Fantasy Index

Mock Draft

Early Returns: FI Rookie Drafts

Four(ish) leagues plant flags on lopsided '26 class

With rookie minicamps now underway across the league, it's time to take our first look at where the faces of the 2026 class are running according to our house dynasty players.

Slight shift from last year, where I dropped all six house leagues' draft results on you at once. We staggered our starts a little more this year; partially a fluke, but partially to attempt to capture where rookie values were riding prior to the initial Twitter hype dump started moving players around on us. We have four drafts in the tank here, with two more on the way.

Without further ado, here's how the Fantasy Index Discord's dynasty crowd has things to start. These leagues are the superflex format (not 1-QB), .5 PPR and do not have a TE premium - hence the tight ends in a robust TE cohort coming off the board much more slowly, and QBs flying hot and heavy compared to a 1-QB format.

FIDD Rookie Draft ADP
1st Round
PlayerPositionTeamADPHighestLowest
Jeremiyah
Love
RBArizona111
Fernando
Mendoza
QBLas Vegas2.324
Carnell
Tate
WRTennessee2.324
Makai
Lemon
WRPhiladelphia3.624
Jordyn
Tyson
WRNew Orleans556
Jadarian
Price
RBSeattle758
KC
Concepcion
WRCleveland769
Ty SimpsonQBLos Angeles7.879
Omar CooperWRN.Y. Jets869
Kenyon SadiqTEN.Y. Jets101010
Denzel
Boston
WRCleveland11.81112
Eli StowersTEPhiladelphia12.41114

For the third time in as many seasons of FIDD rookie draft mania, there is zero debate about which player should be taken first. While you can argue which player had more hype between him, Bijan Robinson or Ashton Jeanty, there is no disputing that Jeremiyah Love is poised to slot directly into that halcyon tier of platinum-rated dynasty backs. His short-term outlook is complicated, but few would dare dispute his long-term ceiling. ... Early confusion over how many players were in the next tier ultimately narrowed, as Fernando Mendoza and Carnell Tate settled in as the most popular players at 2 and 3 overall. Mendoza offers both draft capital-backed surety and Kubiak-assisted upside, while Tate now headlines an offense that appears to have the quarterback, and perhaps even a functional coaching staff — probably. Maybe. ... Makai Lemon is almost in a micro-tier all his own but was leapfrogged by Tyson once. While fit and finish questions in a Philly offense that appears to be asking Jalen Hurts to change his game significantly under a new OC will persist throughout the summer, Lemon's widely regarded as having a skillset too tailormade for present day passing offenses to fail. ... Injury concerns, proximity to an established No. 1 receiver and more injury concerns nudge Jordyn Tyson firmly to 5 in most of our drafts. ... It's a four-man street fight once Tyson comes off the board. Jadarian Price can go anywhere — anywhere — in the middle of the first round, the first of many running back-needy distress signals thrown up in our ADP data. More reliably gone by the seventh pick has been KC Concepcion, although with target share and quarterback play questions abound, he may offer no more short-term stability than Price. ... Like with Price, Ty Simpson generally went eighth, although team need occasionally bumped him to the front of the line in this tier. ... Through our first two drafts Omar Cooper was actually running at the head of this group by ADP, but the national champion luster faded a bit after that. Save for sure handedness, he has all of the questions dogging both Tyson and Concepcion. ... Nailed to the board at 10, Kenyon Sadiq's strong investment from an NFL team gives dynasty drafters peace of mind — provided you don't look too closely at which NFL team did it. ... Denzel Boston and Eli Stowers take turns rounding out the top 12, well away from their ADP neighbors on either side.

Favorite values: Jeremiyah Love, Jordyn Tyson, Ty Simpson
Least favorite values: Jadarian Price, Kenyon Sadiq, Eli Stowers
My picks: Jeremiyah Love (1.01), Ty Simpson (1.08), KC Concepcion (1.09), Antonio Williams(!) (1.12), Denzel Boston (1.12)

FIDD Rookie Draft ADP
2nd Round
PlayerPositionTeamADPHighestLowest
Chris BellWRMiami13.81115
Jonah
Coleman
RBDenver14.21216
Antonio
Williams
WRWashington14.21216
Germie
Bernard
WRPittsburgh15.31218
Nicholas
Singleton
RBTennessee171618
Emmett
Johnson
RBKansas City201525
De'Zhaun
Stribling
WRSan Francisco20.31725
Kaytron
Allen
RBWashington20.31823
Elijah
Sarratt
WRBaltimore232224
Ted HurstWRTampa Bay231827
Drew AllarQBPittsburgh23.82032
Chris
Brazzell
WRCarolina25.32229

A Twitter punchline for several days as rookie drafts across the fantasy-sphere kicked off, just because the second round of this draft class may not be as strong as in recent years (yes, "may" doing some heavy lifting there) does not mean it's bereft of opportunity. We saw a ton of wheeling and dealing up and down the board here, reiterating the tempered enthusiasm for the 2026 cohort past the first round. Surging to the fore thanks to our two most recent drafts has been Chris Bell; partially teams staking a high upside claim in a blank canvas Miami future, partially tanking teams playing chess with the coveted 2027 draft order. ... Jonah Coleman had been running as the first player off the board in the second, and I suspect that proves truer to life writ large — although him twice plummeting outside the top 15 does signal a fair amount of initial skepticism. ... True 'sleepers' are few and far between in this crowd, but as much as we have one this early Antonio Williams is it. Largely un-hyped throughout the run up to the NFL Draft, a Goldilocks landing spot with Washington surely sent Williams several spots higher in our drafts. ... Sporting an even bigger selection range than Williams, Germie Bernard and his seven-spot range telegraph both uncertainty in Pittsburgh's offense on multiple fronts, and enthusiasm for the player. ... Easily the most distasteful part of the board in one man's opinion, Nicholas Singleton and Emmett Johnson rocket from Day 3 picks in the real world to top 20 pick status in ours. Did I mention that people are desperate for running backs? ... Although his shockingly rich draft capital most definitely shot him a full round up our boards, De'Zhaun Stribling breaking into the first half of the second round only once signals healthy John Lynch skepticism in the FI house ranks. ... Running as our RB6 in a weak class for the position, Kaytron Allen looks to be the very last call for plausible 2026 production for teams in need. ... Elijah Sarratt and Ted Hurst have identical ADPs overall, but their respective ranges perfectly embody the range of outcomes our drafters envision for them, respectively. ... Pushed way up the board by yours truly against the backdrop of another offseason of Aaron Rodgers uncertainty, you can and probably should disregard this top 25 ADP data for Drew Allar, which on its face would suggest he very likely makes starts in 2026. Now that Pittsburgh is poised to bed down with Rodgers one last time, nobody should be counting on seeing much of Allar beyond the preseason. ... Chris Brazzell and his sheer size-speed-draft capital upside trinity feels more like an early start on the third round than the end of the second.

Favorite values: Antonio Williams, Kaytron Allen
Least favorite values: Nicholas Singleton, Emmett Johnson, Drew Allar, Chris Brazzell
My picks: Jonah Coleman (2.01), Kaytron Allen (2.06, 2.09), Drew Allar (2.08, 2.08, 2.11), Oscar Delp(!) (2.09)

FIDD Rookie Draft ADP
3rd Round
PlayerPositionTeamADPHighestLowest
Malachi
Fields
WRN.Y. Giants26.51934
Carson BeckQBArizona272330
Skyler BellWRBuffalo28.52630
Zachariah
Branch
WRAtlanta28.82130
Mike
Washington
RBLas Vegas29.82040
Brenen
Thompson
WRL.A. Chargers302237
Oscar DelpTENew Orleans30.32135
Cade KlubnikQBN.Y. Jets32.83136
Demond
Claiborne
RBMinnesota332838
Ja'Kobi LaneWRBaltimore33.82938
Adam RandallRBBaltimore343239
Kevin ColemanWRMiami37.52744

Things break wide open in a hurry in the third round, starting with Malachi Fields. A divisive prospect, Fields' size and contested catch ability strongly suggest he'll play heavy snaps as a rookie, getting him as high as the middle of the second round. The lack of speed and iffy target access sunk him as far as the end of the third. ... With only journeyman Jacoby Brissett in his way, Carson Beck as the consensus third QB off the board makes a certain sense. They may not be pretty, but a QB that is odds on to make December starts with real weapons alone is worth this price in superflex. ... This narrow range for Skyler Bell suggests both 'best of the rest' status and the potential to rise up boards as the summer wears on.

After that it is pure 'get your guy' time: Massive 18-spot spread for former BMOC Zachariah Branch, whose tantalizing run after catch juice has the interest of dynasty nerds far and wide piqued at this price. ... Quite the rollercoaster ride for big Mike Washington, who rocketed into the first round of mock drafts after his historic Combine showing only for his landing spot to send him crashing back down the board. A wild 21-pick range foreshadows his range of NFL outcomes. ... Speaking of upside, Mike McDaniel crush Brenen Thompson and his alluring fit with the Chargers inspired both passion and skepticism in FI war rooms. Sounds about right. ... Like Allar in the previous round, Oscar Delp is driven to this ADP primarily by my repeatedly sending his card up to the podium aggressively; he can probably be had later than this in a lot of drafts, and for good reason. ... On the brink of being declared the King of New York less than 72 hours into minicamp, Cade Klubnik is guaranteed to see his draft stock climb past both Beck and Allar if the hype train maintains its early momentum. ... It sure looks like the polar opposite for Demond Claiborne, for whom even modest enthusiasm appears misplaced. Probably worth disclosing here that we have a disproportionately large number of Vikings fan in our midst. ... Ja'Kobi Lane is probably too young to do a ton for a Baltimore team looking to go win the division in a few months, but he's a nice developmental player in both reality and fantasy. ... While we're in Baltimore, Adam Randall is a fun boom or (probably) bust guy to throw a dart on once Mike Washington's off the board.

Favorite values: Skyler Bell, Mike Washington, Cade Klubnik
Least favorite values: Malachi Fields, Demond Claiborne
My picks: Skyler Bell (3.02, 3.06), Oscar Delp (3.07, 3.11), Adam Randall (3.08, 3.08), Cade Klubnik (3.07, 3.09)

FIDD Rookie Draft ADP
4nd Round
PlayerPositionTeamADPHighestLowest
Kaelon BlackRBSan Francisco37.53540
Max KlareTEL.A. Rams383342
Caleb
Douglas
WRMiami402945
Justin JolyTEDenver40.33642
Eli
Heidenreich
RB/WRNavy40.33646
Eli RaridonTENew England42.83549
Cole PaytonQBPhiladelphia43.53747
Taylen GreenQBCleveland43.53847
Bryce LanceWRNew Orleans43.84047
Garrett
Nussmeier
QBKansas City443948
Le'Veon MossRBMiami46.34149
Matthew
Hibner
TEBaltimore46.74549

Last year, this stretch of the board gave us such treasures as Kyle Monangai, Woody Marks and Isaac TeSlaa. If there are similar running back gems to be had this time around then they're pretty well hidden. Probably the best bet is Kaelon Black, who was famously snubbed from the Scouting Combine, like last year's Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Also like 'JCM', Black is an older prospect, meaning he should be ready to contribute right away. Unlike JCM, Black offers very little wiggle as a runner, and less burst than his mid-4.4 40 time would imply. Sitting behind primed for breakdown Christian McCaffrey (450 touches last year) is certainly attractive, but don't sleep on second-year man Jordan James breaking as CMC's 'true' handcuff. ... Few NFL hopefuls immediate-term outlooks were complicated more by their new teams than Max Klare. Talented enough for a LaPorta-esque rookie season, being mired in the league's deepest tight end room knocked Klare at least a round down the board. ... Every year we get a major 'Who?!' name at wide receiver on Day 2, and this year it was Caleb Douglas. The first position player drafted in the Sullivan-Hafley era, our house drafters had a tough time placing the quasi-mystery man. ... The first of three 4th round delights at tight end, the 240-pound Justin Joly doesn't figure to be putting his hand in the dirt much. This lends to him being Evan Engram's direct backup. Engram was less than 100 percent for much of 2025 and missed eight games the year before. ... Rocking an 11-spot range that was frankly narrower than I expected, Eli Heidenreich and his borderline elite athletic traits are the perfect 'how great would this story be if he hits?' scratch-off ticket in the late game, and at a drastically underserved position. Hit it. ... Speaking of elite athleticism, Eli Raridon has it in spades, with massive 11-inch mitts to boot. With Austin Hooper off to Atlanta, big Eli is tabbed for plenty of work behind/beside Hunter Henry in 12 personnel. ... Still speaking of elite athleticism, Cole Payton lands behind an elite franchise quarterback that is quietly heading into a very important 2026 season. Payton has the juice to get on the field in bizarro personnel packages right away, but so did Jalen Milroe. ... Going bang-bang with Payton after four drafts is big Taylen Green, who has managed to do a convincing enough impression of a quarterback to take snaps as one in Berea, for now. ... Perhaps warded off by their past rookie draft trauma involving his more famous brother, size-speed superhuman Bryce Lance nevertheless plummets to the endgame in all four drafts. Wise, very wise. ... Buried behind Patrick Mahomes and pinch-hitter Justin Fields, Garrett Nussmeier has zero path to the field in sight, but could at least be Mahomes' clipboard caddy for his entire rookie contract if he plays his cards right. ... Undrafted in our first two, real world UDFA Le'Veon Moss surprised when he broke into the 4th round in our two most recent drafts. With trade whispers following De'Von Achane throughout the offseason, the potential to be this year's Croskey-Merritt (starter Brian Robinson was traded last August) is technically in frame. One more time: People are desperate for running backs! ... Our final tight end of genuine intrigue is Baltimore's Matthew Hibner, who gets the same basic setup as Raridon: Likely gone, and just an established-but-aging veteran stands between him and serious playing time.

Favorite values: Max Klare, Justin Joly, Eli Heidenreich, Eli Raridon, Matthew Hibner
My picks: Matthew Hibner (4.09), Cole Payton (4.11)

--Luke Wilson

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