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RotoBaller staff rookie rankings for fantasy football. These tiered top 100 rankings are for RBs, WRs, TEs, and QB. Use this rookie rankings to dominate your drafts.
The wait is almost over! Soon, we'll see a new batch of players make their regular-season debuts, and it's time to crush those last-minute rookie drafts. We're back with our freshly-updated top 100 fantasy football rookie rankings for 2026.
These updated 2026 rookie rankings are put together by Matt Donnelly, Phil Clark, Jackson Sparks, and Andrew Lalama. The ranks are frequently updated up until the start of the 2026 NFL regular season as we react to injuries, practice notes, role changes, and more. Below, see where key first-year players such as Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, Chris Bell, Ted Hurst, Cyrus Allen, and more stand, among all others in the top 100.
On top of these rookie rankings, in our 2026 fantasy football rankings dashboard, you will also find our team's Dynasty League rankings. Bookmark that page so that you can swiftly use it to prepare for all of your 2026 fantasy football dynasty league drafts.
Bookmark our updated and revamped fantasy football rankings portal for all league formats!PPR rankings | Half-PPR rankings | Non-PPR (Standard) rankings | Rookie rankings | Superflex rankings | Best Ball rankings | Underdog rankings | Dynasty rankings | IDP rankings | Injuries
NFL Rookie Rankings for Fantasy Football (Post-NFL Draft)
Check out our PPR fantasy football rankings and standard (non-PPR) fantasy football rankings as well:
Fantasy Football Rookie Outlooks, News
Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh said that rookie first-round wide receiver Carnell Tate (undisclosed) was held out of Wednesday's training camp practice with "stiffness" that is unrelated to the big hit he took on Monday, according to Terry McCormick. The fourth overall pick out of Ohio State is a little sore this week, but it should not impact his availability for the start of his first year in the NFL at all. The 21-year-old did not catch any of his three targets in the Titans' preseason opener last Thursday against the San Francisco 49ers, and it is unclear if he will suit up for the second preseason tilt this Sunday versus the Seattle Seahawks.
Tate has the skills to be a difference-maker immediately in Tennessee's offense alongside free-agent addition Wan'Dale Robinson and veteran Calvin Ridley, among others. He will be a starter from Day 1 after catching 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games in his final collegiate season with the Buckeyes in 2025. Tate is not extremely physical at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, but he wins his routes with quickness and intelligence, and he should have a high fantasy floor as a rookie. RotoBaller has Tate ranked as the WR30 in 2026.
Bryce Lance, New Orleans Saints
Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports that New Orleans Saints rookie fourth-round wide receiver Bryce Lance (undisclosed) operated as the team's WR2 in his return to training camp practice on Tuesday. The Saints will not have first-round rookie wideout Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) to begin the 2026 regular season, and Devaughn Vele was rested on Tuesday, so Lance worked opposite Chris Olave in the joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys.
The 23-year-old Lance, the younger brother of QB Trey Lance, should have an opportunity to carve out a role in the Saints' offense early in the year with Tyson sidelined, although it probably won't be enough volume to make him interesting in most fantasy football leagues. The 6-foot-3, 204-pounder has good size and speed and scored 28 total touchdowns in 57 games at North Dakota State in his collegiate career. Lance is an interesting dynasty/keeper stash for his athleticism in an up-and-coming offense.
Mike Washington Jr., Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. impressed in the team's preseason opener, breaking a long run and racking up 63 yards on six attempts, and he carried that momentum into Tuesday's joint practice with the Texans. Raiders reporter Levi Edwards credited Washington with running with finish and physicality and making the most of his reps, and head coach Klint Kubiak spoke after practice about the fourth-rounder's growth path.
"I think you saw today what you see in practice [every day]. Very few guys just rise to the occasion and become gamers," Kubiak told the media. "They have to show it to you in practice first. Mike has done it in practice. He's done it in the game, and we've just got to keep challenging him and putting more on his shoulders." After touching the ball 321 times as a rookie, 2025 first-round pick Ashton Jeanty is expected to handle close to an every-down role in his second season, capping Washington's standalone value. Still, as an insurance back, the first-year player has already shown an ability to take advantage of the opportunities presented.
Zachariah Branch, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch is currently in a reserve role and is not expected to carry a heavy workload early in the season. In the Falcons' preseason loss to the Denver Broncos, Branch caught two of four targets for six yards and added three rushing yards on his lone carry.
The third-round pick saw just one of eight first-team snaps against the Broncos, with Drake London (2), Jahan Dotson (8), Olamide Zaccheaus (6), and Chris Blair (5) all playing more snaps with Tua Tagovailoa. While Branch has been amid hype this training camp, his role with the first-team offense was very limited in their first game action. His best chance to contribute will be to pass Zaccheaus and handle the slot workload while London and Dotson work the outside. Otherwise, fantasy managers should pivot to better options with higher opportunity than Branch.
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Football Tool
Read more about the free Who Should I Draft tool here.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to draft...
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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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 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 updates them 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 who 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 select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, Chris Bell, Ted Hurst, Cyrus Allen:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
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Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
