It’s still way too early in the season, but the top rookies of the stacked 2026 draft class have been making waves in the league — and everyone’s taking notice.
A few changes from our Week 2 entry of the rookie rankings, but without further ado, here are the rookies to collect after the third week of action.
Tier 1: A New Name in the Big Three
Cameron Boozer, the current leader on the rookie ladder, and Yaxel Lendeborg, the definitive future of the Golden State Warriors, maintain their spots in Tier 1 from last week’s article.
Boozer leads all rookies in FT% at 93.3 and RPG at 9.7, along with consistent contributions across the board with 16.2 PPG and 5.5 APG. Lendeborg has looked better than ever after three weeks of play, with his 21.4 PPG being second among all players from the draft with 7.2 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 1.0 SPG.
Lendeborg and Boozer also have some of the most valuable rookie sales from 2026 Topps Flagship. Yaxel’s Black Rainbow RC Auto /10 sold for $4,001 a few days ago, and the closest Boozer equivalent, a Real One Black RC Auto /10, went for $3,150.
Rounding out Tier 1 is no longer Caleb Wilson for this week, but the player who’s been the purest scorer from the entire 2026 class: Darius Acuff Jr.
25.9 PPG and four professional games with final scoring tallies over 30 points later, Darius Acuff Jr. has become one of the favorites in the ROTY race, and his card market has reacted accordingly.
Fittingly, one of the best chases for Acuff Jr. in the 2026 Topps Flagship release is his All Kings SSP RC. Even the $3,500 price tag paid for said piece feels relatively affordable, considering how perfect the correlation between player and collectible is in this case.
Tier 2: Next in Line
For the “big three,” a little step below the Tier 1 players, we have AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson, and Darryn Peterson.
Wilson has been in Tier 1 for a while and, honestly, could still cut it in there, but a one-off poor game where he ended with just five points and Acuff Jr.’s increased averages pushed him down a bit. Nonetheless, Wilson is still one of the most promising young players this season and deserves a look for being the #1 player on a struggling Bulls team.
Dybantsa, for how good he is, falls into Tier 2 in large part because of how expensive his card market is compared to the rest. His Class of 2026 SSP RC from Topps Flagship sold for $6,399.99, and that amounts to more than the top sales for Cameron Boozer or Yaxel Lendeborg.
Darryn Peterson’s 14.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.8 APG splits don’t stand out compared to the players in Tier 1 or even his fellow Tier 2 rookies, but his spot on the list is helped by the value for money you’re getting when buying his cards.
His most expensive card from 2026 Topps Flagship so far is an All Kings that went for $3,600, and if you go down the list, you’ll be able to pick up his first rookie autos for close to $100, with RPAs being a little more premium than that.
Tier 3: Value and Room for Growth
Keaton Wagler and Meleek Thomas are the two entries for Tier 3. Their cards are more affordable compared to the players in Tiers 1 and 2, and on the court, they show flashes of brilliance that give you reasons to be excited.
Wagler’s overall play is decent when he gets time on the court, but limited minutes so far make you wonder what more he could do with a bigger role down the line. The same goes with Thomas, who’s still finding his spot on an average Cavaliers team at the moment.
Both players have their 2026 Topps Flagship rookie autos selling for around $50, and in the world of prospecting, that’s an incredibly low price to pay for two individuals who clearly have a ton of talent to show off.
Tier 4: Inexpensive and Worth a Look
Aday Mara and Kingston Flemings round out this list as rookies who don’t really have the numbers this season, but their card markets are definitely at a point where there’s nearly zero risk.
Mara is averaging 8.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.9 BPG, with a notable 18-point, eight-rebound game against Washington days ago. The same goes for Atlanta’s Flemings, whose splits are currently 8.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 4.4 APG, with a standout 23-point game late in October against Miami.
Mara’s top sale from 2026 Topps Flagship is his Gold RC Auto /50, which sold for only $660 recently. A similar sale for Flemings comes from his Orange Refractor RC Auto 1/25, which fetched $821 at auction.
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JOAQIN VALENCERINA
Joaqin is a journalist with a strong passion for the Hobby. He has published work for HLTV.org, Rappler.com, and DLSU Sports. A decade-long Pokémon TCG collector, he recently shifted into sports cards to collect Lakers, Dodgers and Chargers players with growing PCs of Shohei Ohtani and Justin Herbert.
