Sportsnaut
For many fantasy football managers in dynasty leagues, the focus right now is on the playoffs and the hopes to win a championship. For rebuilding teams and those who fell short of a title chase in 2025, it’s now time to start thinking about the next wave of NFL talent coming into the league.
Now, it’s true that the 2026 NFL Draft doesn’t have the elite blue-chip talent (Jeremiah Smith and Cam Coleman) that will be available the following year. However, there are still plenty of incoming rookies who fantasy football managers should get excited about.
Let’s dive into our preliminary dynasty rookie rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft.
There are mixed opinions on whether or not Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love belongs in the same tier of prospects as Bijan Robinson, Ashton Jeanty, and Saquon Barkley. Even if he’s not quite on that level, he might be just a hair below that tier. At the very least, right now, he should be the consensus top pick in dynasty rookie drafts this coming offseason.
First, we’ll address his college workload. At 6-foot and 214 pounds, Love is on pace to finish his collegiate career under 550 total touches across three seasons, and he eclipsed 200-plus touches just once (2025). For comparison, Jeanty (830 touches), Barkley (773 touches), Robinson (599 touches), all took on a heavier workload in college, and each of them entered the NFL with 500-plus total touches in their last two seasons.
Not only does Love have good size for a running back, he also excels at getting into a second gear quickly and using that to consistently deliver explosive runs. Among qualified running backs, he finished the regular season tied for the second-most runs of 10-plus yards (37) in college football. He combines that with patience and contact balance to be an excellent runner, all while possessing above-average skills as a pass-catching threat. In the right environment, he could be a top-seven running back in fantasy football in his prime years.
We’re all in on this Ohio State Buckeyes’ wide receiver factor. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is enjoying a record-breaking season, Emeka Egbuka has been one of the best NFL rookies in 2025, Marvin Harrison Jr. is beginning to emerge as a No. 1 wideout, Chris Olave is a 1,000-yard receiver when healthy, and Garrett Wilson is a star. So yes, we’ll keep buying stock in all the talented wideouts that Brian Hartline is turning into NFL-ready players.
Carnell Tate, standing at 6-foot-3, is the latest draft-eligible standout for Ohio State. He ranks top-five among qualified wide receivers in yards per route run (3.52) in the Power 4 this season and he’s hauled in 39 of 47 targets without a drop, per ESPN‘s Jordan Reid. The route-running and hands are unmatched in this class, giving Tate an opportunity to make an immediate impact as a go-to receiving threat in an offense....
