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Updated fantasy football rookie rankings for 2026. These tiered top 100 rankings are for RBs, WRs, TEs, and QB. Use this rookie rankings to dominate your rookie and dynasty drafts.
The NFL regular season is just ahead, and it's time for a fresh look at our fantasy football rookie rankings for 2026. Dominate those last-minute rookie and dynasty drafts with these rankings, which have been updated all offseason long based on the latest injury news and camp buzz.
These updated 2026 rookie rankings are put together by Matt Donnelly, Phil Clark, Jackson Sparks, and Andrew Lalama. These are RotoBaller's final rookie rankings ahead of the 2026 regular season. Below, see where key first-year players such as Mike Washington Jr., Ted Hurst, Cyrus Allen, Chris Bell, Emmett Johnson, Jadarian Price, Carnell Tate, and more rank.
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 | Standard rankings | Rookie rankings | Superflex rankings | Dynasty rankings | Who To Start? | Injuries | Matchup Ratings | Strength of Schedule
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
Cyrus Allen, Las Vegas Raiders
Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Cyrus Allen has quickly earned the trust of his quarterbacks, including Patrick Mahomes. "Even when there were a couple routes he ran the wrong thing and lined up the wrong way in the game, the quarterback still threw the ball to him," head coach Andy Reid told Jesse Newell of The Athletic. "You go, 'All right. There's a certain trust there.' And he'll work through all the other stuff."
Mahomes recently dubbed Allen one of the team's biggest camp standouts, and Newell noted that the team's quarterbacks have all been very comfortable throwing him the ball even when he's covered. That level of trust should go a long way in the regular season. Even though Allen is set to open the year behind Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy on the depth chart, he could work his way onto the fantasy radar by midseason, especially if Rice or Worthy get injured. Having Mahomes throwing him the football should only boost his stock in redraft and dynasty formats. Allen currently has an ADP of 186.5, which corresponds to the 16th round of drafts and makes him the 68th receiver off the board.
Zachariah Branch, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Zachariah Branch is not expected to have a starting role in Week 1, and his low position on the depth chart likely takes him off the redraft radar entirely. The Falcons' latest depth chart lists Branch with the second-team offense, likely putting him in the No. 4 or No. 5 receiver role. He's penciled in behind Drake London, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Jahan Dotson, as well as potentially Chris Blair. Branch was a third-round pick, so it's not a total shock to see him lower on the depth chart to open his career.
With that said, he caught 81 passes at Georgia last year, so we know that he can produce against a strong caliber of opponent. Nevertheless, it looks like fantasy managers will have to be patient with Branch, who is likely headed for a more consistent role on special teams than on offense. He caught just four passes for 21 yards in the preseason, and he has fallen to WR81 in RotoBaller's latest redraft rankings for fantasy football.
Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders named veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins as their Week 1 starter on Wednesday, and while some late training camp rumblings hinted at Fernando Mendoza potentially starting his career as the third quarterback behind Aidan O'Connell, the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft will serve as the team's primary backup, according to The Athletic's Sam Warren. Mendoza appeared in all three of the Raiders' preseason games, turning in a mixed bag on his way to a 56.5% completion percentage and two interceptions to his one touchdown.
The Raiders face a daunting schedule to begin the year, a fact that could lead to early calls from fans to put the rookie on the field, but also a landmine that the coaching staff must navigate with the ultimate goal of setting Mendoza up for long-term success. Equipped with the tools and mindset to eventually become the face of the franchise, Mendoza is RotoBaller's QB29 and not a player who needs to be drafted as anything more than a third quarterback in 2026 superflex leagues.
Jonah Coleman, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos rookie running back Jonah Coleman could move into a much bigger role sooner than expected. According to Dan Graziano of ESPN, the belief is that Coleman will overtake RJ Harvey on the depth chart early in the season and would be Denver's top choice to handle the lead job if J.K. Dobbins misses time. The Broncos took Coleman in the fourth round this year despite already having Dobbins and Harvey, and they have liked his fit from the start.
Sean Payton praised the 5-foot-8, 220-pound back's physical running style, intelligence and ability to handle third-down work after the draft. Denver also viewed Coleman as a strong pass protector coming out of Washington. Dobbins remains the starter after rushing for 772 yards in 10 games last season, but injuries have followed him throughout his career. Coleman still has to earn his way past Harvey, but ESPN's report gives the rookie a clear path to becoming much more than a depth piece.
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 Mike Washington Jr., Ted Hurst, Cyrus Allen, Chris Bell, Emmett Johnson, Jadarian Price, Carnell Tate:
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.
