Coming into any new fantasy season feels like Christmas morning. The possibilities are endless, and you are just chock full of excitement and optimism. That unfiltered joy meets its first opponent when that first gift hits your lap. The contents of said gift control your whole outlook on the rest of the morning and the spoils (or turmoil) to come.

The same thing can be said about the reveal of the draft order in fantasy football. All offseason you have been plotting, planning, and hoping for a gift from the Fugazi Gods. Will this be the season you finally get that stud running back? Will your order in the draft lineup land you in prime position to pick up Josh Allen early? All of these questions are answered the second that draft order is set in stone.

Let's take a look at how this year's cookie crumbled and get to know our fearless managers for the upcoming season.

Pick #10: AJ Kurdys (Ja'Mario Kart Racers)

It is true what they say about that pendulum of life. Once it stops swinging in one direction, you'll quickly find it back in the other hitting you in the face. Last year's first overall selector is now this year's last, and he will have to hope for some better draft luck than before. The Ja'Mario Kart Racers manager had a turbulent 2025 season after an early injury to Joe Burrow significantly hamstrung his team's potential for the first half of the season, but ultimately finished only a single point from a championship win.

Kurdys has an all-time record of 36-31, which is a tie for the all-time wins record. The teams he fields are always competitive, consistent, and often are in the top of the league in scoring. Will he finally reach that final game of the year for the first time? Or will he once again fall short after clawing his way back to yet another playoff spot?

Pick #9: Nick Lewandowski (The Reapers)

Drafting from the same slot as last season we have our defending champion, and manager of The Reapers, Nick Lewandowski. Drafting from the back end of the lineup can be tricky to navigate for the less experienced but Louie is probably the most experienced manager in the league from this perspective, having drafted 9th three times, and never above 6th.

Despite the lack of early draft luck, Nick has turned each opportunity into more gold than everyone else in the league's history, having played in three championships and winning one. Every year we get something new from this fearless manager. The visionary of the QB-13 and 6 WRs strategies is always pushing the envelope of what a good draft looks like. Does he have yet another championship run in him again this year?

Pick #8: Amir Elgeyoushi (Egyptian Suns)

For our 8-slot we have another past champion in Amir Elgeyoushi. This marks the fifth consecutive year that our Sun-God-at-Home has a new draft position, so he's seen a little bit of everything. Amir will look to this experience in being flexible and quick on his feet to secure some of the last few premium players before the end of the first round.

The manager of The Egyptian Suns has had quite the volatile history through the league's first four seasons. He's been near the bottom of the ladder twice, hung out in the middle during 2022, and even nabbed himself a chip during the 2024 season driven by drafting some of the top-performing running backs that year. A journeyman like this is one to be respected, and feared, as experience from all over can really materialize when given the opportunity. Don't let this guy watch a premium pick slip to eight, he just might make a season out of it.

Pick #7: Brennan Kurdys (Fremennik Exiles)

The owner of the league's first expansion team, Brennan came into the fold in 2023 and put the league on notice. Finishing 3rd in his inaugural season seemed to point in a positive direction for seasons to come. Unfortunately, the injury bug has hampered this team the last two seasons and has resulted in some less than ideal finishes. Having the 7th pick in this year's draft does put him in another tight spot from a decision-making standpoint, but we have seen champions crowned from this position before.

Brennan has always found his best success when touting strong running back play. Will this be the foundation of his new franchise team, or will he go in another direction this year? The 7-slot is where decisions can start to become less black and white, and anytime this is the case there is potential for upside when given to a strong manager. Keep an eye on this team for the 2026 season, as they just might surprise you.

Pick #6: Randy Todd (Edgeville Nut Eaters)

Coming in at our 6-slot we have Mr. Randy Todd. The manager of the Edgeville Nut Eaters looks to hop back on the improvement wagon after a disappointing finish in 2025. The seasons prior to that we saw continued improved placings for the Nut Eaters, working their way up the standings each season. This trend unfortunately ended last year where they finished last, but that just means there is only up from here!

Drafting in the middle of this year's lineup, Randy is all but guaranteed to receive a premium pick that he can build a strong roster around. This team's goal should be to make their second playoff appearance, in only three years' time. Once they get their hat in the ring it'll be a whole new ball game, and this owner's dog mentality just might be enough to make the difference.

Pick #5: Matt Bieniek (Haddonfield Slashers)

Starting the front half of the draft order we have Matt Bieniek, owner of the Haddonfield Slashers and last season's runner-up. Picking from the five is interesting because sometimes you get a bit of both worlds (premium pick and weird positioning), and sometimes you can find yourself missing a desired player all draft. Either way, Matt Boy himself shouldn't be too disappointed with where he landed as drafting 5th last year got him the silver medal.

The Slashers had a tough start to their first few years, but Mr. Bieniek has quickly turned this program into one of the premium teams in the league. Now boasting 35 league wins, this actually puts him ranked second all-time, and only one behind the big tie for first. I am very interested to see if this growth was a flash in the pan, or if Matt has unlocked his inner Belichick and we should expect high performance going forward.

Pick #4: Brandon Smith (Naberhood Watch)

Just missing out on the draft podium we have one of the most volatile owners in the league, Brandon Smith. I say volatile a bit tongue in cheek as Smitty has yet to have a season with less than 8 wins. However, this guy can go from having a bad week to beating the ever-living brakes off of you the next. He has some of the biggest blowouts in league history, including the all-time single-game high score (256.38).

Another member tied for the most wins in league history (36), he should be viewed as the upper echelon of fantasy ownership. Similar to AJ Kurdys, he has yet to find himself in that last game of the season playing for a championship but if you keep consistently winning its only a matter of time. Will this year finally be when he makes it over the hump? Well, a pick at the four just might be enough to do it.

Pick #3: Derek King (Shinra Tensei Pain)

Starting off the first of our truly premium picks is Derek King, the manager of Shinra Tensei Pain. Unlike his team's namesake, this has historically not been a team that strikes fear into their opponents. Boasting only 22 league wins since their inception, it has not been an easy road for the Naruto fandom. This does not, however, leave us without hope!

The highest win total season (7) for Derek came in our inaugural 2022 season when he picked 2nd overall in the draft, his highest spot to date. With him having the third slot we just might get to see what this manager is made of when given a cream-of-the-crop-player. Drafting this high can come with some setbacks, but if he can properly navigate that 2/3 turn and make his way into the mid-draft with a solid core then this could be his breakout season.

Pick #2: Scott Baker (Love and Fantasy Football)

Alright everyone, prepare yourselves for a tough couple of SOBs in this year's top slots starting with Scott Baker. The only other expansion manager currently in the league has done nothing but consistently dominate over his first three seasons. Having double-digit wins in each year (34 total wins) and averaging 147.6 pts/gm over the last two seasons this manager is on track to trounce the all-time wins leaders with one less season played.

Not only is this already a dangerous man, but now he's been given the second overall pick in this year's draft. The last time he drafted from the 2-slot (his highest ever) he won the championship in his first league season. Needless to say, this guy is a problem and we should be very, very scared. It would be unwise to think that this would not be yet another notch in the successful season belt for the Baker himself, and we could possibly see our first multi-year champion.

Pick #1: Julia Kurdys (Super QB Hut General)

Finally, at the top spot in this year's draft we have Mrs. Commissioner Consort herself, Julia Kurdys. There is no greater joy than finding out you get that ultra-elusive 1.01 pick. Even as one of the more mild-tempered managers in the league (☉_☉)... Julia was elated with the news and was reported to have responded with, "Hell yeah, that's right motherfuckers." - Truly poetic.

This marks the second time that the former Watergirl has received the top overall pick, and the first was back in 2022 when she was crowned the league's first official champion. Sitting at 35 league wins also means she has been no slouch in her other seasons, actually making it back to the ship in 2024 where she fell to the eventual champions, Egyptian Suns. Time will tell if the curse of the 1.01 will yet again find blood, or if this will be exactly what this league's only Y-chromosome lacking manager needs to return to glory.