2026 Redraft Rookie Targets for your 2026 Fantasy Football Draft

Rookies are fun. Knowing which rookies to target for fantasy football drafts is more fun. Rookies are new. They’re exciting. Nobody has watched them disappoint us for three consecutive fantasy seasons yet. But being a great prospect doesn’t automatically make someone a great redraft pick. Let’s look at the rookies we should be targeting for redraft leagues.

I’m interested in three things: Opportunity. Role. Price.

I don’t need a rookie to eventually become a superstar. I need him to produce fantasy points in 2026, preferably at a price that doesn’t already assume his breakout.

That’s where the Reedy Score™ comes in.

What is the Reedy Score™?

The Reedy Score™ is my attempt to quantify fantasy draft value rather than simply ranking players by talent.

The model considers position-specific factors such as opportunity, offensive environment, coaching and scheme, role security, touchdown potential, and current draft cost. We then compare what we expect from the player against what fantasy football managers are currently paying.

In other words:

Talent tells us what a player can do. Opportunity tells us whether he’ll get to do it. ADP tells us whether we should pay for it.

For ADP, I’m using FantasyPros Real-Time ADP from August 18.

NOTE: Yes, I named the Score after myself; I might even put a gold statue of myself in my backyard next.

Rookies to Target in 2026 Redraft Fantasy Football Leagues

NOTE: ADP is from the FantasyPros Real-Time ADP data supplied on August 18. Reedy Scores are my 2026 redraft evaluations, not dynasty grades.

The Rookies with Roles I Want

These are the players where we don’t need to invent an elaborate scenario to see fantasy production.

Jeremiyah Love — RB, Arizona Cardinals

ADP: 25.9 | RB13 | Reedy Score: 86

Love is easily the most expensive rookie on this list—and for good reason.

The third overall pick has the talent and opportunity to handle significant volume immediately. The current ankle injury poses some risk, and it needs to be monitored closely after Love was injured during preseason action. (Feel free to handcuff Love with Tyler Allgeier if you have concerns)

But remember one of my core fantasy philosophies:

Touches create fantasy points.

If Love is healthy and getting the workload we expect, he has legitimate top-12 RB potential. Unlike most players in this article, however, you’re already paying a substantial price for it.

Verdict: Draft him, but we’re buying production more than a massive ADP discount.

Carnell Tate — WR, Tennessee Titans

ADP: 75.2 | WR30 | Reedy Score: 83

Tate is probably my favorite combination of rookie talent and reasonable acquisition cost.

The fourth overall pick has an opportunity to establish himself quickly in Tennessee. There has been some competition for targets in camp; Elic Ayomanor has reportedly been impressive in camp, so we shouldn’t simply hand Tate a massive target share before he’s earned it.

At WR30, though, I’m willing to make the bet.

Verdict: One of my favorite rookie targets at current ADP.

Jadarian Price — RB, Seattle Seahawks

ADP: 59.4 | RB26 | Reedy Score: 78

Price is where things get interesting.

We’re paying considerably less than we are for Love, but we’re also buying more uncertainty. Seattle’s backfield isn’t simply being handed to him.

That’s okay.

At RB26, the potential increase in touches gives Price a ceiling his current price may not fully capture. His opportunity is one of the situations I’m watching most closely through the remainder of August.

Verdict: Bet on the expanding role.

The ADP Values

This may be my favorite section because now we’re looking for players where the upside outweighs the draft cost.

De’Zhaun Stribling — WR, San Francisco 49ers

ADP: 148.1 | WR58 | Reedy Score: 78

This is exactly what I want from a Round 13 pick.

Stribling caught seven passes for 63 yards in his preseason debut and is forcing himself into the conversation for meaningful playing time.

Does he have competition? Absolutely. But the other 49er wide receivers keep getting dinged up in the preseason.

But we’re drafting him as WR58, not WR28.

That’s the point.

Verdict: One of my favorite late-round rookie bets.

KC Concepcion — WR, Cleveland Browns

ADP: 133.8 | WR51 | Reedy Score: 76

Cleveland invested first-round capital in Concepcion, and he’s been generating positive reports during camp.

My concern is the offensive environment.

My interest is the price.

At WR51, I don’t need Concepcion to become a fantasy WR1. Cleveland looks like they will manufacture touches for him, and he will be a regular part of the offense; he can beat this ADP.

Verdict: Draft the opportunity and accept the QB risk.

Denzel Boston — WR, Cleveland Browns

ADP: 159.4 | WR60 | Reedy Score: 75

Boston is exactly the kind of player I wanted to make sure was included.

He’s been one of Cleveland’s training-camp risers and has reportedly earned first-team opportunities. At 6-foot-4, his potential red-zone usage is particularly interesting.

And look at the cost:

WR60.

This is practically free.

Verdict: One of my favorite deep rookie WR values.

Makai Lemon — WR, Philadelphia Eagles

ADP: 108.5 | WR42 | Reedy Score: 72

Lemon’s situation has become more complicated because injuries have cost him valuable developmental time, and there are legitimate questions about whether he’ll have a major role immediately.

But falling ADP can fix a lot of fantasy problems.

If the market keeps pushing Lemon down draft boards, I’m interested in buying the talent and potential second-half opportunity rather than paying for immediate production.

Verdict: More attractive as the price falls.

Jonah Coleman — RB, Denver Broncos

ADP: 155.0 | RB53 | Reedy Score: 72

Coleman fits the Reedy philosophy almost perfectly.

At RB53, I’m not asking him to dominate Denver’s backfield in Week 1.

I’m asking whether he can earn enough carries, short-yardage work and goal-line opportunities to become more valuable than a Round 14 selection.

Great late-round draft pick.

Verdict: Follow the touches, not the depth-chart label.

The Lottery Tickets

These players don’t have enough guaranteed opportunity for me to project immediate fantasy production, but feel free to target them a their inexpensive ADP.

Omar Cooper Jr. – New York Jets (WR64) is interesting because Round 15 is exactly where we should be taking shots on uncertain receiving rooms.

Mike Washington Jr. – Las Vegas Raiders (RB56) is the classic late-round running back bet. If the touches increase, the value can change almost overnight.

Chris Bell – Miami Dolphins (WR87) and Zachariah Branch – Atlanta Falcons (WR82) are even cheaper. I’m not drafting either expecting September production. I’m drafting them because Round 20 and beyond should be about ceiling, not floor.

If they don’t earn the opportunity?

Cut them.

That’s another part of fantasy strategy people sometimes forget. Your Round 20 pick doesn’t have to stay on your roster until Thanksgiving.

The Injury Discounts

Jordyn Tyson — WR, New Orleans Saints

ADP: 92.8 | WR37 | Reedy Score: 64

Without the hamstring injury, Tyson would be much higher on this list.

The eighth overall pick reportedly could miss around two months, potentially wiping out a significant portion of the beginning of his rookie season.

That destroys his immediate opportunity.

But now watch the ADP.

He’s currently WR37. That’s still too expensive for me given the injury.

If he falls substantially, particularly in leagues with IR spots, I’ll reconsider.

Verdict: Don’t draft the name. Draft the discount if it becomes large enough.

Kenyon Sadiq — TE, New York Jets

ADP: 165.1 | TE21 | Reedy Score: 68

Sadiq’s first-round pedigree makes him fascinating, but his recent hernia setback adds another variable to a position that already has a difficult rookie learning curve.

The good news is the price.

At TE21 in Round 15, we’re not paying for him to immediately become Sam LaPorta.

Verdict: Interesting upside TE, but don’t reach.

What About the Quarterbacks?

Fernando Mendoza — QB, Las Vegas Raiders

ADP: 177.0 | QB29 | Reedy Score: 62

Mendoza is a much different conversation depending on league format.

In a traditional one-QB league, I don’t need to draft a rookie quarterback without a secure starting job.

In Superflex or 2-QB leagues, QB29 gets considerably more interesting.

That’s where I’d target him.

The Deep TE Stash

Eli Stowers — TE, Philadelphia Eagles

ADP: 179.9 | TE30 | Reedy Score: 59

I love the athletic upside.

I don’t love the immediate opportunity.

And that’s fine.

At TE30, Stowers is a deep-league stash rather than someone I’m expecting to start for my fantasy team.

Verdict: Great athlete. Wrong player if you need immediate production.

Final Thoughts

The biggest mistake fantasy managers make with rookies is confusing potential with opportunity. We want to target rookies with opportunity in redraft.

Every rookie has potential. That’s why he was drafted into the NFL.

But fantasy points don’t come from potential.

They come from carries, targets, routes, red-zone opportunities and touchdowns.

That’s why the Reedy Score™ keeps bringing us back to opportunity and price.

Love and Tate don’t need five things to go right before they become useful. They already have substantial paths to production.

Stribling, Boston, and Coleman are different. Their roles aren’t as secure, but their ADPs give us something equally valuable:

asymmetric upside.

If I’m wrong about a Round 14 pick, I move on.

If I’m right and that player becomes a weekly fantasy starter?

That’s how you win drafts.

Draft opportunity. Draft value. Let someone else pay for the hype.

For more great fantasy football rankings and analysis, make sure to check out the 2026 FantraxHQ Fantasy Football Draft Kit!