Fantasy football rookie mock draft: Jeremiyah Love is the clear No. 1

First comes the NFL Draft and then comes the real fun — the dynasty rookie fantasy football drafts, which some real sickos (hi!) started the moment the NFL Draft itself ended, though I imagine most dynasty leagues are waiting at least a little bift longer to start the process.

Below is my first-round rookie mock draft for 2026 for dynasty leagues. Please note that this mock is for normal dynasty leagues, not Superflex leagues. I'll address some slight Superflex changes at the end of the article.

Fantasy football rookie mock draft

1.01 - RB Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals

I doubt there was a scenario where Love ended up as anything other than the 1.01, no matter where he landed. He's the best running back in this draft class by a sizable margin, which is going to really inflate his value in dynasty, as he's the only player you can draft this year with a viable path to being a top-five running back in the NFL.

Arizona is a weird landing spot because Tyler Allgeier might siphon off some touches in 2026 and the iffy quarterback situation means the Cardinals might not be able to sustain drives and keep Love on the field, but that's not enough to change anyone's mind about who to draft first in rookie drafts.

1.02 - WR Carnell Tate - Tennessee Titans

The Titans used the No. 4 overall title on Tate, who joins a roster that also features Wan'Dale Robinson and Calvin Ridley at wide receiver. Despite that, he's the clear No. 2 player in this class, as he's the most well-rounded receiver of the three big names as well as the one with the least competition long-term.

Seriously, I'm not going to be scared off by Robinson — a good PPR player who will see a lot of targets but likely won't convert that into huge production — and Ridley. Tate was the first receiver drafted for a reason, and there's a chance he and Cam Ward develop into a top-10 QB-WR combo within the next few seasons. Best ceiling of the big three receivers and probably the second-best floor.

1.03 - WR Makai Lemon - Philadelphia Eagles

While it's objectively not great for Lemon that he landed on a team that already has DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, it's also clear that Brown is soon going to be on the move, opening up space for Lemon to be the No. 2 receiver for Philly.

It's a role that was a bit of a rollercoaster last season when it comes to fantasy, but I'm willing to bet heavily on Lemon to be a success for the post-Brown Eagles, largely because the occasional down weeks will even out with the ceiling weeks. That, and Lemon is going to be a YAC machine in the NFL.

1.04 - WR Jordyn Tyson - New Orleans Saints

Nothing against Tyson, who comes in last of the big three receivers here, but I just think I'd prefer the other two in dynasty right now, and a big part of that is that despite his strong rookie performance, I'm still not all the way sold on Tyler Shough being someone who can support multiple fantasy-relevant receivers.

If there were concrete rumors of the Saints moving on from Chris Olave, I might have Tyson a spot higher, but we're looking at him sharing the field with Olave for at least a little while in his career, and it's going to be tough for Tyson to outperform Olave. Still, I'd be pretty happy to draft him, if only because there's a big drop-off at receiver after Tyson is off the board.

1.05 - RB Jadarian Price - Seattle Seahawks

From an IRL perspective, I hate this landing spot. Not for Price, but for the Seattle Seahawks, who simply should not have used a first-round pick on a running back, especially in this particular draft class. With that said, this is probably a best-case scenario for Price in fantasy, as he lands with a team that has a clear need for a running back and that has the structure in place to allow Price to thrive.

With Kenneth Walker gone and Zach Charbonnet recovering from an ACL tear, Price will see the field immediately. We sometimes talk too much about the future in dynasty, but it's worth remembering that you're playing fantasy football for the 2026 season, and Price is the only running back other than Love with a guaranteed role in 2026.

1.06 - WR KC Concepcion - Cleveland Browns

I initially loved this fit when the Browns drafted Concepcion, because the team needed an electric player like him in the slot. Some of that enthusiasm dropped when they picked another receiver a round later, but Denzel Boston ultimately should have more of a negative impact on Jerry Jeudy than on Concepcion.

The bigger worry is the quarterback situation in Cleveland, which impacts Concepcion's short and long-term outlooks. As talented as he is, and as big a need as this was, the bust potential is definitely there because of reasons outside Concepcion's control.

1.07 - QB Fernando Mendoza - Las Vegas Raiders

It's hard to figure out where to put Mendoza in a non-Superflex mock. So far, I've seen him go right around this spot in one of my leagues, but fall to the late second round in another. I think the former is closer to most realities than the latter.

Mendoza isn't a guarantee to succeed in the NFL, but he is the closest thing in this class to a sure-thing at quarterback, and that's important for dynasty managers. He has a strong and accurate arm, and while he's a bit too much of a pocket passer to project to be a top 10 fantasy quarterback long-term, he can be a solid high-end QB2 play for a long time.

1.08 - TE Kenyon Sadiq - New York Jets

Ranking the two best tight ends in this class is tough because for both of them, projection is a big thing. Sadiq has the talent to be one of the NFL's elite tight ends, but you also have to cross your fingers and hope that the talent actually turns into production.

Sadiq's college production was uneven and his landing spot in New York isn't ideal, but here's the thing: it's hard to find an elite tight end in fantasy, and at 1.08, I'm willing to bet on Sadiq's athleticism despite my overall concerns.

1.09 - TE Eli Stowers - Philadelphia Eagles

Stowers is in a better spot than Sadiq as far as landing spot goes, as the Eagles have proven they can be a team that supports fantasy tight ends with Dallas Goedert. Goedert's presence will impact Stowers' initial outlook, though I wouldn't view that as a concern beyond 2026.

You could make an argument that Stowers' landing spot and his college track record makes him the true No. 1 dynasty tight end in this class, and I wouldn't hate that argument. However, I think Sadiq's athletic upside makes me lean his way just a bit more, though I'd be happy in all my leagues to add Stowers to the roster.

1.10 - WR Omar Cooper Jr. - New York Jets

Bad landing spot. At the moment, I want no part of the Jets receiving game, though I have Cooper at 1,10 here because it feels like this landing spot could switch to "very good" a year from now if the Jets can finally find a way to add a top young quarterback.

Cooper can do a bit of everything well, which should allow him to see the field often. I don't expect consistent fantasy value from him as a rookie, but I do think there will be a few games mixed in there that show us signs of what's to eventually come.

1.11 - WR Denzel Boston - Cleveland Browns

Until Jeudy is gone in Cleveland and the team gets a quarterback upside, I don't expect a lot of fantasy production out of Boston. As I said above, Concepcion can overcome those things, but I don't think his fellow rookie can.

The good news is that Boston projects to be a very good outside receiver, so assuming that the Browns are able to fix the quarterback issue in 2027 and the team moves on from Jeudy in the near future as well, there's reason to be excited down the road. Just don't draft him in redraft leagues.

1.12 - WR Germie Bernard - Pittsburgh Steelers

I'll say this: in a 12-team league, picking last really sucks this year, though more than like you're picking last because you won the league last season, so you can at least find solace in that, right?

My thought if I pick 12th in a rookie draft with only 11 players I want to roster is to go for upside. There are a lot of people who are down on Germie Bernard because they hate his landing spot, but I'm not going to get caught up in that. Bernard is a talented receiver who should emerge as Pittsburgh's second-best weapon by 2027, and when you factor in how weak this running back class is, I'm not sure who else I'd consider here. I get it if you like Antonio Williams more, but I'm sticking with Bernard, despite the landing spot.

How the mock changes for Superflex leagues

The lack of depth from this rookie class means there really aren't too many things that change between a normal mock and a Superflex mock. (If you're new to fantasy football, Superflex leagues are ones where you can play an additional quarterback in your FLEX spot, so it boosts the value of quarterbacks.

If we're talking Superflex, Mendoza moves up from 1.07 to 1.02 for me. I still value Love more, but getting a young quarterback with upside is very crucial in Superflex leagues, so Mendoza should be in play as soon as Love is off your board.

The other change is that Ty Simpson, who the Rams picked in the first round, moves up to around 1.09 or so. He's a risky pick as he won't even play in 2026 barring a Matthew Stafford injury, but the importance of the quarterback position in Superflex moves him into the first round. All the uncertainty around him, though, means the whole first tier of position players should still go before him.

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