2026 Dynasty Rookie Draft Strategy | Dominate the Target and Fade Game

by Wyatt Bertolone · Featured
2026 Dynasty Rookie Draft Strategy

The 2026 NFL Draft is over, and dynasty fantasy football leagues’ rookie drafts loom. Each year brings a new set of challenges as the draft class changes. As we all know, the 2026 class is on the weaker side, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a strategy for exciting players to target throughout the draft. Additionally, it’s important to know which players to avoid.

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Know the Players, Dominate the Draft

Round 1

Target | KC Concepcion, WR (CLE)

KC Concepcion had been one of my favorite prospects heading into the NFL Draft. He’s an early entrant as a junior, has the prototypical size for today’s NFL, and broke out for over 1,000 total yards as a true freshman in college. Additionally, Concepcion is as versatile as they come. The Paul Hornung Award winner can play inside and out, easily creating separation from his defender, and can be a weapon in the run game, evidenced by his over 400 rushing yards in college. 

Many will look at his landing spot and immediately think “eww, Browns,” then move on. That’s a mistake. Concepcion is set up to be the number one wide receiver on an offense that will be in garbage time constantly. Then, in 2027, they’ll be poised to find their quarterback of the future. Concepcion will produce early, often, and beyond.

Fade | Omar Cooper Jr., WR (NYJ) 

Few players saw their stock rise more between the college season ending and the NFL Draft than Omar Cooper Jr. did. The versatile weapon from Indiana wowed many with his athleticism and top-notch after-the-catch ability. Cooper is a late-career breakout, however, who didn’t dominate and couldn’t separate himself from his teammate, Elijah Sarratt. 

Perhaps even worse for Cooper is his landing spot. Going to the Jets, after they had already drafted tight end Kenyon Sadiq, has me worried about what his target opportunity can even be in the offense. Garrett Wilson is easily the Jets’ number one target, Breece Hall will be involved in the pass game, Adonai Mitchell could have a role, and the aforementioned Sadiq could be higher on the pecking order. I’m passing on Cooper. 

Round 2

Target | Antonio Williams, WR (WAS)

Antonio Williams has one of the cleaner prospect profiles in the class as a whole. He produced early in his career, continued to do so, and has a lot of what we look for. He’s got enough size and athleticism that he can play inside and out (though he’s more often a slot wide receiver than not), and he creates plenty of separation in his routes. His real knock is that he may not have as high a ceiling as other players, but that comes with a much higher floor. 

Sometimes in rookie drafts, you just want to hit a double. Especially in a class as bad as 2026, I’m more worried about not drafting landmines. I’m ok with taking the “safe” player. It just so happens that Williams was also drafted to a team with an immediate path to opportunities and a top quarterback. I want to be aggressive on Williams. 

Fade | Malachi Fields, WR (NYG)

Malachi Fields is a way better prospect for the NFL than he will be for fantasy. The big-bodied wide receiver specializes in playing on the outside, beating press coverage, and making tough catches. It’s an archetype that every team covets because there aren’t many that can do it well. However, there aren’t many who perform this role who can also produce for fantasy. It’s hard to earn targets and produce with them when so much of your time is spent next to the sideline fighting against press coverage.

What Fields will do is open up the field more for Malik Nabers. We don’t care about that, though. Will there be times he catches a touchdown because he’s good in the red zone and he has a good quarterback? Of course he will. Will he do it consistently or earn enough other targets to matter in fantasy? I’m betting not. 

Round 3

Target | Ted Hurst, WR (TBB)

Coming from Georgia State, Ted Hurst wasn’t on too many people’s radars to start the offseason. But Hurst’s size, athleticism, and skill working down the field and with the ball in his hands saw him rapidly rise up draft boards. Anytime a wide receiver has Hurts’ level of athleticism and can win on the outside, teams are going to be interested. It’s a skill set that all teams crave.

Landing with the Buccaneers is complicated. It’s a bit crowded with legit pass-catching options, as we know. Hurst is also far and away the closest thing Tampa Bay has to an X wide receiver. Because of that, Hurst could get plenty of playing time early, giving him the chance to earn opportunities. With Hurst’s talent and dynamism, fantasy points will follow. 

Fade | Demond Claiborne, RB (MIN)

Demond Claiborne has some intriguing characteristics, most notably running a sub-4.4 40-yard dash. That speed shows up on the football field, too. The problem is he weighs 188 pounds, has a BMI in the fourth percentile, and was drafted in the sixth round. We’ve seen more and more small running backs make an impact in fantasy football, so I understand why some look at Claiborne and think he can be the next. 

The problem for Claiborne is that he doesn’t compare well to those who have done it. His production profile coming into the NFL isn’t as good as a player like De’Von Achane, nor was he drafted as highly. Comparing him to a later drafted running back, Kyren Williams, doesn’t work either because Claiborne isn’t as good a pass blocker, which helped Williams get on the field. All that before the fact that he’ll be third on his depth chart in 2026, with no guarantee that changes in 2027.

Round 4

Target | Justin Joly, TE (DEN)

A former wide receiver, Justin Joly converted to tight end to start his college career at UConn, then transferred to NC State to finish it. Joly posted a career 1.78 yards per route run (YPRR) in college — a solid number for a tight end — and proved to be more versatile than expected. In college, Joly played 36.3% of his snaps in line and became a decent blocker, which is more than many tight ends in this class can say.

Landing with the Broncos in the fourth round presents a potential opportunity for Joly. Sean Payton has a good history with tight ends, and Evan Engram looks to be in the twilight of his career. We won’t get immediate production, but that’s normal for most rookie tight ends. However, come 2027, the depth chart could clear up for the New Rochelle, NY native to make an impact. 

Fade | Michael Trigg, TE (DAL)

For a while, Michael Trigg was a favorite tight end target for many. He has some impressive college highlights, in which he used his supreme arm length and sure hands to make incredible catches over his defenders. He was also a real contributor after the catch. But at his Pro Day, Trigg tested horribly and had one of the worst vertical jumps we’ve ever seen for a tight end. The vertical jump was so bad that it makes you think he didn’t prepare at all. Then, to top it off, we got rumors that he has character concerns.

With the reported character issues and poor testing, it should be no surprise that Michael Trigg went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft before eventually signing as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys. Some want to bet on Trigg’s talent, but I don’t. His going undrafted is the NFL telling us our concerns are valid. He’s not even worth a late-round pick. 


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