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2026 Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie WR Outlook
The 2026 NFL Draft is still several months away, but this is the ideal time of year to get caught up on the prospects who will make an impact on the fantasy football landscape for redraft and dynasty leagues.
With the main fantasy season complete, I’ve had time to go over game tape, collegiate production, interviews and more, in order to project what this incoming crop of rookies will become at the next level.
We’ll get more precise athletic testing numbers to work with at the NFL Combine in late February, before eventually finding out how NFL front offices value this class when draft day arrives in April.
Consider this a starting point in the pre-draft process, while understanding that landing spots will have an important impact on the fantasy value of each player. Once we know which organization they’ll be joining, it reveals a larger part of the puzzle in terms of their opportunity, coaching, scheme and team culture.
For now, we’ll continue this series by focusing on the incoming wide receivers who have the best chance to become fantasy relevant in the NFL.
Prospect Fantasy Outlooks
Wide Receivers
Two at the top
Makai Lemon, USC
Carnell Tate, Ohio State
There’s at least one high-end talent at every position in this year’s class, but the receivers are by far the most intriguing and deep group for fantasy managers to target.
That begins with Lemon and Tate as the top tier, both expected to go off the board early in the first round of the draft - and for good reason.
Lemon is a scrappy playmaker who’s dangerous all over the field, with his best work coming in the short-to-intermediate range. His contested-catch ability and toughness are notable given his 5-foot-11, 195-pound frame. He’s also quick and decisive with the ball in his hands, shaking defenders en route to extra yards.
While he lacks elite speed, he moves very well and will always find ways to beat the defense he’s facing. The slot is where he does his best work, but he can be effective all over the formation.
Tate is a more traditional big-bodied X-receiver, who also overcomes a lack of elite speed with a variety of high-level traits. The 21-year-old is a smooth athlete with good awareness, who carves up defenses with strong hands, quality route running and excellent contested-catch ability. He does a great job tracking the ball, high-pointing passes and using his body to box out defenders.
His college production wasn’t as massive as you might expect, due to the level of target competition at Ohio State and some durability issues. While he would be wise to add some bulk to his frame, Tate has all the tools to become a difference-maker in the NFL.
Fantasy Outlook: Given their talent profiles and the likely top-10 draft capital they should get in April, Lemon and Tate will be highly coveted by fantasy managers in dynasty and redraft formats.
In the right situations, we could see them emerge as top-24 fantasy wideouts right away, which is why they occupy two of the top three spots in my dynasty rookie rankings - behind only Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love.
Even if it takes time for them to learn how to win in the pros, both Lemon and Tate offer high ceilings as potential fantasy WR1s.
Dynasty rookie value (Superflex): 1.02-1.03
Immense upside
Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
Denzel Boston, Washington
KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
This category contains three wideouts who are extremely talented and could also see first-round draft capital in April.
Tyson often gets mentioned in the same tier as Lemon and Tate, but I see him as a slight step down. That doesn’t mean I’m not interested in the player though. The 21-year-old is a versatile weapon who separates well and is a smooth route runner. He displayed a knack for making clutch plays in college and will be a reliable target for his next quarterback thanks to a big catch radius, but he doesn’t offer the same amount of elite attributes as the guys above him.
Boston might have an equally high ceiling as Tyson, but will likely be drafted after him. In Boston, I see a strong possession receiver and red-zone threat with ideal size, who has trustworthy hands which serve him well in contested-catch situations. He also shows veteran savvy near the sidelines, pulling off toe-tapping grabs with ease. If you’re going to include Tyson in the top tier, then Boston needs to be there as well.
That brings us to the final member of this section in Concepcion. The 21-year-old plays like a more physical Jordan Addison. His willingness to square up and take on a defender is worth highlighting given his size at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds.
Concepcion is a high-end athlete who’s a versatile and dynamic playmaker. While he might not have lightning fast straight line speed, he can still threaten deep and is tricky to deal with in tight spaces.
Fantasy Outlook: This trio has a longer path to becoming top-12 fantasy receivers, but it’s not out of the question. A more realistic projection for them long-term would have them settling in as fantasy WR2s.
The good news is they all look the part of being potential stars from their skills to athleticism to confidence on the field. That combined with their suspected first-round draft capital makes for a smart bet in the opening round of dynasty rookie drafts.
Dynasty rookie value (Superflex): 1.04-1.09
Believe the hype
Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana
Chris Bell, Louisville
Zachariah Branch, Georgia
Elijah Sarratt, Indiana
Malachi Fields, Notre Dame
If you’re looking for the best fantasy values, they’re likely going to come from this group.
Cooper really stood out to me as a versatile receiver who has great contact balance and a big catch radius for his size. He fights for every yard after his receptions, pushing off and evading defenders along the way. He’s a smooth mover and powerful ball carrier. While it’s a lofty high-end comparison, his playing style has shades of Deebo Samuel Sr. meets Odell Beckham Jr.
Fields is another favorite of mine who profiles as a strong No. 2 receiver in the NFL, but showcased enough Alpha traits to make me want to invest heavily in dynasty. The Notre Dame product has an excellent size-speed combo, even though his true speed comes as a long strider when he opens it up downfield. It’s impossible to deny his circus-catch abilities, stemming from him high-pointing the ball and using his expert body control to adjust on the fly. He’s also surprisingly sneaky after the catch, not going down easily and spinning off defenders.
Branch is from the Zay Flowers mold as a dynamic athlete with high-end speed, soft hands and obvious playmaking ability. He’s the kind of receiver who can change direction without losing a step and is incredibly dangerous after the catch, capable of taking any pass to the house. Let’s hope he finds an offense willing to feature him and not just use him as a gadget option and special teamer.
Sarratt has all the makings of a strong possession receiver on the outside or perhaps a big slot, depending on the offense he ends up in. Either way, he has confident hands that pluck the ball out of the air, which pairs well with his quality route running. He’s not going to blow anyone away with his athleticism, but he’s a physical wideout who appears to have that clutch capability that will make him a quarterback’s best friend.
Bell will be tough to evaluate over the next few months after suffering a torn ACL in late November. Though we’ve seen many players return from serious knee injuries before the following season, that’s much harder to do as an unproven rookie. Bell is a physical possession receiver who isn’t afraid to mix it up over the middle of the field, but he lacks elite skills, which makes him an even riskier pick given the injury.
Fantasy Outlook: While my personal preferences could have led to more tiers within this section, I wanted to stay true to my analysis and keep this quintet together.
All five players project to be meaningful starters in the pros and deserve to be drafted on Day 2. If that comes to pass, they’ll have the necessary draft capital to get them on the field early in their careers. That makes them enticing for fantasy, especially if they fall into the second round of dynasty rookie drafts.
Cooper, Fields and Branch are my favorites in this bunch, but Bell would have a strong case to lead the tier if it weren’t for his injury.
Dynasty rookie value (Superflex): Late-first to mid-second round
Growing concerns
Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee
Ja’Kobi Lane, USC
Germie Bernard, Alabama
Distancing yourself from prospects at this stage of the pre-draft process puts you at risk of looking foolish. However, I’m struggling to see the upside case for these three wideouts at the moment.
Brazzell is tall, has a good catch radius and decent downfield ability, but he needs significant development if he’s going to become a starter in the pros. He needs to haul in more contested-catch opportunities and add some muscle to his frame. That might help him become a little more physical, because at the moment he lacks the scrappiness you’d like to see from an incoming rookie. And though you shouldn’t factor this in too much, it’s hard not to think of all the Tennessee receiving prospects who have disappointed in the NFL in recent years.
For Lane, the word I wrote down most in my notes was “decent”. That describes his hands, route running, red-zone skills and more. He glides around the field and looks the part, but doesn’t have the speed to put pressure on defenses deep and he’ll need some grit if his lanky frame is going to hold up at the next level.
Bernard seems like a good college player whose traits aren’t strong enough to excel in the pros. He’s a limited athlete, which will become more evident against tougher competition. That will put a lot of pressure on him being a savvy player who can find ways to outwork defensive backs, since his physical tools aren’t going to get the job done on their own. You should expect a depth role for him unless some serious evolution occurs in his game.
Fantasy Outlook: This section features a trio of pass-catchers who need a lot of work to reach their high-end outcomes in the pros and even then we’re only talking about them becoming No. 2 or No. 3 receivers in NFL offenses.
The further we go down this list, the lower the draft capital likely gets. That means teams will have less invested in these players, so they have to do more in order to earn playing time.
From a fantasy perspective, unless you feel particularly strong about a receiver from this point on, they are often better off left for your opponents to draft. For every Puka Nacua, there are a ton of Day 3 wideouts clogging up dynasty benches with no breakout in sight.
Dynasty rookie value (Superflex): third-to-fourth round
Works in progress
Antonio Williams, Clemson
Ted Hurst, Georgia State
We’ll have plenty of time before the draft to discuss deep sleepers, but consider these two names as a sneak peek.
Williams is unlikely to be an elite fantasy producer, but he’s a smart slot receiver who could be a high-volume earner at the next level - if given the opportunity. He offers very reliable hands and is a great route runner, with his short-area quickness shining through. He also comes down with more contested catches than you would expect for a 5-foot-11, 190-pound receiver.
Hurst might be a bit more of a project with a tall and thin frame. However, he shows excellent ball skills and boxes out defenders very well, which is one of the reasons why he stands out in the red zone. The biggest worry for Hurst is the jump in competition that will occur going from Georgia State to the NFL.
Fantasy Outlook: Don’t let yourself get too attached to the deeper prospects like this. Just consider them intriguing developmental players who you can stash on deeper dynasty benches or keep on your waiver wire watchlist in case they start to make some noise in offseason practices.
Dynasty rookie value (Superflex): Fourth round or later
Prospect Fantasy Outlooks
Wide Receivers
