I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. Losing to Miami counts as a quality loss, but beating Notre Dame doesn't count as a quality win? The College Football Playoff committee has its hands full, but we also have our hands full looking ahead to 2026 dynasty rookie rankings. Miami jumped Utah, Oregon jumped Ole Miss, and Kaytron Allen jumped Nic Singleton.
In the key takeaways from the last big board, the wide receiver class is stronger than the running back crop. There are plenty of running backs who can step into complementary roles or serve as handcuffs for an offense, but not many who look like teams will be falling over themselves to make them bell cows in 2026. The strength of the 2026 dynasty class will come down to how many quarterbacks declare, how many end up going in the first round or early day two with a chance at a starting gig, and how the NFL prioritizes wide receivers in a class that lacks difference makers at premium positions.
2026 NFL Mock Drafts are already in full swing, and while pre-draft rankings are useful from a talent perspective, landing spot expectations can be a valuable exercise as well. CBS Sports just released a first-round mock draft, and it had 11 fantasy-relevant rookies included. With these landing spots, the first round of our dynasty rookie rankings could look something like this in April:
1.01 Jeremiyah Love - Arizona Cardinals
1.02 Jordyn Tyson - Washington Commanders
1.03 Dante Moore - New York Jets
1.04 Ty Simpson - New Orleans Saints
1.05 Fernando Mendoza - Cleveland Browns
1.06 Makai Lemon - Carolina Panthers
1.07 Kenyon Sadiq - Denver Broncos
1.08 Carnell Tate - Pittsburgh Steelers
1.09 K.C. Concepcion - New England Patriots
1.10 Denzel Boston - Los Angeles Rams
1.11 Chris Bell - Chicago Bears
1.12 Jonah Coleman - Day Two
The quarterbacks all go in the top ten, but their landing spot matters a ton for their development. Concepcion would get a huge boost from being paired up with Drake Maye, while Makai Lemon gets pushed behind the first-round quarterbacks in quarterback-thirsty leagues. Chris Bell would become another in a logjam of weapons in Chicago that we beg to get more touches, and Kenyon Sadiq gets maybe the perfect scheme to turn him into the next great rookie tight end. It's far from complete, but walking through examples of how the first round could shake out can set us up for success when it's showtime for our rookie drafts. With that, here's the updated big board:
Updated 2026 Dynasty Rookie Rankings, Superflex Big Board
Changes to the 2026 dynasty rookie rankings
Dante Moore is playing with the heartstrings of draft pundits on his 2026 decision. If he declares, we're looking at a pretty solid quarterback class at the top. If he goes back to school, it's going to be interesting to see how confident teams are in Mendoza, Simpson, and, more importantly, the next tier of quarterbacks.
The Chris Brazzell discussions will be fun. Maybe he's different from every other Tennessee wide receiver, but his profile is still a boom-bust deep threat that needs refinement in the short and intermediate areas of the field. If he figures those parts out, he's an absolute terror. If he doesn't, he's 2023 Alec Pierce. Kaytron Allen is the lead back for Penn State, but without the measurables of Nicholas Singleton. Allen is more interesting as a handcuff who can earn a 1b role right out of the gate, but man oh man, if Singleton puts it all together, he's more fun than a family Turkey Bowl game.
Chris Bell's size and speed might not translate to an NFL difference-maker. Then again, they could, and depending on his price, he could be anywhere from an expensive low-probability bet to a cheap high-upside bet. Nyck Harbor, Chris Bell, Chris Brazzell, and Bryce Lance will all have NFL GMs excited for the impact they can make from day one for their NFL teams, and finding the right one that won't be pushed into the sacrificial-X role will be a major key for 2026 dynasty rookie rankings.
It's rivalry week, hate week, whatever you want to call it, it's one of the most fun weekends of college football in the entire season. As a reminder to Cavalier fans everywhere, Virginia Tech has only lost to UVA once since the iPhone was invented. Go Hokies, gobble gobble, and happy Thanksgiving.