Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook: Round 1 Picks (2026 Fantasy Football)

This is what we’ve been waiting for, fantasy football enthusiasts. The NFL Draft is under way, and we finally get to see where the dynasty rookie draft prospects are going to launch their professional careers. And NFL Draft landing spots allow us to start to zero in on fantasy football and dynasty rookie draft advice.

Prepare for your dynasty rookie draft using our FREE mock draft simulator and check out our latest dynasty rookie draft rankings

Throughout the draft, we’ll take a closer look at fantasy-relevant prospects, giving you an overview of their strengths and weaknesses, and assessing their fantasy value in both redraft and dynasty formats.

Let’s dig into Round 1 picks and their fantasy football outlook and dynasty rookie draft advice.

Dynasty Rookie Draft Simulator
Dynasty Rookie Rankings: Expert Consensus
DBro’s Top 100 Dynasty Rookie Draft Rankings
DBro’s Dynasty Rookie Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE

Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook

Here’s what our fantasy football experts expect for each of the skill position players selected Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Las Vegas Raiders Draft Fernando Mendoza

And there it is: Fernando Mendoza is a Las Vegas Raider. He’ll join a team that has a solid offensive line in place, headlined by their new high-priced center, Tyler Linderbaum. He’ll also have two fantastic weapons to throw to, including tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty. From here, the Raiders need to use some draft capital on improving the wide receiver position. They currently have Jack Bech, Jalen Nailor, and Tre Tucker listed as their starters; they can do better. Mendoza will bring a Matt Ryan-style of play. He’s a pro-ready pocket quarterback who has a solid arm, delivers accurate throws, and goes through his progressions. He’s not much of a runner, but can escape and pick up some yardage with his legs here and there as needed. That said, the Raiders do have Kirk Cousins on the roster, so it’s not a guarantee we see him under center in Week 1. In superflex leagues, he’s worth the No. 2 overall pick, but in more standard dynasty formats, Mendoza is more of a back-end of the first round talent.

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Arizona Cardinals Draft Jeremiyah Love

In somewhat of a surprise, Jeremiyah Love goes 3rd overall to the Cardinals, but he should immediately step into a bellcow role. Love is the best offensive player in the draft, and he goes into an offense that has a lot of young talent. If the Cardinals can figure out their quarterback situation, this offense has the potential to be a sneaky good fantasy spot. Love will be the 1.01 in most dynasty rookie drafts, and I’d anticipate him being drafted in the first two rounds of most redraft leagues as well. He flashes shades of Bijan Robinson, though he might be a tick behind him from a ceiling perspective.

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Tennessee Titans Draft Carnell Tate

Carnell Tate goes to the Titans, which is somewhat fitting because he gives off some shades of Corey Davis. I believe Tate to be more of a floor play for fantasy, but that is something that can be plenty useful. He will play alongside Cam Ward, and it isn’t like there will be a lot of competition for targets, so there is a lot to like here. Tate is part of a rookie receiver group that really doesn’t have a clear WR1. I’m fine with him being in the first tier of this year’s class, and he should be no worse than a WR3 in redraft this year.

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New Orleans Saints Draft Jordyn Tyson

Tyson walks into an immediate opportunity. Outside of Chris Olave, the Saints lack proven pass-catchers, so volume could come quickly. Tyson has WR1 upside thanks to his separation and YAC ability, making him one of the highest-ceiling rookies in the 2026 class. Assuming Tyson can stay healthy, he is worth drafting aggressively, and I would have him fairly comfortably ahead of Carnell Tate. What we should also be excited for here is Tyler Shough, who flashed weekly QB1 upside over his final eight games of 2025. Shough should see an immediate boost and is a huge buy heading into the early draft season.

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Los Angeles Rams Draft Ty Simpson

Wow. A legitimate shocker. The Rams take Simpson at No. 13 overall. Reports have made it clear that they talked with Matthew Stafford ahead of this pick, and he’s only there for whenever Stafford decides to hang it up. The Rams are getting a Brock Purdy-like quarterback who can make some great throws and be an accurate point guard from the pocket. However, the back-half of last season will cause some to pause as he dealt with multiple injuries and his production dipped. He’s still worth at least a second-round superflex dynasty pick, and likely a first-rounder given the draft capital, but he could be on the bench for a couple of seasons.

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New York Jets Draft Kenyon Sadiq

It’s not every day you find a tight end running under 4.40 in the 40-yard dash, but that’s Sadiq. I do wonder what this means for Mason Taylor, or if maybe we’ll see more 2TE sets, especially with the lack of wide receiver options after Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell. I wouldn’t expect too much production Year 1 with Geno Smith as his quarterback and competing with Wilson and the production from Breece Hall. But long-term, assuming the Jets use those three first-round picks in 2027 to get their quarterback of the future, his athleticism should pay off. He’s still a top-10 pick in dynasty rookie drafts.

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Philadelphia Eagles Draft Makai Lemon

The Eagles land my No. 1 receiver in the draft in Lemon. This signals an A.J. Brown trade could be imminent, and if so, Lemon will be a fantastic WR2 to DeVonta Smith. He’s Amon-Ra St. Brown-like, can route all of the routes, and is fantastic after the catch. I do question the overall volume of passes that Lemon will see from Jalen Hurts after the Eagles were 23rd in passing yards per game last year with 192.8 and averaging just 167.3 in their final three games. That said, I’m buying into the long-term talent, and he’s worthy of a top-five pick in dynasty leagues. We’ll see what Sean Mannion can do with this offense.

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Cleveland Browns Draft K.C. Concepcion

Concepcion is a high-upside playmaker who brings immediate fantasy value in a Cleveland offense that needs a true WR1. Concepcion is arguably the best separator in this class, and his elite change-of-direction and shiftiness make him a threat to score anytime he touches the ball. He’s a polished route runner who understands leverage and finds soft spots in coverage, giving him reliable target potential. Add in a larger-than-expected catch radius and a knack for clutch plays, and the Browns did well getting him at 24th overall. Shaddeur Sanders should benefit greatly from the addition of Concepcion, although the second-year quarterback will need to take strides in order to unlock Concepcion’s considerable upside.

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New York Jets Draft Omar Cooper Jr.

Turns out being the leading receiver for your National Championship team and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback has its perks. In Omar Cooper Jr.’s case, it helped steam him up into the first round. The New York Jets snagged him at No. 30 overall, making him the fifth receiver selected on Day 1. Cooper has the versatility to play inside and out, but he’s at his most dangerous in the slot, where he can use his tackle-breaking skills and YAC-ability to really shine. He’ll slot into a starting role opposite Garrett Wilson, but there’s suddenly a lot of mouths to feed in New York after the Jets also selected tight end Kenyon Sadiq earlier in the night. With this landing spot, Cooper will likely be a fantasy WR4 to start his career, with room to go up if he commands a larger target share. Cooper will likely go off the board somewhere in the 1.08-1.10 range in dynasty rookie drafts, giving managers a young wideout who can be used as a FLEX option in full-PPR formats.

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Seattle Seahawks Draft Jadarian Price

Following the departure of Kenneth Walker III to the Chiefs, the Seahawks find a replacement with the last pick of the first round. Price split time with Jeremiyah Love at Notre Dame and totaled 674 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Fighting Irish last season. He has good size and speed and is more of a downhill runner who does a good job finding open lanes. He also had three kickoff returns for touchdowns and, although that job is locked up by Rashid Shaheed, he does give the Seahawks another option on special teams as well. Price’s style of running should play nicely with Zach Charbonnet and newly-acquired Emanuel Wilson. He figures to be firmly in the first round of dynasty rookie drafts, and he could now go as early as a mid-first given his landing spot and questionable early outlooks for some of the other Round 1 rookies.

Check out his full dynasty rookie draft profile