Is there truly a quarterback or tight end who is a must-have? That’s the question I asked when I sat down to write this article.

You might think that question defeats the purpose of this article, and I promise it doesn’t. But it’s a foundational principle I take into every draft, aside from ones using Superflex or TE premium formats.

Because while Josh Allen may be the QB1, his ADP is currently at the end of the second round. That’s an insanely high price to pay at a position that doesn’t have an enormous dropoff between the top player and the 10th-best player. The same goes for tight end. Mark Andrews is awesome, but as the 25th player off the board? I’ll pass.

My philosophy at both positions is to wait and target higher upside options knowing that if those upside shots fall short, I’ll have a fair share of options on the waiver wire to keep me afloat.

With that being said, here are those must-have quarterbacks and tight ends I’ll have my eyes on during drafts.

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Must-Have Quarterbacks

Trey Lance (QB – SF)

In 2020, I decided to take a really late flyer on a young quarterback with outstanding mobility. His name was Lamar Jackson, and he ended up finishing the year as the league MVP.

While it might not result in an MVP season, I suspect Lance could have a similar breakout. Lance primarily sat on the bench and observed as a rookie. He started three games in relief of Jimmy Garoppolo and put up at least 20 fantasy points in two of them. Perhaps most interesting is that Lance carried the ball 31 times in those three starts for 161 yards.

We’ve seen how quarterbacks like Jackson and Jalen Hurts offer a higher floor with their rushing usage. Lance has that floor, plus perhaps the best passing tools of the group.

In San Francisco, Lance has an infrastructure built for success. He’s got a strong offensive line, great weapons in Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, as well as coach Kyle Shanahan guiding his development. As the 100th player off the board in drafts, he’s the exact type of upside shot I’m looking to take in Rounds 8 or 9. I could get similar production to Jackson and Hurts a few rounds cheaper.

Russell Wilson (QB – DEN)

Wilson is going as the 78th overall pick, making him a middle of the seventh round selection. That’s a little earlier than I prefer to take a quarterback. But if I sense a run on the position is coming, I’m happy to take a shot on Wilson.

Part of the reason Wilson is a must-have QB for me is because of the passers being drafted around him. Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford are all being taken within 20 picks of Wilson. Yet, I suspect Wilson has the most upside of the group. Wilson was the QB10 from Weeks 1 to 4 last season before getting hurt. And while his weapons in Denver aren’t on the level of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, Wilson’s overall situation in Denver is better.

I like Wilson’s chances of putting up a season similar to his 2020 campaign, during which he was the QB6. He’s one of the few quarterbacks taken in this range who could come at an immense value.

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Jameis Winston (QB – NO)

This is primarily for 2QB leagues or those willing to stream quarterbacks throughout the season. Winston, who’s being drafted as the QB23, could be a viable fantasy starter in 2022.

Winston has three 4,000+ yard seasons and two 28-touchdown seasons on his resume. And he had a 14-3 TD to INT ratio in the seven starts before his ACL injury. He was wildly inconsistent on a per-game basis, with two outstanding performances mixed in between mediocre results. But what’s most important is Winston managed to limit his turnovers during that stretch. He might not be as volatile as he was in the past, which is a good thing considering how low Winston’s downside has been in the past.

Winston also will benefit from a big upgrade in his supporting cast. His primary weapons are no longer Marquez Callaway, Juwan Johnson and Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Michael Thomas is back and looking great in camp. Alvin Kamara might end up being around for the entire 2022 season. And the Saints added a potentially dynamic rookie in Chris Olave, and an aging but still reliable Jarvis Landry.

Winston could be a worthwhile late-round dart throw in Superflex formats. He offers a higher floor than Justin Fields or Trevor Lawrence, with only a slightly lower ceiling. And he offers a higher ceiling than Ryan Tannehill, Mac Jones and Matt Ryan, with a slightly lower floor.

Must-Have Tight Ends

Cole Kmet (TE – CHI)

Again, you’ll rarely see me use early-round draft capital on a tight end. My mantra is to be one of the last in my league to address the position and take an upside shot once I do.

Kmet is my high upside target this year. The third-year tight end is only 23 years old and coming off a season in which he caught 60 passes for 612 yards. The only problem was he didn’t score a single touchdown. Kmet finished 21st among tight ends because of that despite finishing 11th in yards.

These days, all you need is 60-700-4 to be a valid TE1. Hunter Henry was the TE9 last year with 50 catches, 603 yards and nine touchdowns. Dawson Knox caught just 49 balls for 587 yards but scored nine times.

Even if Kmet has the exact same season as 2021 with a bit more touchdown luck, he’ll finish as a TE1. But in a Bears offense that lacks any — let’s call it talent — besides Darnell Mooney, Kmet could get more opportunities in the passing game and has a higher ceiling than those drafted around him.

Pat Freiermuth (TE – PIT)

Kyle Pitts received all of the love as the hot-shot rookie tight end, but Freiermuth’s rookie campaign was nothing to sneeze at. The Penn State product finished as the TE13, hauling in 60 balls for 497 yards and seven touchdowns.

Freiermuth benefitted from Ben Roethlisberger’s high check-down tendencies. The problem was he didn’t do much downfield, as his average depth of target was only 5.8 yards downfield. The hope is Freiermuth gets more work in the intermediate passing game with Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett under center while being a bigger fixture in the red zone.

Unlike Kmet, Freiermuth is not the second option in the passing game. In fact, he could be the fourth or fifth depending on what you think of Chase Claypool and George Pickens. But Freiermuth is a nice player and could be Pittsburgh’s next version of Heath Miller. He’s going right around Kmet in drafts and is someone I’ll happily grab as my late-round guy.