The NFL season may still be a couple of months away, but fantasy players are already thinking about potential line-ups. This means getting ready for drafts, trying to find trades in dynasty leagues, and drawing up a shortlist of players to trust in Pick’em contests.
It’s especially tough when deciding what to do with rookies. For every Ja’Marr Chase or Puka Nacua, there’s a risk that you can wind up choosing a Kyle Pitts or Skyy Moore. With no past data to go on, there’s simply no way to know how players will adapt to life in the NFL.
With some players, though, it can be slightly easier to predict how their rookie seasons will go. Some head coaches have already laid out their intentions for their new draftees to be day one starters, while injury can provide opportunities for others.
Heading into the 2026 NFL season, these are three players that you can trust to get results in Pick’em contests.
The NFL Rookies Set to Be Fantasy Pick’em Stars
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are going through a transitional year in 2026. They still have their key weapons on offense, such as tight end Trey McBride and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr, but after seven years, they have moved on from quarterback Kyler Murray.
The Cardinals have already named journeyman Jacoby Brissett as the week one starter, with veteran Gardner Minshew as his backup. The quarterback room also includes Carson Beck, who was drafted in the third round with an eye to the future. It’s very much a “wait and see” situation, rather than “win now”.
It also means that rookie running back Jeremiyah Love, rather than whoever is under center, is going to be the heart of the offense.
Love is seen as a generational dual-threat talent, just as happy receiving the ball as he is putting up yards on the ground. He’s a perfect fit for Mike LaFleur’s offense, giving him a high ceiling, and best of all, he’ll be relatively uncontested for reps. With James Conner coming off a major foot injury, Love will get a heavy volume early in the season.
When looking at Sleeper’s Pick’em contests, look to take the over with Love, and strongly consider the combined rushing plus receiving yards market.
Jadarian Price, RB, Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks have had a notable departure from their elite Super Bowl-winning backfield, with Kenneth Walker III leaving to join the Kansas City Chiefs, leading them to take Jadarian Price in the first round. He’s expected to take on Walker’s role and share the workload with Zach Charbonnet. At the start of the season, though, Price will have the backfield to himself.
Charbonnet is recovering from the ACL injury he sustained in the Seahawks’ Division Round game against the San Francisco 49ers, and is expected to miss the opening weeks of the season. This’ll not only give Price a full workload early on, but also an excellent opportunity to establish himself as the dominant running back in Seattle.
He’s well worth taking an over market on early, but make sure to stick to rushing yards. He was seldom used in the pass game throughout his time at Notre Dame, and that isn’t expected to change in Seattle.
KC Concepcion, WR, Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are the kind of team that scares fantasy owners. There’s massive instability on offense due to the carousel of quarterbacks. At the moment, Deshaun Watson is projected to return from exile and start the season, though anything can happen between now and September.
However, it looks like rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion can rise above that and become a solid consideration for an anytime touchdown scorer in Pick’ems.
While he mainly plays in the slot and out wide, Concepcion’s main strength is his versatility. He can line up in the backfield and to cause defensive mismatches, and is happy rushing with the ball if called upon. He’s also expected to handle the kick and punt returns for the Browns.
Concepcion’s adaptability led to him winning the Paul Hornung Award for the most versatile high-impact player in college football. It’s too early to know if Concepcion can be trusted to put up yards yet, but he’ll start the season as one of the Browns’ main touchdown threats.
