With the 2025 NFL Draft behind us, dynasty fantasy football leagues are firing up drafts as we speak. While plenty of fantasy heads will be focused on diving into this year’s draft class, including our Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings, the ones who usually win their league know that it’s already time to be thinking of the 2026 NFL Draft class.
The fantasy owners who are most successful understand what the future draft classes are shaping out to be, so they don’t load up on picks for bad classes or have no picks in a great draft class. Before you make too many trades, including draft picks next year, check out our early 2026 dynasty fantasy football rookie rankings.
Early 2026 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings
Tier 1 (Elite Picks)
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Running backs always reign supreme, and Jeremiyah Love looks to be the top option at the position next year. An elite recruit out of high school, Love exploded for over 1,350 total yards and 19 touchdowns this past season, which saw Notre Dame finish runners-up to Ohio State. With another great year in 2025, Love could set himself up to lead a backfield in the NFL in 2026. This makes him a fantastic option atop our 2026 dynasty fantasy football rookie rankings.
Arch Manning, QB, Texas
The name says it all. With Quinn Ewers now out of the picture, it’s Arch Manning’s rodeo now. He has plenty of talent around him in Austin, and with some good tape already, a successful season, coupled with his name value, could see Manning drafted as the next face of an NFL franchise.
Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
With Emeka Egbuka now out of the picture, it’s up to Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith to carry on the tradition of elite Ohio State wide receivers. Tate racked up over 700 receiving yards this past year, including 87 in a playoff victory over Texas. With Smith not eligible for the NFL Draft until 2027, Tate appears to be the top receiving option in 2026.
Tier 2 (Solid First Rounders)
Drew Allar, QB, Penn State
Drew Allar’s incredible season came to a screeching halt when his costly interception in the College Football Playoff Semifinal cost Penn State dearly. It did his play throughout the season a bit of a disservice, as he has thrown for over 6,000 yards, 53 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions over his college career. With another season to fine-tune his skills, Allar will certainly be a quarterback high on draft boards next year.
Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State
Nick Singleton has started just 27-of-41 career games at Penn State, but he has still racked up two seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns. With another season in an elite offense and with not many established running backs with his resume returning, Singleton is setting himself up nicely to be drafted high and be a contributor in fantasy off the bat.
Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia
Although he wasn’t able to produce much at USC in his first two seasons, much of that has been due to poor quarterback play. Zachariah Branch is an athletic freak that you have to see to believe. He’s recorded a top speed of 26 miles per hour on a treadmill, has drawn comparisons in agility to Reggie Bush, and he now finds himself in a Georgia team that will know how to get him the ball and be able to show off his abilities. With his athletic traits, one good season will quickly turn Branch into one of the more beloved prospects in recent history.
CJ Baxter, RB, Texas
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Texas Longhorns have another great running back. CJ Baxter was originally the starter for the Longhorns in 2023 before an injury saw Jonathan Brooks take his spot. Baxter redshirted last year due to a knee injury and is ready to break out once and for all. He is still only 19, and one good season would quickly dispel any injury concerns for him with the amount of talent he has.
Tier 3 (Fringe First Rounders)
Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State
While Kaytron Allen has only started 15-of-42 games in college for the Penn State Nittany Lions, he’s shown to be a true pain for opposing defenses to handle. Even with just 15 starts to his name, Allen has amassed over 3,300 total yards and 28 touchdowns over his three-year career. In 2024, Allen had over 1,100 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns on five yards per carry. If he decides to declare for the draft in 2026, teams will quickly snatch him up, giving him the potential to skyrocket in the 2026 dynasty draft rankings.
Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson
While Cade Klubnik has only had one really good season, that year was pretty damn impressive. After a shaky 2023 season, Klubnik had over 4,000 total yards, 43 total touchdowns and just six interceptions. The former five-star recruit has only been a starter for two seasons, but already has two ACC Championship Game MVP awards. At 6’2, Klubnik has the size to make it at the next level. With another year to develop at Clemson, Klubnik could easily be the next Tigers quarterback to go in the first round in next year’s draft.
Kevin Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
After setting NC State freshman records for receptions and receiving yards in 2023, Kevin Concepcion took a step back in 2024. While he does deserve some of the blame, much of it falls on NC State’s passing attack, or lack thereof. Now at Texas A&M, Concepcion should have much more talent around him, enough so that he should be able to produce at the level he’s shown in the past. With ACC Rookie of the Year and Second team All-ACC awards already on his resume, another strong campaign in the strongest conference in football could vault him up draft boards relatively quickly.
Tier 4 (Best of the Rest)
Nyck Harbor, WR, South Carolina
Nyck Harbor is absolutely everything NFL general managers could possibly want in a receiving prospect. Harbor is 6-5, earned second-team All-American honors in the 100m and 200m events, and he also won the Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Award in high school, which is given to senior male athletes who demonstrate academic, athletic, and community-service excellence. While Harbor hasn’t yet put it all together for a whole season on the field yet, his rare blend of size and speed, along with still being just 19 years old, makes him a unicorn prospect that will certainly rise up draft boards should he find success this season.
Eugene Wilson, WR, Florida
Injuries limited Eugene Wilson in 2024, but he still has all the makings of an impact receiver in the NFL. Wilson was named a First-team All-SEC freshman in 2023 with 61 receptions for 538 yards and six touchdowns in just 10 games. While he was only able to play four games in 2024, he still averaged nearly five catches and over 66 receiving yards per game when healthy. With his father having an NFL pedigree as a seven-year NFL veteran, a return to his 2023 form will make him a tantalizing option near the end of the first round in next year’s dynasty drafts.
Jaydn Ott, RB, Oklahoma Sooners
After somehow falling under the radar for the last three years at California, Jaydn Ott is primed to break out after transferring to Oklahoma. Ott was named to the freshman All-American team in 2022 after rushing for just under 900 yards and combining for 11 touchdowns. In 2023, Ott went nuclear, combining for over 1,300 rushing yards and 14 combined touchdowns, earning himself first-team All-Pac-12 honors and serving as a candidate for the Doak Walker, Maxwell and Walter Camp awards.
Ott struggled with injuries in 2024, which limited his production when on the field and kept him out for a few games. Now back fully healthy and even taking some reps as a kick returner, Ott has the opportunity to become one of the premier playmakers in the country, and one that could hear their name called fairly early in next year’s draft.
Dylan Edwards, RB, Kansas State
Dylan Edwards may not be a name taken very seriously yet in most 2026 dynasty fantasy football rookie rankings, but he absolutely should be. After an incredibly successful high school career, Edwards started his collegiate career at Colorado. While he wasn’t super productive throughout the season, thanks to being a backup until the final four games, he did score four touchdowns in his first game in Colorado’s upset win over TCU.
Edwards transferred to Kansas State this past season and averaged over seven yards per carry, along with 196 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the 2024 Rate Bowl, in which he won Offensive MVP. While he hasn’t completely broken out yet, he’s steadily improved each year and should take another big step forward in 2025.
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