Justin BooneFantasy AnalystFri, April 24, 2026 at 1:42 AM UTC·2 min readYahoo’s Justin Boone breaks down Carnell Tate’s fantasy football outlook after he was selected by the Tennessee Titans fourth overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, including the wide receiver’s projection and ranking moving forward. You can also read his reaction to every fantasy-relevant selection in the first round.
2026 projection (16 starts): 72 receptions, 1,002 receiving yards, 5 TDs
Dynasty startup value (Superflex): WR14, 4th-round pick
The Titans finally found a No. 1 target for quarterback Cam Ward, spending the fourth pick overall to secure his services.
Ward played better than his stats showed last season, but he lacked quality talent in his receiving corps. While the addition of Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency was the first step in addressing the issue, he does his best work from the slot. Now Tate steps in as a real weapon on the outside and gives the Titans the start of a promising group of pass-catchers under the new coaching staff that includes OC Brian Daboll.
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Though Tennessee was a team that fantasy managers could often avoid watching last season, that won’t be the case in 2026.
With the potential volume and role Tate will command, he will immediately enter the low-end WR2 conversation for fantasy.
Prospect profile: 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 stock up: Cam Ward, Tony Pollard Fantasy stock down: Calvin Ridley, Chimere Dike, Epic Ayomanor