5 Dynasty Rookies Experts Avoid in Drafts (2026 Fantasy Football)

The 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone. Now that this phase of the NFL offseason has ended, it’s on to fantasy football drafts for many leagues. That will often start with dynasty drafts both startup and rookie drafts. We’ll have you covered with our dynasty rookie draft rankings and advice to help you dominate your leagues. Here’s a look at a few dynasty rookies our expert community avoids in fantasy football dynasty rookie drafts based on dynasty rookie ADP.

Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice: Players Experts Avoid

Here are a few dynasty rookies experts avoid in dynasty rookie drafts based on expert consensus rankings compared to dynasty rookie ADP.

Kenyon Sadiq (TE – NYJ)

The 16th overall pick of this year’s NFL Draft, Kenyon Sadiq offers an athletic profile that few if any tight ends can match. Sadiq ran a 4.39 at the combine and had a 431/2-inch vertical jump. Sadiq’s college production profile at Oregon wasn’t quite as dazzling. He topped out at 51 catches, 560 receiving yards and eight touchdowns last year as a junior, averaging an uninspiring 1.62 yards per route run, according to PFF. The Jets aren’t expected to have a very good passing attack this year with Geno Smith as the starting quarterback. Sadiq will have to compete for targets with Garrett Wilson, fellow rookie Omar Cooper Jr. and fellow TE Mason Taylor. It’s possible Sadiq’s athleticism helps him become impactful right away, but more likely he’s a play for the future. Profiling as a low-end TE2 or high-end TE3, Sadiq will be undraftable in most redraft leagues.
– Pat Fitzmaurice

Ty Simpson (QB – LAR)

Yes, it’s true. I’m not a big believer in Ty Simpson, but it seems like the Rams are after selecting him with the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Simpson will be Matthew Stafford‘s understudy for the remainder of Stafford’s career. Sean McVay was very clear in post-draft pressers that this remains Stafford’s team. The Rams have been rumored to be working on an extension with Stafford, so it remains to be seen when we’ll likely see Simpson taking regular-season snaps for the Rams. This is a Michael Penix situation that could take longer to develop with a better quarterback in front of the rookie. If Stafford stays healthy, I doubt we’ll see Simpson play in 2026 or maybe even 2027. If you’re selecting Simpson in rookie drafts, you’re going to have to be patient with him. Even though I’m not a Simpson believer with first-round draft capital attached to his name, he should be a late first-round/early second-round selection in Superflex rookie drafts simply based on draft capital attached to his name. This feels like another Kenny Pickett/Mac Jones/Michael Penix type of situation to figure out for dynasty.
– Derek Brown

De’Zhaun Stribling (WR – SF)

De’Zhaun Stribling received the draft capital boost fantasy managers crave, but his profile still carries more risk than his post-draft hype suggests. The 49ers clearly believe in the former Ole Miss receiver, yet concerns remain about his age, production profile, target-earning ability, and path to immediate volume in a crowded offense. Stribling’s ADP has climbed rapidly because of landing spot and draft capital, but those factors alone do not guarantee fantasy success. He remains a worthwhile swing if he falls in rookie drafts, though expectations should be tempered for immediate production.
– Andrew Erickson

Germie Bernard (WR – PIT)

Yes, I know I’m a fabled Germie Bernard hater. I think he’ll be a solid NFL player, but I question his upside. His collegiate production profile is middling at best. He has a 33rd percentile college dominator and a 21st percentile breakout age. Over the last two years, he has ranked 175th and 73rd in yards per route run. I’m not taking a risk on him any earlier than the early third round of rookie drafts. In many cases, he’ll already be off the board. I’m ok with missing the Bernard boat in rookie dynasty drafts.
– Derek Brown

Zachariah Branch (WR – ATL)

Branch was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the NFL Draft. I’ll be avoiding him in rookie drafts. In college, he was a screen merchant. We have seen this archetype of wide receiver fail time and time again in the NFL (Rondale Moore and Malachi Corley). I’m trying to learn from past mistakes here. If you want to take the chance on Branch, I wouldn’t do it any earlier than the mid-to-late third round of rookie drafts. I won’t be following you down that road.
– Derek Brown