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John's rookie wide receiver and running back risers, fallers, and breakouts. Read the fantasy football analysis for Jeremiyah Love, Carnell Tate, Denzel Boston, Makai Lemon, and more.
Rookies are the subject of plenty of intrigue in fantasy football, and with good reason. Everyone's chasing the first-year breakout seasons of players like wide receiver Puka Nacua (groin), WR Ja'Marr Chase, and RB Ezekiel Elliott, all of whom were legitimate league-winners in their inaugural NFL seasons.
They are, of course, outliers. But in fantasy football, we are always chasing outlierish production -- the easiest way to win a fantasy football league is to have a player with an outlandishly high ceiling. Anyone who can give you 30 or more PPR fantasy points in a game, or even 40 or more, is a must-have.
It can be nearly impossible to win in some seasons without having a late-round pick be great for you. Injuries to your starting players can put you in a bad position. So let's break down some rookie risers, breakouts, and fallers, and who among them you should buy or sell in fantasy football leagues. Let's dive in.
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Riser: Antonio Williams, WR, Washington Commanders
Williams' fantastic first game, where he logged four catches on four targets for 64 yards and a touchdown, was followed by a quieter three-catch, 24-yard game in Week 2. Still, he didn't enter the league with a ton of expectations, so he's already outperformed them.
He's the WR3 on the Commanders' offense, so it may take an injury to either WR Terry McLaurin or WR Stefon Diggs for Williams to consistently get enough targets to be an every-week starter. But if one of them were to get hurt, we could see him move into WR3/flex territory.
Antonio Williams all routes from his NFL debut
4/64/1 on just 10 routes… GET HIM ON THE FIELD MORE! pic.twitter.com/F9mfhB8yc6
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 14, 2026
A true breakout may not be imminent here, but the future is looking bright. Even if McLaurin and Diggs both stay healthy, Williams is a strong hold in leagues where you have enough space to stash him on your bench. This is especially true in 14-team leagues.
Both of the other two starting receivers for the Commanders are above 30 years old, meaning they could see a decline in their production, especially as the season wears on. Williams could also gain a stronger role in the offense and even start challenging the other two for a greater slice of the target share pie.
That said, the injury to quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow) could put a dent in their upside. Backup Marcus Mariota still looks like a competent passer, but he hasn't thrown for 300 or more passing yards in a game since 2019.
Riser: Jonah Coleman, RB, Denver Broncos
Coleman (ankle) did absolutely nothing in Week 1. He was on the field for six percent of his team's offensive snaps, and didn't log a single touch. That changed quickly in Week 2 -- he was afforded 10 carries, taking them for 39 yards and a rushing score, and caught all three of his targets for 19 receiving yards.
He apparently already has enough trust to get goal line carries, which is a great thing. He's dealing with an ankle injury right now, but when he's healthy again, we could see him challenge RB RJ Harvey (hamstring) for more carries.
The rookie Jonah Coleman gives the Broncos a fourth quarter lead 🐴
JAXvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/wpnL52qLn8— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026
He's probably not going to start replacing RB J.K. Dobbins (hip) for the main rushing role, and Harvey himself is dealing with an injury that caused him to miss Week 2. But there could be some longer-term upside for Coleman as long as either one of the other two backs misses time.
Dobbins has had a long and brutal history of injuries, and has missed plenty of games as a result. Coleman would step right into his role, it seems, if Dobbins were to get hurt again. This makes the rookie a great handcuff stash for fantasy managers who drafted Dobbins. He could have even higher upside than his veteran counterpart, too.
Dobbins has never been much of a pass-catcher, and he's dealing with a hip injury.
Breakout: Denzel Boston, WR, Cleveland Browns
Boston scored twice in his first two games as an NFL wide receiver. That's pretty awesome, considering the Cleveland Browns offense was expected to be nearly entirely dysfunctional. Boston is playing the "X" role for the Browns and is winning with his size and physicality at the catch point.
He also doesn't look bad after the catch. His Week 1 touchdown reception came in the midst of a big blowout, but he performed even better in Week 2 by catching five of his seven targets for 95 yards and another touchdown in a competitive game.
Rookie Denzel Boston goes 55 yards for the TD!
CLEvsTB on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/nmkRtJNhIv— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026
Boston's contact balance is impressive. He's looking like one of the steals of the draft so far. He's a must-add in all fantasy football leagues and a WR3/flex starter, though there's risk this offense could see its productivity fall off a cliff.
Faller: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Love was drafted around the second and third rounds of 2026 fantasy football redraft leagues. Through two games, he hasn't lived up to expectations. Just 20.5 PPR fantasy points through two contests, only 3.5 yards per carry, and just five receptions will do that to a player.
We have to give him some grace, because he sprained his ankle in the first preseason game. He doesn't seem to have his burst back. He was an elite prospect, with a monster blend of contact balance, acceleration, and elusiveness coming out of college.
Jeremiyah Love opens up his NFL career with a TD!
AZvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/3gM3cEpY1g— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
He still looks solid, though. The offensive line isn't playing great, and he doesn't have much room to run. Arizona's offense as a whole hasn't been great outside of garbage time dating back to the beginning of last season, either, so that doesn't help.
But he was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Hold him or buy him. His time will come.
Faller: Carnell Tate, WR, Tennessee Titans
Tate is stuck on one of the worst offenses in the NFL with one of its worst passing quarterbacks. The rookie wideout has done a good job winning on his routes and separating from coverage, but it hasn't mattered so far, unfortunately.
The pocket management issues continued to plague Cam Ward's tape against Philadelphia
Jalyx Hunt eventually comes free of Dan Moore here, but the middle of the pocket is squeaky clean for Cam to step into. He has cover 2 to the short side with Carnell Tate coming free across the… pic.twitter.com/mEVAtYpIa5
— Drew Beatty (@IronCityFilm) September 21, 2026
Titans quarterback Cam Ward has struggled managing the pocket and throwing accurately, on time, and within the structure of the offense.
Tate should be stashed on benches for now. My analysis doesn't see any consistent upside coming in the near future, given Ward's inconsistencies.
Faller: Makai Lemon, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
By now, it's clear that this rookie class has been more disappointing than anything through two games. Perhaps the best example of this is Lemon, who after Week 1, had fewer career NFL receiving yards than I do in my nonexistent football career. Lemon caught three receptions for negative five yards in that contest.
The next week, he improved his numbers, logging one catch on his only target for 14 yards and a rush of five yards. Still, for a first-round draft pick, you expect more production. Every other currently healthy first- and second-round receiver has outproduced him to this point.
The tape doesn't look absolutely horrible, but it's not impressive. Lemon may still be struggling with the hamstring injury he suffered in the offseason, but he was never a route-running specialist. He did most of his damage at the catch point with his physicality and after the catch.
Every non-screen route ran by Makai Lemon in week 2 pic.twitter.com/iwg5vSSnvw
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) September 22, 2026
He was a nifty YAC guy who had the power to break tackles and the elusiveness to juke even athletic defenders. The NFL is a different beast, and we haven't seen him get many opportunities yet, but very few receivers make a killing mostly after the catch, and typically those that do are still good separators on top of it.
His usage also wasn't great. It's worth noting that he plays on a team with a good tight end (Dallas Goedert), one of the better WRs in the NFL (DeVonta Smith), and an underrated second WR in Dontayvion Wicks.
Lemon seems like he needs time to develop in this offense. We may not see a breakout until next year or beyond.
