Justin BooneFantasy AnalystWed, April 29, 2026 at 7:14 PM UTC·9 min readWith the 2026 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look at how things are shaping up in dynasty rookie drafts.
Here are the results of a recent rookie draft, including my takeaways after every round.
The scoring format for this Superflex rookie mock is full-PPR and non-TE premium. I had the fifth pick in each round.
The early part of the first round hasn’t changed much after the draft, with Love as the clear 1.01 and then some combination of Tate, Tyson, Mendoza and Lemon rounding out the top five. Tate got the best draft capital (fourth overall) and landed in an offense that desperately needed a No. 1 wideout, so he deserves to be the 1.02, but I wouldn’t argue with any of those four players going in that spot.
After the top five, there’s a mini-tier with Price and Concepcion, followed by another four-man tier with Sadiq, Cooper, Stowers and Simpson. Personally, I’d draft Concepcion over Price, but there’s nothing egregious about the way these players went off the board.
It’s worth noting that Simpson is more of a dynasty asset pick than one where you’re betting on talent. While I still have questions about him emerging as a difference-making NFL starter, his value is likely to hold or even rise over the next year or more as we get closer to Matthew Stafford potentially retiring. With that in mind, I’d continuously be looking to move Simpson in a future trade, rather than waiting for him to become the Rams’ starter.
The 1.12 is a very difficult pick to have this year. After the top 11, there is even more uncertainty with the next wave of prospects, so seeing Coleman sneak into Round 1 isn’t surprising. J.K. Dobbins’ injury history is extensive and makes it seem like it’s only a matter of time before Coleman and R.J. Harvey are handling the bulk of the touches in Denver’s backfield. I expect Coleman to be the more valuable fantasy option in that tandem, which makes him an intriguing pick at the Round 1-2 turn.
My pick: Having the fifth pick is a favorable spot this year, since you can sit back and let the draft come to you. Whoever falls to you from the Tate, Tyson, Mendoza or Lemon tier will offer similar value.
Even though Lemon didn’t get the same top-10 draft capital the other members of that group came away with, he still ended up in a solid offense with a massive opportunity looming once the reported A.J. Brown trade becomes official.
The Eagles’ passing attack should also make strides in the right direction under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. That bodes well for Lemon, who’s a scrappy playmaker with a chip on his shoulder, capable of handling as much volume as they're willing to give him in Year 1.
This is where the real chaos begins in drafts. Boston and Williams are in the mix for the 1.12, so you can’t always expect them both to be available here.
Bell and Singleton are also players I’m happy to target in this range, but they were both selected before my pick.
After that it gets ugly quick. Bernard is initially sharing the field in Pittsburgh with established starters in DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. Allen has an outside shot to earn touches as a rookie while playing in an ambiguous backfield with Rachaad White and Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Fields could find himself starting sooner rather than later, especially if Malik Nabers isn’t healthy by Week 1.
Though Beck should get some starts later in the year, the talent isn’t enticing enough to consider him a long-term option. While Branch has a big opportunity on an uninspiring Falcons’ WR depth chart behind Drake London, he has a lot to prove before he’s considered more than a gadget player. Hurst is an exciting talent who landed as the fourth receiver in Tampa. Meanwhile, Delp joins a tight end room in New Orleans that already has Juwan Johnson.
Bottom line, don’t feel compelled to follow ADP too closely this year. Drafts will vary widely from Round 2 on, so focus on identifying the players you like and feel free to take them a bit early if you’re on the clock.
My pick: My pick in the middle of this frame is a polarizing one, since Stribling was a late-riser in the pre-draft process who vaulted up fantasy boards after being selected with the first pick in the second round by the 49ers.
It sounds like many teams were interested in Stribling, to the point where he had to decline some top-30 visits due to a lack of time before the draft. That being said, it still seems like the 49ers reached when they used the 33rd pick overall on him.
Regardless, they added a physical and explosive vertical receiver who is an excellent run blocker — making him a potential replacement for Jauan Jennings. Even if the rookie begins the year as the No. 4 wideout in San Francisco, he’ll be competing for targets with Mike Evans (33 in August and long injury history), Ricky Pearsall (injury history), Christian Kirk (injury history) and George Kittle (33 in October and returning from torn Achilles). So, there will be opportunities for Stribling during his rookie campaign.
Round 3 is always risky in terms of finding prospects who we can confidently expect to become meaningful fantasy contributors. This year it’s even more dire.
Sarratt and Bell are notable receiver selections and players to target in this range. They both landed in offenses where you can envision a path to starter status. However, both were Day 3 picks, meaning the road to fantasy relevance is a narrow one for them.