Updated April 25, 2026.
The 2nd and 3rd rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft reshaped enough fantasy football boards to deserve their own article. Below are five 2026 NFL Draft reactions worth tracking right now: a Steelers quarterback pick that acts as a long-term insurance policy, a Cardinals QB landing into the cleanest depth chart on the board, an Ole Miss receiver stepping into a vacated 49ers role, and two more pass-catchers landing in spots that deserve their own highlights.
Before we get to the picks, one quick heads-up: there is a single rookie sitting in the SPS Rookies Page right now whose grade nobody outside this site is talking about. Last year the SPS was loud on Jaxson Dart, Harold Fannin Jr., and Tyler Warren before consensus caught up – go check it out.
The Steelers selected Drew Allar at No. 76 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. This is the highest a Penn State quarterback has gone since Christian Hackenberg in 2016. The pick was announced by Allar’s former Penn State teammate Joey Porter Jr.
From a fantasy football lens, this is one of the better Day 2 quarterback landing spots on the board. Allar joins a room that includes second-year passer Will Howard and veteran Mason Rudolph, with the Aaron Rodgers question still unresolved. Pittsburgh has publicly stated it remains confident Rodgers will return, but the Allar pick effectively writes the long-term plan if he does not – a four-year, ~$7.1M contract for a developmental QB with a real chance to compete for snaps within the next two years.
Dynasty managers should treat Allar as a developmental SF stash with one of the cleaner long-term setups available on Day 2 – Will Howard and Mason Rudolph are non-factors.
Steelers are taking Penn State QB Drew Allar at No. 76 overall.
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) April 25, 2026
Arizona kicked off Round 3 by selecting Miami quarterback Carson Beck at No. 65 overall. This made him the third quarterback off the board after Fernando Mendoza (No. 1) and Ty Simpson (No. 13).
The fantasy football opportunity here is real because the room around him is practically non-existent. The Cardinals officially released Kyler Murray earlier this offseason, and Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew are both signed to one-year deals only. New head coach Mike LaFleur arrived this offseason, which means a completely fresh staff. ESPN wrote that Beck’s addition “further clouds the quarterback situation for the Cardinals,” but a less generous read is that Beck has the cleanest realistic path to starter snaps of any 2026 NFL Draft Day 2 QB.
The pick was not universally celebrated – CBS Sports’ Mike Renner gave Arizona a “D” grade, citing the trade-up cost. Fantasy managers should weigh opportunity over draft capital here.
San Francisco opened Round 2 by selecting Ole Miss receiver De’Zhaun Stribling at No. 33 overall, the first pick of Day 2. Stribling profiles as a 6-foot-2 outside receiver. The bigger fantasy football story is what this means for Brandon Aiyuk. The 49ers voided Aiyuk’s 2026 guaranteed money earlier this offseason, and GM John Lynch told reporters last week it was “safe to say he’s played his last snap with the Niners.” Drafting Stribling at the top of Round 2 is the strongest signal yet that the front office is moving on. Ricky Pearsall remains the projected slot, but the perimeter target share that used to belong to Aiyuk is now a competition between Stribling and whoever Kyle Shanahan slots opposite him.
Dynasty players should mark Aiyuk down accordingly and if Stribling does not rise in value could be a great stash for the long-term.
Checkin' in from Paradise 🌴 pic.twitter.com/hsPA87U7JL
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 24, 2026
The Giants traded back into the third round to grab Notre Dame’s Malachi Fields at No. 74 overall. Fields began his college career at Virginia before transferring to South Bend, where he profiled as a high-volume contested-catch target.
The fit makes sense from a body-type standpoint. New York lacks a true X-receiver. Fields’ size and 17.5-yard average per reception in his final college season may point to a downfield receiving role rather than a primary slot or YAC receiver. With the receiver depth chart still in flux around Malik Nabers, Fields gets a real shot at carving out an immediate complementary role. Anybody but the old Giants receivers of 2025 catching targets for Jaxson Dart gets us excited.
The Commanders selected Clemson receiver Antonio Williams at No. 71 overall, adding to a pass-catching room being built around Jayden Daniels. Williams projects as a “nuanced route runner”, even being referred to as the “Best route runner in this class.”
This pick has an internal-angle worth noting as well: BrainyBallers senior film analyst @tjrt9s on X found Williams before the draft as a prospect worth tracking. That alignment between his film reviews and the NFL outcome is highly common for him and what we love seeing.
Although we still are hopeful for the Treylon Burks potential to curate an on-field chemistry with Jayden Daniels, Washington gives Antonio a solid landing spot in an offense built around a young franchise quarterback.
.@ClemsonFB WR, Antonio Williams, is a name to remember this week during the #nfldraft When you know; you know. a gifted router. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/cumVGRD1Fn
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) April 20, 2026
One last note before you close the tab. There is a single rookie inside the SPS Rookies Page whose grade has not made it into mainstream conversation yet. Since all SPS grades are locked to Premium BrainyBallers members only, we cannot not name the player, the position, or the landing spot. Last year, the SPS was loud on Jaxson Dart, Harold Fannin Jr., and Tyler Warren before consensus caught up – in each case, the public ranking sites were a step behind. The pattern is repeating this year with one player specifically. His grade is official, just waiting for us to release it to the public days before week 1 kicks off.
If you want a head start before the dynasty rookie drafts heat up over the next two weeks, go look at the rookies page. The grade is sitting there. When you see it, you will know since it goes against ~95% of rankings/big boards.
Ole Miss receiver De’Zhaun Stribling was the first WR off the board on Day 2, going to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 33 overall – the very first pick of Round 2.
Arizona released Kyler Murray earlier this offseason and entered the draft with only Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew on one-year deals. Beck gives new head coach Mike LaFleur a developmental option for the long-term plan at quarterback.
Pittsburgh has publicly stated it remains confident Rodgers will return for 2026, and Steelers leadership framed Allar as long-term planning rather than a Rodgers replacement. The QB depth chart now includes Will Howard, Mason Rudolph, and Allar.
The 49ers had already voided Aiyuk’s 2026 guaranteed money, and John Lynch publicly stated he had likely played his last snap with the team. Drafting Stribling at the top of Round 2 reinforces that direction. Fantasy managers should be cautious projecting Aiyuk as a 49er for 2026.
The BrainyBallers Superflex PPR dynasty rankings has our most recent rankings for non-rookies. The dynasty mock draft simulator is also a useful sleeper mock draft tool which integrates with your sleeper leagues and allows you to plan out your rookie mock drafts.
5 veteran losers from the 2026 NFL Draft: Allgeier, Conner, Aiyuk, Ridley, and Wan-Dale Robinson all just had their dynasty floors cracked.
Malachi Fields gives Jaxson Dart a trust receiver, not the chosen one. His 3.6% career drop rate is the entire pitch for the Giants’ Round 3 pick.
2026 NFL Draft Day 2 and Day 3 winners and losers for fantasy: Stowers and Price up, Goedert and Charbonnet down. Full dynasty fallout inside.
