Josh Shepardson | Sat, Feb 21st 2026, 7:31am EST

6 Undervalued Rookies to Target (2026 Fantasy Football)

The NFL Draft process is in full swing. The NFL Scouting Combine is on the horizon, and pundits are releasing mock drafts and big boards. Prospects will be risers and fallers during the pre-draft process, and Underdog pre-draft best ball fantasy football drafts are an ideal place to take advantage of mispriced rookies.

No one has a crystal ball for where all the prospects will land, but utilizing the wisdom of the crowd is one way to identify mispriced prospects. Digging into prospect scouting reports from trusted draft experts and collegiate stats is another way to locate potentially mispriced prospects. The following six players are undervalued fantasy football rookies according to their average draft position (ADP).

Undervalued Fantasy Football Rookies

KC Concepcion (WR – Texas A&M) | Underdog ADP: 125

KC Concepcion began the 2026 Underdog best ball season buried in the rankings, but he’s skyrocketed lately. Nevertheless, his ADP hasn’t climbed enough.

Concepcion is 25th on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board, and he has an expected draft position of 25.4, per Grinding the Mocks. Carnell Tate (53.5 ADP), Makai Lemon (56.4 ADP), Jordyn Tyson (59 ADP) and Denzel Boston (105.7 ADP) are the four other wideouts in the top 25 on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board and projected inside the first round by Grinding the Mocks.

It makes sense for Concepcion to go behind the trio of Tate, Lemon and Tyson, but the gap is probably too large. It’s also definitely too big between Concepcion and Boston. Boston’s big board rank is only two spots ahead of Concepcion’s at 23, and Boston’s expected draft position is only 1.4 picks before Concepcion’s. A 20-pick gap in ADP between Concepcion and Boston is laughable, considering it wouldn’t be terribly shocking for Concepcion to get picked before Boston in the NFL Draft.

Concepcion also has notable fans in the draft community.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Concepcion 22nd on his big board; Boston is 25th. Still, Brett Whitefield of Fantasy Points is driving Concepcion’s bandwagon, as evidenced by ranking him ninth on his big board for Fantasy Points.

Concepcion is a value at his fantasy football ADP.

Emmett Johnson (RB – Nebraska) | Underdog ADP: 129.8

Emmett Johnson had a highly productive final collegiate season for Nebraska. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), he recorded the following stats in 12 games last season:

251 rush attempts (20.9 per game)
1,450 rushing yards (120.8 per game)
5.8 yards per carry
2.95 yards after contact per attempt
36 rushes of 10+ yards
12 rushing touchdowns
1 fumble
68 missed tackles forced (0.27 missed tackles forced per attempt)
54 targets (4.5 per game)
0.19 targets per route run (TPRR)
46 receptions (3.8 per game)
370 receiving yards (30.8 per game)
1.27 yards per route run (YPRR)
1.0-yard average depth of target (aDOT)
3 receiving touchdowns

Johnson did it all for the Cornhuskers. His well-rounded chops are ideal for hitting the ground running in the NFL. Heis 84th on the NFL Mock Draft Database big board, making him the fourth-ranked running back behind Jeremiyah Love (ninth), Jadarian Price (63rd) and Jonah Coleman (67th).

Johnson was more productive than Coleman in their final collegiate seasons, but Coleman has an ADP of 116.3, which is just over a round earlier than Johnson’s. Johnson should be picked roughly a round earlier than he is in Underdog drafts, making him a reasonable value for running back-needy drafters as early as the 10th round.

Nicholas Singleton (RB – Penn State) | Underdog ADP: 190.5

Sadly, Nicholas Singleton broke his foot during practice at the Senior Bowl. As a result, his opportunity to show out at the Senior Bowl was cut short, and he’ll be unable to test at the combine.

Gamers can benefit from Singleton missing the combine, as he was going to post freaky testing numbers and receive a post-combine ADP bump. Singleton appeared on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List three times, ranking 31st in 2023, 29th in 2024 and 19th in 2025.

Per Feldman’s 2025 write-up on Singleton, the incoming running back runs a 4.35-second 40-yard dash, has a max velocity of 23.5 miles per hour (MPH), has a shuttle time of 4.18 seconds, squatted 665 pounds in the 2024 offseason and 660 pounds in the 2025 offseason with a 10-foot-5 broad jump. Singleton’s jaw-dropping athleticism is packed into a 6-foot-0, 228-pound frame.

Singleton’s combination of athleticism and size is dreamy. He is built like a workhorse, and he has eye-catching receiving chops. In 40 games in his final three seasons at Penn State, Singleton recorded the following receiving numbers:

111 targets (2.8 per game)
0.19 TPRR
91 receptions (2.3 per game)
901 receiving yards (22.5 per game)
1.58 YPRR
8 receiving touchdowns

Singleton wasn’t a slouch as a runner, either. He cleared 1,000 rushing yards as a freshman in 2022 and exceeded 1,100 as a junior in 2023. On 625 career rush attempts, the Penn State back recorded 3,463 rushing yards, 5.5 yards per carry, 3.44 yards after contact per attempt, 106 missed tackles forced and 45 rushing touchdowns.

It’s not optimal that Kaytron Allen was a more productive runner for the Nittany Lions than Singleton in their final season. Nevertheless, Singleton isn’t some diminutive scatback. Betting on explosive, big, talented pass-catching running backs with a nose for the end zone is wise. If Singleton’s skills quickly translate to the NFL, he’ll crush his ADP.

Omar Cooper Jr. (WR – Indiana) | Underdog ADP: 191.9

Among FBS wide receivers with at least 60 targets in 2025 in this year’s draft class, Omar Cooper Jr. was fifth in PFF receiving grade (86), trailing Makai Lemon (91.4), Carnell Tate (89), Elijah Sarratt (87.3) and Denzel Boston (87.2). Out of that same sample, Cooper was also tied for 12th in yards per route run (2.55), tied for 10th in yards after the catch per reception (7.2) and tied for third in touchdown receptions (13).

Cooper is 27th on Dane Brugler’s big board, only two spots behind Boston and five behind KC Concepcion. Moreover, Todd McShay highlighted him as an underrated prospect to know before the NFL Scouting Combine and lumped him into a group of wideouts “vying for early round two consideration.” Cooper’s ADP will skyrocket in summer best ball drafts if he’s picked inside the top 40 in the NFL Draft.

Mike Washington Jr. (RB – Arkansas) | Underdog ADP: 224.4

The film breakdown by Derek Brown and Joe Pisapia for Mike Washington Jr. on our Twitch channel is must-watch content. Washington is built like a bell-cow back, runs to his size and can contribute as a receiver, giving him a three-down skill set.

In 12 games for Arkansas in 2025, Washington recorded the following numbers:

167 rush attempts (13.9 per game)
1,066 rushing yards (88.8 per game)
6.4 yards per carry
3.86 yards after contact per attempt
30 rushes for 10-plus yards
8 rushing touchdowns
34 missed tackles forced (0.20 missed tackles forced per attempt)
36 targets (3.0 per game)
0.16 TPRR
28 receptions (2.3 per game)
226 receiving yards (18.8 per game)
0.99 YPRR
1 receiving touchdown

Interestingly, Washington is 101 on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board, ahead of Kaytron Allen (107) and Nicholas Singleton (123). Allen’s ADP is 171.4, and Singleton’s is 190.5. Allen’s ADP is reasonable, and Singleton and Washington should be in closer proximity to Allen.

Brenen Thompson (WR – Mississippi State) | Underdog ADP: 239.8

Brenen Thompson is a small wideout with a ton of juice. Dane Brugler picked Thompson to run the fastest 40-yard dash at this year’s combine and is his No. 74-ranked prospect on his big board. He even doubled down on his pick on Twitter:

Mike Renner from CBS Sports was also complimentary of Thompson on Twitter:

Thompson concluded his collegiate career with 87 targets (0.23 TPRR), 57 receptions (4.4 per game), 1,054 receiving yards (81.1 per game), 18.5 yards per reception, 2.77 YPRR and six receiving touchdowns on an 18.4-yard aDOT in 13 games. His vertical usage can make him volatile, but volatility is easier to stomach in best ball.

The time to scoop up Thompson in Underdog drafts is now, while he’s a 20th-round pick or undrafted, before he runs a blazing 40-yard dash and is steamed up.

Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.

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