one of three elite late-round targets for managers seeking value in the final stages of their drafts. Similarly, FantasyLife is highlighting two specific running backs to target late. This emphasis on late-round value is mirrored in reporting from FantasyPros, which has published a broader set of running back tiers that detail specific draft targets as well as players that managers should actively avoid during the 2026 selection process. Contextual support for these strategies is further provided by specialized rankings and preparation tools. Yahoo Sports has featured backup running back rankings from Justin Boone, offering a layer of depth for managers planning for injuries or rotational changes.

Simultaneously, Bleacher Report has introduced new fantasy football 2026 cheat sheets alongside mock draft tips to assist users in navigating these shifting tiers. These collective updates indicate a trend toward data-driven tiering rather than static rankings to account for the volatility of player performance and draft position. Future activity will likely center on how these specific targets, particularly Brock Purdy and Jonah Coleman, perform in mock drafts and pre-season evaluations. As the 2026 draft window nears, the focus will remain on the intersection of the updated tiers from analysts like Heath Cummings and the practical application of the cheat sheets provided by Bleacher Report. Managers will be monitoring whether the 'players to avoid' list from FantasyPros remains consistent or shifts as more training camp data becomes available to influence the final draft-day decisions.