The 2026 NFL Draft is fast approaching, and it’s time to start diving into the top prospects. The Rookies to Know series aims to identify first-year players who have the talent and potential to make an impact for your fantasy football teams in 2026. Plenty of rookies proved to be relevant during the 2025 fantasy football season, and we’ll do our best to find the first-year players in this upcoming draft who can help your fantasy teams this fall.
It’s important to remember that when it comes to rookies, they often provide pockets of value, meaning they may give your fantasy team a boost for a particular stretch of the season, but maybe not for the duration of the year. Patience can be difficult when managing rookies on your re-draft rosters, but it can pay huge dividends. Just look at Bears Tight End Colston Loveland. He had a slow start to his rookie year, but by the fantasy playoffs, his role increased, culminating in a 21.4 point PPR performance in Week 17 when fantasy championships were on the line. That’s just one example, but it shows how important rookies can be in redraft and best ball leagues. They may not carry your team from Weeks 1-17, but a few spike weeks from a rookie could put your team in a better position to make the playoffs or even win a championship.
This year, the Rookies to Know articles will attempt to be as easily digestible as possible. We’ll start with a background on the player, followed by strengths, weaknesses, and finish up with one or two ideal and realistic landing spots. The goal is to know how the player’s strengths can translate to fantasy production as a rookie, and where they can improve in order for them to reach their ceiling as a fantasy asset.
For the next edition of the Rookies to Know series, we dive back into the Wide Receiver pool with one of the more polarizing prospects in this class in Jordyn Tyson.
Jordyn Tyson, Wide Receiver, Arizona State
Hometown: Allen, Texas
Combine measurements:
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 203 pounds
Arm length: 30 1/4 inches
Hand size: 9 1/8 inches
Background:
Tyson bounced between three different high schools, finishing at Allen High School near Dallas, where he became a three-star recruit. Initially, the Texas native started his college career with the Colorado Buffaloes, where his presence was felt right away, having become the only freshman in CU history to catch a touchdown pass in the season opener. Tyson transferred to Arizona State after missing most of 2023 recovering from a torn ACL.
The 2024 season saw Tyson’s true breakout when he came away with 75 receptions, 1,101 yards, and 10 touchdowns. Tyson was named the Big 12 newcomer of the year and cemented himself as one of the best receiving prospects in the country heading into 2025. A hamstring injury limited his availability a bit this past season, but 61 receptions for 711 yards and eight touchdowns is nothing to sneeze at.
Fun fact: his brother Jalyn plays in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers. I happened to be in attendance when he scored his career high of 39 points in January of this year.
Strengths:
- Smooth and polished route runner, which helps him create separation
- Boasts 3.44 yards per route run against man coverage (90th+ percentile), a translatable stat to the NFL because it shows he can win in man-to-man situations and doesn’t rely on schemed targets
- High PFF deep and intermediate grades, showing he’s effective in multiple areas of the field
- Ten career 4th quarter touchdowns, more than any other active FBS player; he shows up in big moments
- Deceptive in his routes, which allows him to manipulate defenders; defensive backs don’t know where he’s going
- A precise and technical receiver who wins more with his technique than physicality
- Can succeed in contested catch situations, as shown here around the 1:30 mark
- Produced immediately at 18 years old as a freshman, a good indication he may turn into an effective NFL receiver via Fantasy Life’s Dwain McFarland’s rookie super model
- Put up an impressive 26 reps on the bench press at the NFL Combine, not far off from DK Metcalf’s record
Weaknesses:
- Lacks effectiveness against press coverage due to size
- Questions on how he can hold up against more physical CBs
- Rather significant injury history dating back to 2022, when he tore his ACL; broke his collarbone in 2024, and missed three games last season due to a hamstring injury
- YAC (yards after catch) ability is okay, but more of a guy that’s going to secure the ball instead of running over defenders in the open field
Bottom line:
Tyson is a pretty clear-cut prospect. He’s ready to contribute right away as a rookie with his impressive route-running abilities, but his frame and injury history in college raise the question of how durable he can be at the NFL level. The fact that he made an immediate impact in his freshman year is one of the more appealing aspects of his prospect profile. He didn’t need three or four years in college to finally break out and make an impact, but instead made his presence felt right away. If he’s on the field, he’ll probably be productive with the nuances and precision of his route running. It just comes down to him being on the field.
Ideal fantasy landing spot (s):
A potentially underrated but appealing spot for Tyson is the Saints, who hold the 8th overall pick. New Orleans has invested in the offensive line as of late, with their last two first-round picks coming in the forms of Kelvin Banks and Taliese Fuaga. First-year signal caller Tyler Shough showed plenty of promise to end his rookie year, and their offense boasts a legitimate WR1 in Chris Olave, whom defenses must account for. After Olave, however, the Saints’ WR corps is relatively thin. The path to targets and playing time is open for Tyson to get on the field immediately and put up numbers as a rookie. Head coach Kellen Moore is also a bright young offensive mind, but the question is, will the Saints think the 8th pick this is too rich with his injury history?
With his stock potentially dropping due to injury concerns, however, teams picking later in the first-round look like more reasonable landing spots for Tyson at this point. The Chiefs, who hold the 29th pick, could be an appealing landing spot for Tyson. Pairing him with Patrick Mahomes, at least at some point during his rookie year, is of course one of the best situations he could find himself in, not to mention playing under Andy Reid. Peter Schraeger mocked Tyson to the Chiefs with the 9th overall pick this week, but ESPN’s Matt Miller noted that three scouts told him they have Tyson as the #4 receiver on their board. The 29th pick seems like more of a fit for a player whose stock is dropping, compared to a top-10 slot (not that I know more than Peter Schraeger). Tyson wasn’t able to participate in the NFL Combine on-field activities or at the Arizona State pro day due to a hamstring injury he suffered back in October, but is expected to work out for teams on April 17. That workout could go a long way in improving his draft positioning.
Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire | Featured image by Ethan Kaplan (@djfreddie10.bsky.social on Blue Sky and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)