KC Concepcion And Makai Lemon Go Back And Forth In NFL Rookie Receiving Odds

This NFL season will debut a strong class of new receivers as this year's rookies will soon seek to distinguishing themselves among their peers. 

With Makai Lemon drafted ahead of KC Concepcion, fantasy players and sports bettors alike are speculating which rookie receiver will perform bettor this season.

Concepcion and Lemon stand out, closely tied in odds across betting sites in Canada, but which of them will truly have the better season in their first year in the NFL?

Betting sites like Bet365 currently have Concepcion in third place for rookie receiving odds, priced at +700 with an implied probability of 12.5%. Makai Lemon sits in fourth place with odds of +800 and a 11.1% probability. Carnell Tate (40%) and De'Zhaun Stribling (14.3%) sit ahead of both.  

Source: Kalshi, August 31, 2026 - $12,301 Volume - Settled January, 2027

KC Concepcion was drafted 24th overall by the Browns, joining fellow rookie Denzel Boston alongside veteran Jerry Jeudy as Cleveland's main receiving corp. 

Last year's quarterback situation for the Browns was less than ideal, with Dillion Gabriel, Joe Flacco, and Shadeur Sanders vying for the starting position. However, more consistency is likely this year with Deshaun Watson expected to start, barring any injuries. 

Early reports from training camp have also been promising for the rookie. Concepcion has been involved in a majority of the Brown's offensive schemes, which raises optimism for how many targets the new WR is likely going to get. 

Compared to other receivers on the team, most analysts expect Concepcion to out target both Jeudy and Boston. Jerry Jeudy is nowhere good enough to keep the offense running through him and Denzel Boston is not forecasted to outshine his fellow rookie, as shown by the disparity in their drafting positions.

The rest of the Browns offense should provide good support for Concepcion as well. RB Quinshon Judkins performed well last year, despite his leg injury late in the season, putting up 827 rushing yards with 7 touchdowns on 230 carries. He's still expected to post similar numbers this season, which should hopefully lead defenses to keep respecting the Brown's running game.

All in all, Concepcion could easily end up leading the Brown's in targets and could realistically rise up as one of the best rookie receivers this season. It will largely depend on how well the Browns new offense can adapt under Deshaun Watson, but fantasy players and sports bettors should be looking at Concepcion with optimism.

Makai Lemon, drafted ahead of Concepcion, with the 20th overall draft pick by the Eagles, is another rookie WR with big ambitions coming into the league this year.

Unlike Concepcion, Lemon will be joining a more experienced receiving group with DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks expected to take the bulk of the targets this season. 

In addition, with Saquon Barkely still on the team, there's likely going to be even less room for Lemon to find opportunities to shine this season. With two experienced receivers ahead of Lemon and an offense that can easily rely on its running game, it's hard to image there will be many opportunities for the rookie to shine this eason.

Pre-season performance by Lemon was also  less than ideal, with the rookie recording three catches on five targets for three yards. Lemon also missed an easily catchable pass, with the ball passing through his hands and ultimately intercepted by the other team. Even for a pre-season game, this is not the performance you'd like to see from a first round pick. 

Makai Lemon still has potential in his first year with the Eagles. However, it's going to be a challenge to really stand out among more experienced players on his team.