New Fantasy Football 2026 Dynasty Draft Rankings, Keeper Advice and Team Names

The second week of the NFL preseason is underway, which means that we have officially entered fantasy draft season. While most fantasy enthusiasts will engage in traditional redraft leagues in the coming weeks, many diehards will dive into dynasty and keeper formats.

Playing in a dynasty league—and to a lesser extent, a keeper league—requires a strong commitment. However, there's a level of satisfaction that comes with building a multi-year contender that redraft leagues and daily fantasy sports cannot provide.

While the goals of a dynasty draft are a little different than a typical fantasy draft—you'll want to focus heavily on younger long-term options—that's where things start. Here, you'll find a look at some updated 2026 dynasty draft rankings, along with a few other resources for dynasty and keeper play.

Dynasty Mock Draft

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase

Round 1

1. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
2. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
3. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
4. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
5. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
6. James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
7. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
8. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
9. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
10. De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
11. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
12. Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Round 2

1. Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
2. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
3. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
4. A.J. Brown, WR, New England Patriots
5. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
6. Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
7. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
8. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
9. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
10. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
11. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
12. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans

Keeper Advice

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Raiders rookie QB Fernando Mendoza

If you're at all familiar with dynasty formats, you already know that they involve a multi-year approach. So do traditional keeper leagues, though recovering from a bad season isn't nearly as difficult.

In keeper leagues, having two keeper slots is pretty standard. This means that managers can keep up to two of their best players and redraft the rest.

In dynasty leagues, rebuilding isn't as straightforward. As is the case in the real NFL, the goal is to draft players who will contribute for many years. OF course, this includes the risk of getting stuck with bad players for several seasons, too.

The best way to rebuild in dynasty leagues is through yearly rookie drafts. However, any manager hoping to add a promising rookie like quarterback Fernando Mendoza, running back Jeremiyah Love, or wide receiver Carnell Tate will have to make room by first dumping veterans from their roster.

Obviously, it's preferable to part with underperforming players in order to make room for rookie talent. Contenders with strong overall rosters, however, will find the process more challenging.

Dynasty managers will want to keep younger centerpiece players such as wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, quarterback Josh Allen, running back Bijan Robinson, and tight end Brock Bowers. Elite players firmly in their prime playing windows should always earn a spot on your roster.

When evaluating non-quarterbacks, lean toward players under the age of 30.

Keeping older players can still make sense for managers in their championship window. However, anyone rostering, say, 36-year-old tight end Travis Kelce will want to have long-term insurance at the position. Pairing Kelce with a rookie tight end like Kenyon Sadiq would be a great approach in this scenario.

If forced to choose between high-level skill players, it's typically best to favor wide receivers and tight ends over running backs. An every-down back will usually provide the better season-long floor, but backs tend to have shorter careers than their pass-catching counterparts—though aging stars like Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry are bucking the trend.

The rules in keeper leagues are a bit different since you're only keeping players for another season—and, again, usually two at most. The general rule is to keep players who will provide greater value than your draft slot.

If, for example, you see McCaffrey trending as a fifth or sixth overall pick, and you're picking 11th, keeping the 30-year-old for another season would make perfect sense. Ideally, you'll be able to keep two first-round talents while making your first redraft selection in Round 3.

Of course, it's difficult to know which top-tier players will be available to redraft unless your league makes keeper picks public. There will be some guesswork involved here, and you'll have to weigh the value of your top players against those you expect to be available.

Managers can generally expect top performers like Robinson, Chase, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba to not reenter the draft pool in keeper leagues, however.

Dynasty Top 40 Draft Rankings

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs

1. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
3. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
4. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
5. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
6. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
7. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
8. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
9. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
10. Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons
11. De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
12. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Arizona Cardinals
13. Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
14. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
15. Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
16. James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
17. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
18. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans
19. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
20. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
21. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
22. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
23. Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
24. George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys
25. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
26. Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
27. Carnell Tate, WR, Tennessee Titans
28. Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
29. Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
30. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
31. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
32. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
33. Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
34. Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears
35. Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
36. A.J. Brown, WR, New England Patriots
37. Luther Burden III, WR, Chicago Bears
38. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
39. Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts
40. Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

*Rankings based on PPR scoring.

Dynasty Team Names

AP Photo/Steven Senne

Patriots QB Drake Maye

Maye the Force Be With You

Burrow-ken Records

Jayden of Thieves

Throwin' Darts

For Those About to Brock

Spicy Bijan

Baby Back Gibbs

Love Hurts

The Price is Right

Saquonda Forever

Ja'Marr Wars

Jefferson Airplane

Tate Expectations

Broken Egbukas

Action Jaxon

McBride of Frankenstein

Warren's Gs

I Loveland

I Have the Bowers

You Can't Kelce Me

Dynasty Warriors

Playing for Keepers

Stick or Pick

Guess Who's Back, Back Again

League Goes On, And On, And On, And On, And On