Rookie WR Updates For Dynasty Fantasy Football: Carnell Tate, KC Concepcion And More

It's time to check back in on the rookies. Since the frenzy that is the NFL Draft, things have somewhat quieted down around the rookies, except for the occasional highlight clip on social media where they're making great plays. The NFL acclimation process still very much happening, and while we still expect to see some growing pains mixed in with the occasional highlights, let's take a look at how some of the rookie WRs are looking headed toward the coming season.

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 Carnell Tate | WR | Titans

It's hard not to get excited about an Ohio State wideout carrying top-5 NFL Draft capital heading to a team devoid of any meaningful pass-catching talent.

There's a reason the Tennessee Titans picked so early last year and, as tough as this might be for their fans, it might not get much better this season.

Regardless, dynasty fantasy football managers aren't overly concerned with the win-loss record of NFL franchises so long as our respective draft picks get a ton of volume. That said, top-ranked fantasy assets generally come from teams who A) score a lot of points, which tends to lead to B) them winning a lot of games.

Anyway, I'm here to tell you that I'm looking forward to Carnell Tate this season and you should feel the same way. However, let's get excited in the context of this offense. Second-year QB Cam Ward can't get much worse over a 17-game season (I hope). He barely topped 3,000 passing yards and threw just 15 TDs in 2025.

A talented, reliable chain mover like Tate will certainly help his case.

Even though Tate has had a strong camp thus far, his only real competition for opportunities at the receiver position is Wan'Dale Robinson. That's not meant to be a knock on Robinson, but if we're looking for a top-end talent, most of us wouldn't think of the four-year veteran.

However, to show you how tough it could get for managers expecting a massive, elite season from Tate in Year 1, here's how our fantasy football projections have the target distribution looking like:

A two-way tie for targets and … Robinson leading the way in receptions.

Look away, Tate managers.

Robinson is coming off consecutive 140-target seasons and just posted his first 1,000+ receiving yard mark. Obviously, Tate is the one you should be prioritizing in dynasty formats, but let's make sure we temper expectations and keep them realistic for this season.

KC Concepcion | WR | Browns

Another first-round, talented rookie projected to lead his team in both targets and receiving yards, KC Concepcion is stepping into a unique offensive environment.

As of this writing, we don't have a clear idea of who will be QB1 for the Cleveland Browns come Week 1, but regardless, Concepcion should have every opportunity to prove himself a reliable contributor from Day 1.

Similar to Tate, Concepcion has an established veteran who hasn't quite been able to put it together for multiple seasons and could post a challenge to the rookie truly running away with the No. 1 role.

Jerry Jeudy, along with fellow rookie Denzel Boston (who has had an impressive training camp in his own right), both figure to be significantly involved in the passing game this season.

This list doesn't even include second-year TE Harold Fannin, who in just one season has quickly become one of the more intriguing names to follow at the position.

The Browns play in an incredibly tough, physical division and will, once again, lean on their stout defense to keep games close. That tells me that offensive scoring opportunities are likely to be at a premium. I wouldn't expect, or get too worried by Concepcion having a tough time finding the end zone this season. Between Quinshon Judkins and Fannin, red-zone opportunities will be hard to project on this offense.

Concepcion is in a great situation to see his dynasty value quickly rise in the coming season or two. A more definitive idea of the long-term answer at QB and a promising rookie campaign could make Concepcion one of the fastest risers by this time next offseason.

 Germie Bernard | WR | Steelers

Continuing to Round 2 of the NFL Draft, the Steelers added to their wideout room when they selected Germie Bernard 47th overall last spring. The WR1 from Alabama, Bernard has the size (6-foot-1/206 pounds), speed (4.48-40 time) and agility (best-in-class 6.71-second three-cone) to produce all over the field.

Sitting ahead of this talented rookie are veterans DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. As of this writing, Bernard is battling with 2024 Round 3 pick Roman Wilson for the No. 3 role in the offense. Wilson certainly has an uphill battle, as he lost his entire rookie season and caught just 12 passes in 13 games last year.

Looking at our fantasy football projections for the 2026 season, we clearly believe Bernard will not only secure the WR3 spot, but become a relatively consistent producer for this offense over time.

Currently, Bernard is going outside of the top-60 at the receiver position in dynasty startup drafts. That's a perfect range to take a shot on a talented rookie who, candidly, will likely have to adjust to a new QB again this time next season.

Stay patient and, if you miss out on him this year, there's likely to be an opportunity to trade for him in the coming months or next offseason.

Ja'Kobi Lane & Elijah Sarratt | WR | Ravens

The answer to, "Who will be the WR3 for the Baltimore Ravens this season?" might not even be important in a few weeks. Simply looking at our projections, no one besides Zay Flowers is poised to make much of an impact for fantasy managers.

Rookies Ja'Kobi Lane (Round 3) and Elijah Sarratt (Round 4) figure to be the most intriguing dynasty assets at this stage. We more or less know who Rashod Bateman is at this stage of his career; the veteran has just one top-40 finish in his five-year career and Devontez Walker has 7 receptions—for 4 TDs, to be fair—in his two seasons in the NFL.

I've seen a few confident takes related to Lane vs. Sarratt, but I'm not fully sold on either player yet. I believe it's prudent to get some shares of both across your leagues and be ready to pivot once we know more.

For yet another season, this offense looks primed to run through Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the aforementioned Flowers.

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