2026 NFL Fantasy Football Top Rookie Picks, Contenders & Analysis

By Thomas Valentine | May 26, 2026, 1:24pm

The 2026 NFL Draft class might pale in comparison to recent groups. Without a real challenge, Fernando Mendoza was the first pick in the draft, with Alabama’s Ty Simpson the only other quarterback selected in the first round. Naturally, the overall top-end quality had an impact on the fantasy football landscape. There were eight skill players drafted in the first round of the draft, but not every player will work out. There’s still enough intrigue to get excited about, though.

2026 NFL Fantasy Football Top Rookie Pick Rankings

Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals, RB
Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans, WR
Jordyn Tyson, New Orleans Saints, WR
Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks, RB
KC Concepcion, Cleveland Browns, WR
Makai Lemon, Philadelphia Eagles, WR

2026 NFL Fantasy Football Top Rookie Pick Contenders

Jeremiyah Love (Arizona Cardinals, RB)

Bye Week: Week 14
ADP: 21.5
RPOY Odds:
Rush Yards O/U:

The Cardinals drafted Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, giving the 20-year-old the most guaranteed money ever for a running back. Whether you agree or disagree with a team in the early stages of a rebuild spending atop-five pick on a running back—historically viewed as a replaceable position—what cannot be argued is the talent Love possesses.

Which is why he’ll sit at the top of every single rookie ranking for fantasy.Love enters the league as one of the most polished rookie running backs in recent NFL history. His shifty, explosive, strong, and dynamic as both a runner and a pass catcher. That versatility isn’t what makes him the top rookie in fantasy—his talent as a runner does that—but it certainly adds to his overall ceiling.The landing spot isn’t perfect.

The Cardinals’ offensive line has a lot of question marks, and there’ll naturally be lingering concerns that Love’s first season in the NFL might not be too dissimilar from Ashton Jeanty’s, but Love will still play a major, major role in his rookie season. If all goes well, he could be a top-five running back in fantasy in year one.

Carnell Tate (Tennessee Titans, WR)

Bye Week: Week 9
ADP: 63.5
RPOY Odds:
Rec. Yards O/U:

The Titans have found something in Cam Ward. The former number one overall pick had some tough times in his rookie season, but there were plenty of moments to remind the NFL why he was the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. And if the Titans could improve their offensive line and add a pass-catcher or two in the offseason, they’d put Ward in a strong position to grow heading into his second season in the league.

Enter Carnell Tate.Tate was often the 1b to Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka, or Marvin Harrison Jr. in the OhioState Buckeyes offense, but he was the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft for a reason.Tate is a big yet smooth athlete with deceptive speed and the uncanny knack of winning contested catches across the field. Put him in an offense with Ward, who has a license to sling the ball around the yard, and you’ve got a potentially young and great quarterback/wide receiver duo.

The Titans brought in former Giants’ receiver Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency to elevate the floor of the pass-catching room, but Tate is there to elevate the ceiling. He already has all of the tools to be a real contributor in 2026, and should factor into fantasy lineups as a solid WR3 or WR4 in flex spots, or as a WR2 in deeper leagues.

Jordyn Tyson (New Orleans Saints, WR)

Bye Week: Week 8
ADP: 72.0
RPOY Odds:
Rec. Yards O/U:

If not for injuries, there’s an argument to be made that Jordyn Tyson would have far and away been the best receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft class. The former Arizona State Sun Devil missed multiple games in all of his four college seasons, with a torn ACL, MCL, and PCL in 2022 being the most glaring injury. Even in 2025, Tyson played in just nine games forArizona State.

Despite the missed time, Tyson was still productive, catching 61 passes for 711 yards and eight touchdowns, and he was drafted by the New Orleans Saints with the eighth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. In New Orleans, he’ll serve as the 1b to veteran Chris Olave, and the two will likely form a formidable one-two punch for second-year quarterback Tyler Shough to rely on.

Tyson has the quick first step to line up all over the field, and his ability against press means he can line up as an X receiver, allowing Olave to move across the formation. The Saints have big ambitions for Tyson, and like Tate, he’ll look to be a stable contributor in his first season in the NFL and should be an every-week flex starter.

Jadarian Price (Seattle Seahawks, RB)

Bye Week: Week 11
ADP: 61.0
RPOY Odds:
Rush Yards O/U:

With Kenneth Walker moving on in free agency and Zach Charbonnet suffering a torn ACL inthe playoffs, the Seahawks were heading into the draft with a glaring hole in the running back room. To the surprise of many, the Seahawks elected to use their 2026 first-round pick—the final pick of the first round—on Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price.

Price spent the entirety of his three-year college career deputizing for Love, never amassing more than 121 carries and 163 snaps in a season, but Price was an extremely efficient contributor. In three seasons with the Fighting Irish, Price averaged 6.0 yards per carry and rushed for 1690 yards and 21 touchdowns. Per PFF, he also forced 54 tackles and averaged4.28 yards after contact per attempt.

Beyond Love, the 2026 running back class didn’t possess too much talent, but Price was a worthy RB2.Now, Price finds himself with a clear path to a sizable role with the reigning Super Bowl champions. Charbonnet is unlikely to return to the field before Week 1, which means Price could be the lead back early doors, giving him ample time to state his case for the starting job.

The talent is there. The ability to ride tackles with balance is great, but Price needs to improve as a pass-catcher to really earn a three-down role. He’s going early in fantasy drafts, though. His current ADP is around the fifth round.

KC Concepcion (Cleveland Browns, WR)

Bye Week: Week 11
ADP: 123.5
RPOY Odds:
Rec. Yards O/U:

There’s a common misconception that landing spot is everything in fantasy football. Sure, it plays a significant part in a player’s projections, but it’s not the whole story. Talent so often prevails.

KC Concepcion could follow that path. The Browns drafted Concepcion with the 24th overall pick in the NFL Draft, and he joined one of the most depleted offenses in theNFL—a unit that finished 31st in EPA per play in 2025, per RBSDM.

An improved offensive line on paper, as well as the addition of Concepcion and fellow rookie receiver Denzel Boston, should make the Browns better in the long run, but things could still take time to gel in 2026. However, Concepcion could still hit the ground running for theBrowns. The 21-year-old receiver is electric with the ball in his hands, and caught 61 passes for 919 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025, averaging 7.2 yards after the catch per reception, and forcing 14 missed tackles.

Drops have been an issue for Concepcion, with double-digit drop rates over the last two seasons—with two separate teams—plaguing him. But there’s just so much talent and explosiveness to bet on. And though the Browns’ quarterback situation is murky, Concepcion will likely enter the season as someone Todd Monken will want to build around.

Makai Lemon (Philadelphia Eagles, WR)

Bye Week: Week 10
ADP: 84
RPOY Odds:
Rec. Yards O/U:

Makai Lemon’s landing spot feels like the inverse of Concepcion’s. The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Lemon with the 20th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in an attempt to bolster their receiving room. The former USC wideout was incredibly productive in his final year in college, catching 79 passes for 1156 yards and seven touchdowns, and has aptly earned comparisons to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jaxon Smith-Njigba for his work in the slot.

Lemon isn’t a physically imposing player, but he just has a knack for catching the football.He dropped just four passes in college and finds ways to beat his opponent to the ball in contested catch scenarios, even at 5-foot-11 and 195 lbs. Lemon does have physical traits; he’s a smooth and wicked route runner and does have excellent YAC-ability, but a lot of his game is predicated on his know-who, which is going to make him a solid pro.

The landing spot is intriguing. A.J. Brown is all but leaving the Eagles this offseason, which means DeVonta Smith and Lemon will be bumped up in the pecking order, but the Eagles’ passing game has floundered at times over the last few years, especially in 2025. Lemon’s best usage comes in the middle of the field, which is historically an area where Jalen Hurts has struggled to, or elected not to, target. Drafting Lemon could be an indicator that efforts to open up the middle of the field are on the way. If they are, expect a solid rookie season from Lemon.

Kenyon Sadiq (New York Jets, TE)

Bye Week: Week 13
ADP: 149.0
RPOY Odds:
Rec. Yards O/U:

In a world where tight ends are becoming more valuable to NFL teams, Kenyon Sadiq has entered the league at the perfect time. The former Oregon weapon is a physical freak. At 6-foot-3 and 241 lbs, Sadiq doesn’t have the ideal height for a tight end, but runs a 4.39 40-time and is one of the most explosive tight ends you’ll ever see on film. If he reaches anything close to his potential in the NFL, defenses will have fits.

Along with Omar Cooper Jr., Sadiq was drafted by the New York Jets to completely revamp their receiving room. Pairing Sadiq and Cooper with Garrett Wilson gives them an exciting core with a wide range of skills. That might mean targets could be harder to come by for the rookie pairing, but Sadiq’s blocking ability means he’ll be on the field for most snaps.

Sadiq is currently being drafted around the 149th pick, so he’s not coming off the board early and is around the TE18 spot. A lot of that could be down to overall question marks about the Jets, but with Geno Smith hoping to prove he can write one more final chapter in his career renaissance, and a young and hungry offensive line, the Jets’ offense could surprise a few people, and Sadiq could play a pivotal role.

Photo Credit: AP/John Amis