Table of Contents
Round 1 Rookie Winners and Losers | Round 2-3 Winners and Losers | Draft Grades
| Veteran Winners and Losers
The 2026 NFL draft was considered one of the weakest draft classes in recent years, but there were still plenty of talented players who could make an impact in fantasy football … you might just have to wait a year or two for some of them to become consistent, reliable starters.
One player who should make an immediate impact is Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love. Widely considered the best player in the draft class, he will come right in and be the top back in Arizona (even if he does lose some work to Tyler Allgeier and James Conner). WR Carnell Tate, RB Jadarian Price, WR Jordyn Tyson, WR KC Concepcion and WR Makai Lemon are among the other rookies who landed in spots to make an immediate fantasy impact to some degree.
The quarterback position, meanwhile, has just one player in the rookie-only rankings: the Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza, who has the potential to become a Year 1 starter. Even then, he’ll compete with veteran Kirk Cousins. Ty Simpson and Carson Beck, among others, will have to wait before they get meaningful NFL snaps.
As I said, this class was weak!
Here’s my look at the top 50 rookies for dynasty leagues following the 2026 NFL draft.
2026 Dynasty rookie-only rankings
|
Rk. |
Player |
Fant. Pos. |
Team |
Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Jeremiyah Love |
RB1 |
ARI |
20 |
|
2 |
Carnell Tate |
WR1 |
TEN |
21 |
|
3 |
Jadarian Price |
RB2 |
SEA |
22 |
|
4 |
Jordyn Tyson |
WR2 |
NO |
21 |
|
5 |
Makai Lemon |
WR3 |
PHI |
21 |
|
6 |
KC Concepcion |
WR4 |
CLE |
21 |
|
7 |
Kenyon Sadiq |
TE1 |
NYJ |
21 |
|
8 |
Omar Cooper Jr. |
WR5 |
NYJ |
22 |
|
9 |
Denzel Boston |
WR6 |
CLE |
22 |
|
10 |
Fernando Mendoza |
QB1 |
LV |
22 |
|
11 |
Nicholas Singleton |
RB3 |
TEN |
22 |
|
12 |
Eli Stowers |
TE2 |
PHI |
23 |
|
13 |
De'Zhaun Stribling |
WR7 |
SF |
21 |
|
14 |
Germie Bernard |
WR8 |
PIT |
22 |
|
15 |
Kaytron Allen |
RB4 |
WAS |
23 |
|
16 |
Jonah Coleman |
RB5 |
DEN |
22 |
|
17 |
Chris Bell |
WR9 |
MIA |
21 |
|
18 |
Antonio Williams |
WR10 |
WAS |
21 |
|
19 |
Chris Brazzell II |
WR11 |
CAR |
22 |
|
20 |
Malachi Fields |
WR12 |
NYG |
23 |
|
21 |
Zachariah Branch |
WR13 |
ATL |
22 |
|
22 |
Kaelon Black |
RB6 |
SF |
24 |
|
23 |
Mike Washington Jr. |
RB7 |
LV |
22 |
|
24 |
Ted Hurst |
WR14 |
TB |
22 |
|
25 |
Skyler Bell |
WR15 |
BUF |
23 |
|
26 |
Ja'Kobi Lane |
WR16 |
BAL |
21 |
|
27 |
Ty Simpson |
QB2 |
LAR |
23 |
|
28 |
Caleb Douglas |
WR17 |
MIA |
23 |
|
29 |
Elijah Sarratt |
WR18 |
BAL |
22 |
|
30 |
Adam Randall |
RB8 |
BAL |
21 |
|
31 |
Emmett Johnson |
RB9 |
KC |
22 |
|
32 |
Max Klare |
TE3 |
LAR |
22 |
|
33 |
Marlin Klein |
TE4 |
HOU |
23 |
|
34 |
Oscar Delp |
TE5 |
NO |
22 |
|
35 |
Carson Beck |
QB3 |
ARI |
23 |
|
36 |
Drew Allar |
QB4 |
PIT |
22 |
|
37 |
Brenen Thompson |
WR19 |
LAC |
22 |
|
38 |
Bryce Lance |
WR20 |
NO |
23 |
|
39 |
Seth McGowan |
RB10 |
IND |
24 |
|
40 |
Demond Claiborne |
RB11 |
MIN |
22 |
|
41 |
Zavion Thomas |
WR21 |
CHI |
22 |
|
42 |
Nate Boerkircher |
TE6 |
JAC |
24 |
|
43 |
Kevon Coleman Jr. |
WR22 |
MIA |
22 |
|
44 |
Reggie Virgil |
WR23 |
ARI |
21 |
|
45 |
Colbie Young |
WR24 |
CIN |
23 |
|
46 |
Justin Joly |
TE7 |
DEN |
21 |
|
47 |
Eli Raridon |
TE8 |
NE |
22 |
|
48 |
Will Kacmarek |
TE9 |
MIA |
23 |
|
49 |
Sam Roush |
TE10 |
CHI |
22 |
|
50 |
Eli Heidenreich |
RB12 |
PIT |
22 |
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MICHAEL FABIANO
Michael Fabiano is a fantasy football analyst for Sports Illustrated. His weekly rankings and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em articles are must-reads for fantasy players. He is also the co-host of the Fantasy Dirt Podcast on SI. Before joining SI in August 2020, he worked for CBS Sports, NFL Network and SiriusXM. He also contributes to Westwood One Radio. Fabiano was the first fantasy analyst to appear on one of the four major TV networks and is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.
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