Top Dynasty Rookies: Draft Picks to Target (2026)

Let’s dive into the top dynasty rookies to draft in dynasty rookie drafts for 2026. Here are the names that will sit at the top of most dynasty rookie draft rankings.

Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookies: Draft Picks to Target

Jeremiyah Love (RB – Notre Dame)

This might be a lackluster running back class in terms of quality, but it does feature one player with potential to be a top-shelf workhorse in the NFL. That player is Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, the 2025 Doak Walker Award winner and Heisman Trophy finalist.

Love is a former high school track champion with a tantalizing blend of speed and size. He put that home run ability on full display with long touchdown runs of 94 and 98 yards, while averaging an eye-popping 6.9 yards per carry in each of the past two seasons.

Only 20 years old, Love looks more than ready for the pros. Teams looking for a game-changer at the tailback position will be eyeing him in the middle part of the NFL Draft. He could come off the board as early as pick No. 9 to the Chiefs or slide down to the Vikings at pick No. 18. Wherever he lands, that franchise is getting an electric ball-carrier capable of sparking the offense.

Fernando Mendoza (QB – Indiana)

Much like the situation with Jeremiyah Love atop the running back class, it’s Fernando Mendoza as the QB1… followed by a sizable gap over the rest of the field. After two mediocre years at Cal, Mendoza transferred to Indiana ahead of the 2025 season and went nuclear. En route to a perfect season with the Hoosiers, Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy and finished the year with over 3,500 passing yards, 48 total touchdowns and just six interceptions.

Mendoza might not possess the mobility to be a fantasy superstar at the next level, but he’s got all the tools you look for: Size, intelligence and accuracy. Mendoza was so precise with the ball that he recorded five games with more touchdown passes than incompletions — no other player has more than two such games in college football history.

Menodoza is a lock to go No. 1 overall to the Raiders, where he’ll step into an offense with young weapons in Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty as he looks to turn the franchise around.

Makai Lemon (WR – USC)

Another award winner who should go early in rookie drafts, Makai Lemon, is far from what his last name implies. He’s a demon in the slot and looks like a future stud, with sticky hands and strong yards after the catch (YAC) ability. In fact, he is the only receiver coming out this year to post over 3.00 yards per route run (YPRR) against both man and zone coverage in his collegiate career.

As a junior at USC this past season, Lemon caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, production that won him the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best wideout. He’ll be one of the top three wideouts selected in the 2026 NFL Draft and shouldn’t have to wait long to hear his name called in the first round.

Carnell Tate (WR – Ohio State)

Only 20 years old, the sky is the limit for Carnell Tate. After averaging 17.1 yards per reception in 2025, he’s probably the best big-play and deep threat wide receiver in this draft. Don’t believe me? Go check the highlights from his game against Wisconsin. Tate had a glorious grab where he climbed the ladder above two defenders and snagged the ball in the back of the end zone for a 33-yard score. He finished that game with six catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

At 6-foot-3, Tate offers great size and can line up all over the formation. Offensive coordinators could deploy him outside, where his speed stretches defenses vertically. Or they could slide him inside as a big slot and let him use his ball skills to gobble up receptions. Dynasty managers should be ecstatic about landing a player with his pedigree in this range.

Jordyn Tyson (WR – USC)

A former three-star recruit, Jordyn Tyson blossomed into a top-notch pass-catcher and might be the most complete wideout in this draft. He enjoyed a big breakout as a junior after coming back from a torn ACL, MCL and PCL suffered in 2022, and racked up over 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was limited this past season due to hamstring issues, but he remained productive and finished with 711 yards and eight scores in only nine games.

If teams aren’t worried about his medical history, Tyson could go in the top 10 in the draft. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, he has the size to play every receiver role and is explosive with the ball in his hands. He’s the kind of plug-and-play weapon who should deliver results out of the gate. He’ll be an instant WR3 for fantasy managers no matter where he lands.