2026 Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings (Pre-NFL Draft)

April 1, 2026

RotoBaller updated rookie fantasy football rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft after the NFL Combine for Single-QB leagues. These rookie rankings are from before the NFL Draft and include RB, WR, TE, QB.

It's time for another edition of our updated fantasy football rookie rankings. It's officially April, which means the NFL Draft is this month! Rookie drafts will follow soon after, so if you haven't familiarized yourself with the upcoming rookie class, now is the time, and we're here to help! Below, check out where key rookies such as Carnell Tate, Kenyon Sadiq, Denzel Boston, Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love, and more 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 NFL Draft. It's never too early to start your research and homework on rising NFL players, so let's get to it! These updated 2026 rookie rankings are put together by Matt Donnelly, Phil Clark, Jackson Sparks, and Andrew Lalama.

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.

Rookie Fantasy Football Rankings (Pre-NFL Draft)

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

Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings Player Outlooks

Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana

University of Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. was one of the stars of the Hoosiers' National Championship-winning squad in 2025, hauling in 69 receptions for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns across 16 games. The 22-year-old profiles as a physical slot receiver with the ability to both make plays in the red zone and create yards after the catch. He may struggle to consistently win at the catch point on downfield throws, so NFL teams could choose to deploy him closer to the line of scrimmage.

Cooper Jr. is currently projected as an early Day 2 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and could even hear his name called towards the tail end of the first round. RotoBaller currently ranks him as the 53rd-best wide receiver for dynasty formats, and his stock is rising as draft day approaches.

Mike Washington Jr., RB, Arkansas

ESPN's Matt Bowen believes that Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. would fit in well with the Seattle Seahawks, given their needs at the position ahead of the 2026 NFL draft. Washington is projected to be a late Day 2 pick in April's draft, and Seattle could use the backfield depth with Kenneth Walker III now gone and Zach Charbonnet (knee) recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered in the playoffs in January. Washington has the lateral agility to fit new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury's scheme, which is expected to lean on motion and movement in both zone and gap concepts.

Washington is quick (4.33-second 40-yard dash) and also has the frame (6-foot-1, 223 pounds) to hold up to increased volume. In his fifth collegiate season with the Razorbacks, Washington produced his first 1,000-yard season and scored eight rushing touchdowns for the second straight season. He also had 28 catches for 226 yards and one score as a receiver. Landing in Seattle would give Washington a path to immediate fantasy value in 2026 in redraft leagues.

Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

The Los Angeles Rams don't have a major need at the tight end position, but ESPN's Matt Bowen thinks Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq should be viewed as a potential "matchup player" for head coach Sean McVay's offense. The Rams would have to take Sadiq with the 13th overall pick in the first round next month. The 6-foot-3, 241-pounder would be a "seam stretcher" for quarterback Matthew Stafford with his 4.39-second 40-yard dash speed. McVay could also use Sadiq as a backside X receiver/power slot to "draw favorable man matchups."

The young TE would also fit in nicely as a "catch-and-run target" on boot play-action concepts that Stafford runs often. Sadiq is seen as the top TE target in this year's draft class, and landing in L.A. would make him even more attractive to fantasy managers in rookie-only dynasty drafts this year. Sadiq has an incredibly high fantasy ceiling after catching 51 passes and scoring eight times for the Ducks in his final collegiate season in 2025.

Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who is one of the top players at his position going into the 2026 NFL draft, has scheduled top-30 visits with the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, and Cleveland Browns, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Simpson already had a private workout with the New York Jets. ESPN's Adam Schefter said recently that it is likely to be a first-round pick at the end of April as the consensus No. 2 QB prospect this year, behind only Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, who should go first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.

In his first full year as the starter for Alabama in 2025, Simpson threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 15 games. The Dolphins just signed Malik Willis to a big contract in free agency, so the Jets, Browns, and Cardinals all make a little more sense as possible landing spots for Simpson. From a dynasty/keeper perspective in fantasy, landing in Arizona might be the best possible outcome for Simpson's long-term value.

Skyler Bell, WR, UConn

Connecticut wide receiver Skyler Bell put up gaudy numbers in 2025, catching over 100 passes for 1,282 yards and 13 touchdowns, but the obvious caveat is that he did it as a 23-year-old fifth-year senior, playing against lower-level competition. Bell will turn 24 before ever taking a snap in the NFL, and at 6'0" and 192 pounds, he is slightly undersized, though he is solidly built and has shown the versatility to be more than a slot-only option.

His film often shows him winning after the catch with straight-line speed rather than physicality or elusiveness, so his strong testing numbers are a reassuring sign that he wasn't just running away from lesser athletes of the G5 ranks. Like most receivers in this class, there are some holes in his profile, but he has enough working in his favor to make him an intriguing late-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts.

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