Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame member Bob Harris and Gary Davenport have well over 40 years of experience as fantasy football analysts, with three Football Writer of the Year Awards between them. They know their stuff—or at least that's what they tell themselves.
The 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh is now officially part of history. Beginning with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 1 overall, 257 rookies learned where their NFL careers will begin.
Many of those rookies are of great importance to fantasy managers—with dynasty rookie drafts and startups firing up the moment the NFL Draft ended, players like Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate are already working their way onto fantasy rosters.
Now that fantasy draft season is officially underway, Harris and Davenport have come together to look back on what happened last weekend—and what it means for fantasy managers.
Round 1 RB Duo
We saw two running backs taken in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft—Jeremiyah Love to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 overall and former Notre Dame teammate Jadarian Price to the Seattle Seahawks with the final pick of the round.
What do you gentlemen make of those landing spots from a fantasy perspective, and which Day 2 (or even Day 3) backs do you believe have the best chance to outperform one of them in 2026?
Harris: It's widely perceived that Arizona isn't a great landing spot for Love, while the Seahawks are a great landing spot for Price.
I agree with the second half of that, but I don't agree that Love is getting the short shrift.
In fact, it's not hard to argue that Arizona is a better landing spot than the Tennessee Titans, the New York Giants, or the Washington Commanders, all of whom were said to be interested.
In Arizona, Love will be an immediate starter and play the lead role.
Those worried about him losing touches to James Conner, Tyler Allgeier, or Trey Benson must realize every team has depth at the position -- the Titans, Giants, and Commanders included.
Meanwhile, even though he was the final player selected on Day 1, most people will see Price as getting the better landing spot.
Running back was easily the Seahawks' biggest need with Ken Walker III gone and Zach Charbonnet recovering from knee surgery.
But ESPN.com's Brady Henderson believes Price will be part of a backfield committee that might utilize three runners. With Charbonnet likely to miss much of the season, the Seahawks signed Emanuel Wilson to give them a power runner, while George Holani has a skillset that could fit a third-down role.
While Price is a solid pass blocker, he doesn't offer much as a receiver.
And, at running back, volume matters.
Love's initial post-draft Footballguys projection has him finishing his rookie season as RB10 based on a workload that includes 225 carries, 60 catches, and 10 total touchdowns.
Price is RB37. Our team expects 191 carries, 830 rushing yards, and five touchdowns. His projected receiving numbers, 17 catches for 115 yards, are a limiting factor.
Price is the better value, but he has a much wider range of outcomes than Love . . .
As for the Day 3 backs I'll have an eye on . . . Remember how we wanted Love to land with the Titans or Commanders?
Well, that's where the Penn State duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, going in Rounds 5 and 6, respectively.
Singleton will battle veterans Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears for opportunities. Allen lands in Washington, where he joins a Commanders backfield with Rachaad White, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and Jeremy McNichols.
If we were super-excited about Love landing in either of those spots, I can at least be optimistic about Singleton and Allen, can't I?
Davenport: It's not that often that I disagree with the esteemed Mr. Harris, largely because he's much smarter than I am. But this analyst will admit that, given where his ADP will land, I'll likely be fading Love in redraft.
Because we have seen this movie before. Last year, in fact.
Ashton Jeanty was a can't-miss, do-it-all generational prospect, just like Love. Jeanty was drafted in the top-10, just like Love. Jeanty landed on a lousy team, just like Love. And while Jeanty's RB11 finish in PPR points wasn't terrible, it was a disappointment relative to his asking price in drafts.
Love will be playing behind an offensive line ranked 30th in the NFL this year by Footballguys. There's a non-zero chance that Carson freaking Beck will be starting games for the Cardinals in 2026. Love is going to be drafted far closer to his fantasy ceiling than his floor.
I'm also a bit higher on Price than Harris. The Seahawks thought enough of the 5'11" 203-pounder to use their first pick on him, and just because he didn't catch the ball in college doesn't mean he can't. Emanuel Wilson is just a guy. Charbonnet's mid-season return scares me more than the other backs on the roster, but Price is going to get every opportunity to be the clear lead back for a Seahawks team that likes to run the ball.
Taking both Allen and Singleton was nice of my colleague (Can't leave any scraps for Gary. Noooooo.), so I'll go with Jonah Coleman to the Denver Broncos for my Day 3 back. The Broncos' backfield is admittedly crowded, but it's just a matter of time until J.K. Dobbins gets hurt again, and RJ Harvey wasn't especially impressive as a rookie in 2025. Coleman has a three-down skill-set—he just needs an opportunity to showcase it.
Five Wide
Five wide receivers were taken on the draft's first day—Carnell Tate (Tennessee Titans, No. 4), Jordyn Tyson (New Orleans Saints, No. 8), Makai Lemon (Philadelphia Eagles, No. 20), KC Concepcion (Cleveland Browns, No. 24), and Omar Cooper Jr. (New York Jets, No. 30).
Which rookie receiver will do the most fantasy damage in 2026? Which one landed in the roughest spot?
Harris: Once again, I'll follow the draft capital and go with Tate. From where I sit, he has the clearest path to a WR1-level workload.
Remember, the Titans were tied with the Raiders and Jets for last in the league with three completions of 40 yards or more. Tate caught five touchdown passes of at least 40 yards last season.
It's no secret that Ward likes to push the ball down the field. Tate is more than capable of winning on contested catches, all of which should generate more big plays for a passing game that desperately needs to improve in that category.
Tate's initial post-draft Footballguys projection has him at WR33 with 73 catches, 976 yards, and six touchdowns. That feels like a reasonable expectation, but Tate has the upside to finish as a top-25 fantasy receiver under the Titans' new playcaller, Brian Daboll.
Davenport: I'm in agreement that Tate could shine in Nashville. Ward was 12th in the NFL last year with 54 deep pass attempts, and no wide receiver in college football was better at making contested catches in 2025 than Carnell Tate. Hand, meet glove.
In the interest of highlighting someone else, Makai Lemon also landed in a nice spot after the Philadelphia Eagles yanked the 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner out from under the Pittsburgh Steelers. From all indications, it is a fait accompli that A.J. Brown is going to be traded after June 1, and that clears a path for Lemon to be Philly's WR2 in 2026—a role DeVonta parlayed into top-20 fantasy numbers a season ago.
I'm not as bullish on Concepcion, especially in the short-term. This Browns fan doesn't hate the pick—Cleveland needs wideout help, and Concepcion was the fourth-ranked wide receiver prospect this year on many boards. But take the combination of Cleveland's offensive issues, Concepcion's drop issues in college, and the team's selection of Washington wideout Denzel Boston, and you have the recipe for fantasy disappointment.
