2026 Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings (Pre-NFL Draft) - Jeremiyah Love, Fernando Mendoza, Carnell Tate, Jonah Coleman, Kenyon Sadiq, Jordyn Tyson, Germie Bernard, Ty Simpson

January 23, 2026

RotoBaller's 2026 fantasy football rookie rankings for 2026 NFL rookies. These early rookie rankings are from before the NFL Draft and include RB, WR, TE, QB.

The college-to-NFL declare deadline has finally arrived, and rookie draft season is just ahead. Pulling off blockbuster trades in dynasty leagues is always a thrill, but nailing your rookie draft picks is the easiest and cheapest way to build a dominant roster. We're here to help with our 2026 fantasy football rookie rankings for all positions. In the early set of NFL rookie rankings below, check out where key players like Jeremiyah Love, Fernando Mendoza, Carnell Tate, Jonah Coleman, Kenyon Sadiq, Jordyn Tyson, Germie Bernard, and Ty Simpson stand, among all others.

We will update these rookie rankings all offseason long, and there will be major shake-ups based on all of the NFL prospect offseason activities, including the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, and NFL Draft. It's never too early to start your research and homework on rising NFL players, so let's get to it! These initial 2026 rookie rankings are put together by Jackson Sparks and Phil Clark.

In addition to these rookie rankings, in our 2026 fantasy football rankings dashboard, you will also find our team's Dynasty League rankings. Bookmark that page, and use it to prepare for all of your 2026 fantasy football dynasty league drafts.

2026 NFL Rookie Rankings for Fantasy Football

Check out our PPR fantasy football rankings and standard (non-PPR) fantasy football rankings as well:

2026 Fantasy Football NFL Rookie News and Outlooks

Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza finished his 2025-26 season with a win over Miami in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, becoming just the sixth player since 2010 to win the Heisman Trophy and National Championship in the same season. He joins Cam Newton, Jameis Winston, Derrick Henry, Joe Burrow, and DeVonta Smith on that list. In his 16-game undefeated season, the 22-year-old completed 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

He added 276 yards and seven touchdowns as a runner. Mendoza is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore returning to school for another season makes that more likely. Las Vegas Raiders brass, including Mark Davis and Tom Brady, were in attendance to watch Mendoza play in Miami on Monday night.

Justin Joly, TE, NC State Wolfpack

NC State tight end Justin Joly has been one of the most productive players at the position over the last three college football seasons. The 21-year-old New York native began his career at UConn before spending his junior and senior seasons with the Wolfpack, hauling in 92 receptions for 1,150 yards and 11 touchdowns. He enjoyed great success at NC State, but his breakout campaign came as a sophomore with the Huskies in 2023, when he tallied 56 catches for 578 yards and two scores.

The 2025 first-team All-ACC selection is viewed as one of the top five tight ends in the 2026 NFL Draft class, and he's currently projected to be a third-round selection in April. Joly thrives running intermediate and deep routes, making him a strong TE2 and second tight end in 12-personnel at the next level. His landing spot will determine his upside and placement in dynasty rookie drafts as part of a shallow incoming rookie tight end class.

Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon Ducks

University of Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq is leaving school early and entering the 2026 NFL Draft, per ESPN's Pete Thamel. Across 14 games for the Ducks in 2025, Sadiq recorded 51 receptions for 560 yards and eight touchdowns. Sadiq, who will play the entirety of his rookie season in the NFL at just 21 years old, is widely considered the top tight end prospect in the draft and appears likely to be a first-round selection.

Per Thamel, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has Sadiq ranked as the number 10 overall player in the 2026 draft class. Regardless of where he ends up being selected, Sadiq could have a chance to contribute at the NFL level immediately. For fantasy managers in both redraft and dynasty formats, Sadiq is a name to know heading into the 2026 season.

Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama

Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard is NFL-bound following two productive seasons in the SEC with the Crimson Tide. The 22-year-old began his career at Michigan State before transferring to Washington in 2023. Despite sharing a field with Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Ja'Lynn Polk, Bernard caught 34 passes for 419 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore.

He followed head coach Kalen DeBoer to Alabama ahead of the 2024 season, and he led the Tide in receptions in his junior and senior seasons with two different starting quarterbacks. Overall, Bernard snagged 114 receptions for 1,656 yards and nine touchdowns in 27 games over the last two years. He's slated to be a second-round pick in April's 2026 NFL Draft, which will likely be where he goes off the board in dynasty fantasy football rookie drafts.

KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion was dynamic and productive in his lone season in College Station, catching 61 passes for 919 yards and nine touchdowns. He added 75 rushing yards, 456 kick return yards, one rushing score, and two return touchdowns. Concepcion has flashed as an explosive playmaker since his freshman season at NC State, when he tallied 1,159 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns.

The 21-year-old's production and athletic profile checks all the boxes of a potential difference-maker at the NFL level. Hopefully, he lands with an innovative offense coach who can put him in the best situations to succeed. Concepcion currently projects to be a late-first-round pick, which puts him firmly in the first-round discussion in dynasty rookie drafts.

Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia

Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch has officially declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. Branch began his career at USC before spending his third and final collegiate season in Athens. Overall, the dynamic playmaker tallied 159 receptions for 1,634 yards and nine receiving touchdowns in 37 career games.

He also rushed 15 times for 94 yards and a touchdown and tallied over 1,300 yards and two touchdowns as a kick and punt returner. Branch didn't have the most productive career as a pure receiver, but he has elite speed and athleticism that NFL decision-makers should get excited about. His fantasy football ceiling could be limited if he's relegated to a gadget role in an offense, but in the right setting, he could produce boom weeks right away in his 2026 rookie campaign.

Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington

Washington running back Jonah Coleman has been one of the most productive running backs in college football since joining the Huskies in 2024, rushing 349 times for 1,811 yards and 25 touchdowns over his last 25 games. He's also been a productive receiver, snagging 54 receptions for 531 yards and two scores in his Washington career.

With Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love locked into the top running back prospect slot, Coleman is among the contenders to be the second running back off the 2026 NFL Draft board. With a do-it-all skill set at 220 pounds, Coleman's testing numbers at the 2026 NFL Combine could carry significant weight in his draft stock. Either way, he's a clear top-five rookie running back in the upcoming NFL Draft at this point in the offseason, making him an intriguing dynasty fantasy football pick. With the right landing spot, he could be a contributor right away.

Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame

Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price shared a backfield with Heisman runner-up Jeremiyah Love for his entire collegiate career, but the 22-year-old flashed enough for many to consider him the second-best RB prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft class. While playing second-fiddle to Love over the last two seasons, Price rushed 233 times for 1,420 yards (6.1 YPC) and 18 touchdowns in 28 games. He also secured three touchdown receptions.

Price is a dangerous kick returner, tallying 12 returns for 450 yards and two touchdowns in his final collegiate campaign. Love is expected to be the lone first-round NFL Draft pick among running backs, but Price could earn his way into Round 2 with a strong predraft process. Given the lack of high-end talent at the RB position in this rookie class, Price could end up as a consensus first-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts.

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