2026 NFL Draft Winners - 12 Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers at All Positions

April 30, 2026

Wyatt's top 12 dynasty fantasy football risers and veteran player winners following the 2026 NFL Draft: Cameron Ward, Jalen Hurts, Cam Skattebo, and more.

The NFL Draft is the best event on the football calendar. It’s full of drama, trades, and young athletes whose dreams come true.

As a result, it completely reshapes the dynasty football landscape. If too much new competition for targets and carries comes in, the value of your players could plummet. But if an improved supporting cast steps up alongside your guy, they could skyrocket. This year’s NFL Draft was the wildest one we’ve seen in a while, so of course, we got a little bit of both.

Today, we will be focusing on the winners that include six second-year players and four total quarterbacks. For more good information on strategies for dynasty for the 2026 season, be sure to check out RotoBaller's Dynasty Fantasy Football Guide.

Dynasty Fantasy Football Quarterback Winners

Cameron Ward, QB, Tennessee Titans

The Titans have been active this offseason in reshaping the organization to set up Cameron Ward for success. General Manager Mike Borgonzi continued that process by selecting Carnell Tate fourth overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Cam Ward rushes for a touchdown!

TENvsJAX on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/FH1okZzdlg

— NFL (@NFL) January 4, 2026

Ward started to put things near the end of the season with fellow rookies Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike as his main receivers. By selecting Tate, the Titans now have an alpha WR1 that can take the offense to the next level.

Tate is a pro-ready rookie who provides a large catch radius for Ward to push the ball downfield or find in the red zone. In his final season at Ohio St., Tate had 51 catches for 875 yards with nine touchdowns. The Ohio St. product will be Ward’s go-to target from day 1 and will be more than a reliable target.

Ward is geared up to take a major leap in his sophomore campaign and remind everyone why he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints 

Tyler Shough entered the offseason with the most momentum from the 2025 rookie class. Once the 26-year-old took the starting job, he led the Saints to a 5-4 record to end the season and was the runner-up in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.

The Saints have decided to build around Shough and selected Jordyn Tyson with the ninth overall pick. Tyson gives the Saints two receivers with WR1 talent and another elite separator for Shough to target.

Shough is operating the Saints' most talented offense since the end of the Drew Brees era. The Saints have quietly added talent to this offense to help Shough take the next step in his NFL career.

Shedeur Sanders, QB, Cleveland Browns

The Browns and General Manager Andrew Berry conducted one of the best drafts, with Shedeur Sanders being the biggest beneficiary. The Browns were active early and often moving up and down the draft board to bolster the offensive line with top offensive tackle Spencer Fano and then doubled down at receiver by selecting KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.

The Browns are putting an offense full of weapons around Sanders, allowing him to be a point guard similar to his success in Colorado. Concepcion is an explosive playmaking receiver after the catch, and Boston is a big-bodied receiver with great ball skills in contested catch situations.

Sanders will have weapons to attack all three levels of the defense, along with a solid run game. Within 48 hours, Sanders went from a talent-scarce offensive ecosystem to a young and promising one.

Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles' offense needed speed and dynamic playmakers this offseason after coming off an underperforming 2025 campaign. General Manager Howie Roseman was able to address those needs within the first two rounds of the draft, giving Jalen Hurts new weapons on offense.

JALEN HURTS. DeVonta Smith. 36-YARD TD!

PHIvsGB on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/wlOWL0Y10J

— NFL (@NFL) November 11, 2025

Roseman was able to move up to pick No. 20 to select Makai Lemon and then selected high upside tight end Eli Stowers in Round 2. Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award after being one of the best receivers in the nation while hauling in 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Hurts now has an explosive weapon that he can get the ball to quickly on short routes and make big plays after the catch. Stowers is a big-bodied move tight end who has the traits to become a star in the NFL and operate effectively over the middle of the field.

Hurts may be losing A.J. Brown later this offseason, but the Eagles' offense is ready to take the next step in its evolution. Hurts is now operating a younger and more explosive offense with multiple weapons that can make a house call at any time on the field.

Dynasty Fantasy Football Running Back Winners

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders

Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt and his fantasy stockholders have been holding their breath since the end of their season in January. Washington has been heavily rumored to invest in the running back position, with top names of Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker, and Jeremiyah Love. After the draft, Merritt survived the offseason and has retained the RB1 role in a potential top offense.

72 YARDS 🫨

📺 #DALvsWAS Netflix pic.twitter.com/HASpAgWaXD

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 25, 2025

We fantasy managers wanted Merritt to be an instant fantasy superstar in his rookie season, but the hype got too high too quickly for the seventh-round rookie. Not to mention, Merritt was forced to sit out his final year of college football due to an eligibility error with the NCAA. Expecting him to become an instant high-end RB2 in fantasy was unrealistic and unfair.

Despite falling short of lofty expectations, Merritt flashed signs of being a future workhorse running back and finished the year with 805 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. With a full season under his belt, Merritt is poised to take his game to the next level and possibly reach those high expectations from a year ago.

Washington did not bring in a high-profile running back this offseason, which is a sign of faith that their young back will become a star.

Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans

The Titans were heavily rumored to be in on the Love sweepstakes throughout the NFL Draft process. With the Arizona Cardinals picking him one pick before the Titans, Tyjae Spears immediately became a draft winner.

Spears remains the most explosive runner and the pass-catching running back on the Titans. In 13 games, Spears led the running back room in receptions and had the third most receptions among all pass-catchers on the team with 45 catches.

With the addition of Tate, this will allow Spears to face lighter boxes and be more efficient each time he touches the ball. In an improved offensive ecosystem, the team will likely see more opportunities in the red zone as well.

Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants 

Similar to the Commanders, the Giants were rumored to invest in the top market of running backs this offseason, and like the Commanders, they were unable to land one of those top backs. Cam Skattebo not only avoided the addition of a top running back mate, but he is also the beneficiary of an improved offensive line.

The Giants selected Francis Mauigoa with the 10th overall pick and will move him to right guard. This creates a physically imposing and nasty duo on the right side of the offensive line for Skattebo to run behind. Mauigoa pushes the Giants' offensive line from good to a team strength and identity.

Once healthy, Skattebo will get the chance to build off his impressive rookie season and lead a Giants team on the rise in rushing.

Dynasty Fantasy Football Wide Receivers and Tight End Winners

Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens

Zay Flowers is coming off the best season of his young NFL career, just toppling 1,200 yards on 83 catches.

The Ravens bolstered the offensive line during night one of the draft by selecting Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane. Then on days two and three, added much-needed receiving depth by selecting 6’4 receiver Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt.

With prototypical receivers around, it allows Flowers to be used as a weapon that will lend to fantasy success.

Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers

The Panthers made a concerted effort to improve the offensive ecosystem again early in the draft. In the first round, they selected offensive tackle Monroe Freeling to fortify the offensive line and turned around and took wide receiver Chris Brazzell II in the third round.

Tet McMillan's first career TD!

DALvsCAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/NfZMzn8i5f

— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025

Brazzell is a 6 '4 receiver who ran a 4.37 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and he makes the perfect complementary receiver to Tetairoa McMillan. Brazzell’s deep speed forces defenses to respect the deep pass, which will clear out space for McMillan to operate in the intermediate part of the field.

DJ Moore, WR, Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills waited until day three to dip into a talented wide receiver class. The Bills selected Skyler Bell in the fourth round of the draft, leaving DJ Moore as the undisputed WR1 heading into the 2026 season.

Moore is still a talented WR1, one the Bills offense has been needing since the departure of Stefon Diggs. Josh Allen consistently force-fed Diggs targets when he was in town and was always looking his way. We likely will not see the same number of targets for Moore, but it will not be too far off if he stays healthy.

Moore has gotten to work with a laundry list of quarterbacks over his career, and Allen will be the best one he has played with by a landslide.

Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

The No. 1 overall pick was unofficially decided after the College Football National Championship game in mid-January. Which means, Brock Bowers has been a draft winner since mid-January. The Raiders have officially made Fernando Mendoza the No. 1 overall pick, and it instantly boosted their offense.

Bowers remains the most talented tight end in the league and just received an upgrade at quarterback. Mendoza likely won’t be the starter on day one, but when he gets the keys to the offense, Bowers will be getting a talented young quarterback with great accuracy.

Plus, rookie quarterbacks tend to lock onto tight ends early in their careers, so Bowers could see an increase in targets.

Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills

There were 22 tight ends drafted this year, and not one of them was selected by the Buffalo Bills. In fact, Dalton Kincaid is the only offensive player the Bills have drafted in the first round in the Allen era.

Kincaid started to flash signs of stardom last season when he was healthy and on the field. With passing on tight ends, Kincaid will remain the No. 1 pass-catching tight end on the team. Additionally, the Bills waited until the fourth round to select a receiver, which keeps Kincaid as the No. 2 passing option in an Allen-led offense.

There is still a lot of belief in Kincaid in the Buffalo organization; the lack of skill players drafted proves that. If Kincaid can stay healthy, he can finally make the jump to become the TE1 fantasy managers have been waiting for.

More Fantasy Football Analysis

Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!