12 Dynasty Winners and Losers After the 2026 NFL Draft

May 17, 2026

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now that we're a few weeks past the NFL Draft, the dust has mostly settled around both the incoming prospects and the veteran teammates they're joining. Rookie drafts are kicking into gear, trades are being made, dynasty rankings are dropping left, right, and center, and you need a plan. To help lay the foundation for that plan, here are six winners and six losers from last month's festivities (including a few of the rookies themselves).

Losers

Patrick Mahomes, QB - Chiefs

Whoa. The best active player in the league. Two-time MVP. Perennial fantasy QB1. A Loser? Unfortunately, yes. The forecast on Patrick Mahomes' dynasty value had already been growing cloudier by the year. After finishing number one overall at the position in 2022, he fell to QB8 in 2023, QB12 in 2024, and QB11 in 2025, ending last season with a major knee injury that could keep him sidelined to start the 2026 season and limited much further than that.

Moreover, despite plenty of chatter that they could add a wide receiver on Day One — maybe even Jordyn Tyson at ninth overall — Kansas City ignored the position (and the offense entirely) until the fifth round. And while Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and the last hurrah of Travis Kelce aren't a horrible receiving corps, they simply have not been enough to get Mahomes back to that Allen-Jackson-Burrow tier these past few seasons. I'm not saying Mahomes is a must-sell or that his days as a dynasty QB1 are over. But if you're still ranking him inside your top five, stop it.

Tyler Allgeier & Trey Benson, RBs - Cardinals

After Arizona signed Tyler Allgeier to a two-year, $12.25 million contract, it looked like he might see a spike in dynasty value following three years as Bijan Robinson's sidekick (and occasional vulture). And while the addition wasn't great for young, post-hype sleeper Trey Benson, there was still a decent shot either back could beat out 31-year-old and oft-injured James Conner for starter value.

Psych. The Cardinals spent the third overall pick on Notre Dame superstar Jeremiyah Love, completely dashing any and all upside for both Allgeier and Benson. Running backs with that kind of draft capital are surefire RB1s, which means Allgeier's optimistic outlook is exactly what it was behind Robinson — touchdown-dependent backup — and Benson will be lucky to see meaningful snaps at all. With Love in the building and the tepid state of the Arizona offense, I'd be shocked to see either of these RBs crack starting lineups in dynasty any time soon.

Jerry Jeudy, WR - Browns

Six years after going 15th overall to the Denver Broncos, Jerry Jeudy's fantasy career was already trending in the wrong direction well before April's draft. Despite playing all 17 games last year in Cleveland, he finished as the WR53 (a year after catching 90 balls for 1,229 yards in 2024). The Browns still don't have a settled answer at quarterback ... and it might not come until 2027 or beyond. And the team just spent two top-40 draft selections on wide receivers: KC Concepcion out of Texas A&M (24th overall) and Denzel Boston out of Washington (39th). Along with the ascension of tight end Harold Fannin Jr. last year, that might realistically relegate Jeudy to fourth in the pecking order of an already sparse passing attack.

If he'd established himself as a bona fide WR1, we might be able to couch these additions as depth or complementary assets. But that simply isn't the case, and it's clear Cleveland is seeking to refresh their receiving corps for a future franchise quarterback (if they can find one). Whatever wishful value Jeudy may have held before the draft has all but evaporated now, and he's hardly rosterable in normal dynasty leagues.