Fantasy football winners and losers from Round 1 of 2026 NFL Draft: A tale of two RBs in different cities

Tate makes Titans interesting in fantasy and reality

I was happy to see the Titans land WR Carnell Tate at No. 4, while accepting his ceiling might not be equal to what we normally see from a class’s No. 1 receiver. Tate, after all, wasn’t the featured receiver on his own team at Ohio State — generational prospect Jeremiah Smith held that role. But Tate brings a high floor to the NFL, and can be a useful fantasy piece quickly.

Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward kept his head above water for most of his rookie season despite little help. Upgrades have certainly arrived in the offseason — OC Brian Daboll, slot WR Wan’Dale Robinson and now Tate, who has the chops to play outside. While it would be too ambitious to expect any sophomore QB to duplicate Drake Maye's leap from last year, Ward is probably the quarterback most poised to rise a level or two. After a few boring seasons, the Titans are at least on the path to being fun.

Lemon will help Eagles turn the page

Are the Eagles going to be fun this year? Last season, dysfunctional was the more appropriate word. But when the Eagles grabbed WR Makai Lemon with the No. 20 pick — sniping the Steelers in the process — they made it clear this offense was getting some fresh paint. The Lemon pick probably cements all the rumors of A.J. Brown being traded in June (when it makes salary cap sense), and could be a ding to TE Dallas Goedert, coming off a career year. But maybe Lemon has the juice to get QB Jalen Hurts cooking again.

Although Lemon is capable of running the entire route tree, he’s best used in the short and intermediate parts of the field. He probably should be drafted as a WR4 to open the summer, with the potential to climb to WR3 status as a rookie if things click quickly.

Mixed bag for talented rookies on rebuilding teams

Players like Price and Lemon have the advantage of moving to established, winning programs. But several of the skill players selected on Thursday will have to make things work with rebuilding teams. The Jets took a couple of pass-catchers in TE Kenyon Sadiq and WR Omar Cooper Jr., the Browns went for WR KC Conception and the Saints called on WR Jordyn Tyson.

Tyson, the eighth pick in Round 1, probably has the most intriguing fantasy juice from this group for 2026. Head coach Kellen Moore was a home-run hire last year, and he did some fun stuff with rookie QB Tyler Shough. Chris Olave is obviously the target hog in this passing game, but the tree was fairly barren after him. If Tyson can avoid the injuries that dogged him in college, he could become a star. The Saints would love for him to start right away.

Sadiq and Cooper won’t get easy onboards with the Jets. Sadiq’s skill set is an improvement over incumbent TE Mason Taylor, but their abilities have overlap. With Cooper arriving and Garrett Wilson remaining, New York’s passing tree could become crowded. And no one sees QB Geno Smith as a kingmaker these days. The Jets are hoping to hit a home run with a QB in the 2027 draft; for now, Smith is just keeping the seat warm.

Concepcion will get plenty of opportunity in Cleveland, with Jerry Jeudy the head of an unimposing wide receiver room. But the Browns don’t have a good answer at quarterback, choosing between Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel. Concepcion is an all-purpose star who can win through a variety of routes and touches. Look for new coach Todd Monken to utilize Concepcion in the return game and as an occasional ball-carrier. Fantasy value is always an uphill climb in the Cleveland passing game, but maybe Concepcion has the chops to push for WR4 value as a rookie.