Dynasty Fantasy football WR rankings: Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, and Makai Lemon could all crack the top 20

If you have been paying attention to the talk about the 2026 NFL Draft, you have probably heard that it is a weak class for Dynasty Fantasy Football rookie drafts. I will not dispute that, particularly at quarterback and running back. But the one position it is definitely not true for is at wide receiver. There are at least three, and up to five, wide receivers from this class who could be in the top 24 of the rankings below by the time we get to May. Three in particular seem almost certain to go in the top five of every rookie draft this year.

Draft capital will determine the order of the top three, but for now, Carnell Tate is my favorite. The 21-year-old played for Ohio State, a university that has given us Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and more. All six of those wide receivers currently rank in my top 18 in Dynasty, and Tate could join them assuming he is drafted as high as we expect. He is an excellent downfield receiver, but he also has the skillset to win closer to the line of scrimmage. In my opinion, he has the highest floor in this class, and I am not sure his ceiling is that far behind anyone.

I generally refer to the top three at receiver in this class, but Matthew Rupert from Couch Scouts thinks K.C. Concepcion isn't far behind them. He joined me recently on Fantasy Football Today Dynasty to break down this draft class. Check it out:

Where you land on Jordyn Tyson versus Makai Lemon may just come down to your risk tolerance. Tyson battled injuries at Arizona State and only played more than nine games once in his college career, but may have the most upside in this class. Lemon is a prototypical slot wide receiver who should have success in that regard, but there are questions about his ability to win outside, which could limit his snap share and upside. Both are fantastic prospects who are expected to be drafted in Round 1 of the NFL Draft. I lean towards Lemon for now, but my main thought about these three in rookie drafts is that I am happy to trade down a spot or two and let someone else choose while I accumulate future draft capital.

The interesting exercise is to think about this class in comparison to last year's class. Tetairoa McMillian, Luther Burden, and Egbuka all moved up in my rankings in the last month, and all now rank inside my top 13. Burden is the biggest riser thanks to the departure of DJ Moore and my continued excitement about what he could do in Ben Johnson's offense. Egbuka also benefits from Mike Evans leaving, but I have more questions about Baker Mayfield and yet another new offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay.

For now, my expectation is that the top three from the 2025 class will rank very close to this year's rookies after the drafts. I would not be surprised at all if Tate ranks the highest, assuming he is drafted in the top 10 to a team with a good quarterback. One thing is for sure, this infusion of talent is much needed at wide receiver, as the position has fallen off in the past two season. 

Here are my updated Dynasty Wide Receiver Rankings: