And just like that, the first two days of the NFL Draft are in the books. However, well over half of the players who will eventually be selected have yet to receive that all-important phone call. For dynasty fantasy football purposes, we should still stay locked in. In this article, I’ll cover the top remaining fantasy prospects as we head into Day 3 of the draft.
As a reminder, the vast majority of Day 3 picks never pan out for fantasy purposes. We can look back at the article I wrote after Day 2 of last year’s Draft for an example. I did feature Cam Skattebo and Bhayshul Tuten, so that’s a strong start. But running back is traditionally the position with the most hits from Day 3, and last year’s class of rushers was loaded while this year’s is decidedly not. At non-RB positions, I mentioned Shedeur Sanders, Elic Ayomanor, Xavier Restrepo, and Gunnar Helm. None of those guys made much of a fantasy impact as rookies, and I wouldn’t bet on any of them ever emerging as weekly starters. Keep that in mind before falling in love with any Day 3 picks, but these are my favorite bets to provide at least something for dynasty managers in 2026 and/or beyond.
- 2026 NFL Draft Guide
- 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
- Best Fantasy Football Tools
- Dynasty Rookie Mock Drafts
NFL Draft Day 3: Top Remaining Dynasty Fantasy Football Prospects
Jonah Coleman (RB — Washington)
As mentioned, Day 3 running backs are far more likely to find fantasy success — either sustained or brief — than Day 3 picks at any other position. And my favorite back still on the board with 100 picks down in this year’s draft is Jonah Coleman, the former Husky.
Coleman is likely still available because he isn’t a game-changing athlete. He only participated in the bench press at the Scouting Combine, and he didn’t run at Washington’s pro day, either. There’s a chance Coleman would have run if he weren’t dealing with an ankle injury, but he was never likely to showcase blazing speed.
However, what Coleman does have is the proven ability to rack up touches. He is a solid runner, capable in the receiving game, and has even already provided a good soundbite about making pass-blocking a priority in the NFL. In the right scenario, he could consolidate volume in a very fantasy-friendly way.
This is almost exactly what I said last year about Cam Skattebo, who obviously proceeded to provide plenty of fantasy value before his rookie year was cut short by an injury. Coleman isn’t as good a prospect as Skattebo was, but he could find success in the right spot. Even in a bad spot, Coleman would still be valuable as a high-upside handcuff. Assuming he is selected relatively early on Saturday, he should be on your radar as a likely second-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts.
Mike Washington Jr. (RB — Arkansas)
Here’s a secret: I actually pre-wrote most of these blurbs, doing my best to guess which prospects would still be available before Day 2 even began (my only miss was new Saint Oscar Delp). But Washington Jr. is a late addition, as I actually expected the Arkansas back to be off the board by now. It wasn’t just me, either. His consensus mock draft ADP was 63, inside not just Day 2 but Round 2.
With that said, I stand by calling Coleman my favorite RB still available, even with Washington’s surprising fall. Washington’s consensus ADP was only so high for one reason: He absolutely dominated the Combine, including running a blistering fast 4.33-second 40 while weighing in at a healthy 223 lbs. That’s definitely encouraging for fantasy, where we love explosive athletes with workhorse size.
But that’s the only truly exciting thing about Washington’s profile. He failed to really produce until transferring to Arkansas, which was his fifth year in college. If he didn’t test so well, no one would be at all surprised that he is still available heading into Day 3, or even if he went undrafted overall. The fact that no NFL team fell in love with his athleticism enough to pick him on Friday is another red flag.
However, at the end of the day, Washington’s athleticism is real. He will almost certainly be selected on Day 3, and his theoretical upside if he ever lands a starting role is enormous. This is doubly true given that he even showed some promise as a receiver. He could be another Isaac Guerendo, but he could also be a future fantasy star. Don’t let his slightly surprising slide knock him off your dynasty radar.
Cole Payton (QB — North Dakota State)
While Day 3 fantasy hits are always rare, they’re particularly hard to find at quarterback. After all, there are only 32 QB jobs available in the NFL. Especially given how aggressively teams will reach to draft guys they think have starter potential, most passers selected on Day 3 will simply never get a chance.
If we’re going to be taking a low-probability bet on a Day 3 QB, it might as well be one with high upside. That’s what Cole Payton brings. He put up excellent numbers both on the ground and through the air (albeit on a relatively stacked team against much weaker FCS competition). And then he lit up the Combine, finishing with a 9.87 Relative Athletic Score.
Chances are, Payton won’t ever be an NFL starter. The last North Dakota State Bison quarterback with elite athletic traits didn’t exactly pan out … and at least Trey Lance had draft capital on his side. But if he does get a shot, Payton has the skill set to be a fantasy difference-maker. Unless he falls out of the draft completely, keep him in mind late in your superflex dynasty rookie drafts.
Emmett Johnson (RB — Nebraska)
If the draft had taken place a few months ago, it would have been a legitimate surprise to see Johnson still available as we head into Day 3. Unfortunately, his stock has slipped consistently throughout the offseason, thanks in no small part to a very mediocre performance at the Combine. Johnson weighed in at just 202 lbs and ran a slow 4.56-second 40-yard dash, a very uninspiring combination.
On the bright side, Johnson has a genuinely impressive pass-catching profile, including an elite 16% target share in his final season at Nebraska. He also put up solid volume and metrics on the ground, meaning he joins Coleman in the “hopefully he’s Cam Skattebo” group.
With that in mind, Johnson’s fantasy value (for both dynasty and redraft) is very landing-spot-dependent. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but if he lands in a relatively open backfield, he has the potential to consolidate work and be a solid fantasy option. Otherwise, he’s likely to be just a high-upside handcuff or desperation PPR option, as he doesn’t have the explosive ability to make a real impact in a part-time role.
Justin Joly (TE — North Carolina State)
Let’s start with the pros for Justin Joly. He was productive in college, racking up over 1,900 total receiving yards across two years at UConn and two at NC State. This is backed up by an impressive 81.4 PFF Receiving Grade in 2025, the fourth-highest among high-volume TEs in this class.
Unfortunately, that not-so-long list is more or less where the pros end. Joly is the kind of tight end where we have to be worried about his chances to be a full-time NFL player. A converted wideout, he is still slightly undersized despite gaining weight, and he doesn’t profile as much of a blocker.
But, at such an unpredictable position, sometimes trusting production and draft capital is as good as we can hope for. Obviously Joly’s draft capital is not going to be too inspiring at this point, but a consensus big board ranking of 113 overall implies he should hear his name early tomorrow. Especially if he gets a good landing spot on Saturday, he’s worth a dart throw late in dynasty rookie drafts.
Elijah Sarratt (WR — Indiana)
Some absolutely dominant fantasy wide receivers have been selected on Day 3, including guys like Puka Nacua, Tyreek Hill, and Stefon Diggs. But the overall hit rate of Day 3 wideouts is very low, and it’s my least favorite position to throw darts at late in rookie drafts. With that said, if I had to plant my flag on one receiver still on the board heading into the final day of this draft, it would be Elijah Sarratt.
After all, Sarratt put up very comparable numbers to fellow Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr., who was selected in the first round. Looking just at 2025 (including the Hoosiers’ victorious playoff run), the duo finished with remarkably similar numbers in PFF Receiving Grade (87.3 for Sarratt to 86.0 for Cooper), yards per game (59.3 to 58.6), receptions per game (4.6 to 4.3), and yards per route run (2.39 to 2.55). If we go back to 2024, Sarratt was clearly Indiana’s WR1 ahead of Cooper, and it wasn’t even particularly close.
Obviously, NFL decision-makers (or at least the Jets) are far more confident in Cooper’s ability to make an impact at the next level than Sarratt’s. And his profile has some legitimate red flags, most notably a high level of reliance on contested targets. But if we’re throwing low-probability darts at Day 3 receivers, I’ll take the guy who was genuinely productive on the best team in the country despite clearly solid target competition.
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Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.