Fantasy Impact Of All 2026 NFL Draft First-Round Picks: Jeremiyah Love Could Hurt Fantasy Owners

The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft took place last night, and there were a ton of future fantasy stars selected by their new NFL teams. We will be reviewing all the players from the primary fantasy positions who were picked and letting you know exactly what we thought about the selection for both the players themselves and the other players on the teams they were drafted to.

1.1 QB Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders

This was an inevitable pick. The Raiders had to get their franchise quarterback. Now it's up to them to put the pieces around him to help him be successful.

1.3 RB Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals

Love going to Arizona wasn't a great pick for fantasy owners. That's not to say love won't be great, but he was going to be great no matter where he lands. The way this hurts fantasy owners is because now James Conner, Tyler Allgeier, and Trey Benson all saw their stock plummet.

1.4 WR Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans

Tate went a bit higher than expected, but Cam Ward needed an elite weapon in the worst way. That duo should be great for years to come, and Tate will immediately be the unquestioned WR1.

1.8 WR Jordyn Tyson, New Orleans Saints

New Orleans now has a one-two punch with Tyson and Chris Olave. We would have liked to see Tyson land somewhere where he could be a lock to be the WR1 and not potentially damage another fantasy star like Olave. Nevertheless, this is a solid landing spot, and it's great for Tyler Shough.

1.13 QB Ty Simpson, Los Angeles Rams

This is a pick that we did not like. First and foremost, we don't believe Simpson deserves to be a first-round pick. That aside, the Rams are a win-now team that always drafts to win-now and often even trades their picks away for short-term benefits. It was strange for them to draft a mediocre quarterback who might help them in a year or two.

1.16 TE Kenyon Sadiq, New York Jets

Sadiq to the Jets was a bit of an odd choice. It was disastrous for Mason Taylor owners. With that said, Sadiq is much better than Taylor, and as long as the Jets quarterbacks can get him the ball, Sadiq should thrive as their top tight end.

1.20 WR Makai Lemon, Philadelphia Eagles

Lemon fell much further than expected, and this pick was clearly made with the assumption that AJ Brown will be traded this offseason. If that is the case, it's a great landing spot for Lemon, who we believe will not only be a great option along with DeVonta Smith but will separate himself as the WR1 in Philly.

1.24 WR KC Concepcion, Cleveland Browns

The Browns adding Concepcion doesn't move us. While they needed a receiver, we have no confidence that their quarterbacks can sustain a top fantasy option. Concepcion is a good player, but not good enough to overcome the poor quarterback play in Cleveland if things don't vastly improve from last season.

1.30 WR Omar Cooper Jr, New York Jets

It's hard to find a worse landing spot for a young receiver than the Jets. Not only do they already have Garrett Wilson, who is a much better receiver and struggles to maintain fantasy relevance, but this offense is poorly run with an old Geno Smith, who doesn't look to have much left in the tank.

1.32 RB Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks

This was a fantastic landing spot for Price. The Seahawks are in need of a running back, and drafting him in the first round shows that they are committed to giving him a shot to be their top guy. We expect him to see every opportunity to be successful.

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