NFL Rookie Report Week 4: Top 20 Players to Collect
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The rookie market didn't see much movement after another injury-laden Week 4 in the NFL, but at least one wide receiver took a massive step toward establishing his value after a tumultuous start to his NFL career.
That's especially important with 2026 NFL Bowman mixing in a handful of chase cards and the upcoming Topps Inception entering the market as another option for NFL collectors.
TIER 1 - THE STALWARTS
You could argue Jordyn Tyson doesn't belong in the top 5 given the rookie's season debut is still "weeks away" according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, but I'm still including him on this list to acknowledge the scintillating Tyler Shough market through the first month of the season.
However, Carnell Tate ended up the big winner after catching 9 of 12 targets for 145 yards in the loss Sunday to the Ravens. The Ohio State product now has 21 targets over the past two weeks, and crucially, the Titans don't seem to be wasting any more time on their vagabond ancillary pieces, as Wan'Dale Robinson, Calvin Ridley, and Elic Ayomanor saw eight total targets in the aforementioned contest. Tate's hobby value will likely be stifled so long as the Titans remain one of the league's worst teams, but establishing himself as a bright spot in a year otherwise devoid of exciting offensive pieces will absolutely insulate his value to a certain degree.
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. WR Carnell Tate - Titans (last week No. 7)
TIER 2 - WILL SOMEONE STEP UP?
Very little movement in this section other than acknowledging another Denzel Boston bump-up. The 3-1 Browns arguably have some legitimate cardboard hype among their quartet of interesting young players, including second-year players Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin, but the true test might come in early November when the team faces the Steelers, Saints, and Texans in succession.
If they survive that stretch, Cleveland could be poised for just its third postseason appearance since 2002, which would consequentially boost the market for the team's two marquee rookie wide receivers.
5. Kenyon Sadiq - Jets (last week No. 4)
6. Ty Simpson - Rams (last week No. 5)
7. WR Denzel Boston - Browns (last week No. 8)
8. RB Jadarian Price - Seahawks (last week No. 6)
9. WR KC Concepcion - Browns (last week No. 9)
No. 10 Makai Lemon - Eagles (last week No. 10)
TIER 3 - SPECULATIVE OPTIONS
Unfortunately, there was almost no change among the back-10 options. There's a bunch of intriguing rookie wide receivers who are currently unavailable due to injury, including Caleb Douglas, De'Zhaun Stribling,f and Ja'Kobi Lane, but that does little to help collectors at the moment other than speculative plays.
11. QB Carson Beck - Cardinals (last week No. 11)
12. WR Ted Hurst - Buccaneers (last week No. 12)
13. WR Caleb Douglas - Dolphins (last week No. 13)
14. RB Kaelon Black - 49ers (last week No. 14)
15. WR De'Zhaun Stribling (last week No. 16)
TIER 4 - KEEP TABS ON 'EM
Daniels didn't light up the scoreboard in his professional debut against the Packers, but he was within one possession of winning and showed some flashes with his legs. Baker Mayfield is likely to miss at least one more week, if not two, and that's notable compared to someone in the same card range, like Drew Allar, who remains the backup to Aaron Rodgers at the moment.
With a few skill-position players making waves over the past two weeks, I want to highlight Arvell Reese, who is one of the top favorites for Defensive Rookie of the Year after helping the Giants reach 3-1. I expect New York will fall off soon with a difficult schedule starting closer to the end of October, but all it takes is a couple of athletic defensive plays to warrant some degree of actionable hype from this crew. Chiefs cornerback Mansoor Delane could also be added to this mix given Kansas City's 4-0 start, but that addition might need to wait one more week.
16. QB Jalon Daniels - Buccaneers (last week No. 19)
17. LB Sonny Styles - Commanders (last week No. 17)
18. LB Arvell Reese - Giants (last week unranked)
19. WR Chris Bell - Jets (last week No. 15)
20. WR Omar Cooper - Jets (last week No. 20)
(Ed. Note: I petioned Joe to add Athan Kaliakmanis, but the uncertainty around Jayden Daniels' timeline leans towards being back sooner rather than later and keep the Baklava Bomber and his card market on the sideline)
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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.