Sun Sep 6th 2026

Rookie Risers and Fallers This Summer

De’Zhaun Stribling

• Stribling’s average draft position in May was 20^th, but last week it was 9^th.
• Everyone was surprised when the 49ers drafted Stribling with the first pick of the second round. Dynasty analysts and NFL scouts never ranked Stribling that highly, but after the draft, dynasty managers wisely moved him up their rookie board before their rookie drafts in May based on his high draft capital alone. I moved him up to 17^th in my rankings, but I never drafted him in the second round, even though his ADP was 20^th in my eight rookie drafts; now I wish I had. He has continued to rise throughout the summer as coaches and beat reporters raved about his performances at practice. Then he goes nuts in his first two preseason games. It was all over after that. He rose to 12^th in my final rookie rankings, which I used last week in my drafts, and I was finally able to draft him with the 12^th pick in one league, while he was drafted with the sixth pick in the other. Talk about a rise in rankings this summer! Ricky Pearsall’s season-ending surgery, Mike Evans injury battles, and Christian Kirk landing on the IR have all contributed to Stribling’s rise as well. I believe he and KC Concepcion will lead rookies in receptions this year. They are already important pieces of their team’s passing offense, as shown by their first-team offense in preseason games. Dynasty managers who were bold enough to draft him early as the 49ers did will be rewarded greatly.

Ja’Kobi Lane

• Lane’s average draft position in May was 27^th, but last week it was 15^th.
• This comes as no surprise to me, because Lane was one of “my guys” throughout the rookie drafting season. I had him ranked higher than any dynasty analyst I follow. He was my 17^th-ranked rookie before the NFL draft and my 15^th-ranked rookie after Baltimore selected him in the draft. Sadly, because I traded away most of my first-round picks and many second-round picks, I could not add Lane to all my teams, but I did draft him in three of my eight early rookie drafts with the 22^nd, 23^rd, and 28^th picks, mostly above his ADP in May. As I expected, Lane’s training camp performance wowed his coaches, teammates, and reporters. One long-time Ravens reporter wrote that he’s never seen a better training camp by a rookie in all the years he has covered the Ravens. Dynasty managers believed the hype and adjusted their rankings accordingly, which is why he was drafted 12 spots higher last week than he was in May. Rashod Bateman’s legal troubles have opened the door even more for Lane to hit the ground running in week one. I’m glad I got my three shares early and wish I had more.

Cyrus Allen

• Allen’s average draft position in May was 40th, but last week it was 20th.
• Allen was one of the biggest training darlings in Kansas City, with glowing reports coming from camp almost every day. As a result, he went from a fourth-round pick in May to a second-round pick last week. Dynasty managers bold enough to draft him in May are feeling pretty smart right now, especially since Allen went undrafted in three of my leagues. Dynasty managers were able to pick him up off the waiver wire after the draft, as I did in one of my leagues. However, in that league I am the back-to-back champ with a loaded roster, so I had to cut Allen yesterday at our roster cut date. I’d be excited to have Allen on my team, but I think the hype has gone a little too far. He was drafted 15^th in one of my leagues last week, which is way higher than he should go, and 27^th in the other, which is much closer to where I had him ranked at 26^th. I don’t think he will see the field very often this season unless another Chiefs receiver gets injured. He’ll have a greater opportunity from a dynasty perspective if the Chiefs let Rashee Rice go after this season. He’s a rookie riser for sure, but the hype has gotten too much for him.

Kaelon Black

• Black’s average draft position in May was 28th, but last week it was 20th.
• Black is the other player the 49ers reached on, at least according to the Mock Draft Database. Dynasty managers were both excited and disappointed with the landing spot in San Francisco. They were excited because of the surprise third-round draft capital, that the 49ers’ backup running back is always productive, and that Christian McCaffrey is one year older. They were also disappointed because the depth chart is murky with Jordan James solidly ahead of him. Once training camp started, however, James was injured, and McCaffrey was injured or at least getting rest, but Black was injured too. Still, Black was the first to return healthy, and he looked great in his first preseason game. That’s all dynasty managers needed to see to move him up their draft boards eight spots this summer, as was witnessed in my drafts last week. The hope that Black earns the backup role behind McCaffrey merits his rise. I’m thankful to have two shares of Black from my rookie drafts in May when I was able to select him with picks 25 and 29. If he hits, he will hit very big!

Malachi Fields

• Fields’s average draft position in May was 31st, but last week it was 21st.
• Fields is my second-most-drafted rookie. I selected him in three of my eight rookie drafts in May and in one of my two drafts last week. In my pe-combine rankings, I had him 21^st, but he fell slightly to 25^th after the Combine and then to 27^th after the NFL Draft. Still, he fell to me with the 35^th, 31^st, and 28^th picks back in May. Since then, his dynasty value has steadily risen. After the NFL Draft, the Giants released footage from their war room where coach Harbaugh said Fields was a top priority target in the draft. Then he gets on the field during training camp and impresses even more. Then he runs with the first-team offense in preseason games and catches an awesome touchdown from Jaxson Dart. He’s checked every box since he was drafted and has earned a starting role already. It’s no wonder his ADP has risen 10 spots since May. I drafted him 21^st in a draft last week, and he went 21^st in the other draft too. Dynasty managers like me who got him in the third round of rookie drafts back in May are thrilled with his progression.

Mike Washington

• Washington’s average draft position in May was 26th, but last week it was 22nd.
• Washington’s rise was not as drastic as the others on this list. After all, he is still behind Ashton Jeanty on the depth chart. Still, his preseason play caught the attention of dynasty managers who now think he will carve out a role with the Raiders even if Jeanty is perfectly healthy and get a prominent feature role when he’s not. Add to that the fact that Jeanty is currently questionable in Week 1 after an ankle sprain, and Washington got a little boost in ADP this last week. I’ve had Washington ranked around consensus all along, and I stayed around consensus when moving him up after his impressive preseason. I made a similar bump in my rankings, moving him from 23^rd in May to 21^st last week, which is right around where he was drafted. I have no shares of Washington and one share of Jeanty, and Washington’s rise has me expecting just a little less production from Jeanty in the future. He’ll at least block his monster ceiling possibilities if he shares 20-25% of the touches in the future. Coach Kubiak split the touches in Seattle last year. I sure hope he does not do the same in Las Vegas.

Seth McGowan

• McGowan’s average draft position in May was 49th, but last week it was 34th.
• McGowan didn’t make any big plays in the preseason as Washington did, but he did get a lot of looks with the first- and second-team offense, while D.J. Giddens nursed his injuries. By the end of training camp, it was clear that McGowan had passed Giddens on the depth chart to become the primary backup to Jonathan Taylor. This caused the 15-spot rise in his ADP from May to August. McGowan’s criminal history led to a checkered collegiate career while he bounced around, playing for four different teams. But he was a good enough prospect first to get signed by Oklahoma, finish his career in Kentucky, and get drafted in the seventh round by the Colts. The Colts took a chance on him late, and dynasty managers who did the same back in May did too. He went undrafted in two of my rookie drafts with only four rounds. In each of those drafts, I added him on the waiver wire after the draft and have him stored on my taxi squad. I could not be happier about that. I don’t believe he’s good enough to become a future lead back for the Colts when Taylor’s time is up, but he’ll be startable in games when Taylor is injured. Such players are always worth rostering in dynasty leagues, and to get one off the waiver wire or late in May drafts was a steal. His August ADP is more in line with his dynasty stock now.

Antonio Williams

• Williams’s average draft position in May was 14th, but last week it was 18th.
• Williams’s fall wasn't significant, but he did drop a bit from May to August because the Commanders signed Stefon Diggs during that timeframe. Meaning his opportunity to have a breakout rookie season and compete for the second-most-targeted Commander has ended. Still, I think he has fallen too far, but maybe that’s because I’ve been higher on Williams all along. I drafted Williams three times in May, and even traded away a future first-round pick to move up to get him. I may live to regret the share I traded for, but I don't regret the other two shares. Earning a starting role in the slot with older veterans, Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs on the outside, could be a good thing for Williams in his rookie season. He’ll be slower to break out than I hoped, but I think he will have a fine rookie season. McLaurin and Diggs may be the oldest starting duo in the NFL, so Williams can bide his time and move into a more significant role in the years to come. I ranked Williams 10^th in my rookie rankings back in May, and the Diggs signing only moved him back to 11^th. He’s definitely one of “my guys” in this year’s class.

Zachariah Branch

• Branch’s average draft position in May was 19th, but last week it was 31st.
• If you’ve followed me this offseason, you know that Branch was not a rookie I was high on this year. I had him significantly lower in my rookie rankings in May. I had him ranked 29^th, but he was getting drafted at an ADP of 19^th. I thought that was ridiculous. He’s an incredible athlete with great speed, but he’s not a complete receiver, so his role in the NFL will be limited. Ja’Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon ran him out of USC, so he landed at Georgia, where he was used almost exclusively as a gadget guy on wide receiver screens. With all of that said, late in rookie drafts, betting on pure athleticism and big-play ability is wise. It’s just not wise in the second round. To show that I am willing to go against my takes, or maybe it’s to show that I will stick to my rankings, I drafted Branch in both of my rookie drafts last week when he fell to me at pick 30 and 33, which is a few spots higher than I had him ranked in August at 34^th. Branch dropped in dynasty managers’ rankings throughout the summer because he got so little buzz during training camp and in preseason games. Plus, the Atlanta quarterback situation looked like more of a disaster than expected. So, Branch fell in rookie drafts back to the place where I had him all along. I’m still not hopeful for a significant role and future for Branch, but in the middle of the third round I’ll take a chance on that kind of athlete and see if I’m wrong. I was pleased to see him fall to me in the place where I had him ranked all along.

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