Exiting the NFL Combine, we are digging into the 2026 fantasy rookie quarterback tiers for Dynasty rookie drafts, startups, and seasonal formats.

Even before the NFL Draft in April, rookies are available in Best Ball formats across all platforms.

Now that the Combine has passed, we have a full picture of the athletic data on this incoming quarterback class.

That information gets applied to athletic models and layered alongside production profiles to shape each prospect's complete portfolio.

Find the pre-draft profile for every notable fantasy prospect in our 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!

The quarterback position for fantasy is the one that has the most significant difference in terms of success at the position when compared to “real” football.

Scouting and analyzing how collegiate passers will translate to the NFL has been an ongoing battle that has suffered more losses than wins.

The good news is that we are not selecting these passers with the real-life ramifications that an NFL franchise faces when a player evaluation is missed.

We also have the benefit of knowing which quarterback archetypes can access fantasy upside and adjust accordingly.

This class does not have a wealth of mobility paired with passing production.

With SuperFlex and 2QB formats rising in popularity and adding relevance to the position, the top of the position has become more pertinent in Dynasty Rookie Drafts.

That boosts the quarterbacks who could have floor capability.

However, that later bucket of passers who rely solely on passing production to create fantasy points has minimal value.

It is mainly replaceable in formats requiring you to start one player at the position.

While the position continues to grow, until formats that allow multiple starting quarterbacks to become the industry standard, the quarterback position remains a supply-and-demand game that favors suppressing incoming rookies, since so many fantasy leagues still start one quarterback.

This quarterback class continues a soft runout for quarterback prospects.

The 2024 draft class had six quarterbacks selected in the opening 12 picks, but it has been the standout over recent seasons.

In 2025, we had two first-round quarterbacks.

In 2023, we had three.

In 2022, only one quarterback was selected in the first 70 picks, and he (Kenny Pickett) was selected 20th overall.

This class has only one quarterback locked into front-end draft capital.

This quarterback group is marked by one primary asset that we know will be the first selection of the draft, and then several question marks.

Jump To:

• Tier 1 Rookie Quarterbacks
• Tier 2 Rookie Quarterbacks
• Tier 3 Rookie Quarterbacks
• Tier 4 Rookie Quarterbacks
• Fantasy Football Rankings

Don't Miss Out on The Best Fantasy Football Coverage in the Business

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From rankings to the best draft strategies, Sharp Football has everything you need to get ready for the fantasy season in our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, powered by premier fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar.

Save more by bundling the Draft Kit with our in-season fantasy package that features Rich's comprehensive “Worksheet” preview of every game, every week of the NFL season.

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2026 Tier 1 Rookie Quarterbacks

Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

Rookie Age*: 22.9

*Age on 9/1/26

The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner is where this draft will kick off.

Mendoza transferred to Indiana after two seasons at Cal, where he and the team reeled off a 16-0 season and a National Championship.

After throwing 30 passing touchdowns over his two seasons at Cal, Mendoza threw 41 passing touchdowns last season.

The former 3-star recruit improved his completion percentage and yards per pass attempt average in all three seasons in college.

His final season completion percentage (72%) ranks 94th percentile, while his touchdown to interception rate (41 to 6) ranks 92nd percentile, and his 9.3 yards per pass attempt sits 84th percentile among all prospects since 2000.

Mendoza’s calling cards are that he has prototypical size (6-foot-5 and 236 pounds) and plays on schedule with accuracy.

A class-high 79% of his throws were on target in 2025.

The seasoning for Mendoza is that he played his best in high-leverage situations.

On 139 career dropbacks in the red zone, Mendoza threw only 1 interception while taking 7 sacks.

This past season at Indiana, Mendoza took 69 dropbacks in the red zone, throwing 26 passing touchdowns with 0 interceptions and taking 2 sacks.

On third and fourth downs, Mendoza had a class-high 75.3% on-target throw rate and a class-high 14.7% touchdown rate.

Mendoza was ripping the ball downfield in those spots, too, averaging 10.9 yards per throw downfield on third and fourth downs, which was second in this class.

The nits to pick with Mendoza entering the NFL are how he will perform in a more challenging environment and how he will adapt his game to the current NFL.

There will be some who ask about how his offensive environment at the college level was perfectly in tune with his strengths.

Mendoza had the lowest drop rate in this class (2.2%).

Mendoza benefited from a heavy RPO offense predicated on a high rate of throws outside the numbers and into traffic.

23.4% of his dropbacks and 25.4% of his pass attempts last season were on RPO calls, by far the highest rates of this class.

The next-closest quarterback in both departments was Mark Gronowski of Iowa, who had a 16.3% RPO dropback rate and 16.4% of his pass attempts on those play calls.

Mendoza only threw 55.2% of his passes over the middle of the field (12th in this class).

If you look at the current state of the NFL, we have seen a spike in more condensed formations and a continued spike in playing under center, turning your back to the defense, and using traditional play action.

That has increased relevancy, knowing that we have close to 100% certainty that Mendoza will be selected first overall by the Raiders, who just hired Klint Kubiak as their head coach.

In the past two seasons with the Seahawks and Saints, Kubiak’s passers have had under-center rates of 54.8% (2nd in the league) and 42.5% (5th).

Over his three collegiate seasons, Mendoza has had only six dropbacks under center.

While that does take a step of faith in transitioning to the NFL, Kubiak has elevated both Derek Carr and Sam Darnold, prospects who offer a manageable bar of expectations.

Despite playing in a heavy RPO scheme, Mendoza did make big-time throws.

Only 13.9% of his passes were at or behind the line of scrimmage (3rd-lowest rate in the class).

Only 14.4% of his throws were 20 or more yards downfield (10th), but he had the highest on-target throw rate (54.5%) on those passes.

Even if you are factoring in that his infrastructure of systems and surrounding talent accentuated those characteristics, Mendoza did everything he was asked to a high degree.

Mendoza was also battle-tested due to his conference and postseason run.

On 303 dropbacks against Power Conference opponents, Mendoza led this class in completion rate (71.9%), yards per pass attempt (9.3), and touchdown rate (10.6%).

He had five games against top 10 defenses last season (Oregon twice, Iowa, Ohio State, and Miami).

Ohio State and Miami did make Mendoza work in both games, but overall, he completed 65.3% of his passes for 8.3 Y/A with 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

That quality schedule did give us a sample of Mendoza playing under pressure, which showcased some of the limitations we could see at the next level when the pass rush ramps up.

Under pressure against Ohio State and Miami, Mendoza was 9 of 16 (56.3%) for 93 yards (5.8 Y/A) with 0 touchdowns.

Kept clean in those games, he was 22 of 34 (64.7%) for 316 yards (9.3 Y/A).

At the end of the day, we are fully aware that Mendoza can have a high floor.

The questions (particularly for fantasy) are about his ceiling.

Mendoza has the profile as a weekly QB2 for fantasy who can moonlight as a QB1 during spike weeks and finish as a back-end QB1 in cumulative scoring.

From a modeling perspective, the closest comparison for Mendoza that I have is Sam Bradford.

The one thing Mendoza does have in his back pocket compared to the QB2 pocket passer group for fantasy is that he is not a complete zero in the running game.

Mendoza is not a run-first passer, but he is the 53rd percentile in career rushing output.

He had a 7.7% scramble rate last season, which was seventh in this class.

I don’t believe Mendoza has the full creativity of a Brock Purdy when things are out of structure, but the top-down fantasy archetype for him is in the same ballpark as Purdy.

2026 Tier 2 Rookie Quarterbacks

After Mendoza, we have a huge fall off at the position, with no guarantee that we see another passer taken in the first round.

Tier 2 is filled with question marks, but this group will largely be selected at worst on Day 2 of the draft based on the potential upside.

At one point in their college careers, all of these passers were considered locks for the first round.

We should see all of these players given a chance to compete for opportunities early in their careers, based on that, even if they all take a significant step of faith in being reliable starters.

Ty Simpson, Alabama

Rookie Age: 23.7

Simpson is the one player here still generating first-round buzz based on that stellar start to 2025.

We have had a strong indication throughout the early process that he will be the QB2 from this class, which keeps him ahead of the others in the tier since he has the best odds of starting out of the package, whether that is right or wrong.

Simpson is a former 5-star recruit who bided his time at Alabama, finally given a chance to start this season after Jalen Milroe left.

Simpson’s season could not have started any better.

Over the front half of the college football season, he was considered a contender for QB1 in this draft class and was adjacent to or ahead of Mendoza for some in terms of being the top quarterback in this class.

Whereas Mendoza closed the season strongly against high-end competition, Simpson dropped off.

Through the opening eight games last season, Simpson had completed 67.8% of his passes for 8.4 yards per pass attempt with 20 touchdowns to just 1 interception.

He threw multiple passing touchdowns in all eight games.

Then over the final seven games, Simpson completed 60.3% of his passes for 6.5 yards per pass attempt, throwing 8 touchdowns to 4 interceptions.

He threw 1 or fewer touchdown passes in five of those seven games.

Simpson dealt with a plethora of ailments as the season wore on.

He had a back injury at the end of October, elbow bursitis for the final three weeks, and then suffered a fractured rib in the Rose Bowl to close his season.

Simpson had gastritis that needed medication, which led to a rumored 20-pound weight loss during the season.

The Alabama run game was non-existent this past season, and Ryan Williams took a massive step back from his 2024 output.

There is no shortage of excuses for Simpson’s regression, but what we are left with is still a huge question mark.

He is entering the league as an older, inexperienced player with no full season in college of sustained production that warrants the use of high draft capital.

If he does end up in Round 1, he will have one of the lightest resumes of any Day 1 selection with only 523 career pass attempts.

Just six quarterbacks in the 2000s have been selected in the first round with fewer pass attempts:

• Trey Lance (288)
• Cam Newton (292)
• Michael Vick (343)
• Anthony Richardson (393)
• Mark Sanchez (487)
• Kyler Murray (519)

Nearly all of those quarterbacks had their low passing volume impacted by elite rushing ability.

Sanchez is arguably the closest resemblance to Simpson’s trajectory.

There have been another six quarterbacks selected in the first round with fewer than 600 career attempts:

• Mac Jones (556)
• Akili Smith (571)
• Mitch Trubisky (572)
• Carson Wentz (583)
• Alex Smith (587)
• Dwayne Haskins (590)

Combining all of those quarterbacks, we are not working with a high-end hit rate.

That is especially true when removing rushing upside, something we are not counting on from Simpson, who is a traditional dropback passer.

That limited sample gives us a mixed bag with Simpson as a passer as well.

Simpson did have 440 dropbacks against Power Conference competition (second in this class in 2025), but his 71.7% on-target rate in those games ranked 11th in this class, while his 7.3 yards per pass attempt average ranked 12th.

Simpson was blitzed on 44.4% of his dropbacks last year, the second-highest rate in the class.

On those blitzes, he averaged 6.8 yards per pass attempt, which was 12th out of the 16 quarterbacks invited to the NFL Combine.

Under pressure, Simpson posted 5.9 yards per pass attempt, which was 10th.

Removing screens. Simpson’s 7.6 yards per pass attempt ranked 12th.

Further complicating Simpson’s projection is that he lacks elite traits.

At 6-foot-1 and 211 pounds, he lacks prototypical size.

That is not a death knell, but almost every comparable first-round pick who has succeeded in that range of size has possessed mobility and out-of-the-structure creation as a cornerstone to their game.

The most recent example is Caleb Williams (6-foot-1 and 214 pounds), who has struggled in the traditional dropback game aspect through his first two seasons but has tremendous out-of-structure ability.

While Simpson’s overall sample size is small, he was asked to do more translational work on how offenses play in the NFL.

Only 6.5% of his dropbacks were RPO play calls, while he had the most dropbacks under center (48) of this class.

Simpson also had 8.9% of his passes dropped last season, which was the second-highest of this class.

Drew Allar, Penn State

Rookie Age: 22.5

Allar is arguably the most polarizing prospect in this draft class, or at least the most volatile.

He has all the physical traits that the league looks for.

At 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds, Allar has a big arm with experience.

He is also the youngest quarterback in this draft class.

The rub is that he lacks consistency overall while playing at his worst when games were sped up against front-end competition.

Allar had an incomplete 2025 season, appearing in just six games due to a season-ending ankle injury.

Penn State did not do him many favors based on scheduling before his injury.

They opened the year facing four bottom-rung opponents in Allar’s five complete games.

He only had 71 attempts against Power Conference opponents.

Despite the lack of strong competition while on the field, Allar only threw for 6.9 yards per pass attempt (13th in this class).

He completed a class-low 50% of his passes on third and fourth downs.

From a career perspective, Allar threw 4.7 touchdown passes to every interception for his career, which is 92nd percentile.

Unfortunately, his 63.2% career completion rate ranks in the 52nd percentile, while his 7.4 yards per pass attempt ranks in the 27th percentile.

Big spots are where we lacked a spark from Allar.

In the 2024 postseason run, Allar completed just 51.7% of his passes for 6.1 yards per pass attempt over those four games.

In two career starts against Ohio State, Allar was 30 of 62 (48.4%) for 337 yards (5.4 Y/A).

In their 2023 Bowl Game against Ole Miss, Allar completed 48.7% of his passes, although he did have a pair of touchdowns.

His athleticism and arm talent are not in question, but all of that makes Allar a bet on the traits and cache he was a 5-star recruit entering school.

His size, age, and athletic upside will surely be alluring to an organization that believes he was mismanaged during his development, a common criticism.

Allar also has some athleticism to go with his size.

He rushed for 16.3 yards per game with 12 touchdowns over his career.

His 10.8% scramble rate last season was third in this class.

Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

Rookie Age: 24.6

After a breakout season in 2024, throwing 29 touchdowns and for 311.7 yards per game, Nussmeier took a step back last season, throwing just 12 touchdowns while averaging 214.1 yards per game over his nine games played.

As a common thread so far in this group, Nussmeier’s 2025 campaign was affected and ultimately cut short by an abdominal injury.

Nussmeier stated at the NFL Combine that the injury occurred in the preseason during fall camp and impacted his ability to push the ball downfield.

That shows up noticeably in his splits from his sample this season and a year ago.

On top of the limitations that he faced while throwing the football, 8.5% of Nussmeier’s passes were dropped last season after a 6.4% rate in 2024.

LSU also lost four offensive linemen from 2024 to the NFL draft, which impacted play up front.

That compounded any restrictions he faced when throwing downfield, paired with a spike in drops.

That opened the door for some poor play on his own end.

He took a sack on 19% of his pressures this past season after a 9.8% rate in 2024.

Balancing out the playing with more surrounding NFL talent on offense in 2024 (starting tight end Mason Taylor also left via the draft) and how much of his 2025 regression was due solely to his injuries is a tough ask.

To compound matters, similar to Simpson, Nussmeier is an undersized pocket passer.

Nussmeier is 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds.

He does have impressive arm talent for his size, but also comes with a 30th-percentile career touchdown-to-interception rate (2.2:1).

We can take his 7.5 yards per pass attempt with a grain of salt, but it is also in the 30th percentile.

There is next to zero rushing component to Nussmeier’s game to offset any potential limitations as a passer.

His career rushing production ranks in the 12th percentile, and he has the lowest scramble rate in this draft class (2.3%).

He is the son of Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.

His background as the son of an NFL coach will surely carry some bonus points for organizations, but Nussmeier is another volatile prospect who needs development at the next level.

With a worse rushing profile than both Allar and Simpson, while being older than both, Nussmeier makes for a thinner bet for fantasy purposes.

Cade Klubnik, Clemson

Rookie Age: 22.9

Klubnik is another quarterback here who was coming off a strong 2024 season, but lost ground after a rocky 2025 season.

After 36 passing touchdowns to 6 interceptions in 2024, Klubnik tossed 16 touchdowns with 6 interceptions last season at Clemson.

Looking under the hood at both seasons (and his 2023 season), Klubnik appears to have just run hot in the touchdown department in 2024, and that was the outlier.

His completion rate, depth of target, and yards per pass attempt were all in a similar line this season, but he went from a 7.4% touchdown rate in 2024 to 4.1% this past season.

Klubnik is another quarterback who is on the smaller end (6-foot-2 and 207 pounds), but he is young, experienced, and has more athleticism to avoid sacks and create rushing lanes.

He has the most pass attempts from this draft class while being the second-youngest passer available.

Klubnik was pressured at the third-highest rate of his draft class (34.3%) but was second in sack rate on those pressures (11.6%).

Klubnik has a 63rd-percentile rushing profile, which ranks sixth in this class.

He also had the third-best big-time throw rate when pressured (7.6%).

8.5% of his passes were also dropped, the third-highest rate of this class.

Klubnik shows the upside plays, but it is the down-to-down consistency and winning in high-leverage spots that he has to iron out to develop into a multi-year starter over being a career backup.

His career rate of 7.1 yards per pass attempt ranks 13th percentile.

His 3.0 touchdown-to-interception rate is at the 66th percentile but is heavily influenced by his unsustainable efficiency in 2024.

After a class-high 10.3% touchdown rate on third downs last season, he had a class-low 1% rate this season.

After a class-high 23.8% touchdown rate in the red zone in 2024, he was at 11.1% this season.

Carson Beck, Miami

Rookie Age: 23.8

Beck has the physical profile (6-foot-5 and 233 pounds) and experience as a three-year starter, which are going to keep the lights on for him in April to be selected in a spot with the potential to play sooner than later.

Beck has made a class-high 55 appearances over six seasons.

His first year as a starter was his best, which makes him tougher to gauge.

As a 21-year-old starter in 2023, Beck completed 72.4% of his passes for 9.5 yards per pass attempt.

A UCL injury marred his 2024 season.

He threw for more touchdowns (28) than he did in 2023 (24), but took efficiency hits in every other area.

This past season with Miami, Beck got back on track by matching his career-best 72.4% completion rate with 30 touchdowns.

For his career, his 69.5% completion rate is 96th percentile, while his 8.4 yards per pass attempt is 75th percentile.

Some handholding aided that production.

25.2% of Beck’s passes at Miami were at or behind the line of scrimmage, which was the second-highest rate of this class.

24.9% of his passes were screens, the highest rate of this class.

Beck also threw a class-high 13 touchdowns on throws of 20 or more yards downfield last season, but when he was pushing the ball, he was more prone to turnovers.

Beck threw 12 interceptions in each of his final two seasons.

Don't Miss Out on The Best Fantasy Football Coverage in the Business

Like the NFL, fantasy football never sleeps.

From rankings to the best draft strategies, Sharp Football has everything you need to get ready for the fantasy season in our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, powered by premier fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar.

Save more by bundling the Draft Kit with our in-season fantasy package that features Rich's comprehensive “Worksheet” preview of every game, every week of the NFL season.

Click here for more information about our fantasy coverage!

2026 Tier 3 Rookie Quarterbacks

After the questionable Tier 2 grouping, we have a short tier of players who are more “fun” from the range of quarterbacks who are longer shots to be sustainable NFL starters.

This two-person tier features players with greater fantasy appeal through their legs.

Even if passing limitations cap their long-term ability to start games, when they do find the field, they are at least capable of producing points via rushing.

Taylen Green, Arkansas

Rookie Age: 23.9

Green is the definitive throwback “Konami” quarterback of this draft class.

He has a rare athletic profile (6-foot-6 and 227 pounds) and came away from the NFL Combine by registering a 99th-percentile physical profile grade on my end by running a 4.37 40-yard dash with a 43.5-inch vertical.

Those were both records for the position at face value, without any adjustments for size.

Green backed that up on the field with an 89th percentile rushing profile, rushing for 45.4 yards per game over his career to go along with 35 rushing scores.

One thing we always talk about with mobile passers is that it matters in a vacuum when you are starting NFL games, but if you are going to continue to start NFL games, you have to be an effective passer and win from the pocket.

That is where all of the questions come from for Green.

His final season yards per pass attempt average (8.3) is 56th percentile, but the 1.7 touchdown-to-interception rate is 14th percentile, while his 60.7% completion rate is 27th percentile.

Green had the highest turnover-worthy throw rate (5.3%) in this class.

When pressured, Green was highly ineffective as a passer.

Under pressure, he completed a class-low 36.8% of his passes for 4.9 yards per attempt (second to last) and a class-worst 7.8% turnover-worth play rate.

22.7% of Green’s pressures were credited as his own doing, which was the second-highest rate in the class.

On the surface, Green looks like a discounted version of Anthony Richardson.

He will be drafted based on his athletic traits, but he will not carry nearly the same draft investment as Richardson.

On the one hand, that can allow Green to develop more at the next level, rather than being thrown into the deep end and having his passing shortcomings exposed early on.

In SuperFlex formats, Green is going to offer more upside for investment than just about any other pick outside of the first round of those rookie drafts.

On the other hand, that adds some volatility to when Green does start in the NFL, while prospects with this poor level of passing measurables rarely turn things around at the next level.

Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

Rookie Age: 24.5

Pavia has one of the most complete profiles of the dual-threat passers in this draft.

Pavia has four seasons of experience between New Mexico State and Vanderbilt.

He is coming off his best passing season, completing 70.6% of his passes (89th percentile) for 9.4 yards per pass attempt (86th percentile) with 29 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.

Pavia also rushed for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The question marks for Pavia arise from being a much older prospect and having his best passing season at an older point in his career.

Before 2025, he had not completed more than 60.4% of his passes in a season with a high mark of 8.1 yards per pass attempt.

He can create with his legs, but his shorter size (5-foot-10) does emphasize having cleaner pockets to work from, something that is harder to bank on in the NFL.

This shows up in his profile, even in his best collegiate season.

Pavia averaged a class-high 10.7 yards per pass attempt from a clean pocket this season, but 5.5 Y/A when pressured (13th).

It is rare to see a quarterback of his size win as a passer in the NFL, especially given the current defensive meta, which forces passers to win consistently in the middle of the field.

Whenever Pavia does find the field, however, he will use his legs via designed runs or scrambling.

He has a 92nd-percentile career rushing profile, rushing for 3,094 yards and 31 touchdowns over his college career.

Pavia scrambled on 11.2% of his dropbacks in 2025, the second-highest rate in this class.

2026 Tier 4 Rookie Quarterbacks

• Cole Payton, North Dakota State, Rookie Age: 23.8
• Haynes King, Georgia Tech, Rookie Age: 23.9
• Joey Aguilar, Tennessee, Rookie Age: 25.2
• Joe Fagnano, Connecticut, Rookie Age: 26.4
• Behren Morton, Texas Tech, Rookie Age: 23.9
• Luke Altmyer, Illinois, Rookie Age: 23.9
• Sawyer Robertson, Baylor, Rookie Age: 23.6
• Jalon Daniels, Kansas, Rookie Age: 23.8

We are into the back end of the position.

No one here is expected to be drafted until Day 3 of the NFL Draft, which makes them extremely tough bets in rookie drafts.

There will be players here who will inevitably start games, but we are not projected as sustainable starters in this range.

Cole Payton is the longer shot in having solid draft investment, but he has the requisite size (6-foot-3 and 232 pounds) and combination of passing and rushing output to keep the lights on if he does find his way on a roster where he can compete for playing time at some point.

Payton has 31 career rushing touchdowns and led this class with an 18% scramble rate in 2025.

The rub is that he only has one season as a starter at a small school, playing in a system designed to elevate his passing production.

Playing in a system designed for Payton to use his legs and take shots downfield, Payton averaged a gaudy class-high 12.3 yards per pass attempt.

Payton averaged 3.33 seconds from snap to throw, the highest of this class.

That is just not a sustainable approach to what he will be asked to do in the NFL.

Haynes King has a stellar rushing profile, but he needs significant development playing in NFL offenses.

King rushed for 37 touchdowns at Georgia Tech, with double-digit scores in each of the past three seasons.

In a run-first scheme, he was just not asked to do a lot as a passer.

King averaged 7.5 air yards per throw (2nd lowest in the class).

He threw a class-high 25.5% of his passes at or behind the line of scrimmage.

When blitzed, King averaged a class-low 6.5 yards per pass attempt.

In the red zone, King has a class-low completion rate of 41.3%.

Could Joe Fagnano be this year’s Tyler Shough?

Fagnano is a rare seven-year player who will be 26 years old as a rookie.

Fagnano threw 28 touchdowns to only 1 interception this past season at UConn, giving him 48 touchdowns to 5 interceptions over the past two seasons.

Despite playing in seven seasons, Fagnano only logged 25 career starts during his time at Maine and UConn.

Shough was taken at pick 40.

Unlike Shough, Fagnano is carrying next to no draft buzz or physical traits pushing his stock, giving him little runway for forced playing time.

Jalon Daniels averaged a class-low 4.8 yards per pass attempt under pressure and a class-high 12.9% interception rate in the red zone.

2026 Rookie Quarterback Fantasy Football Rankings

Exiting the NFL Combine, we are digging into the 2026 fantasy rookie running back tiers for Dynasty rookie drafts, startups, and seasonal formats.

Even before the NFL Draft in April, rookies are available in Best Ball formats across all platforms.

Now that the Combine has passed, we have a full picture of the athletic data on this incoming running back class.

That information gets applied to athletic models and layered alongside production profiles to shape each prospect's complete portfolio.

Find the pre-draft profile for every notable fantasy prospect in our 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!

We will add notes on those prospects as we receive additional athletic testing data from Pro Days.

However, athletic testing has a low correlation to actual fantasy output.

When it does, it is typically counted twice for a productive player.

But when a prospect has subpar athletic testing paired with a limited or nonexistent production resume, we are playing with fire when attempting to elevate or count on that player for NFL production.

Nothing matters more to the position than invested draft capital for running backs.

Over the past decade, fantasy production in year one through year three has had a 32% correlation with draft capital alone.

Post-draft, we’ll have the added influence of draft investment and landing spot to add to the layout, but opportunity is the name of the game for the running back position.

If you can find the field and accrue touches, that’s the starting block we care about.

Because of that, I have the least conviction in my priors heading into the NFL at the running back position.

If a back gets tangible volume, he is relevant at the position.

That will be particularly relevant for this class, which has one clear-cut draft pick at the top and then a guessing game about how the order of the remaining backs comes off the board.

This class is particularly one in which I would not get hung up on individual player ranking.

Jump To:

• Tier 1 Rookie Running Backs
• Tier 2 Rookie Running Backs
• Tier 3 Rookie Running Backs
• Tier 4 Rookie Running Backs
• Fantasy Football Rankings

Don't Miss Out on The Best Fantasy Football Coverage in the Business

Like the NFL, fantasy football never sleeps.

From rankings to the best draft strategies, Sharp Football has everything you need to get ready for the fantasy season in our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, powered by premier fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar.

Save more by bundling the Draft Kit with our in-season fantasy package that features Rich's comprehensive “Worksheet” preview of every game, every week of the NFL season.

Click here for more information about our fantasy coverage!

2026 Tier 1 Rookie Running Backs

Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

Rookie Age*: 21.3

*Age on 9/1/26

As a 19-year-old sophomore in 2024, Love was given the keys to the Notre Dame backfield, and he delivered on all of the expectations as the top running back recruit entering college.

That season, Love turned 191 touches into 1,362 total yards (7.1 yards per touch) and 19 touchdowns.

Following that breakout, Love came back this past season at age 20 and produced 1,652 yards and 21 scores on 226 touches (7.3 yards per touch).

He rushed for 6.9 yards per carry in each of his two seasons as the lead back.

Love led this running back class with 4.2 yards after contact per rush.

This past season, Love did that with only 35.2% of his rushes coming against light boxes (six or fewer defenders), the lowest rate in the class.

When Love faced those light boxes, he punished them with a gaudy 9.1 yards per attempt.

That led the country this past season.

For some added context, going back to the last decade of early-round running backs, Love’s 9.1 YPC against light boxes is by far the highest in his final season.

Ashton Jeanty posted 8.0 YPC against light boxes in his final season, which was the most by a first-round running back over the past decade.

Love cleared him by over a full yard on those attempts.

Of course, Love may not get to see many light box runs in the NFL.

25.1% of Love’s runs came against heavy boxes (2nd highest in this class) since everyone knew he was getting the ball.

Against those loaded boxes, Love posted 5.0 YPC, which was second in this class.

When hit at or behind the line of scrimmage, Love averaged 2.5 yards per carry (2nd) and forced a missed tackle on 32.5% of those runs, the highest rate in the class.

When Love gets into space, he is electric.

He averaged a robust 10.0 yards per rush when he was contacted beyond the line of scrimmage.

Not only did that lead all running backs in this class, but that was also the highest yards per rush on runs hit beyond the line of scrimmage for a back with 100-plus attempts over the past 10 years.

I do not believe Love is as good a pass catcher right now as Reggie Bush or Jahmyr Gibbs were entering the NFL (players whom Love is frequently compared to), but he has a solid foundation in that area to build on as he enters the league.

Love caught 28 and 27 passes in each of his two seasons as the starter.

In 2025, Love was targeted on 22.2% of his routes (2nd in the class) and posted 1.83 yards per route run (3rd).

Love also finished with the fifth-highest grade in pass protection in this class per Pro Football Focus in 2025.

Apply any grains of salt you have to, but Love is a willing player in protection.

We did not see Love do much at the NFL Combine, but he did run a 4.36 40-yard dash at 6-foot, 212 pounds.

That 96th-percentile speed score was more than he needed to cement himself as the premier back in this draft class.

No prospect is guaranteed to succeed in the NFL, but Love truly checks every box.

He is young, athletic, and hyper productive.

In a class without much front-end talent, not only at the offensive skill positions, Love also stands out even greater among his peers in this class.

He is a complete player who can be inserted into an offense tomorrow as a foundational component.

If there is anything to really try and tear down with Love, he has a leaner build and has not yet handled a massive workload.

Low tread on the tires could also be another feature for him, but he has not had to shoulder a high workload to the degree of other front-end prospects.

2026 Tier 2 Rookie Running Backs

This is a year when the RB2 in this class could be one of several players.

I even go back and forth on who the RB2 is when ordering these players linearly, which is where the tiers come in.

Regardless of which running back you prefer as RB2 in this class, the secondary group of backs in this class should not be compared to Love or vaulted up rookie boards solely because they are the next in line.

Nobody here is a clean prospect, or we would not be talking about the chasm in projected draft capital expected to be invested in this group after Love.

The gap between where that second running back is selected compared to Love could be 50-plus picks.

We all have red on our dynasty ledgers when it comes to elevating the next wave of running backs up in rookie drafts.

Just this past season, we saw Kaleb Johnson being selected as the RB3 or RB4 in rookie drafts at the end of the first round.

The year before that, Trey Benson found his way into the first round of rookie drafts.

That is a reminder to tread lightly with this group, even if they do end up in a situation where things look favorable for their immediate path to touches.

Exiting the NFL Combine, we are digging into the 2026 fantasy rookie wide receiver tiers for Dynasty rookie drafts, startups, and seasonal formats.

Even before the NFL Draft in April, rookies are available in Best Ball formats across all platforms.

Now that the Combine has passed, we have a full picture of the athletic data on this incoming wide receiver class.

That information gets applied to athletic models and layered alongside production profiles to shape each prospect's complete portfolio.

Find the pre-draft profile for every notable fantasy prospect in our 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!

We will add notes on those prospects as we receive additional athletic testing data from Pro Days.

However, athletic testing has a low correlation to actual fantasy output.

When it does, it is typically counted twice for a productive player.

But when a prospect has subpar athletic testing paired with a limited or nonexistent production resume, we are playing with fire when attempting to elevate or count on that player for NFL production.

Setting up more of the process here, although I do prospect models for each skill position and will share the ranks for the players in those models, my ranks do not strictly follow my prospect models linearly.

I use prospect models similarly to how I use projection models for the NFL season.

We are looking for immediate market inefficiencies in leagues where we draft rookies before the NFL draft.

This class is not as objectively strong as previous seasons.

It is more built around specific archetypes that need proper development entering the NFL rather than a blue-chip alpha at the top, in the fashion of, say, Ja’Marr Chase.

That is not to say there are no intriguing options, but this class is one of the more wide-open classes I have covered.

Jump To:

• Tier 1 Rookie Wide Receivers
• Tier 2 Rookie Wide Receivers
• Tier 3 Rookie Wide Receivers
• Tier 4 Rookie Wide Receivers
• Tier 5 & 6 Rookie Wide Receivers
• Fantasy Football Rankings

Don't Miss Out on The Best Fantasy Football Coverage in the Business

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From rankings to the best draft strategies, Sharp Football has everything you need to get ready for the fantasy season in our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, powered by premier fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar.

Save more by bundling the Draft Kit with our in-season fantasy package that features Rich's comprehensive “Worksheet” preview of every game, every week of the NFL season.

Click here for more information about our fantasy coverage!

2026 Tier 1 Rookie Wide Receivers

We will shake things up along the way, but these are the three wideouts you will see at the top of most rankings heading into the draft.

This is a tightly packed group that could see some oscillation after the draft, depending on how things play out.

This year, the landing spots in the top half of the first round are not as wide open for target volume as we usually see in that area.

There is always long-term fluidity to the situation a player finds himself in, but the teams picking in the front half this April who have immediate openings for a contending lead target are the Titans, Browns, and Dolphins.

All of those teams have short-term concerns for the quality of offensive environments.

The Giants, Jets, Saints, and Ravens are in the mix to select a receiver, but all of those teams already have young WR1 options in place.

These guys would have trouble leapfrogging those receivers on their rookie deals as a premier target.

The Commanders and Chiefs are the most appealing spots.

Washington has a quarterback in place and does not have much right now aside from Terry McLaurin, who will be 31 this year.

Washington also has an out on his contract after this season if they choose to exercise it.

The Chiefs will have to decide on Rashee Rice long term, who is in the final season of his rookie contract.

Given his recent offseasons, it is hard to see them throwing a big contract in his direction.

The Rams at pick 13 are another appealing option.

Puka Nacua is set for a big payday, but this is one of the destinations where you would not be overly mad at having the No. 2 option, big picture, with Davante Adams set to be a free agent after the season.

Makai Lemon, USC

Rookie Age*: 22.2

*Age on 9/1/26

Starting with the 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner.

Following a 2024 breakout at age 20, where he posted 3.03 yards per route run playing alongside Ja’Kobi Lane and Zachariah Branch, Lemon snagged 79 receptions for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns this past season.

In 2025, Lemon was targeted on 29.3% of his routes (7th in this class) with 3.13 yards per route run (2nd).

He is one of only two wideouts in this class to average over 3.0 yards per route run against both man coverage (3.29) and zone coverage (3.09).

He produced a first down or touchdown on 13.6% of his routes (3rd) while posting 2.75 yards per team pass attempt (2nd).

Lemon is a plug-and-play producer who can win on all three levels.

He was excellent after the catch, forcing a missed tackle on 26.6% of his receptions (8th).

Lemon averaged 6.4 yards after catch per reception, which was the third-highest among receivers in this class with an average depth of target over 10.0 yards downfield.

USC did get him the ball in the screen game (21.3% of his targets), but Lemon also pulled in 64% of his targets on throws 20-plus yards downfield (16 of 25), which was fourth in this class.

He led this draft class in receptions on throws of 20 or more yards downfield.

Lemon dabbled a little bit early on as a cornerback, which shows up in his understanding of spacing in zone coverage and in his release package at the line of scrimmage.

If there are any nits to pick with Lemon on the field, it is that he has not logged a significant amount of time playing outside in college and is not built like a prototypical lead wideout in the traditional sense.

Lemon ran 70.7% of his routes from the slot last season (8th in this class), where he caught 52 passes for 791 yards and 7 touchdowns.

At 5-foot-11 and 192 pounds, Lemon has 30.5-inch arms (12th percentile) and 8.75-inch hands (6th percentile).

That was not an issue for him when he was forced to win the contested catch game, however.

He attacks the football and has won in his sample of contested targets.

His 2.2% career drop rate is the second-best in this class.

Lemon won 10 of his 15 contested catch opportunities (tied for 4th in this class).

He also converted 58.3% of his targets in the red zone (7 of 12) for scores, which was second in the class.

While Lemon is not built in the mold of Calvin Johnson, I would argue he is entering the NFL at a time when his archetype is more relevant than ever.

The current landscape for wideouts winning as a high-end target earning WR1 in today’s NFL is about versatility: being able to win at the full route tree, play inside and out, finding space against all of the disguised coverages shaping the defensive meta, and creating after the catch.

We are no longer in an NFL where the alpha X receiver is dominating targets and stacking the most fantasy points.

That was the case again in 2025.

The top-12 scorers at the position in points per game last season were Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith–Njigba, Ja’Marr Chase, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Rashee Rice, George Pickens, Drake London, Chris Olave, Davante Adams, Nico Collins, A.J. Brown, and CeeDee Lamb.

Pickens, Adams, Collins, and Brown are the only players among that group who are traditional X options.

The rest of those guys all move around and win in space.

The past seven receivers to lead the position in fantasy points per game have been Nacua, Chase, Lamb, Cooper Kupp (twice), Adams, and Michael Thomas.

That followed a dominant stretch from Antonio Brown.

We would love to have it all (Jeremiah Smith is on his way, gamers), but you no longer have to be Megatron or Julio Jones to be elite in our game.

Lemon may take a step of faith in projection winning outside because he was so dominant from the slot, but when tasked to do so, he posted 3.37 yards per route run as an outside receiver as well.

Lemon’s most popular comparables are St. Brown and Nacua.

Those two players were selected on Day 3 of the NFL Draft and were the best value picks of their positions in recent memory.

Lemon is going to be a front-end pick.

Coming off a massive season by Smith-Njigba is relevant here because JSN is the closest recent comparable to Lemon when factoring in draft capital.

Smith-Njigba had nearly identical measurables at the NFL Combine (6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, with 30.5-inch arms and 9-inch hands).

Like Lemon, Smith-Njigba was deployed as a primary slot receiver in college.

That did roadblock him, to a degree, for fantasy purposes in opening his career.

Smith-Njigba was drafted to a team with established target earners in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

Playing 67.6% and 77.4% of his snaps from the slot limited him in his first two seasons in the league when all three receivers were available.

But when given the runway to play as the feature WR1 in the offense, finally, Smith-Njigba flourished this past season.

Lemon may not have the same gaudy runout as Smith-Njigba, but he has the baseline for the type of receiver who has excelled for fantasy purposes.

Smith-Njigba’s recent success (and the undervalued nature of St. Brown and Nacua) will surely push Lemon’s draft stock in a weaker class.

That tale about Smith-Njigba is one to keep in mind if Lemon is drafted early, attached to an established target earner, and used primarily as a slot out of the package.

I doubt we are going to see Lemon completely flip to an exterior role to the same degree in year one, but Emeka Egbuka also had a higher slot rate in college than Lemon did as a first-round pick, and then just played 70% of his snaps out wide as a rookie, catching 63 passes for 938 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

Rookie Age: 22.1

Tyson has one of the best production resumes in this class.

Over four seasons at Colorado and Arizona State, Tyson has averaged 4.8 receptions (6th in this class) for 69.2 yards per game (4th) and 0.67 receiving touchdowns per game (3rd).

When Tyson was on the field in college (more on this later), he was the most dominant player in this class, accounting for 46.7% of Arizona State’s receiving yardage and 64.7% of their receiving scores.

This past season, Tyson was targeted on 32.3% of his routes (2nd).

He was in the slot for 24% of his routes, where he gobbled up target opportunities, drawing a target on 37.5% of his routes.

Tyson tends to freelance more of his routes from this group in a Stevie Johnson (or Jerry Jeudy) fashion, if we’re being negative, which can be as much a positive as a negative depending on his system in the NFL.

One reason Tyson takes some liberties with routes is that he is one of the best receivers in this class at understanding leverage and getting open against man coverage.

While that was a staple of Tyson’s game in college against man coverage, his success versus zone coverage was more of a mixed bag, something he will see a lot more of in the NFL.

Tyson posted 3.02 yards per route against man coverage with a target on a class-high 43.6% of his routes.

Against zone coverages, he posted 2.18 yards per route run with a target on 27.2% of his routes.

Those are still good rates against zone coverage, and he regularly gets open against zone.

Still, it is telling in the disparity just how much some of the liberties he takes in route running can raise the ceiling while running himself into a few more outs when navigating complex coverages, since you need the quarterback to see things the same way.

That can impact him depending on what type of quarterback he plays with in the NFL.

If Tyson is playing with a quarterback who expects you to be on time and running a 12-yard out at 12 yards, then that can get him into trouble.

But if he is playing with a quarterback who sees things the same way he does, he can thrive.

This recently came up with Josh Allen in commentary following the trade for D.J. Moore.

One area where Tyson needs to grow to the next level is with the ball.

For as good as he is at getting open in space, that did not translate with the football in his hands.

He has only averaged 5.1 yards after the catch for his career.

That is the 20th percentile for prospects since 2015.

In 2025, Tyson had a lower rate of missed tackles per reception (9.8%) than lid lifters such as Carnell Tate and Denzel Boston while averaging 3.0 fewer air yards per target than those guys.

When on the field, Tyson has the strongest full-field profile and route versatility of this trio.

He has reps at all three receiver positions, has manufactured production, and wins in every area.

The rub is that he has to stay on the field.

Tyson has missed time in every season and has missed a third of his available games due to injuries.

In 2022 with Colorado, he tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL.

That caused him to miss the remainder of that season and limited his 2023 season to only three games.

In 2024, he fractured his collarbone.

This past season, he missed three games due to a hamstring injury.

That prevented him from participating in NFL Combine testing outside the bench press.

Training for the Combine and focusing on sprinting drills could have aggravated that injury, but that initial injury was nearly four months ago.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba sat out nearly his entire final college season with a hamstring injury and then did not run at the Combine, but he alleviated any concerns at his Pro Day.

He will not do any athletic testing at his Pro Day, but Tyson will do positional drills for teams on April 17.

You can make the case that all of Tyson’s injuries are unrelated and that he has been a victim of bad luck, but his medical history will surely carry weight with some organizations regardless.

He is expected to be drafted after Lemon and Tate, but as noted in the opening of this tier, that could end up working out in his favor, given the landing spots at the top half of the draft.

If Tyson does slip into the back half of Round 1, the Eagles, Bills, 49ers, Chiefs, and Patriots all are in play for a wide receiver selection in that range, as well as not-so-fun spots in Cleveland (where his brother plays in the NBA) and Miami.

Carnell Tate, Ohio State

Rookie Age: 21.6

Tate is the latest projected first-round pick from an extended line of Ohio State receivers.

Tate improved his receiving yardage and touchdowns each season in college while playing alongside Marvin Harrison Jr, Emeka Egbuka, and Jeremiah Smith.

He closed this season catching 51 passes for 875 yards and 9 touchdowns over 11 games.

Tate had 2.14 yards per team pass attempt (WR11 in this class) while his 3.02 yards per route run were third.

The types of targets he earned helped anchor that yardage as he posted 17.2 yards per catch this past season.

53% of his targets resulted in a first down or touchdown (2nd in this class) while 17.7% of his receptions were scores (5th).

Tate was one of the best boundary receivers in the country last season, catching 12 of 14 contested targets (85.7%) while collecting 11 of 17 (64.7%) targets on throws 20 or more yards downfield.

Six of those resulted in touchdowns, tied for the most in this class.

His lack of forced missed tackles (only 11.8% of his receptions) was tied to usage.

Tate’s 14.6 air yards per target were the seventh-highest in this class.

Tate is the same weight as Lemon (192 pounds) but has a size advantage (6-foot-2) with longer arms (31.75) and huge hands (10.25) that show up as he wins in tight coverage.

He was not credited with a drop on his 66 targets.

You can make a strong case that Tate has the best hands in this class, and he makes tough catches for many receivers look routine.

Ironically, Tate has the inverse question marks about his versatility than we covered with Lemon.

Ohio State used Tate as their lid lifter.

He played 86.8% of his career snaps out wide and received next to no manufactured production.

That limited his production after the catch.

10.6% of his targets were screens.

We only have a small sample (only 30 routes), but when Tate did play from the slot last year, he posted a robust 5.0 yards per route run.

He may not be a player in the ilk we covered with Lemon getting peppered with zone looks, but Tate can win as a vertical slot.

While playing outside, Tate was also an asset in the run game, something teams will notice.

Pro Football Focus gave Tate the fourth-highest run blocking grade in this class.

The under-the-hood metrics for Tate look solid for a player next to a talent like Jeremiah Smith.

The biggest nit to pick with Tate in setting ceiling expectations is that he was never a truly dominant target earner playing alongside front-end receivers.

Would he have had the same type of target volume as Lemon or Tyson in those situations?

We don’t know, but even for the recent run of Ohio State receivers, Tate has a lighter profile of counting production entering the NFL.

He never hit 1,000 yards in a season and averaged 3.1 receptions per game over his career.

In 14 career games against ranked opponents, Tate averaged 2.9 receptions for 37.5 yards per game.

To provide some context to that, here are all of the first-round receivers who averaged fewer than 4.0 receptions per game over their college careers and their subsequent WR3 or better scoring seasons per game to date.

Now, to be clear, I do not believe this is a make-or-break data point (thresholds are never a be-all, end-all) for Tate, and I am more than into his potential to get a chance to grow as a feature receiver in the NFL.

Just some added perspective on how rare we have seen front-end picks have this type of limited production.

The first thing that stands out here is another mark of how much the league has overvalued speed entering the league.

There are so many fast guys who were only one-dimensional at the college level and struggled to develop in the NFL.

Especially in the same projected draft range as Tate, who is expected to be a top-10 pick.

Tate does win vertically, but he wins with nuance and route running rather than by blowing past defensive backs.

His 4.53 forty was brought up as a negative at the NFL Combine, but it is not a detriment because he tracks balls as well as anyone in this class and has great body control and a large catch radius.

If he were just fast with his profile, it would be more concerning.

I believe that fresh out of the packaging, Lemon and Tyson have an edge in earning full-field targets.

The 34-player sample above has a 29.4% rate of delivering at least one WR1 scoring season, but 47.1% also failed to turn in at least one WR3-or-better campaign, and 58.8% failed to turn in a WR2-or-better season so far.

I do not believe Tate has the after-the-catch athleticism to be on the Demaryius Thomas or Odell Beckham spectrum here, leaving Roddy White as the apex range of outcomes.

Dating myself, Javon Walker feels like an appropriate ceiling comparison.

2026 Tier 2 Rookie Wide Receivers

We are taking a small jump to another three-player tier.

The group here is not drastically far off from the previous tier and should push for first-round draft capital.

Exiting the NFL Combine, we are digging into the 2026 fantasy rookie tight end tiers for Dynasty rookie drafts, startups, and seasonal formats.

Even before the NFL Draft in April, rookies are available in Best Ball formats across all platforms.

Now that the Combine has passed, we have a full picture of the athletic data on this incoming tight end class.

That information gets applied to athletic models and layered alongside production profiles to shape each prospect's complete portfolio.

Find the pre-draft profile for every notable fantasy prospect in our 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!

We will add notes on those prospects as we receive additional athletic testing data from Pro Days.

However, athletic testing has a low correlation to actual fantasy output.

When it does, it is typically counted twice for a productive player.

But when a prospect has subpar athletic testing and a limited or nonexistent production resume, we are playing with fire when attempting to elevate or rely on that player for NFL production.

Post-draft, we’ll have the added influence of draft investment and landing spot to add to the layout.

The tight end position has received an injection of much-needed youth in recent seasons.

We have had a rookie tight end close the season as a TE1 scorer in four of the past five seasons.

The NFL landscape has not only seen more young tight ends enter the league in recent seasons, but the league as a whole has shifted to using the position more to counter the rise of defensive backs and the spike in shell coverages.

The past two seasons have seen the highest 12-personnel rates since tracking began.

In 2025, that rate was 22.2% of offensive snaps.

13 personnel was used at a season-high 5.2%.

Tight end target rates have risen from the year prior in each of the past four seasons.

In 2025, tight ends had their most collective receptions per game (5.3) in the 2000s.

The 53.3 receiving yards per game from tight ends were the second most in a year in the 2000s, trailing only 2015 (53.8).

The 0.42 receiving touchdowns per game from tight ends trails only 2013 (0.46) and 2020 (0.45) over that span.

The position is being used more frequently, and there is a clear emphasis on its importance to NFL teams amid the NFL's current shift.

A record 27 tight ends were invited to the NFL Combine this year.

The 2026 class has another objectively strong group of players who can make an immediate impact at the top.

Jump To:

• Tier 1 Rookie Tight Ends
• Tier 2 Rookie Tight Ends
• Tier 3 Rookie Tight Ends
• Tier 4 Rookie Tight Ends
• Tier 5 Rookie Tight Ends
• Fantasy Football Rankings

Don't Miss Out on The Best Fantasy Football Coverage in the Business

Like the NFL, fantasy football never sleeps.

From rankings to the best draft strategies, Sharp Football has everything you need to get ready for the fantasy season in our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, powered by premier fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar.

Save more by bundling the Draft Kit with our in-season fantasy package that features Rich's comprehensive “Worksheet” preview of every game, every week of the NFL season.

Click here for more information about our fantasy coverage!

2026 Tier 1 Rookie Tight Ends

Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

Rookie Age*: 21.5

*Age on 9/1/26

Sadiq had his first full season of playing time after Terrance Ferguson left for the NFL, securing 51 receptions for 560 yards and 8 touchdowns as a true junior at Oregon this past season.

Sadiq is going to check a lot of boxes for many teams as a pass catcher.

The former 4-star recruit is a versatile player in the route tree, the youngest tight end in this class, and made noise at the NFL Combine with his athletic testing.

Sadiq has long been head and shoulders ahead of the field as TE1 throughout the start of the draft process, but his top-down profile is not as glowing as that of recent Round 1 picks at the position.

While Sadiq’s age-adjusted production is more than solid, he was not as completely dominant as some of the recent picks that have commanded premier draft capital.

Round 1 Tight Ends Over the Past 10 Years

Comparing Sadiq to Round 1 tight ends over the past decade places him in fragile territory among the group.

Even if you apply any shade towards his receiving grade at Pro Football Focus, Sadiq is one of four tight ends here with a target rate per route below 20%, and he only clears Hayden Hurst in yards per route run.

Typically, we have seen these early-round tight end picks post silly production and control their passing games.

He was targeted on 19.4% of his routes (TE11 in this class) with 1.62 yards per route run (TE10).

He posted 1.15 yards per route run against man coverage (TE13) and 1.71 yards per route against zone coverage (TE13).

He also had a 10.5% drop rate (TE23).

Sadiq did not have a reception for longer than 30 yards last season, but he did lead the tight end class with 5 touchdowns on throws 20-plus yards downfield.

That is where things get interesting, and we can start to apply some context to why Sadiq did not go bonkers, given his complete profile.

A class-high 23.9% of his targets were at or behind the line of scrimmage, which accounted for 27.5% of his receptions (TE2 in this class).

Those targets near the line of scrimmage were on full display as the season wore on and Oregon began using Jamari Johnson as their field-stretching tight end.

Sadiq only posted 81 yards over the final four games, while Johnson put up 250 yards over that stretch.

Sadiq dealt with multiple injuries during the season that were never fully disclosed, but they had an impact following the Rutgers game.

He then outright missed the next week against Iowa, which Dan Lanning said was precautionary due to “lingering injuries,” but a game they nearly lost.

Sadiq did have two more good outings immediately after his return (8-96-1 and 6-72-2), but whatever injury he had had had an impact on his role for the rest of the season.

He went from averaging 14.5 yards per reception before missing time down to 8.5 yards per catch to close the season.

He went from 10.5 yards per target down to 6.2 yards per target to end the season.

His depth of target went from 8.5 air yards downfield to 6.4 yards downfield afterwards.

That applies some context to Sadiq’s end-of-the-season decline.

However, he still falls short of the Brock Bowers, Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Kyle Pitts level of dominance we saw entering the league, which casts a raincloud on how bullish gamers may be with front-end fantasy capital.

Sadiq brought everyone back at the NFL Combine, where he put on a strong showing.

With a track background, Sadiq ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at 6-foot-3 and 241 pounds.

That was good for a 99th percentile weight-adjusted measurement at his position.

He also had a 43.5-inch vertical, which was, at the time, a new record for the position.

There is no doubt that Sadiq is a strong athlete, and his straight-line speed will have him elevated up draft boards.

I am going to go on a slight side mission here that is more encompassing, larger picture thoughts on the position, but it is relevant for Sadiq and this draft class that we will be referencing as we move through the rest of the players, so bear with me for a moment.

What is compelling about this tight end class is that, in bulk, the position is leaner and lighter.

With the NFL shifting toward more 12-personnel and a higher rate of running, we are now seeing the position's archetypes impact fantasy.

We have seen a rise in blocking-only tight ends who play only on run downs, receiving-centric tight ends who are restricted to passing downs, and a small handful of guys who can block and receive, which keeps them on the field.

We want the latter because those guys are the ones stacking more opportunities.

Fantasy points at tight end are more heavily correlated to routes run than they are at wide receiver.

The past five TE1 overall scores have also led the position in routes.

I wrote about this last year regarding Dalton Kincaid, T.J. Hockenson, and Evan Engram, among others.

The slot-dependent tight end has felt some squeeze in this era if their team does not believe they can contribute in the run game (which is why we were bullish on Tucker Kraft).

Players like Josh Oliver, Dawson Knox, and Adam Trautman, among others, are having an impact on their receiving teammates.

Especially if their teams are good and they play in more running game scripts.

The Goldilocks zone is right around that 250-pound mark.

If there is too large a swing on the heavier side, you are not utilized as a pass catcher.

Darnell Washington was the only tight end at 260-plus to log a top-40 fantasy season last year.

If you are too light, you run the risk of losing snaps in the run game.

We do not see many sub-250-pound tight ends playing regularly on run downs in the NFL.

We do not get points for run blocking, but removing that tight end from the field in those sets does dent the top-down route participation since no team is 100% run from those sets.

In fact, the under-center, play-action passing targets are the most valuable you can have.

Here are the top fantasy tight ends from 2025 and a handful of added tight ends who are of the same body type as Sadiq, paired with their usage rates.

*Route % is only in games played

You can quickly see the wide range of outcomes we are working with here and how much more these teams ran the football with these guys off the field.

Sam LaPorta is the only tight end here whose team ran more with him on the field than off the field.

Even rookies who were active in the run game, such as Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren, had trouble playing consistent snaps in the run game.

We want tight ends in the 70+% range and ideally close to 80+% to have a real shot at a front-end fantasy season.

The way to overcome being a limited blocker (not by talent, but team assessment) is to be a legitimate passing-game asset in an offense that is forced to pass.

This is the exact cocktail that happened for Trey McBride last season.

If you are on a lousy team, odds are that you will be running a lot of routes.

We have seen this with Harold Fannin last season (especially after David Njoku was injured and then jettisoned) and Brock Bowers the past two seasons.

Neither of those players is particularly active in the run game and has a similar body type to Sadiq, but they played on teams forced to throw more via game scripts.

Sadiq could just be as good a receiving asset as McBride, Bowers, or Fannin, but his collegiate profile, even when accounting for his injuries, is not nearly as prolific as those players.

We do not want to see him go the route of Evan Engram (whose one front-end fantasy season came in a year he led the position in routes run), Dalton Kincaid, or even worse, the path of Mike Gesicki, who was selected 42nd overall in his class.

It is a thin line to expect a player not only to be as good as Travis Kelce at his apex, but also to have the team environment overlap the talent.

Sadiq played just 27.7% of his snaps last season in-line (TE24 in this class), compared to 58.5% in slot (TE4), and 10.7% out wide (TE4). Backfield snaps made up the leftovers.

The good news for Sadiq is that, for his size, he is a willing and active blocker.

He had the sixth-highest run blocking grade in this draft class at the position per Pro Football Focus.

I do not treat PFF blocking grades as gospel, but they match what I saw from him in terms of effort and effectiveness, if that means anything to my eyes.

That is great for him, as he could potentially develop into an every-down tight end at the next level.

That said, we have to take a step of faith based on his physical profile, despite his good work in college.

In fact, he talked about this himself at the Combine, saying he felt good about his blocking at the college level while recognizing the need to improve in that area at the next level.

That self-awareness ties into the buzz that Sadiq was one of the best interviewees for teams based on word of mouth at the Combine.

I have used a lot of words to this point, not only to cover Sadiq but also to offer some top-down thoughts on where we are with the position at the moment.

To wrap this up in a tidier bow, Sadiq is exciting through the lenses of pass-catching upside, versatility, age, and athleticism.

Those aspects will have him drafted highly.

Where the bet comes in on him is placing faith in that draft capital opening the door to overcoming his limited production and physical archetype.

If you have followed my work in the past, you are aware that I rarely pay a premium for tight ends, especially in rookie drafts.

The position inherently scores fewer points than running backs and wide receivers.

That said, Sadiq enters Dynasty drafts in a weaker draft class at the other skill positions to aid fantasy gamers' cause.

As long as Sadiq has Round 1 draft capital, I do believe he is a mid-range round 1 fantasy pick in rookie drafts because the wide receivers selected at his price point will also be subject to potential limitations based on their archetypes if they land in the wrong hands.

Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt

Rookie Age: 23.4

Stowers has taken a unique path to this point.

He opened his college career at Texas A&M as a quarterback.

After failing to get on the field for two seasons, he transferred to New Mexico State, where he lost out in a quarterback competition with Diego Pavia and converted to tight end six weeks into the 2023 season.

He ended up catching 35 passes for 366 yards and 2 touchdowns in his first taste of playing tight end.

Then, he and Pavia transferred together to Vanderbilt, where Stowers posted seasons of 49-638-5 and 62-769-4 while winning the John Mackey Award for the best tight end this past season.

Stowers has a lot of overlap with Sadiq in terms of physical profile and usage, but he wins out as a more nuanced pass catcher than Sadiq is right now, resulting in stronger on-field production.

Stowers was targeted on 28.2% of his routes in 2025 (TE2 in this class) with a class-high 2.55 yards per route run.

He averaged 1.92 yards per team pass attempt, which was second in the class.

He led this class with 3.06 yards per route run against zone coverage.

He produced a first down or touchdown on a class-high 13.3% of his routes.

There was less manufactured for Stowers, as well.

Only 11.8% of his targets were at or behind the line of scrimmage (16th in this class).

Like Sadiq, Stowers has more of the profile of a pass catcher first than an all-around tight end.

He played 24.9% of his snaps in line (2nd-lowest rate from this class), playing 66.4% of his snaps from the slot and 8.4% out wide.

He is built nearly identically to Sadiq (6-foot-4 and 239 pounds), while he tested out amazingly at the NFL Combine.

Stowers ran a 4.51 40-yard dash (90th percentile) and posted a 45.5-inch vertical, breaking the position record minutes after Sadiq set it.

Stowers added an 11-foot-3 broad jump, which was also a new record for the position.

Despite overlapping Sadiq in many areas while being more productive on the field, Stowers is two years older and has more up in the air in terms of projected draft capital.

While Stowers faces some of the same positional limitations as Sadiq due to his physical profile, he lacks Sadiq's blocking ability at this stage.

Stowers was 19th in run-blocking grade at the position per Pro Football Focus last season, and it shows subjectively in his aggression in the run game.

Stowers has not been playing the position long.

The hope is that he will grow as a complete player, but he may not receive the front-end investment that Sadiq does to be pushed on the field early on.

I believe Stowers is potentially an arbitrage buy relative to Sadiq for NFL and fantasy purposes.

Based on the potential draft cost, I will likely end up with Stowers on more rosters, as well.

That said, Sadiq’s age and willingness as a blocker are factors between the two at face value.

2026 Tier 2 Rookie Tight Ends

Exiting the NFL Combine, we are digging into the 2026 fantasy rookie class for Dynasty rookie drafts, startups, and seasonal formats.

Even before the NFL Draft in April, rookies are available in Best Ball formats across all platforms.

That information gets applied to athletic models and layered alongside production profiles to shape each prospect's complete portfolio.

Let's look at the pre-draft profile for Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, including his strengths, weaknesses, and fantasy outlook for both redraft and Dynasty formats.

Find the pre-draft profile for every notable fantasy prospect in our 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!

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Fernando Mendoza Pre-Draft Fantasy Profile

Rookie Age*: 22.9

*Age on 9/1/26

The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner is where this draft will kick off.

Mendoza transferred to Indiana after two seasons at Cal, where he and the team reeled off a 16-0 season and a National Championship.

After throwing 30 passing touchdowns over his two seasons at Cal, Mendoza threw 41 passing touchdowns last season.

The former 3-star recruit improved his completion percentage and yards per pass attempt average in all three seasons in college.

His final season completion percentage (72%) ranks 94th percentile, while his touchdown to interception rate (41 to 6) ranks 92nd percentile, and his 9.3 yards per pass attempt sits 84th percentile among all prospects since 2000.

Mendoza’s calling cards are that he has prototypical size (6-foot-5 and 236 pounds) and plays on schedule with accuracy.

A class-high 79% of his throws were on target in 2025.

The seasoning for Mendoza is that he played his best in high-leverage situations.

On 139 career dropbacks in the red zone, Mendoza threw only 1 interception while taking 7 sacks.

This past season at Indiana, Mendoza took 69 dropbacks in the red zone, throwing 26 passing touchdowns with 0 interceptions and taking 2 sacks.

On third and fourth downs, Mendoza had a class-high 75.3% on-target throw rate and a class-high 14.7% touchdown rate.

Mendoza was ripping the ball downfield in those spots, too, averaging 10.9 yards per throw downfield on third and fourth downs, which was second in this class.

The nits to pick with Mendoza entering the NFL are how he will perform in a more challenging environment and how he will adapt his game to the current NFL.

There will be some who ask about how his offensive environment at the college level was perfectly in tune with his strengths.

Mendoza had the lowest drop rate in this class (2.2%).

Mendoza benefited from a heavy RPO offense predicated on a high rate of throws outside the numbers and into traffic.

23.4% of his dropbacks and 25.4% of his pass attempts last season were on RPO calls, by far the highest rates of this class.

The next-closest quarterback in both departments was Mark Gronowski of Iowa, who had a 16.3% RPO dropback rate and 16.4% of his pass attempts on those play calls.

Mendoza only threw 55.2% of his passes over the middle of the field (12th in this class).

If you look at the current state of the NFL, we have seen a spike in more condensed formations and a continued spike in playing under center, turning your back to the defense, and using traditional play action.

That has increased relevancy, knowing that we have close to 100% certainty that Mendoza will be selected first overall by the Raiders, who just hired Klint Kubiak as their head coach.

In the past two seasons with the Seahawks and Saints, Kubiak’s passers have had under-center rates of 54.8% (2nd in the league) and 42.5% (5th).

Over his three collegiate seasons, Mendoza has had only six dropbacks under center.

While that does take a step of faith in transitioning to the NFL, Kubiak has elevated both Derek Carr and Sam Darnold, prospects who offer a manageable bar of expectations.

Despite playing in a heavy RPO scheme, Mendoza did make big-time throws.

Only 13.9% of his passes were at or behind the line of scrimmage (3rd-lowest rate in the class).

Only 14.4% of his throws were 20 or more yards downfield (10th), but he had the highest on-target throw rate (54.5%) on those passes.

Even if you are factoring in that his infrastructure of systems and surrounding talent accentuated those characteristics, Mendoza did everything he was asked to a high degree.

Mendoza was also battle-tested due to his conference and postseason run.

On 303 dropbacks against Power Conference opponents, Mendoza led this class in completion rate (71.9%), yards per pass attempt (9.3), and touchdown rate (10.6%).

He had five games against top 10 defenses last season (Oregon twice, Iowa, Ohio State, and Miami).

Ohio State and Miami did make Mendoza work in both games, but overall, he completed 65.3% of his passes for 8.3 Y/A with 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

That quality schedule did give us a sample of Mendoza playing under pressure, which showcased some of the limitations we could see at the next level when the pass rush ramps up.

Under pressure against Ohio State and Miami, Mendoza was 9 of 16 (56.3%) for 93 yards (5.8 Y/A) with 0 touchdowns.

Kept clean in those games, he was 22 of 34 (64.7%) for 316 yards (9.3 Y/A).

At the end of the day, we are fully aware that Mendoza can have a high floor.

The questions (particularly for fantasy) are about his ceiling.

Mendoza has the profile as a weekly QB2 for fantasy who can moonlight as a QB1 during spike weeks and finish as a back-end QB1 in cumulative scoring.

From a modeling perspective, the closest comparison for Mendoza that I have is Sam Bradford.

The one thing Mendoza does have in his back pocket compared to the QB2 pocket passer group for fantasy is that he is not a complete zero in the running game.

Mendoza is not a run-first passer, but he is the 53rd percentile in career rushing output.

He had a 7.7% scramble rate last season, which was seventh in this class.

I don’t believe Mendoza has the full creativity of a Brock Purdy when things are out of structure, but the top-down fantasy archetype for him is in the same ballpark as Purdy.

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

Exiting the NFL Combine, we are digging into the 2026 fantasy rookie class for Dynasty rookie drafts, startups, and seasonal formats.

Even before the NFL Draft in April, rookies are available in Best Ball formats across all platforms.

That information gets applied to athletic models and layered alongside production profiles to shape each prospect's complete portfolio.

Let's look at the pre-draft profile for Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love, including his strengths, weaknesses, and fantasy outlook for both redraft and Dynasty formats.

Find the pre-draft profile for every notable fantasy prospect in our 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!

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Jeremiyah Love Pre-Draft Fantasy Profile

Rookie Age*: 21.3

*Age on 9/1/26

As a 19-year-old sophomore in 2024, Love was given the keys to the Notre Dame backfield, and he delivered on all of the expectations as the top running back recruit entering college.

That season, Love turned 191 touches into 1,362 total yards (7.1 yards per touch) and 19 touchdowns.

Following that breakout, Love came back this past season at age 20 and produced 1,652 yards and 21 scores on 226 touches (7.3 yards per touch).

He rushed for 6.9 yards per carry in each of his two seasons as the lead back.

Love led this running back class with 4.2 yards after contact per rush.

This past season, Love did that with only 35.2% of his rushes coming against light boxes (six or fewer defenders), the lowest rate in the class.

When Love faced those light boxes, he punished them with a gaudy 9.1 yards per attempt.

That led the country this past season.

For some added context, going back to the last decade of early-round running backs, Love’s 9.1 YPC against light boxes is by far the highest in his final season.

Ashton Jeanty posted 8.0 YPC against light boxes in his final season, which was the most by a first-round running back over the past decade.

Love cleared him by over a full yard on those attempts.

Of course, Love may not get to see many light box runs in the NFL.

25.1% of Love’s runs came against heavy boxes (2nd highest in this class) since everyone knew he was getting the ball.

Against those loaded boxes, Love posted 5.0 YPC, which was second in this class.

When hit at or behind the line of scrimmage, Love averaged 2.5 yards per carry (2nd) and forced a missed tackle on 32.5% of those runs, the highest rate in the class.

When Love gets into space, he is electric.

He averaged a robust 10.0 yards per rush when he was contacted beyond the line of scrimmage.

Not only did that lead all running backs in this class, but that was also the highest yards per rush on runs hit beyond the line of scrimmage for a back with 100-plus attempts over the past 10 years.

I do not believe Love is as good a pass catcher right now as Reggie Bush or Jahmyr Gibbs were entering the NFL (players whom Love is frequently compared to), but he has a solid foundation in that area to build on as he enters the league.

Love caught 28 and 27 passes in each of his two seasons as the starter.

In 2025, Love was targeted on 22.2% of his routes (2nd in the class) and posted 1.83 yards per route run (3rd).

Love also finished with the fifth-highest grade in pass protection in this class per Pro Football Focus in 2025.

Apply any grains of salt you have to, but Love is a willing player in protection.

We did not see Love do much at the NFL Combine, but he did run a 4.36 40-yard dash at 6-foot, 212 pounds.

That 96th-percentile speed score was more than he needed to cement himself as the premier back in this draft class.

No prospect is guaranteed to succeed in the NFL, but Love truly checks every box.

He is young, athletic, and hyper productive.

In a class without much front-end talent, not only at the offensive skill positions, Love also stands out even greater among his peers in this class.

He is a complete player who can be inserted into an offense tomorrow as a foundational component.

If there is anything to really try and tear down with Love, he has a leaner build and has not yet handled a massive workload.

Low tread on the tires could also be another feature for him, but he has not had to shoulder a high workload to the degree of other front-end prospects.

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

Exiting the NFL Combine, we are digging into the 2026 fantasy rookie class for Dynasty rookie drafts, startups, and seasonal formats.

Even before the NFL Draft in April, rookies are available in Best Ball formats across all platforms.

That information gets applied to athletic models and layered alongside production profiles to shape each prospect's complete portfolio.

Let's look at the pre-draft profile for Ohio State WR Carnell Tate, including his strengths, weaknesses, and fantasy outlook for both redraft and Dynasty formats.

Find the pre-draft profile for every notable fantasy prospect in our 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!

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Like the NFL, fantasy football never sleeps.

From rankings to the best draft strategies, Sharp Football has everything you need to get ready for the fantasy season in our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, powered by premier fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar.

Save more by bundling the Draft Kit with our in-season fantasy package that features Rich's comprehensive “Worksheet” preview of every game, every week of the NFL season.

Click here for more information about our fantasy coverage!

Carnell Tate Pre-Draft Fantasy Profile

Rookie Age*: 21.6

*Age on 9/1/26

Tate is the latest projected first-round pick from an extended line of Ohio State receivers.

Tate improved his receiving yardage and touchdowns each season in college while playing alongside Marvin Harrison Jr, Emeka Egbuka, and Jeremiah Smith.

He closed this season catching 51 passes for 875 yards and 9 touchdowns over 11 games.

Tate had 2.14 yards per team pass attempt (WR11 in this class) while his 3.02 yards per route run were third.

The types of targets he earned helped anchor that yardage as he posted 17.2 yards per catch this past season.

53% of his targets resulted in a first down or touchdown (2nd in this class) while 17.7% of his receptions were scores (5th).

Tate was one of the best boundary receivers in the country last season, catching 12 of 14 contested targets (85.7%) while collecting 11 of 17 (64.7%) targets on throws 20 or more yards downfield.

Six of those resulted in touchdowns, tied for the most in this class.

His lack of forced missed tackles (only 11.8% of his receptions) was tied to usage.

Tate’s 14.6 air yards per target were the seventh-highest in this class.

Tate is the same weight as Makai Lemon (192 pounds) but has a size advantage (6-foot-2) with longer arms (31.75) and huge hands (10.25) that show up as he wins in tight coverage.

He was not credited with a drop on his 66 targets.

You can make a strong case that Tate has the best hands in this class, and he makes tough catches for many receivers look routine.

Ironically, Tate has the inverse question marks about his versatility than we covered with Lemon.

Ohio State used Tate as their lid lifter.

He played 86.8% of his career snaps out wide and received next to no manufactured production.

That limited his production after the catch.

10.6% of his targets were screens.

We only have a small sample (only 30 routes), but when Tate did play from the slot last year, he posted a robust 5.0 yards per route run.

He may not be a player in the ilk we covered with Lemon getting peppered with zone looks, but Tate can win as a vertical slot.

While playing outside, Tate was also an asset in the run game, something teams will notice.

Pro Football Focus gave Tate the fourth-highest run blocking grade in this class.

The under-the-hood metrics for Tate look solid for a player next to a talent like Jeremiah Smith.

The biggest nit to pick with Tate in setting ceiling expectations is that he was never a truly dominant target earner playing alongside front-end receivers.

Would he have had the same type of target volume as Lemon or Jordyn Tyson in those situations?

We don’t know, but even for the recent run of Ohio State receivers, Tate has a lighter profile of counting production entering the NFL.

He never hit 1,000 yards in a season and averaged 3.1 receptions per game over his career.

In 14 career games against ranked opponents, Tate averaged 2.9 receptions for 37.5 yards per game.

To provide some context to that, here are all of the first-round receivers who averaged fewer than 4.0 receptions per game over their college careers and their subsequent WR3 or better scoring seasons per game to date.

Now, to be clear, I do not believe this is a make-or-break data point (thresholds are never a be-all, end-all) for Tate, and I am more than into his potential to get a chance to grow as a feature receiver in the NFL.

Just some added perspective on how rare we have seen front-end picks have this type of limited production.

The first thing that stands out here is another mark of how much the league has overvalued speed entering the league.

There are so many fast guys who were only one-dimensional at the college level and struggled to develop in the NFL.

Especially in the same projected draft range as Tate, who is expected to be a top-10 pick.

Tate does win vertically, but he wins with nuance and route running rather than by blowing past defensive backs.

His 4.53 forty was brought up as a negative at the NFL Combine, but it is not a detriment because he tracks balls as well as anyone in this class and has great body control and a large catch radius.

If he were just fast with his profile, it would be more concerning.

I believe that fresh out of the packaging, Lemon and Tyson have an edge in earning full-field targets.

The 34-player sample above has a 29.4% rate of delivering at least one WR1 scoring season, but 47.1% also failed to turn in at least one WR3-or-better campaign, and 58.8% failed to turn in a WR2-or-better season so far.

I do not believe Tate has the after-the-catch athleticism to be on the Demaryius Thomas or Odell Beckham spectrum here, leaving Roddy White as the apex range of outcomes.

Dating myself, Javon Walker feels like an appropriate ceiling comparison.

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

Exiting the NFL Combine, we are digging into the 2026 fantasy rookie class for Dynasty rookie drafts, startups, and seasonal formats.

Even before the NFL Draft in April, rookies are available in Best Ball formats across all platforms.

That information gets applied to athletic models and layered alongside production profiles to shape each prospect's complete portfolio.

Let's look at the pre-draft profile for Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson, including his strengths, weaknesses, and fantasy outlook for both redraft and Dynasty formats.

Find the pre-draft profile for every notable fantasy prospect in our 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!

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From rankings to the best draft strategies, Sharp Football has everything you need to get ready for the fantasy season in our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, powered by premier fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar.

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Click here for more information about our fantasy coverage!

Jordyn Tyson Pre-Draft Fantasy Profile

Rookie Age*: 22.1

*Age on 9/1/26

Tyson has one of the best production resumes in this class.

Over four seasons at Colorado and Arizona State, Tyson has averaged 4.8 receptions (6th in this class) for 69.2 yards per game (4th) and 0.67 receiving touchdowns per game (3rd).

When Tyson was on the field in college (more on this later), he was the most dominant player in this class, accounting for 46.7% of Arizona State’s receiving yardage and 64.7% of their receiving scores.

This past season, Tyson was targeted on 32.3% of his routes (2nd).

He was in the slot for 24% of his routes, where he gobbled up target opportunities, drawing a target on 37.5% of his routes.

Tyson tends to freelance more of his routes from this group in a Stevie Johnson (or Jerry Jeudy) fashion, if we’re being negative, which can be as much a positive as a negative depending on his system in the NFL.

One reason Tyson takes some liberties with routes is that he is one of the best receivers in this class at understanding leverage and getting open against man coverage.

While that was a staple of Tyson’s game in college against man coverage, his success versus zone coverage was more of a mixed bag, something he will see a lot more of in the NFL.

Tyson posted 3.02 yards per route against man coverage with a target on a class-high 43.6% of his routes.

Against zone coverages, he posted 2.18 yards per route run with a target on 27.2% of his routes.

Those are still good rates against zone coverage, and he regularly gets open against zone.

Still, it is telling in the disparity just how much some of the liberties he takes in route running can raise the ceiling while running himself into a few more outs when navigating complex coverages, since you need the quarterback to see things the same way.

That can impact him depending on what type of quarterback he plays with in the NFL.

If Tyson is playing with a quarterback who expects you to be on time and running a 12-yard out at 12 yards, then that can get him into trouble.

But if he is playing with a quarterback who sees things the same way he does, he can thrive.

This recently came up with Josh Allen in commentary following the trade for D.J. Moore.

One area where Tyson needs to grow to the next level is with the ball.

For as good as he is at getting open in space, that did not translate with the football in his hands.

He has only averaged 5.1 yards after the catch for his career.

That is the 20th percentile for prospects since 2015.

In 2025, Tyson had a lower rate of missed tackles per reception (9.8%) than lid lifters such as Carnell Tate and Denzel Boston while averaging 3.0 fewer air yards per target than those guys.

When on the field, Tyson has the strongest full-field profile and route versatility of this trio.

He has reps at all three receiver positions, has manufactured production, and wins in every area.

The rub is that he has to stay on the field.

Tyson has missed time in every season and has missed a third of his available games due to injuries.

In 2022 with Colorado, he tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL.

That caused him to miss the remainder of that season and limited his 2023 season to only three games.

In 2024, he fractured his collarbone.

This past season, he missed three games due to a hamstring injury.

That prevented him from participating in NFL Combine testing outside the bench press.

Training for the Combine and focusing on sprinting drills could have aggravated that injury, but that initial injury was nearly four months ago.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba sat out nearly his entire final college season with a hamstring injury and then did not run at the Combine, but he alleviated any concerns at his Pro Day.

He will not do any athletic testing at his Pro Day, but Tyson will do positional drills for teams on April 17.

You can make the case that all of Tyson’s injuries are unrelated and that he has been a victim of bad luck, but his medical history will surely carry weight with some organizations regardless.

He is expected to be drafted after Makai Lemon and Tate, but as noted in the opening of this tier, that could end up working out in his favor, given the landing spots at the top half of the draft.

If Tyson does slip into the back half of Round 1, the Eagles, Bills, 49ers, Chiefs, and Patriots all are in play for a wide receiver selection in that range, as well as not-so-fun spots in Cleveland (where his brother plays in the NBA) and Miami.

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

Exiting the NFL Combine, we are digging into the 2026 fantasy rookie class for Dynasty rookie drafts, startups, and seasonal formats.

Even before the NFL Draft in April, rookies are available in Best Ball formats across all platforms.

That information gets applied to athletic models and layered alongside production profiles to shape each prospect's complete portfolio.

Let's look at the pre-draft profile for USC WR Makai Lemon, including his strengths, weaknesses, and fantasy outlook for both redraft and Dynasty formats.

Find the pre-draft profile for every notable fantasy prospect in our 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!

Don't Miss Out on The Best Fantasy Football Coverage in the Business

Like the NFL, fantasy football never sleeps.

From rankings to the best draft strategies, Sharp Football has everything you need to get ready for the fantasy season in our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, powered by premier fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar.

Save more by bundling the Draft Kit with our in-season fantasy package that features Rich's comprehensive “Worksheet” preview of every game, every week of the NFL season.

Click here for more information about our fantasy coverage!

Makai Lemon Pre-Draft Fantasy Profile

Rookie Age*: 22.2

*Age on 9/1/26

Following a 2024 breakout at age 20, where he posted 3.03 yards per route run playing alongside Ja’Kobi Lane and Zachariah Branch, Lemon snagged 79 receptions for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns this past season.

In 2025, Lemon was targeted on 29.3% of his routes (7th in this class) with 3.13 yards per route run (2nd).

He is one of only two wideouts in this class to average over 3.0 yards per route run against both man coverage (3.29) and zone coverage (3.09).

He produced a first down or touchdown on 13.6% of his routes (3rd) while posting 2.75 yards per team pass attempt (2nd).

Lemon is a plug-and-play producer who can win on all three levels.

He was excellent after the catch, forcing a missed tackle on 26.6% of his receptions (8th).

Lemon averaged 6.4 yards after catch per reception, which was the third-highest among receivers in this class with an average depth of target over 10.0 yards downfield.

USC did get him the ball in the screen game (21.3% of his targets), but Lemon also pulled in 64% of his targets on throws 20-plus yards downfield (16 of 25), which was fourth in this class.

He led this draft class in receptions on throws of 20 or more yards downfield.

Lemon dabbled a little bit early on as a cornerback, which shows up in his understanding of spacing in zone coverage and in his release package at the line of scrimmage.

If there are any nits to pick with Lemon on the field, it is that he has not logged a significant amount of time playing outside in college and is not built like a prototypical lead wideout in the traditional sense.

Lemon ran 70.7% of his routes from the slot last season (8th in this class), where he caught 52 passes for 791 yards and 7 touchdowns.

At 5-foot-11 and 192 pounds, Lemon has 30.5-inch arms (12th percentile) and 8.75-inch hands (6th percentile).

That was not an issue for him when he was forced to win the contested catch game, however.

He attacks the football and has won in his sample of contested targets.

His 2.2% career drop rate is the second-best in this class.

Lemon won 10 of his 15 contested catch opportunities (tied for 4th in this class).

He also converted 58.3% of his targets in the red zone (7 of 12) for scores, which was second in the class.

While Lemon is not built in the mold of Calvin Johnson, I would argue he is entering the NFL at a time when his archetype is more relevant than ever.

The current landscape for wideouts winning as a high-end target earning WR1 in today’s NFL is about versatility: being able to win at the full route tree, play inside and out, finding space against all of the disguised coverages shaping the defensive meta, and creating after the catch.

We are no longer in an NFL where the alpha X receiver is dominating targets and stacking the most fantasy points.

That was the case again in 2025.

The top-12 scorers at the position in points per game last season were Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith–Njigba, Ja’Marr Chase, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Rashee Rice, George Pickens, Drake London, Chris Olave, Davante Adams, Nico Collins, A.J. Brown, and CeeDee Lamb.

Pickens, Adams, Collins, and Brown are the only players among that group who are traditional X options.

The rest of those guys all move around and win in space.

The past seven receivers to lead the position in fantasy points per game have been Nacua, Chase, Lamb, Cooper Kupp (twice), Adams, and Michael Thomas.

That followed a dominant stretch from Antonio Brown.

We would love to have it all (Jeremiah Smith is on his way, gamers), but you no longer have to be Megatron or Julio Jones to be elite in our game.

Lemon may take a step of faith in projection winning outside because he was so dominant from the slot, but when tasked to do so, he posted 3.37 yards per route run as an outside receiver as well.

Lemon’s most popular comparables are St. Brown and Nacua.

Those two players were selected on Day 3 of the NFL Draft and were the best value picks of their positions in recent memory.

Lemon is going to be a front-end pick.

Coming off a massive season by Smith-Njigba is relevant here because JSN is the closest recent comparable to Lemon when factoring in draft capital.

Smith-Njigba had nearly identical measurables at the NFL Combine (6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, with 30.5-inch arms and 9-inch hands).

Like Lemon, Smith-Njigba was deployed as a primary slot receiver in college.

That did roadblock him, to a degree, for fantasy purposes in opening his career.

Smith-Njigba was drafted to a team with established target earners in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

Playing 67.6% and 77.4% of his snaps from the slot limited him in his first two seasons in the league when all three receivers were available.

But when given the runway to play as the feature WR1 in the offense, finally, Smith-Njigba flourished this past season.

Lemon may not have the same gaudy runout as Smith-Njigba, but he has the baseline for the type of receiver who has excelled for fantasy purposes.

Smith-Njigba’s recent success (and the undervalued nature of St. Brown and Nacua) will surely push Lemon’s draft stock in a weaker class.

That tale about Smith-Njigba is one to keep in mind if Lemon is drafted early, attached to an established target earner, and used primarily as a slot out of the package.

I doubt we are going to see Lemon completely flip to an exterior role to the same degree in year one, but Emeka Egbuka also had a higher slot rate in college than Lemon did as a first-round pick, and then just played 70% of his snaps out wide as a rookie, catching 63 passes for 938 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

Exiting the NFL Combine, we are digging into the 2026 fantasy rookie class for Dynasty rookie drafts, startups, and seasonal formats.

Even before the NFL Draft in April, rookies are available in Best Ball formats across all platforms.

That information gets applied to athletic models and layered alongside production profiles to shape each prospect's complete portfolio.

Let's look at the pre-draft profile for Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq, including his strengths, weaknesses, and fantasy outlook for both redraft and Dynasty formats.

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Kenyon Sadiq Pre-Draft Fantasy Profile

Rookie Age*: 21.5

*Age on 9/1/26

Sadiq had his first full season of playing time after Terrance Ferguson left for the NFL, securing 51 receptions for 560 yards and 8 touchdowns as a true junior at Oregon this past season.

Sadiq is going to check a lot of boxes for many teams as a pass catcher.

The former 4-star recruit is a versatile player in the route tree, the youngest tight end in this class, and made noise at the NFL Combine with his athletic testing.

Sadiq has long been head and shoulders ahead of the field as TE1 throughout the start of the draft process, but his top-down profile is not as glowing as that of recent Round 1 picks at the position.

While Sadiq’s age-adjusted production is more than solid, he was not as completely dominant as some of the recent picks that have commanded premier draft capital.

Round 1 Tight Ends Over the Past 10 Years

Comparing Sadiq to Round 1 tight ends over the past decade places him in fragile territory among the group.

Even if you apply any shade towards his receiving grade at Pro Football Focus, Sadiq is one of four tight ends here with a target rate per route below 20%, and he only clears Hayden Hurst in yards per route run.

Typically, we have seen these early-round tight end picks post silly production and control their passing games.

He was targeted on 19.4% of his routes (TE11 in this class) with 1.62 yards per route run (TE10).

He posted 1.15 yards per route run against man coverage (TE13) and 1.71 yards per route against zone coverage (TE13).

He also had a 10.5% drop rate (TE23).

Sadiq did not have a reception for longer than 30 yards last season, but he did lead the tight end class with 5 touchdowns on throws 20-plus yards downfield.

That is where things get interesting, and we can start to apply some context to why Sadiq did not go bonkers, given his complete profile.

A class-high 23.9% of his targets were at or behind the line of scrimmage, which accounted for 27.5% of his receptions (TE2 in this class).

Those targets near the line of scrimmage were on full display as the season wore on and Oregon began using Jamari Johnson as their field-stretching tight end.

Sadiq only posted 81 yards over the final four games, while Johnson put up 250 yards over that stretch.

Sadiq dealt with multiple injuries during the season that were never fully disclosed, but they had an impact following the Rutgers game.

He then outright missed the next week against Iowa, which Dan Lanning said was precautionary due to “lingering injuries,” but a game they nearly lost.

Sadiq did have two more good outings immediately after his return (8-96-1 and 6-72-2), but whatever injury he had had had an impact on his role for the rest of the season.

He went from averaging 14.5 yards per reception before missing time down to 8.5 yards per catch to close the season.

He went from 10.5 yards per target down to 6.2 yards per target to end the season.

His depth of target went from 8.5 air yards downfield to 6.4 yards downfield afterwards.

That applies some context to Sadiq’s end-of-the-season decline.

However, he still falls short of the Brock Bowers, Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Kyle Pitts level of dominance we saw entering the league, which casts a raincloud on how bullish gamers may be with front-end fantasy capital.

Sadiq brought everyone back at the NFL Combine, where he put on a strong showing.

With a track background, Sadiq ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at 6-foot-3 and 241 pounds.

That was good for a 99th percentile weight-adjusted measurement at his position.

He also had a 43.5-inch vertical, which was, at the time, a new record for the position.

There is no doubt that Sadiq is a strong athlete, and his straight-line speed will have him elevated up draft boards.

I am going to go on a slight side mission here that is more encompassing, larger picture thoughts on the position, but it is relevant for Sadiq.

With the NFL shifting toward more 12-personnel and a higher rate of running, we are now seeing the position's archetypes impact fantasy.

We have seen a rise in blocking-only tight ends who play only on run downs, receiving-centric tight ends who are restricted to passing downs, and a small handful of guys who can block and receive, which keeps them on the field.

We want the latter because those guys are the ones stacking more opportunities.

Fantasy points at tight end are more heavily correlated to routes run than they are at wide receiver.

The past five TE1 overall scores have also led the position in routes.

I wrote about this last year regarding Dalton Kincaid, T.J. Hockenson, and Evan Engram, among others.

The slot-dependent tight end has felt some squeeze in this era if their team does not believe they can contribute in the run game (which is why we were bullish on Tucker Kraft).

Players like Josh Oliver, Dawson Knox, and Adam Trautman, among others, are having an impact on their receiving teammates.

Especially if their teams are good and they play in more running game scripts.

The Goldilocks zone is right around that 250-pound mark.

If there is too large a swing on the heavier side, you are not utilized as a pass catcher.

Darnell Washington was the only tight end at 260-plus to log a top-40 fantasy season last year.

If you are too light, you run the risk of losing snaps in the run game.

We do not see many sub-250-pound tight ends playing regularly on run downs in the NFL.

We do not get points for run blocking, but removing that tight end from the field in those sets does dent the top-down route participation since no team is 100% run from those sets.

In fact, the under-center, play-action passing targets are the most valuable you can have.

Here are the top fantasy tight ends from 2025 and a handful of added tight ends who are of the same body type as Sadiq, paired with their usage rates.

*Route % is only in games played

You can quickly see the wide range of outcomes we are working with here and how much more these teams ran the football with these guys off the field.

Sam LaPorta is the only tight end here whose team ran more with him on the field than off the field.

Even rookies who were active in the run game, such as Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren, had trouble playing consistent snaps in the run game.

We want tight ends in the 70+% range and ideally close to 80+% to have a real shot at a front-end fantasy season.

The way to overcome being a limited blocker (not by talent, but team assessment) is to be a legitimate passing-game asset in an offense that is forced to pass.

This is the exact cocktail that happened for Trey McBride last season.

If you are on a lousy team, odds are that you will be running a lot of routes.

We have seen this with Harold Fannin last season (especially after David Njoku was injured and then jettisoned) and Brock Bowers the past two seasons.

Neither of those players is particularly active in the run game and has a similar body type to Sadiq, but they played on teams forced to throw more via game scripts.

Sadiq could just be as good a receiving asset as McBride, Bowers, or Fannin, but his collegiate profile, even when accounting for his injuries, is not nearly as prolific as those players.

We do not want to see him go the route of Evan Engram (whose one front-end fantasy season came in a year he led the position in routes run), Dalton Kincaid, or even worse, the path of Mike Gesicki, who was selected 42nd overall in his class.

It is a thin line to expect a player not only to be as good as Travis Kelce at his apex, but also to have the team environment overlap the talent.

Sadiq played just 27.7% of his snaps last season in-line (TE24 in this class), compared to 58.5% in slot (TE4), and 10.7% out wide (TE4). Backfield snaps made up the leftovers.

The good news for Sadiq is that, for his size, he is a willing and active blocker.

He had the sixth-highest run blocking grade in this draft class at the position per Pro Football Focus.

I do not treat PFF blocking grades as gospel, but they match what I saw from him in terms of effort and effectiveness, if that means anything to my eyes.

That is great for him, as he could potentially develop into an every-down tight end at the next level.

That said, we have to take a step of faith based on his physical profile, despite his good work in college.

In fact, he talked about this himself at the Combine, saying he felt good about his blocking at the college level while recognizing the need to improve in that area at the next level.

That self-awareness ties into the buzz that Sadiq was one of the best interviewees for teams based on word of mouth at the Combine.

I have used a lot of words to this point, not only to cover Sadiq but also to offer some top-down thoughts on where we are with the position at the moment.

To wrap this up in a tidier bow, Sadiq is exciting through the lenses of pass-catching upside, versatility, age, and athleticism.

Those aspects will have him drafted highly.

Where the bet comes in on him is placing faith in that draft capital opening the door to overcoming his limited production and physical archetype.

If you have followed my work in the past, you are aware that I rarely pay a premium for tight ends, especially in rookie drafts.

The position inherently scores fewer points than running backs and wide receivers.

That said, Sadiq enters Dynasty drafts in a weaker draft class at the other skill positions to aid fantasy gamers' cause.

As long as Sadiq has Round 1 draft capital, I do believe he is a mid-range round 1 fantasy pick in rookie drafts because the wide receivers selected at his price point will also be subject to potential limitations based on their archetypes if they land in the wrong hands.

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

Exiting the NFL Combine, we are digging into the 2026 fantasy rookie class for Dynasty rookie drafts, startups, and seasonal formats.

Even before the NFL Draft in April, rookies are available in Best Ball formats across all platforms.

That information gets applied to athletic models and layered alongside production profiles to shape each prospect's complete portfolio.

Let's look at the pre-draft profile for Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers, including his strengths, weaknesses, and fantasy outlook for both redraft and Dynasty formats.

Find the pre-draft profile for every notable fantasy prospect in our 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!

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Like the NFL, fantasy football never sleeps.

From rankings to the best draft strategies, Sharp Football has everything you need to get ready for the fantasy season in our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, powered by premier fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar.

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Eli Stowers Pre-Draft Fantasy Profile

Rookie Age*: 23.4

*Age on 9/1/26

Stowers has taken a unique path to this point.

He opened his college career at Texas A&M as a quarterback.

After failing to get on the field for two seasons, he transferred to New Mexico State, where he lost out in a quarterback competition with Diego Pavia and converted to tight end six weeks into the 2023 season.

He ended up catching 35 passes for 366 yards and 2 touchdowns in his first taste of playing tight end.

Then, he and Pavia transferred together to Vanderbilt, where Stowers posted seasons of 49-638-5 and 62-769-4 while winning the John Mackey Award for the best tight end this past season.

Stowers has a lot of overlap with Kenyon Sadiq in terms of physical profile and usage, but he wins out as a more nuanced pass catcher than Sadiq is right now, resulting in stronger on-field production.

Stowers was targeted on 28.2% of his routes in 2025 (TE2 in this class) with a class-high 2.55 yards per route run.

He averaged 1.92 yards per team pass attempt, which was second in the class.

He led this class with 3.06 yards per route run against zone coverage.

He produced a first down or touchdown on a class-high 13.3% of his routes.

There was less manufactured for Stowers, as well.

Only 11.8% of his targets were at or behind the line of scrimmage (16th in this class).

Like Sadiq, Stowers has more of the profile of a pass catcher first than an all-around tight end.

He played 24.9% of his snaps in line (2nd-lowest rate from this class), playing 66.4% of his snaps from the slot and 8.4% out wide.

He is built nearly identically to Sadiq (6-foot-4 and 239 pounds), while he tested out amazingly at the NFL Combine.

Stowers ran a 4.51 40-yard dash (90th percentile) and posted a 45.5-inch vertical, breaking the position record minutes after Sadiq set it.

Stowers added an 11-foot-3 broad jump, which was also a new record for the position.

Despite overlapping Sadiq in many areas while being more productive on the field, Stowers is two years older and has more up in the air in terms of projected draft capital.

While Stowers faces some of the same positional limitations as Sadiq due to his physical profile, he lacks Sadiq's blocking ability at this stage.

Stowers was 19th in run-blocking grade at the position per Pro Football Focus last season, and it shows subjectively in his aggression in the run game.

Stowers has not been playing the position long.

The hope is that he will grow as a complete player, but he may not receive the front-end investment that Sadiq does to be pushed on the field early on.

I believe Stowers is potentially an arbitrage buy relative to Sadiq for NFL and fantasy purposes.

Based on the potential draft cost, I will likely end up with Stowers on more rosters, as well.

That said, Sadiq’s age and willingness as a blocker are factors between the two at face value.

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

Rich Hribar's 2026 fantasy football rankings cover every relevant scoring format.

The tables below have fantasy football rankings and auction values for all quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends for half-point PPR (should be treated as a proxy for standard scoring), PPR, Superflex, and TE premium formats.

They also contain top 250 fantasy football rankings for PPR, half-point PPR, Superflex, and TE premium formats.

These rankings are also downloadable by clicking Print or CSV at the top of the table.

• 2026 PPR Fantasy Football Rankings
• 2026 Half PPR Fantasy Football Rankings
• 2026 Superflex Fantasy Football Rankings
• 2026 TE Premium Fantasy Football Rankings

Don't Miss Out on The Best Fantasy Football Coverage in the Business

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From rankings to the best draft strategies, Sharp Football has everything you need to get ready for the fantasy season in our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, powered by premier fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar.

Save more by bundling the Draft Kit with our in-season fantasy package that features Rich's comprehensive “Worksheet” preview of every game, every week of the NFL season.

Click here for more information about our fantasy coverage!

2026 PPR Fantasy Football Rankings:

Rich Hribar's 2026 fantasy football projections cover every relevant scoring format.

The table below has fantasy football projections for all quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends for standard, half-point PPR, full-PPR, and TE premium scoring formats.

The fantasy football projections below can be filtered by position and scoring system across 500+ NFL players for the 2026 season.

These projections are also downloadable by clicking Print or CSV at the top of the table.

Don't Miss Out on The Best Fantasy Football Coverage in the Business

Like the NFL, fantasy football never sleeps.

From rankings to the best draft strategies, Sharp Football has everything you need to get ready for the fantasy season in our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, powered by premier fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar.

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Click here for more information about our fantasy coverage!

2026 Fantasy Football Projections:

After being released by the Arizona Cardinals, Kyler Murray is joining the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year deal.

Let's examine the fantasy football implications of this move for Murray's fantasy value as well as how this signing affects Justin Jefferson and the rest of the Minnesota offense.

For full contract details and more of a “real football” look at the biggest moves, see our NFL Free Agency Signing Tracker.

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Kyler Murray Fantasy Value With the Minnesota Vikings

Miami added Malik Willis on Monday shortly after announcing that they would be releasing Tua Tagovailoa.

Willis joins a new staff in Miami that is made up of many familiar faces from his stint in Green Bay.

Jeff Hafley was hired as the new head coach, while Jon-Eric Sullivan was hired as the general manager.

Let's examine the fantasy football implications of this move for Willis' fantasy value as well as how this signing affects De'Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle.

For full contract details and more of a “real football” look at the biggest moves, see our NFL Free Agency Signing Tracker.

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Malik Willis Fantasy Value With the Miami Dolphins

In an early move that is expected to be made official when the league rolls over next week, the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills have agreed to a trade that sends D.J. Moore to Buffalo.

Let's examine the fantasy football implications of this move for all sides involved, starting with Moore.

For full contract details and more of a “real football” look at the biggest moves, see our NFL Free Agency Signing Tracker.

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D.J. Moore Fantasy Value With Buffalo Bills

The first major domino to fall at the running back position was Kenneth Walker joining the Kansas City Chiefs.

Let's examine the fantasy football implications of this move for all sides involved.

For full contract details and more of a “real football” look at the biggest moves, see our NFL Free Agency Signing Tracker.

Explore more 2026 NFL Free Agency content:

Kenneth Walker Fantasy Value With the Kansas City Chiefs

The running back landscape continued to take shape today with Travis Etienne landing in New Orleans, another huge signing.

Let's examine the fantasy football implications of this move for Eteinne's fantasy value as well as how this signing affects the Jacksonville running back room.

For full contract details and more of a “real football” look at the biggest moves, see our NFL Free Agency Signing Tracker.

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Travis Etienne Fantasy Value With the New Orleans Saints

One of the NFL’s long-time tenured wide receivers is changing teams, with Mike Evans planning to join the San Francisco 49ers.

Let's examine the fantasy football implications of this move for Evans' fantasy value as well as how this signing affects Ricky Pearsall and Emeka Egbuka.

For full contract details and more of a “real football” look at the biggest moves, see our NFL Free Agency Signing Tracker.

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Mike Evans Fantasy Value With the San Francisco 49ers

Welcome to Rich Hribar's complete 2026 dynasty fantasy football rankings featuring the Top 300 players for standard, SuperFlex, and TE Premium formats.

These dynasty rankings help you evaluate dynasty trade value, identify the best dynasty players, and build a championship-caliber roster for years to come.

Unlike redraft leagues, dynasty fantasy football requires balancing current production with long-term upside.

Our rankings account for player age, situation, and dynasty value to help you make smarter draft and trade decisions.

We've broken down dynasty rankings by position, including dynasty QB rankings for SuperFlex leagues, dynasty RB rankings, dynasty WR rankings, and dynasty TE rankings.

Whether you're in a dynasty startup draft, rebuilding your roster, or competing for a championship, use these dynasty player rankings as your dynasty draft guide and dynasty trade value chart.

Updated regularly with the latest player movement and breakouts.

Last Updated: March 9

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings 2026: Top 300 Players

2026 Dynasty QB Rankings

Top 12 Dynasty QBs 2026:

1. Josh Allen
2. Jayden Daniels
3. Lamar Jackson
4. Patrick Mahomes
5. Drake Maye
6. Joe Burrow
7. Justin Herbert
8. Caleb Williams
9. Jalen Hurts
10. Jaxson Dart
11. Brock Purdy
12. Jordan Love

2026 Dynasty RB Rankings

Top 24 Dynasty RBs 2026:

1. Bijan Robinson
2. Jahmyr Gibbs
3. Ashton Jeanty
4. Jonathan Taylor
5. De'Von Achane
6. James Cook
7. Omarion Hampton
8. Breece Hall
9. Kenneth Walker
10. TreVeyon Henderson
11. Saquon Barkley
12. Josh Jacobs
13. Christian McCaffrey
14. Chase Brown
15. Bucky Irving
16. Quinshon Judkins
17. Kyren Williams
18. Derrick Henry
19. Cam Skattebo
20. RJ Harvey
21. Travis Etienne
22. D'Andre Swift
23. Jaylen Warren
24. Javonte Williams

2026 Dynasty WR Rankings

Top 24 Dynasty WRs 2026:

1. Ja'Marr Chase
2. Justin Jefferson
3. Jaxon Smith-Njigba
4. Puka Nacua
5. Malik Nabers
6. CeeDee Lamb
7. Amon-Ra St. Brown
8. Nico Collins
9. Drake London
10. Ladd McConkey
11. Tetairoa McMillan
12. Emeka Egbuka
13. George Pickens
14. Rashee Rice
15. Chris Olave
16. Rome Odunze
17. Garrett Wilson
18. Brian Thomas Jr.
19. Zay Flowers
20. Tee Higgins
21. Jameson Williams
22. Marvin Harrison Jr.
23. DeVonta Smith
24. Jaylen Waddle

2026 Dynasty TE Rankings

Top 12 Dynasty TEs 2026:

1. Brock Bowers
2. Trey McBride
3. Colston Loveland
4. Tyler Warren
5. Tucker Kraft
6. Sam LaPorta
7. Harold Fannin Jr.
8. Kyle Pitts
9. George Kittle
10. Dalton Kincaid
11. Oronde Gadsden II
12. Jake Ferguson