5 Rookie Breakout Candidates for Fantasy Football: First-Year Draft Targets

July 24, 2026

Dominick's five fantasy football rookie breakout candidates. His top 2026 fantasy sleeper targets for early rounds in drafts include Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love, and more

It is almost time for fantasy football drafts to start. This means it is time to find out which rookies are worth taking and which ones should be left in the queue.

July 6 starts the Scott Fish Bowl. It's the official start of the fantasy football season. There are 22 rounds, and many players taken here will not be taken anywhere else. This is where a player like Phillip Lindsay was drafted before his breakout as a rookie.

So, who are some of the best rookies to come out of the NFL Draft in April?

Fernando Mendoza, QB, Las Vegas Raiders

Some will use the model of Bill Parcells and say that Mendoza only has one season of production at the college level and that he does not have four years of college experience. Well, sorry to Parcells' disciples, but no one will play for four years in college anymore. Whoever does is immediately behind the eight ball coming into the NFL.

The one year of great production that Mendoza had not only led him to the Heisman Trophy, but it has also led a team like Indiana, the college team with the most losses of all time, to an undefeated season and a national championship.

FERNANDO. MENDOZA.

THE PLAY OF A LIFETIME ‼️ pic.twitter.com/g3o5nNNslr

— ESPN (@espn) January 20, 2026

Cam Ward, the No. 1 selection by Tennessee in 2025, came in with the same amount of fanfare. The difference with Mendoza is that the team he enters also has talented pieces already there. Pieces like RB Ashton Jeanty and TE Brock Bowers, who will make the transition more palatable for Mendoza and give him a baseline of production.

Where Ward was seen as a bit cocky coming into the league, Mendoza is the opposite and has the attitude of learning from others and a respect for all his teammates. This will endear the new signal-caller to his teammates, and with veteran backup Kirk Cousins in the room, he will have an ear to bend when questions arise.

Mendoza will not be a star at the start of the season, but he can be a wonderful second QB in such leagues and a solid bye-week QB before making his mark in future seasons.

Jeremiyah Love, RB, Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are in complete rebuild mode again. For the 20th time in 25 seasons, Arizona will look to improve its relevance while attempting to compete in the most difficult division in the NFL.

The Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks are all legitimate contenders for the Lombardi Trophy. Arizona, on the other end, is a real contender for the No. 1 selection in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Arizona needs to find out what it has in Love, Trey McBride, the No. 1 TE in fantasy football in 2025, and Marvin Harrison Jr.Harrison came into the league as a No. 4 overall selection but has been disappointing, with both injury and inconsistent play hampering him through two seasons.

On top of this, Kyler Murray is now in Minnesota, and Jacoby Brissett is asking for more money before coming to training camp. If Brissett continues to hold out, the ball will be turned over to either Gardner Minshew II or rookie Carson Beck, who has a lot to talk to Love about when it comes to Notre Dame vs. Miami.

No matter which of these three men turns out to be the starting QB for Arizona, Love will be someone of immense importance as he can not only run the ball great, but he is also an adept receiver from the backfield.

Jeremiyah Love scored 20+ TDs in each of his last two college seasons, the rookie says he's not setting statistical goals in the NFL but he holds himself to a high standard.

"Everything is about the team... the numbers will come."@PHNX_Cardinals 🎥⬇️ pic.twitter.com/wfbl2CqWPt

— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) June 22, 2026

Just by being drafted at the No. 4 selection in the draft, Love is a top-5-paid running back. He now must prove to the Cardinals and others that he is worth the financial guarantee.

KC Concepcion, WR, Cleveland Browns

Concepcion made his mark in the ACC at NC State before following the money trail west to College Station. During his one season with Texas A&M, Concepcion finished with 61 catches for 919 yards and nine TDs. He averaged 15.1 yards per catch for the Aggies while playing in all 13 games as Texas A&M made the playoff before losing to the eventual national runner-up in Miami.

On top of his 61 receptions, the 5’11", 190-pound Concepcion also returned 25 punts for two TDs and an average of 18.7 yards per return.

Really enjoy watching KC Concepcion work on his craft. Incredibly twitchy, incredibly sudden, and he gets in and out of breaks so effortlessly. His ability after the catch is obviously his biggest strength, but what stands out is how naturally he tracks and catches the football.… pic.twitter.com/WC1vVzxnSV

— Lance Reisland (Coach Riz) (@LanceReisland) June 4, 2026

With the Browns' QB position in turmoil and the receivers being just as confused as the rest of us, rookie Concepcion may lead the pack in receiving for Cleveland when the dust settles. Whoever studies the playbook best will be rewarded. As a rookie, Concepcion has all the advantages he could want to become a WR2 for fantasy.

Max Klare, TE, Los Angeles Rams

Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford both love using athletic tight ends to move the ball. Klare, at 6’5" and 243 pounds, fits this prototype and will provide a safe target for Stafford when he wants to drop the ball down and get free yardage for the offense.

Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee, who is entering his 10^th season, will lead the way at the TE position to start. But both are getting long in the tooth, and Stafford wants to win another Super Bowl before he retires.

If the TE from Purdue and Ohio State can provide the needed spark, he will take over the room and the position for the Rams. He is a terrific addition to dynasty leagues and is a solid late-round addition in redraft leagues.

Jordyn Tyson, WR, New Orleans Saints

This selection is completely based on health. After being forced to miss the amazing Arizona State vs. Texas playoff game due to injury after the 2024 season, Tyson was often hurt again in the 2025 season for the Sun Devils.

It also did not help matters that his starting QB, Sam Leavitt, was injured and missed a majority of the season in 2025. This left Tyson with just 61 receptions, 711 yards, and eight TDs in nine games on the season.

Despite the pedestrian season during his final year, the talent showed through enough for the Saints and others to want him high in the 2026 NFL Draft, and New Orleans got him at No. 8 to pair with Chris Olave. By doing so, the Saints hope the offense can continue the resurgence it found after changing to Tyler Shough in 2025.

Shough, an older rookie who is entering his second season and will be 27 during the month of September, has a big arm and a veteran presence, which can make the period of adaptation shorter for Tyson as he learns to be the second in line behind Olave. Rather than always being the person who gets all the major targets.

At 6’2" and 200 pounds, Tyson can win 50/50 balls that are thrown his way. He can also give the Saints a downfield threat to stretch the field and allow the running game to produce.

Jordyn Tyson Highlights. Enjoy 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Y4t8zORG0r

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) April 24, 2026

Tyson is another rookie who looks to be in line for a solid rookie season. He makes a wonderful double-digit-round add and is a good top-2-round selection for dynasty rookie drafts.

Who Should I Draft Tool

Read more about the Who Should I Draft tool here:

2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love, Max Klare, Jordyn Tyson, KC Concepcion. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football drafts.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections and more.

Improvements For Who Should I Draft? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Draft? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy football drafts. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats and projections, ADPs, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research, and update it constantly throughout the preseason. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players that are ranked.

Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.

Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love, Max Klare, Jordyn Tyson, KC Concepcion:

More Fantasy Football Analysis