Biggest Fantasy Football Winners and Losers in the First Round of the 2026 NFL Draft

The NFL Draft hit the big stage on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As expected, trades went down, and many future stars ended up on teams perhaps not as expected pre-draft. Nonetheless, three skill-position players were found to join teams with tremendous upside, while others failed to find their highest upside situations.

NFL Draft Round 1 Winners

Carnell Tate — Tennessee Titans (No. 4)

The Titans drafted Tate at Pick No. 4, quite unexpectedly. After Jeremiyah Love went to Arizona, the selection was quite unpredictable. Yet, many fans expected Arvell Reese or Sonny Styles to head to Robert Saleh's team. Instead, Brian Daboll gets the big-bodied Tate to be Cam Ward's possible WR1.

The selection is perhaps the best spot for Tate, as his target share may have the highest ceiling in Tennessee. Tate will compete with Calvin Ridley for WR1. Whether he wins or loses that battle, Tate's floor should not be any less than a 18% target share. His ceiling could be 30%+. Cam Ward is a gunslinger in the making, and Daboll has been known as a QB-maker, so that this connection can be pure.

Jordyn Tyson — New Orleans Saints (No. 8)

We knew that Tyson was going somewhere that would fit him well. It would be either the Giants, Commanders, or the Saints. He lands in New Orleans. With Tyler Shough's beautiful passing and Kellen Moore at the helm, Tyson shall be a perfect compliment to Chris Olave.

Tyson may not become WR1, but he can definitely contest Olave in a target share that will surely exceed 20%, if not over 25%. The Saints lack much beyond this duo, so Tyson, in all his glory, will show off his excellence in the slot. Shough threw for 217 yards per game with hardly any weapons in 2025; we imagine his ceiling is 240+ yards per game, which could give Tyson an easy 1,000-yard rookie season.

Kenyon Sadiq — New York Jets (No. 16)

This pick was not a highly anticipated pick by Jets fans. Yet, as Roger Goodell approached the stage, Mel Kiper Jr. stated on the broadcast that Sadiq or Makai Lemon might be the choice. The Jets ultimately took Sadiq, the draft's top tight end from Oregon.

Frank Reich's offensive scheme will run multiple personnel sets, favoring a skilled tight end like Sadiq. They will keep the offense easy and in the hands of playmakers. That is much of what Will Stein ran in Oregon, making Sadiq the nation's top tight end. Despite much uncertainty about how this Jets offense will divvy up, Sadiq is a perfect fit that the Jets recognize. He could be a top-10 fantasy football tight end if the Jets succeed as they so aim to.

NFL Draft Round 1 Losers

Jeremiyah Love — Arizona Cardinals (No. 3)

Love is going to be a phenom in the NFL. However, Arizona is a curious destination. The team has James Conner, and they added Tyler Allgeier this offseason. While Love fully expects to be the lead back, the team must feed some work to Conner and Allgeier. Where Love could have been a 20+ carry per game player with the Titans or Giants, he could fall closer to 15 carries per game, with the rest being split up between Conner and Allgeier.

Makai Lemon — Philadelphia Eagles (No. 20)

In a total steal over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Eagles traded up to snag Lemon. Assuming that AJ Brown is headed to New England, Lemon will be the team WR2 behind DeVonta Smith. While that all seems great, the team reportedly does not trust Jalen Hurts, and neither should we. He clearly has a low-end arm in the NFL, and while Lemon can still be a low-end WR2 in fantasy football, he lacks the higher upside that would have paired well with the Jets, Steelers, or Cowboys if Pickens leaves.

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