My favorite part of watching wrestling is the heel turns. I still remember watching Seth Rollins destroy The Shield, thinking it couldn’t get much better. But from Ric Flair to Edge to Drew McIntyre, my enjoyment doesn’t come solely from the plot twist.

It’s the commitment to the bit.

The NFL rumor mill is only going to speed up with less than a month to go before the draft. Everyone is hoping their team will put itself on a path to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy by this time next year. I’m no different. So, let me lean into the “fantasy” part of being an analyst and lay out my favorite landing spots for the top prospects in this year’s draft.

RELATED: 2026 NFL Draft Guide

Perfect Fantasy Football Landing Spots For 2026 NFL Rookies

Jeremiyah Love | RB | Notre Dame

• Expected Draft Position: 5.8
• Projected Team(s): Titans
• Dream Spot: Titans

Before the “positional value” zealots come after me, I’ll at least concede to the idea that a WR to the Titans at fourth overall isn’t a bad idea. Simply put, Tennessee needs playmakers. However, if your argument against GM Mike Borgonzi taking a shot on the Notre Dame product has anything to do with Tony Pollard, I’m going to stop you right there.

Yes, I’m showing highlights of Pollard’s 161-yard, two-TD outing against the Browns. No, it doesn’t poke holes in my stance. Why? Because this happened in Week 14. That’s right. By the time Tennessee could get either of its RBs to cross the century mark, 29 other teams had already done it. Arbitrary yardage thresholds don’t sway you? Fair. Pollard was one of 18 RBs to handle more than 50% of his team’s carries. However, despite having the sixth-fewest attempts without meeting a defender in the backfield, Pollard’s forced missed tackle and rushing success rates ranked in the bottom five. And a boost in rushing efficiency would put less on Cam Ward in obvious passing situations.

Speaking of the sophomore passer, he relied on his RBs to protect him on 120 snaps. The result was a 9.2% pressure rate and two sacks. Plus, with neither Pollard nor Tyjae Spears able to crack 500 yards on the 89 targets spent on the pair, Ward wasn’t getting much help from his backfield, independent of the scenario. So if Tennessee wants to come out swinging, let’s have Ward and Love as the engine of the offense in 2026.

Jadarian Price | RB | Notre Dame

• Expected Draft Position: Early-Mid Day 2
• Projected Team(s): Broncos, Cardinals, Giants
• Dream Spot: Broncos

Let’s assume Jadarian Price has a similar talent profile to his former teammate, the aforementioned Love. Remember, I said talent, not production. Because Price didn’t force a split in the Notre Dame backfield by asking the coach. He posted similar broken tackle rates and stayed in line with Love in accruing yards after contact. But it’s Price’s speed that should keep a team like Denver watching the RB2 once Day 2 comes around.

• (Weeks 11-17) Explosive Run Rate: 22nd (out of 22 qualifiers – min. 50% team carry rate)
• Adj. Yards After Contact per Att.: 19th
• Forced Missed Tackle Rate: 10th 

Even when RJ Harvey got the starting position, the offense lacked a second gear. The Broncos themselves admitted as much when they traded for Jaylen Waddle. Price is the RB version of the same addition. His 21.2% explosive play rate ranked third among all FBS rushers with more than 100 carries. Sure, the backfield would look crowded on paper, but Price’s skill set would get him onto the field sooner rather than later.

Jordyn Tyson | WR | Arizona State

• Expected Draft Position: 17.9
• Projected Team(s): Browns, Ravens, Jets
• Dream Spot: Ravens

The positives for Jordyn Tyson are simple. Across three seasons (and two different programs), Tyson has seen his on-field deployment shift from 80.2% on the outside to 42.6% in the slot. Regardless, as Dwain points out, the Arizona State product has amassed an adjusted career RYPTPA (receiving yards per team pass attempt) in the 78th percentile. In other words, he’s been a high-end receiver across the formation. But Baltimore wouldn’t sound like the best spot for him at first glance.

• Plays with 2+ TEs: 16.4% (2023), 45.5% (2024), 51.1% (2025)
• Plays with 3 WRs: 56.5%, 32.4%, 30.0%

The Ravens have shifted with the times to incorporate more TEs on the field. But everything has changed at M&T Stadium, from the coaching staff to the personnel. Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar are off to greener pastures. Plus, with DeAndre Hopkins yet to re-sign, the pass-catching corps has only Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews to feature. Tacking on a rookie like Tyson, allowing him to grow into a complementary role and put another year with no injuries behind him, would boost Baltimore’s offense while giving Tyson the runway to develop.

Carnell Tate | WR | Ohio State

• Expected Draft Position: 9.6
• Projected Team(s): Saints, Giants, Chiefs
• Dream Spot: Chiefs

Let me zoom in on a point Hartitz made to set up why Carnell Tate to the Chiefs would be ideal:

“Smoothness is Olave-esque: While Tate won't be confused with an elite YAC producer, he wasn't exactly asked to operate in the underneath areas of the field very often, and there were plenty of flashes of him gliding past defenders in the open field either way. Independent of Tate's ability after the catch: His smoothness getting in and out of breaks is very impressive for a taller outside receiver.”

Two takeaways jump out regarding Tate’s profile. First, his ability to leverage his 6-foot-2 frame to not only win in contested-catch situations, but also an innate sense of how to use his speed and route-running to separate. Second, his on-field deployment. Per PFF, Tate spent no more than 26.9% of his snaps from the slot in a single season. And, no shade toward the Chiefs, but their preferred type of receiver over the last two seasons has left them with a redundant passing game.

• Rashee Rice: 6’0” (height), 78 (targets), 39.4% (slot rate)
• Xavier Worthy: 5’11”, 74, 38.3%
• Hollywood Brown: 5’9”, 73, 29.3%

Adding Tate to Patrick Mahomes’ weaponry solves two problems. Kansas City adds a (much-needed) perimeter, vertical threat to the offense. Mahomes can get back to attacking the intermediate and deep parts of the field in back-to-back campaigns. Seems like a win-win to me.

Makai Lemon | WR | USC

• Expected Draft Position: 15.0
• Projected Team(s): Dolphins, Commanders, Saints
• Dream Spot: Dolphins

Full transparency, I had Miami as my favorite spot for Makai Lemon before the Jaylen Waddle trade. Now, any rookie prospect projected to the first round would look good in white, aqua and orange this fall. Anyway, let’s play it out like Lemon had some competition for targets from Malik Willis.

Lemon is a super-charged slot receiver. I added the descriptor because even with the alignment delineation, there are classes of interior pass-catchers ranging from Amon-Ra St. Brown to (pre-2025) Wan’Dale Robinson. Lemon fits into the former bucket. The good folks at Reception Perception highlight Lemon’s superpower, as his footwork and speed allowed him to have consecutive seasons over 3.0 YPRR despite nearly doubling his workload from ’24 to ’25. 

However, the naysayers would have you believe a WR of Lemon’s archetype wouldn’t fit with Willis. Sure, the former Trojan isn’t as fast as Christian Watson, nor does he create explosives on the boundary like Romeo Doubs. But that doesn’t mean the Dolphins’ new QB1 couldn’t get on the same page as Lemon. 

• Jordan Love (Weeks 1-15): -3.5% (PROE), 46.6% (MoF Throw Rate), 0.32 (EPA per MoF Att.)
• Malik Willis (Weeks 16-17): -1.3%, 29.0%, 0.58

Remember, Jordan Love had Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed for parts of his time under center. Said another way, it’s no wonder Willis went to the outside more often, but just as impressive that the efficiency spiked. Plus, 77.8% of Willis’ completions came on timing routes, setting up a Willis-Lemon pairing to be a strong start to revamping the Dolphins’ offense in 2026 and beyond.

Kenyon Sadiq | TE | Oregon

• Expected Draft Position: 13.9
• Projected Team(s): Rams, Ravens, Chiefs
• Dream Spot: Ravens

Yes, I got as enamored with Kenyon Sadiq’s athleticism as everyone else. But a total of 82 collegiate targets made me pump the brakes on dropping Sadiq into a situation where the expectation to contribute would be immediate. Dwain contextualized how to balance our excitement from the Combine with what we saw in Oregon.

“When we have players who played a limited number of routes, zooming out to look at their per-route data can give a different perspective. While these data points aren't in the Rookie Super Model due to overlap with RYPTPA, they help us answer the question: How good were they when on the field?

• Career yards per route run (YPRR): 1.73 (58th percentile)
• Career first downs per route run (FDPRR): 9% (62nd percentile)
• Career targets per route run (TPRR): 20% (53rd percentile)

This data is more positive on Sadiq than his RYPTPA, which counts lack of playing time against him. It also aligns more closely with his targeted passer rating, though they fall in the above-average range rather than the elite.”

So, let’s revisit the conversation we were having about Baltimore’s personnel changes over the offseason when talking about Jordyn Tyson. Durham Smythe is the only other player on the roster with the same position designation as Mark Andrews. At worst, the Ravens are looking to replace their backup TE with another rookie with more raw talent than proven production. The upside swing comes when new OC Declan Doyle, who worked with Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland, tries to recreate parts of the Bears’ passing game in his first season.

Join Our Newsletter

Trusted by 400,000+ fantasy football players. Get access to Fantasy Life's free award winning newsletter and tools, all in one step.

Email Address

Subscribe

By registering or logging in, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.