ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Halfway through their first seasons, which rookie do you believe will have the best career?
JASON WOOD
I think this is a year where we need to do a bit more forecasting to answer this question, as the rookie class (at least the skill positions) haven't really made a huge mark, yet. Right now, Deznel Boston and KC Concepcion are the top-performing rookie receivers, with Boston inside the Top 24 in PPR scoring and Concepcion a solid WR3. At running back, Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman sits inside the Top 30, but has yet to really make a huge mark after being worked into the lead role recently. Neither Jeremiyah Love nor Jadarian Price, the first rounders, have delivered. And there are no rookie tight ends making an impression yet. So I'll ultimately choose Boston, because he's already an every-week fantasy starter despite playing with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders at quarterback. Assuming the Browns get the quarterback situation fixed in 2027 and beyond (a big assumption), I can see him being the kind of dynamic, all-around playmaker who delivers Top 10 production in any scoring format.
Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
KEVIN ENGLISH
I’ll take KC Concepcion, who’s trending up after topping 85 yards in two of his past three games. He brings Round 1 draft capital, elite movement skills, and the potential for a major QB upgrade in 2027 or 2028. Cleveland holds two first-round picks in 2027 and two second-rounders in 2028.
English is a Senior Analyst at DraftSharks.com and has been on staff since 2009. Draft Sharks launched in 1999 as one of the web’s first fantasy football content sites and has evolved to help fantasy managers win with cutting-edge tools for drafting and in-season management.
IAN ALLAN
Fernando Mendoza was the first pick back in April, and I haven’t seen anything that suggests there would be any of chance of anybody else being considered for the top spot if there were to cut all these players loose and let teams pick again. Mendoza looked just fine in the preseason, connecting on a few nice throws, and I like the system they’re building around him – they sure made Kirk Cousins look good. No promises for the debut game against Seattle, but I’m expecting Mendoza to post top-20 quarterbacking numbers in the second half of this season (and then to go on and have a nice career).
Allan co-founded Fantasy Football Index in 1987. He is a member of the FSGA Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.
TOM KESSENICH
For me, it's Carnell Tate. I think he's the best player at his position in this draft class and I think what he's been able to produce has been extremely impressive considering how handicapped he is by his quarterback and play caller. If either or both were even average it's easy to see him having a Top 10 season among wide receivers when you look at all of his metrics. It's simultaneously exciting and frustrating watching him on a weekly basis because you can see the talent and yet see all the unfulfilled potential being wasted because of his QB and play caller cannot take advantage of everything he has to offer. But he's still the best rookie I've seen among all the first-year players in 2026.
Kessenich is the Director of High Stakes Contests for SportsHub Games. He runs the NFFC, NFBC and NFBKC and is a fantasy sports Hall of Fame inductee.
SAM HENDRICKS
Fernando Mendoza for several reasons. First, QB is a favored position and gets a ton of attention. Second, he has had time to learn and now takes over as the starter in Las Vegas with no competition thus no need to look over his shoulder. I expect Mendoza to shine (although maybe not in his first 2 starts vs SEA and @DEN. He was the #1 pick for a reason. Time to prove the Raiders confidence well placed.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 30-year fantasy football veteran who participated in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.
SCOTT SACHS
Many would say Mendoza or Tyson. All I can say is that Mendoza faces 2 heavyweights out of the gate, Seattle at home, then at Denver. Baptism by fire, for sure. Tyson looks great so far, but he always does when healthy -- which will not be as often as fantasy coaches would like. My vote for best rookie is a tie between the 2 Browns receivers, Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion. Both are experiencing growing pains like route running and some drops, however they have been really productive. To date, Cleveland has consistently played from behind (and will continue to do so) due to their slow starts, high rate of penalties, and dreadful offensive line. Even with an unreliable running game, and the QBs under constant harassment, the 2 rookie receivers have made tough catches and shown explosiveness. Through the first nine games of the season, Boston leads the Browns in receiving yards (507) and touchdowns (3), while Concepcion leads the rookie duo in receptions (37), plus a big-time 60+ yard TD. Including second-year guy Harold Fannin, the Browns have quite a promising receiving trio going forward.
With 2 perfect seasons and multiple league championships to his credit, Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text Advice. He is a 3-time winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Auction League, as well as a previous winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll. Follow on X: https://x.com/ffbcoach
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
I was initially skeptical when the Titans took Carnell Tate with the fourth overall pick -- he was a good player at Ohio State but didn't have the type of dominant profile you look for that high in the draft. But Tate's play through two months has won me over, and I'm still cautiously optimistic QB Cam Ward can eventually become a quality player. We've been ignoring the Tennessee passing game for years now, but maybe it's finally time to remember the Titans.
Pianowski has been with Yahoo Sports since 2008, covering a variety of sports. On the rare occasions when the computer is turned off, he enjoys word games, poker, music, film, game theory, and a variety of condiments. He lives in suburban Detroit. Pianowski was inducted into the FSWA Hall of Fame in 2021.
ANDY RICHARDSON
I might be overrating him, but I'm pretty impressed with Jonah Coleman. From his very first game with a significant role, in the win over Jacksonville, he impressed me by, following a late run to pick up a first down, sliding to the ground in-bounds, enabling Denver to run the clock out. I don't think most rookies would have done that. Then he came up big on a couple of plays in the win over Kansas City -- no way that J.K. Dobbins delivers that catch-and-run and then touchdown that led to the win. Kicking myself for not taking him in my rookie draft. I know that Denver likes committees, but I'm thinking Coleman will be drafted in the first couple of rounds of 2027 drafts. More popularly, I'm not giving up on Jeremiyah Love despite his injury-plagued first season. The talent is there, it probably just won't show up regularly until a year from now.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. He is responsible for various site features, writes a weekly gambling newsletter, Index Bets, during the NFL season and also previews all the games on Saturdays.
