NFL Rookie Report Week 3: Top 20 Players to Collect
In this story:
A handful of rookie pass catchers are quietly starting to make their mark in the NFL, notably Kenyon Sadiq, who has looked every bit the part of a new-age explosive TE that was billed to collectors coming out of the 2026 NFL Draft. Let's look over a list of 20 of the most valuable rookies with two games now in the books.
With Bowman Football set to drop this week, we'll start to see more movement in the market.
TIER 1 - THE STALWARTS
I'd be truly stunned if the top two options ever change throughout the course of the season. Given that the Raiders are 3-0, I think there will be a natural inclination to presume Fernando Mendoza's card value should dip, as the team can't possibly promote to the top overall selection in the midst of a win streak, but I think it further cements the idea that when the Indiana product plays, he'll be in the best chance of being successful.
A new addition to the top five is Sadiq, who flourished Sunday after starting tight end Mason Taylor was sidelined with a thumb injury. If Garrett Wilson misses significant time after suffering an injury late in the Week 3 loss to the Lions, Sadiq could be force-fed targets, making him hard to ignore as one of the top options in this class.
1. QB Fernando Mendoza - Raiders (last week No. 1)
2. RB Jeremiyah Love - Cardinals (last week No. 2)
3. WR Jordyn Tyson - Saints (last week No. 3)
4. TE Kenyon Sadiq - Jets (last week No. 8)
TIER 2 - DRAFT CAPITAL DOES MATTER
This group is headlined by a handful of players who have been massively disappointing relative to their perceived value entering the season. Jadarian Price has now fumbled twice in consecutive games, but the Seahawks at least seem poised for an extended postseason run. The same isn't true for Carnell Tate, who appears to be languishing on one of the worst teams in football.
That same phrase could have applied to the Browns for most of the last decade, but the young receiving corps of Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion might be the catalyst for a new mindset in Cleveland. The final three players in this tier all could, and probably should, rise up in the ranks in the coming weeks given the struggles of the aforementioned highly drafted RB and WR.
5. Ty Simpson - Rams (last week No. 5)
6. RB Jadarian Price - Seahawks (last week No. 4)
7. WR Carnell Tate - Titans (last week No. 6)
8. WR Denzel Boston - Browns (last week No. 7)
9. WR KC Concepcion - Browns (last week No. 11)
No. 10 Makai Lemon - Eagles (last week No. 9)
TIER 3 - SPECULATIVE OPTIONS
It'll likely be bleak in Tampa Bay as long as Baker Mayfield is sidelined with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand, but when he's back, I think Ted Hurst is going to be a major part of the equation. The third-round pick out of unheralded Georgia State feels like a big-play machine, and his average depth of target (18.1) suggests he'll be a highlight-reel generator when he can corral the ball.
The Dolphins showcased another WR to their mix of interesting talent in Chris Bell this past week, but a team widely considered to be one of the worst in football is only going to be worse with RB De'Von Achane (knee) sidelined for the rest of the year. Can the hobby market sustain what could be an all-time bad season for the 'Phins?
11. QB Carson Beck - Cardinals (last week No. 10)
12. WR Ted Hurst - Buccaneers (last week unranked)
13. WR Caleb Douglas - Dolphins (last week No. 12)
14. RB Kaelon Black - 49ers (last week No. 13)
15. Chris Bell - Dolphins (last week unranked)
TIER 4 - KEEP TABS ON 'EM
This section should be used to highlight two players. One, the absolute physical freak that is LB Sonny Styles, who already has a sack and an interception through the first three games of the young campaign. Sitting at 6-foot-5 and running a 4.46 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine this past winter, there might truly not be a more athletically gifted linebacker than the Commanders' top pick this past draft, and his speed has been evident on the field.
The other player worth noting is Daniels, who is expected to be the second rookie quarterback to play a snap this year after Baker Mayfield's aforementioned thumb injury. Daniels, who spent all six collegiate seasons at Kansas, is a hyper-athletic quarterback who will probably look like a world beater against one of the league's worst defenses, the Green Bay Packers, come Week 4. Daniels' card value might be a quick flip, however, given the notoriously tough quarterback he's filling in for.
16. WR De'Zhaun Stribling - 49ers (last week No. 15)
17. LB Sonny Styles - Commanders (last week unranked)
18. WR Ja'Kobi Lane - Ravens (last week No. 16)
19. QB Jalon Daniels - Buccaneers (last week unranked)
20. WR Omar Cooper - Jets (last week No. 17)
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Joe is an almost psychotic Wisconsin sports fan and long-time card collector. He has been producing videos, podcasts and articles across major sports and fantasy publications since 2015, and is likely the only person you know who has an Isaiah Simmons card collection.