Ryan Kirksey | Thu, Aug 6th 2026, 7:20am EDT

Fantasy Football: 5 Players to Target in Dynasty Leagues (2026)

Dynasty fantasy football is about more than identifying the best young/rookie players on the board and hitting “Draft.” The goal is to build a roster that can produce now while also maintaining its value for years to come. That makes age an important consideration, but age alone should never determine a player’s dynasty value. Production, team situation, opportunity, and long-term potential all need to be weighed together.

The best dynasty football targets are players who offer the right combination of proven production and remaining upside. They are players who can help you win today without sacrificing your team’s future. Finding that balance is the key to building a sustainable dynasty contender for years to come.

FantasyPros has you covered with our dynasty rookie draft rankings and advice to help you dominate your leagues. Here’s a look at a few dynasty football targets to prioritize as you prepare for your draft or transactions ahead of the season.

Dynasty Fantasy Football Players to Target for 2026

Whether you are participating in a start-up dynasty football draft or looking to make trades for players where you can get a strong return on investment, these five players are worth targeting in dynasty formats ahead of the 2026 season.

Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV)

I could not have been more hyped for Ashton Jeanty heading into the 2025 season. The do-it-all running back out of Boise State looked like he was going to dominate touches and volume. However, his rookie season did not quite match the expectations attached to him as a rookie. But for 2026, that creates a buying opportunity for a 22-year-old running back who still has the profile of a potential workhorse.

Jeanty handled 266 carries and 55 receptions in 17 games as a rookie, finishing with 975 rushing yards, 346 receiving yards, and 10 total touchdowns. The 3.7 yards per carry was not impressive at all, especially considering his college efficiency, but the workload was. He accounted for 321 touches, showing that Las Vegas was comfortable building its offense around him even when the efficiency wasn’t there.

The dynasty argument becomes even stronger when considering what could change around him. Jeanty was the sixth overall pick in 2025 and enters 2026 as the Raiders’ established lead back, giving him both draft capital and job security. His rookie season also showed that his fantasy value doesn’t depend entirely on rushing efficiency: 55 catches and five receiving touchdowns give him a valuable receiving floor (and he was sixth in target share at the position), and he is likely to go through most of the season with 2026 number one overall pick Fernando Mendoza as his quarterback.

The Raiders improved their offensive environment around Jeanty, so if his rushing efficiency moves closer to what we expected from him as a prospect, his second-year stats could look a lot better. He was still fourth overall in evaded tackles in 2025, so the shiftiness is still there.

The combination of youth, three-down usage, and receiving ability makes Jeanty a much more attractive dynasty asset than his disappointing rookie efficiency might suggest.

Tetairoa McMillan (WR – CAR)

Tetairoa McMillan already produced enough as a rookie to make him an obvious dynasty asset, but he remains particularly attractive because his best football may still be ahead of him. Especially if Bryce Young continues to improve.

McMillan immediately established himself as Carolina’s No. 1 receiver, starting all 17 games and catching 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 14.5 yards per reception, recorded 17 catches of at least 20 yards, and finished with 55 first-down receptions. Those numbers are especially encouraging considering he accomplished them in his first NFL season and in an offense that still has plenty of room to grow.

McMillan’s rookie season earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, but that shouldn’t necessarily mean his dynasty price has already reached its ceiling. A second-year jump from 1,014 yards to something approaching 1,200-1,300 yards would put him firmly into the elite dynasty wide receiver conversation. With Chris Brazzell lost to injury and Xavier Legette the next-best pass-catching option, I think the sky is the limit for McMillan in 2026.

Carnell Tate (WR – TEN)

Carnell Tate might have been taken fourth overall in the 2026 NFL draft, but it really comes down to what you believe about quarterback Cam Ward and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Tate isn’t entering the NFL with the pedigree of a Ja’Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson, for example, but his combination of age, draft capital, and college production is extremely appealing.

Tate caught 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns in only 11 games during his final season at Ohio State, averaging an outstanding 17.2 yards per reception. He also finished his college career with 121 receptions, 1,872 yards, and 14 touchdowns despite playing alongside an extraordinary collection of receiving talent, including likely top-five 2027 pick Jeremian Smith.

The Titans are also trying to build around Ward, while bringing in Daboll to help develop the passing game. Tate, therefore, has the opportunity to grow with a quarterback and offense that Tennessee hopes will be its long-term foundation. He doesn’t need to become a superstar immediately to be a successful dynasty selection. If he becomes Ward’s preferred downfield and red-zone target, Tate could quickly turn his modest fantasy draft price into a much more valuable asset. He is currently only the WR14 in our dynasty rankings.

Tyler Shough (QB – NO)

Quarterback has a different connotation in dynasty formats, at least in my estimation. Since you only need one, and there are largely 20 or so effective quarterbacks, it doesn’t matter as much about their age or years left to play. Just get the best guys.

That’s why Tyler Shough could fall through the cracks in dynasty leagues. He is an interesting dynasty risk that managers can afford to take on players who haven’t yet established themselves as stars. Shough was hardly a household name entering the NFL, but his rookie season gave us enough evidence to make him intriguing.

He started nine games for New Orleans and completed 221-of-327 passes (67.6%) for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions, adding another 186 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. His 91.3 passer rating was solid, and his season ended with a particularly strong stretch. In December, he completed 71.1% of his passes for 1,057 yards, four touchdowns, and only one interception. He was a top-twelve fantasy quarterback down the stretch.

The bigger reason to target Shough is what New Orleans did around him this offseason. The Saints selected Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson eighth overall, investing premium draft capital into giving Shough more weapons. They also locked up Chris Olave with a massive contract extension. That is exactly the kind of team context dynasty managers should look for when taking a cheaper quarterback.

Shough is the unquestioned starter entering 2026, and he’s entering his second season with Chris Olave still in place and Tyson joining the offense. At 26 years old, Shough doesn’t have age on his side like the other players on this list, but quarterback longevity buffers that. If he establishes himself as a long-term starter, the modest dynasty price to acquire him (QB19) could yield a huge return on investment.

Harold Fannin Jr. (TE – CLE)

What’s the limit for Harold Fannin Jr. with David Njoku no longer in Cleveland? Fannin may be the most intriguing dynasty target outside the big four at the tight end position because his rookie production was already good enough to suggest a much higher ceiling.

Fannin led Cleveland in receptions (72), receiving yards (731), and receiving touchdowns (six) as a rookie, starting 13 of 16 games. More importantly, his production wasn’t simply the result of piling up volume. Fannin posted a 24.3% targets-per-route-run rate, second among tight ends with at least 250 routes, while his 1.66 yards per route run ranked eighth. That combination of target earning and efficiency is exactly what dynasty managers want to see from a young tight end.

Fannin is only 22 years old and now has a clearer path to becoming the focal point of Cleveland’s passing game. Njoku is no longer standing in his way, while the Browns’ receiving corps still lacks an established superstar (and established quarterback, if we are being honest).

That means Fannin doesn’t need to make a massive leap in efficiency to become a top-tier fantasy tight end, he simply needs his rookie role to expand. A player who already produced 72-731-6 as a rookie has a very attractive dynasty profile. He may not command the same price as the elite young tight ends yet, which is precisely why he’s worth targeting in dynasty formats. His ceiling is high.

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