Fantasy Football Draft Rankings: 2026 Wide Receiver Tiers

Rankings are cool and all, but as any fellow fantasy nerd knows: Tier-based drafting is really where it's at. This is because — get this — sometimes us alleged fantasy experts can be wrong, so it's best to embrace this horrifying reality by grouping similarly ranked players into tiers instead of pretending like we're going to get every single individual ranking correct.

Cool? Cool: What follows are my preseason WR tiers along with some quick fun facts as well as one bigger picture question for each individual tier.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

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Check out my QB and RB tiers:

Quarterback Tiers
Running Back Tiers

Tier 1: Stone Cold Baller WR1s

• WR1 Ja'Marr Chase: No WR in the history of football has scored more PPR points in the first five seasons of his career.
• WR2 Puka Nacua: The all-time WR1 in PPR points per game.
• WR3 Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Massive 2025 breakout saw JSN easily lead the league in target share (36%) and air yard share (49%).
• WR4 Amon-Ra St. Brown: Three consecutive overall WR4 finishes and is projected to lead the NFL in receptions.

Key question: How stable is the top tier of fantasy wide receivers relative to other positions?

Because there's really no other great reason to be wary of these guys, right? Chase, Nacua, JSN and our one true Sun God deserve to be in any conversation surrounding the league's best real-life receivers, and last season they managed to all return top-4 numbers in PPR points per game.

Answer: Elite fantasy receivers have been a bit more consistent year-over-year compared to QB and RB, though TE rules all.

Percentage of elite top-6 fantasy performers (PPR points per game) to repeat the following season since 2016:

• QB: 37%
• RB: 43%
• WR: 46%
• TE: 50%

Somewhat surprisingly, more wide receivers (5) failed to play at least eight games the following season for one reason or another than running backs (4), so the findings aren't simply a result of one position getting injured more often than the other.

The percentages between RB and WR are close enough to refrain from making sweeping takeaways about prioritizing one position over the other; just realize we should feel pretty damn good about each of these ballers keeping on keeping on, considering each remains firmly in his prime and is attached to the same QB and offense that helped him reach ridiculous heights in 2025.

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Tier 2: Overall WR1 Upside

• WR5 Justin Jefferson: 17-game target pace of 161 in four seasons with KOC. Arguably the best WR in the league is cheaper than ever and *should* be getting a QB upgrade.
• WR6 A.J. Brown: Relatively down 2025 was at least partially influenced by an early season hamstring injury … and he still posted WR1 fantasy numbers. Long-term knee issues be damned, what is a motivated, healthy AJB capable of achieving with the best QB play of his career?
• WR7 CeeDee Lamb: Just two seasons removed from an overall WR1 finish, Lamb averaged 16.6 PPR points per game and worked as the clear WR1 (116 targets vs. 99) in 12 full games alongside George Pickens last season.
• WR8 Nico Collins: Trails only Puka Nacua in yards per route run the last three seasons; Collins has about as good of a combination of talent, volume, age and (to a lesser extent) QB play as you could ask for.
• WR9 Drake London: Has a 17-game pace of 188 targets in 12 career games with Michael Penix. The ceiling is also the roof if Tua Tagovailoa can get back to partying like it's 2022 or 2023.

Key question: What receivers should expect the biggest changes in catchable target rate?

Because Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown and even Drake London sure could use a bit better quarterback-ing in 2026 if we want to see each reach their respective sky-high ceilings.

To figure this out, I looked at wide receivers with a top-50 ADP that will catch passes from a new signal-caller in 2026 and calculated the difference between their 2025 catchable target rate and what their new QB achieved. This isn't a perfect science — scheme, average target depth and general offensive environment can all play big factors in this — but hey, it's something!

Answer: Quite a few, including all relevant parties in this tier.

All three relevant receivers in this tier should be seeing improvements in catchable targets this season. The most notable jump from our current involved guys belongs to Jettas, who had the league's ninth-lowest catchable target rate on non-screens last season among 73 qualified players. Here's to hoping Kyler Murray's small sample of superior play carries over to his new offense.

It's also fair to be quite bullish on AJB considering the top receiver in this metric last year was none other than Stefon Diggs (86% catchable target rate). Brown's age (29) and potential long-term knee problems aren't ideal; just realize a motivated version of AJB alongside one of the league's best up-and-coming QBs is a scary combination.

Stay informed with fantasy football news and track usage roles with the NFL depth charts.

Tier 3: High-volume WR1s & Overqualified WR2s

• WR10 DeVonta Smith: A popular pick for this year's JSN (more like DeVonta Smith-Njigba, am I right?), Philly's No. 1 WR is poised to finally see a WR1-worthy target share in a passing game that only has room to go up in the scheme department.
• WR11 Jaylen Waddle: A popular pick for this year's George Pickens, Waddle combines elite field-stretching ability with enough YAC-shiftiness to completely take over an offense that ranked sixth in total dropbacks last season.
• WR12 Ladd McConkey: Poised to work as the No. 1 option in this Keenan-less, potentially high-flying Herbert-McDaniel-led offense. Don't let a relatively down Year 2 distract from the fact that Ladd is one of just seven rookie receivers to gain 1,300-plus yards in the Super Bowl era (including playoffs).
• WR13 Emeka Egbuka: How high would Egbuka be drafted if we swapped the first half of his rookie campaign with the second? I'm willing to give Zac Robinson's Cooper Kupp doppelganger the benefit of the doubt — we shouldn't be surprised if Egbuka pushes for the league lead in receptions.
• WR14 Zay Flowers: One of only six wide receivers with more than 1,200 receiving yards last season, Flowers effortlessly creates separation and YAC goodness thanks to his nearly unparalleled twitch and short-area quickness. There's 150-plus target upside inside this wide-open Ravens passing game.
• WR15 George Pickens: The most expensive No. 2 WR in fantasy averaged a respectable 15.9 PPR points per game in 12 full games alongside CeeDee Lamb. Fifteen offenses have produced multiple top-12 wide receivers in the same season the last decade.
• WR16 Tee Higgins: Worked as fantasy's overall WR5 last time he and Joe Burrow were given a clean bill of health from the Injury Gods. It's extremely curious to me that Higgins goes nearly two rounds later than Pickens in early ESPN drafts.
• WR17 Chris Olave: Posted career highs across the board in targets (156), receptions (100), yards (1,163) and touchdowns (9) in 2025, leading to a WR8 finish in PPR points per game (16.8). What if the silky-smooth separator is just getting started?

Key question: Who has the best case to be "this year's JSN" in this loaded tier?

Let's try to pinpoint exactly what we mean by this. We are looking for a WR who:

• We have reason to believe is VERY talented (JSN was a former first-round pick and did good things in 2024)
• Sure looks to be receiving a QB and/or play-caller upgrade (moving from Geno Smith and Ryan Grubb to Sam Darnold and Klint Kubiak was VERY nice, especially in hindsight, of course)
• Benefits from the departure of additional target competition (DK Metcalf was traded to the Steelers)
• Is smack dab in the middle of his prime (JSN turned 24 last February)

Using this criteria, it's pretty clear the big four at the top of this tier most cleanly fit this criteria. DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Ladd McConkey and Emeka Egbuka are young talents in offenses that lost a target hog and are getting scheme upgrades. And yet, Waddle is pretty easily the odd man out when looking at early ADP.

Look: I'm ranking these players based on where I believe they will finish in 2026 — it's up to you, a scholar, to know your room/ADP and determine when you're able to get your guy. Waddle looks a LOT like one of the best values on the board in my humble opinion, but honestly this entire tier is full of guys I would love to draft. Maybe a good reason to sign up for an extra auction or two this year!

Tier 4: The Upside is Clear … But we have Questions

• WR18 Rashee Rice: Has worked as a fantasy WR1 whenever the law and his health have obliged. But do the Chiefs really want to keep running their offense through such a limited receiver? And can we trust the man to stay out of trouble?
• WR19 Tetairoa McMillan: Is his profile THAT much different than guys like Drake London or Nico Collins? It mostly comes down to your opinion of Bryce Young, who has flashed, but also ranks among the league's worst QBs in pretty much everything other than downfield passing since entering the league.
• WR20 Garrett Wilson: Posted top-10 fantasy numbers on a per-game basis before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Maybe Geno Smith supplies Wilson with the best QB play of his career, or maybe he doesn't *and* the team's pair of Round 1 pass-catchers limits the overall volume ceiling.
• WR21 Luther Burden: Explosive, twitchy talent with yards per route run numbers that will take any lonely fantasy analyst from six-to-midnight in a hurry. Then again, this is the first WR we've covered that could realistically be the No. 3 target in their own offense.
• WR22 Terry McLaurin: The soon-to-be 31-year-old veteran has mostly put up WR3 production throughout his career … but his one year with top-15 numbers is indeed our most applicable considering it came in a similarly barren offense with Jayden Daniels under center.
• WR23 Davante Adams: The 33-year-old future Hall of Famer had 10 more end-zone targets than any player in 2025. We don't usually see high-end fantasy production from elderly receivers.
• WR24 Mike Evans: Efficiency numbers slipped badly during an injury-riddled 2025. And yet, the soon-to-be 33-year-old long-time stud will be in consideration for top-15 fantasy treatment any week that he's healthy inside this ever-high-flying Purdy-Shanahan offense.
• WR25 Malik Nabers: Would leap up into the middle of Tier 3 *if* he can avoid starting the season on the PUP list. It's also fair not to exactly be enthralled with the upside of this Matt Nagy-led offense. That said: Nabers is arguably already a top-5 receiving talent in the NFL … when healthy.

Key question: What is the history of elderly receivers putting up big numbers in fantasy land?

Looking at you, Terry McLaurin (31 in September), Davante Adams (34 in December) and Mike Evans (33 in August).

Answer: It's not great. The following chart denotes the percentage of top-12 fantasy performers in PPR points per game by age over the last decade.

That said, we did see more boom performances from 33 and older uncs in the earlier part of the 21st century when guys like Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison and Tim Brown were largely keeping on keeping on even in the twilight of their careers. There's also a bit of survivorship bias to this sort of study: There are obviously far fewer WRs still in the NFL at age 30-plus overall, so it makes sense that their percentages are lower as well.

Ultimately, I have a hard time going too overboard and chasing these veterans up into the top-20 when there are so many younger, also talented options, but that's also reflected in the affordable ADP at hand. I've been more and more accepting of a "Hero RB" or "Superhero RB" strategy this year that features taking 1-2 RBs in Rounds 1-3 before completely shifting our focus to the WR2-3 range and adding 3-4 receivers by Round 7.

Tier 5: We're Saying there's a Chance

• WR26 Christian Watson: Last season's WR4 (!) in yards per route run behind only Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Luther Burden, Watson has some SERIOUS upside — top-15 caliber ceiling — should he manage to parlay last season's elite efficiency with a newfound high-end target total.
• WR27 Jameson Williams: Had some damning splits with (10.9 PPR points per game, WR33) and without (15.2, WR9) Sam LaPorta last season. Then again, maybe we just shouldn't doubt the ultra-talented 25-year-old speedster inside an offense that ranks No. 1 in terms of their Vegas implied preseason game totals?
• WR28 DJ Moore: On the one hand, Moore has been a WR3-4 in terms of fantasy points and efficiency numbers the last two seasons, and the Bills certainly don't deserve the benefit of the doubt when it comes to picking up wide receivers. On the other hand, his list of career QBs is Andre Johnson-esque, and now he's the favorite to work as Josh Allen's No. 1 target. Maybe we shouldn't overthink things.
• WR29 Jordyn Tyson: My pre-draft WR1, Tyson combines size (6-foot-2, 203) with twitchy route-running ability that gives me SERIOUS Gen-Z Amari Cooper vibes. It sure seems likely that this passing game will revolve around Olave *and* Tyson. Is Tyler Shough good enough to enable multiple high-end fantasy receivers? 
• WR30 Carnell Tate: Supplies Cam Ward and the Titans with a much-needed downfield threat. The question is whether Ward is poised to take a year-two leap, and if targets will truly be force-fed to Tate in this Brian Daboll-led passing game that also features Wan'Dale Robinson and Calvin Ridley.
• WR31 Rome Odunze: Averaged 15.5 PPR points per game (WR12) during the first eight weeks of last season before a heel/foot injury largely derailed things the rest of the way. I certainly don't love Odunze's recent comments about his foot, but learned doctors aren't quite as concerned with the wording. The ADP gap between Burden and Odunze is probably too wide.

Key question: How often do rookie receivers boom in fantasy land?

Not as often as you might think. Overall, only 13 rookie wide receivers have worked as top-24 receivers in PPR points per game over the last decade:

• 2016 Tyreek Hill
• 2016 Michael Thomas
• 2017 JuJu Smith-Schuster
• 2020 Brandon Aiyuk
• 2020 Justin Jefferson
• 2021 Ja'Marr Chase
• 2021 Jaylen Waddle
• 2023 Puka Nacua
• 2023 Tank Dell
• 2024 Malik Nabers
• 2024 Brian Thomas
• 2024 Ladd McConkey
• 2025 Tetairoa McMillan

Intriguingly, as we can see with the most recent additions, being on a rather lackluster overall offense hasn't overly prevented big-time year-one performances. This is in line with the position overall: High-scoring fantasy wide receivers (+0.11 r-coefficient) and tight ends (+0.13) have been far less correlated with their team's scoring offense rank than quarterbacks (+0.43) and running backs (+0.29) the last decade.

Now, neither Jordyn Tyson (Chris Olave) nor Carnell Tate (Wan'Dale Robinson) should be expected to completely take over their respective passing attack, but both were selected inside the NFL Draft's top-8 overall picks for a reason — we shouldn't rule out the potential for some year-one fireworks, especially if Tyler Shough and Cam Ward can take a decent year-two leap. These price points sure feel closer to each receiver's respective floor than ceiling.

Tier 6: Would WR2-Worthy Production be THAT Surprising?

• WR32 Quentin Johnston: Apparently reminds Mike McDaniel of Andre Johnson and Julio Jones. The Chargers' reigning No. 1 WR in PPR points per game (12.2, WR23), Johnson's early career drop issues have perhaps overly clouded his ability and production. Just two months older than Ladd McConkey, we shouldn't underestimate the rising fourth-year talent continuing to get better suddenly in the best offensive environment of his career.
• WR33 Marvin Harrison: The fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft has had some highs during his two years in the league, but man, there is some BAD film out there, and pretty much any meaningful advanced receiver metric paints him as a, well, average receiver. Still, Harrison easily led the way over Michael Wilson when both were on the field. Non-ideal QB situation be damned, maybe we should be at least a little patient with the 23-year-old talent? 
• WR34 Brian Thomas: 1,282 receiving yards in 2024 were the eighth most by a rookie … ever. Sadly, the 2025 encore (48-707-2) was marred by drops (8, tied for 3rd most) and rough chemistry with his QB (53% catch rate ranked 70th among 78 qualified receivers). Uncertainty around the pecking order is reducing the cost for all parties involved inside the ascending T-Law/Liam Coen-led offense.
• WR35 Parker Washington: Our most applicable final five-game stretch with BTJ, Meyers and Washington all healthy featured the latter receiver leading the way in target share (27%) and PPR points (19.1). And MAN, Washington looked good doing it. But will Washington maintain this full-time role with a fully healthy wide receiver room?
• WR36 DK Metcalf: Worked as the WR20 in PPR points per game last season despite not reaching triple-digit targets in 15 games. Newfound competition is real in the form of Michael Pittman, but Metcalf — largely a career WR3 in fantasy land — sure seems to be priced closer to his floor than ceiling for the first time … ever?
• WR37 Xavier Worthy: Dislocated his shoulder via Travis Swift-Kelce friendly fire on the third snap of last season. Andy Reid himself said the Chiefs didn't want to put certain plays on Worthy's plate even after he returned. Worthy needs to be better — especially on the deep ball — but Patrick Mahomes' likely No. 2 target is pretty affordable this season.
• WR38 Chris Godwin: Should be healthier an extra year removed from 2024's devastating season-ending ankle/fibula injury. Reminder: Godwin was working as the overall WR2 in fantasy land prior to that unfortunate injury. The current ADP gap is probably too wide between Egbuka and Godwin, though it'd also make sense if the best years of the 30-year-old receiver's career are in the rear-view mirror.
• WR39 Courtland Sutton: An "eat your veggies" WR pick if there ever was one, Sutton deserves credit for working as fantasy's WR21 on a per-game basis during the last two seasons, but age (31 in October) is beginning to be a concern, and it sure looks like Jaylen Waddle is poised to take the lead in this Bo Nix-led passing attack.
• WR40 Josh Downs: The shifty slot maven is reportedly due for more work on the outside in 2026. It's easy to love the breakout upside here: Nerdy separation metrics like Fantasy Points' Average Separation Score and ESPN's Open Rating both had Downs as a top-12 separator in 2025. Then again, could Downs still be just the No. 3 pass-game option in this potentially underwhelming Daniel Jones-led offense? It'd also make a LOT of sense if the Colts add one of the remaining veteran free agents at the position to this shallow WR room.
• WR41 Jayden Reed: Has more proven fantasy production than Downs, but also seemingly has a worse chance of getting outside receiver snaps in 2026. Still, we like the talent, we like the scheme, we like the QB: That's not a bad bargain in the later middle rounds of drafts —  especially in full-PPR scoring.
• WR42 Makai Lemon: The Biletnikoff Award Winner is an ultra-competitive YAC demon capable of winning at all three levels of the field, though it's possible his route rate is closer to 60 percent than 80 percent if the Eagles are reluctant to fully feature him on the outside in two-WR sets. An easy top-5 pick in rookie drafts, but I'm at least a little concerned about the Year 1 upside. Only 13 rookie wide receivers have posted top-24 PPR numbers in the last decade.

Key question: What wide receivers have significantly higher or lower target projections than their ADP indicates?

Well, according to RotoWire Projections among WRs with a top-75 ADP:

• Josh Downs: 28th in projected targets, WR43 ADP (+15)
• Michael Wilson: 32nd in projected targets, WR46 ADP (+14)
• Wan'Dale Robinson: 38th in projected targets, WR50 ADP (+12)
• Garrett Wilson: 9th in projected targets, WR20 ADP (+11)
• Jerry Jeudy: 63rd in projected targets, WR73 ADP (+10)

The star of the show here is accordingly Downs … as long as the Colts don't add to their receiver room. Sadly, I feel more and more like this is inevitable: Alec Pierce is still recovering from ankle surgery, and we're supposed to believe this organization is fine rolling with Ashton Dulin and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as their primary outside receivers in the meantime? Whether it's Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Deebo Samuel, or a trade: SOMETHING needs to be done to this WR room before Week 1, and Downs will sadly slip into the next tier if/when that happens.

On the other side of things, the following top-50 WRs *could* have a little struggle meeting their lofty ADPs should their current target projections hold true:

• Makai Lemon: 51st in projected targets, WR35 ADP (-16)
• Quentin Johnston: 49th in projected targets, WR36 ADP (-13)
• Jordyn Tyson: 43rd in projected targets, WR32 ADP (-11)
• Emeka Egbuka: 27th in projected targets, WR16 ADP (-11)
• Rashee Rice: 21st in projected targets, WR11 ADP (-10)

This unfortunately isn't great for my Quentin Johnston shares, though his perhaps untapped YAC skillz, combined with the potential for high-end efficiency from the Herbert-McDaniel partnership, does help this profile as the sort of situation where he could make more with less. The much-maligned rising fourth-year receiver certainly isn't a can't-miss bet this season, but be careful about purely fading him because of the often discussed drop issues — you'd be surprised about the company he keeps in that department.

Tier 7: Keeping a Candle Lit

• WR43 Jordan Addison: Reminder: Addison posted WR30 and WR23 finishes in PPR points per game during his first two career seasons before last year's unfortunate J.J. McCarthy-induced WR46 performance. This sure seems like someone priced closer to his floor than his ceiling.
• WR44 Ricky Pearsall: Possesses silky-smooth route-running ability that *could* result in plenty of fantasy-friendly opportunities … if Pearsall can stay healthy AND one of the team's more elderly playmakers misses time. There are worse mid-round bets to make than a talented, 25-year-old pass-catcher in a great offense.
• WR45 Michael Pittman: Has posted WR24, WR22, WR14, WR45 and WR27 finishes in PPR points per game the last five seasons, with the latter two campaigns being influenced by a broken back and a literal grandpa at quarterback. It's possible Pittman's more intermediate-minded game meshes better with Aaron Rodgers than DK Metcalf.
• WR46 Jakobi Meyers: Signed a three-year, $60 million extension with the Jaguars last December to presumably continue to be the adult in this talented room. As much as fantasy nerds want Brian Thomas Jr. and Parker Washington to lead the way, Meyers is firmly in play to work as this offense's most-productive receiver.
• WR47 Alec Pierce: His absurdly efficient 2024 (PPR WR49) and 2025 (WR24) didn't exactly lead to fantasy fireworks due to his lack of consistent volume. While more targets should be expected given the nine-figure contract and departure of Michael Pittman, I don't love the combination of Pierce recovering from ankle surgery while Daniel Jones comes back from a torn *right* Achilles.
• WR48 Michael Wilson: Worked as the WR4 in PPR points per game (18.6!) from Week 8 on last season, and only Puka Nacua outscored him during the final eight weeks of the year. That said: The numbers with Marv on the field were NOT good, and Wilson's 57.6 PPR points while trailing by three-plus scores in the second half was the highest mark of any receiver in the last five seasons.
• WR49 Matthew Golden: Made a few splash plays during his rookie season, but man: The history of Round 1 receivers who played at least eight games and failed to reach 500 yards is littered with busts. The depth chart is clearer this time around without Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, though Golden did run fairly hot last season with many of the Packers' top pass-catchers dealing with one injury or another.
• WR50 Wan'Dale Robinson: Earned 140 targets in back-to-back seasons with Brian Daboll in New York. Kudos to the pint-sized (5-8, 178) slot maven for making some meaningful improvements in yards per reception (7.5 vs. 11) and yards per target (5 vs. 7.2) from 2024 to 2025. Robinson is pretty easily the cheapest receiver who posted a top-15 finish in PPR points per game last season.

Key question: Are all second-half booms created equal?

I'm specifically asking this question for Michael Wilson because it would make sense that players who go off in the second half of a season on a shitty, dead-in-the-water squad don't hold up as well in the future as those who do so for a contending, playoff team, right?

Answer: Pretty much. Overall, 21 wide receivers managed to average at least eight additional PPR points per game in the second half of a season compared to the first half since 2016, and Amon-Ra St. Brown is pretty much the only example of someone who managed to keep the good times rolling in the future despite originally breaking out on an objectively bad football team.

Now, the hit rate of breakouts on good, playoff-caliber football teams also isn't 100 percent, but man: I really have a hard time buying into Wilson putting his Superman cape on again in 2026 when also considering how much his 2025 campaign was aided by teammate injuries, and his potential for a QB downgrade if/when Jacoby Brissett is passed over for Gardner Minshew/Carson Beck

Tier 8: Favorite Late-Round Sleepers

• WR51 KC Concepcion: College film was littered with twitchy wins against high-caliber corners as well as exhilarating dawg-minded YAC moments that showed off KC's ability with the football in his hands. It's easy to envision Concepcion working as Todd Monken's new Zay Flowers … if the QB play is anything close to decent (far from guaranteed). 
• WR52 Jayden Higgins: Bears a lot of similarities to Collins both in terms of size (6-4, 215) and how they win. While Higgins didn't exactly explode in Year 1 (41-525-6), there was still quite a bit to like when it came to his route-running and contested-catch ability. He's fully deserving of WR2 treatment on this squad and is the sort of ascending Year 2 talent that drafters should be targeting after the top-50-ish receivers are off the board.
• WR53 Rashid Shaheed: The Seahawks now have 51 million reasons to get Rashid Shaheed more involved in the offense, but it's tough to expect more than boom-or-bust WR5 production in fantasy land considering he caught just 18 passes in 12 games after being traded to the Seahawks — and that was with fellow field-stretching specialist Tory Horton out of the picture.
• WR54 Travis Hunter: It would make sense if the team's depth at receiver, and lack thereof at corner, leads to more snaps on defense compared to offense for Hunter this season, though that's not a guarantee. Hunter's relatively slow start out of the gate wasn't ideal for fantasy managers looking for an early boom, but he did flash some serious upside with an 8-101-1 performance the last time we saw him. My eyes tell me the 2025 NFL Draft's No. 2 overall pick is a ridiculously talented football player — he's my favorite LATE-round WR dart to throw thanks to his potential to zoom up the ranks with a simple playing time/injury-induced adjustment.
• WR55 Omar Cooper: Has a great ability to consistently shed would-be tacklers. There's at least some concern over his overall route tree — only Zachariah Branch had a higher percentage of targets come from screens and RPOs last season — but we did see more downfield goodness from Cooper in 2024. Ultimately, the NFL thought enough of Cooper to make him a first-round pick, making him an awfully appealing late-round option in re-draft land.
• WR56 Jerry Jeudy: Is one of just 11 receivers to gain 1,200-plus receiving yards in a season since 2024. Nine of those receivers have an ADP in the position's top-15 players. The 27-year-old veteran is curiously being written off as the odd man out in this young WR room — Jeudy joins Hunter and Cooper as my favorite late-round darts at the position thanks to the reality that we're looking at a truly talented player at an extremely cheap price point.
• WR57 Romeo Doubs: Enjoyed career numbers across the board in 2025 — and he looked good doing it! While Doubs doesn't exactly have one elite skill, he does everything pretty well, and he's 26 years young. He'll supply the sort of savvy intermediate route-running ability that would have been lacking in the absence of Diggs.
• WR58 Jalen Coker: Does a lot of good things on the football field. The 24-year-old former UDFA might have only 872 receiving yards to his name through two seasons, but some of the efficiency numbers — namely yards per target (10, 5th among 87 qualified WRs over the last two seasons) — paint the picture of someone who could be capable of bigger and better things with more opportunity.
• WR59 Khalil Shakir: Is a lot of fun after the catch and continues to boast one of the position's more solid PPR-friendly floors thanks to his constant diet of screens and high-percentage targets. Of course, nobody has ever seen their opponent start Shakir and felt an ounce of intimidation. The veteran slot maven is an "eat your vegetables" sort of pick for managers who are behind at the position by the time the top-50 receivers were drafted.

Key question: How often do we even see late-round wide receivers meaningfully boom in fantasy land?

Because every offseason we hear about "this year's Puka Nacua" and I'm beginning to suspect it should be more like this DECADE's Puka Nacua!

Anyway, there actually have been only 24 wide receivers drafted outside of the position's top-50 in terms of preseason ESPN ADP and then proceeded to post top-24 numbers in PPR points per game that season (minimum eight games). The results HEAVILY feature receivers who are 26 or younger and playing in one of their first five professional seasons.

Obviously this criteria fits a LOT of guys, but I have come around more and more to firing off late-round darts at Round 1 rookies KC Concepcion and Omar Cooper. Both flashed the sort of high-end YAC ability that is necessary to make the most out of their, ahem, likely suspect QB play, and it's not too hard to envision triple-digit targets in their offense should they emerge as the 1A/1B target that they were drafted to be.

Concepcion in particular is a big-time target of mine in re-draft and dynasty land alike. He's someone I considered to be in the same tier as the rookie class' big-3 options at the position thanks to his effortless separation ability and twitchiness with the football in his hands. Early reports out of Browns camp have shined a lot of light on new head coach Todd Monken finding creative ways to get the football in his hands — don't be surprised if the rookie emerges as Cleveland's No. 1 pass-game target *and* gets a good chunk of gadgety backfield work.

Tier 9: They Won't Work Out, But Imagine if they Did

• WR60 Denzel Boston: The 6-4, 212-pounder possesses a pretty damn fun combination of great contested-catch ability and underrated route-running. Now, Boston isn't likely to run past many professional corners, and his lack of an early breakout as well as middling production in big games wasn't ideal. Still: Solid traits, at a cheap cost, in a fairly wide-open passing game. Not the worst package to target.
• WR61 Antonio Williams: The rookie third-rounder flashed the ability to work out wide at Clemson, and he projects as the No. 3 pass-game option — maybe No. 2? — in this Jayden Daniels-led attack. I've seen far worse late-round re-draft/best ball and third-round dynasty picks.
• WR62 Ryan Flournoy: Projects as the offense's clear-cut No. 3 receiver after Jalen Tolbert left for Miami in free agency. Credit to the 2024 sixth-round pick for flashing on several occasions last season, supplying 6-114-0 and 9-115-1 booms in two instances when Lamb was forced out. Flournoy is a rare handcuff-viable receiver who would be in the WR4 conversation any week George Pickens or CeeDee Lamb are sidelined.
• WR63 Jalen McMillan: Has generally made the most out of his opportunities through two seasons, but it sure seems possible we see McMillan, Ted Hurst and Tez Johnson rotate through the WR3-5 spots behind Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin. More clarity surrounding McMillan being THE clear No. 3 WR would help his cause.
• WR64 Stefon Diggs: Free agent who returned low-end WR2 production last season and should find a nice home sooner rather than later. Colts? Chiefs? Chargers? Commanders? Plenty of good options that will likely result in Diggs being priced on the WR4-5 borderline.
• WR65 Tre Tucker: Probably deserves the benefit of the doubt as WR1 in Vegas after posting career highs in targets (92), receptions (57), yards (696) and touchdowns (5) last season, though a ton of that production simply came from his 8-145-3 eruption back in Week 3. I hate to be the guy who says, "Well, he was actually quite average if you take away the really good performances," BUT a closer look at that game does reveal a lot of the production was of the blown-coverage variety.
• WR66 Jalen Nailor: Quietly flashed in 2025 and always seemed to be on the other end of J.J. McCarthy's (rare) good throws. A starting spot in two-WR sets seems secure, which is more than most can say in this range, but we're still talking about a complementary receiver in an offense not exactly expected to light up scoreboards.
• WR67 Tre' Harris: Got a bit more involved as the season went on, but the 2025 second-rounder ultimately never reached 55 yards in a game and scored just one touchdown. The departure of Keenan Allen should promote Harris to WR3 status, though the team's focus on adding big tight ends and FB Alec Ingold in free agency is probably a good signal that we shouldn't expect a ton of 11 personnel in 2026.
• WR68 Jauan Jennings: The longtime badass blocker also proved capable of doing some good things as a receiver the last two seasons in the 49ers' high-flying offensive attack. That said, there's a decent chance he's the No. 4 pass-game option in this Minnesota offense — it's not a great sign that he failed to gain much interest on the open market and had to settle for a one-year, $8 million deal.
• WR69 Zachariah Branch: Once upon a time, Zachariah Branch was THE No. 1 wide receiver recruit in the 2023 class, though his usage at Georgia — 82% of Branch's 2025 targets came from screens or RPOs — adds some uncertainty to how ready he is to run big-boy routes at the NFL level. That said, the man is FAST fast, and Drake London is the only show in town in this barren WR room.
• WR70 Rashod Bateman: It's probably a sickness, but I can't stop drafting Rashod Bateman in Round 18 of best ball drafts even after last season's 19-224-2 dud. After all, we are only one year removed from the (wait for it) former first-rounder posting a 45-756-9 receiving line in essentially his only fully healthy season. And he looked good doing it! All signs out of OTAs point to Bateman (as usual) working as this offense's No. 2 wide receiver.
• WR71 Tyquan Thornton: Small-sample be damned: Thornton's average of 23.1 yards per reception actually topped Alec Pierce's league-leading mark last season if you move the qualifying threshold low enough. Suddenly looking at a full-time fantasy role with Hollywood Brown out of the picture, Thornton is a great best ball dart who should get you at least a few boom weeks — and you don't have to worry about predicting when they'll happen!
• WR72 De'Zhaun Stribling: Was widely viewed as a reach when the 49ers took him at the top of Round 2, but the Ole Miss product does admittedly have some hot, nasty, badass speed and his willingness to block makes it very possible that he essentially replaces Jauan Jennings in this offense from Day 1. Still, it's tough to get too excited about rookie counting number expectations considering the team's other pass-game options at RB and TE.
• WR73 Calvin Ridley: His 5-131-0 performance in Week 5 showed that Unc still had some decent route-running chops, but unfortunately, his season would be derailed by a pulled hamstring in Week 6 and a broken fibula in Week 11. The 31-year-old is back again in 2026, though this time around he projects as the No. 3 pass-game option.
• WR74 Adonai Mitchell: Turning 24 in October, the rising third-year receiver is a talented separator and deserves credit for flashing in this sad excuse for a passing game last season. Still, expecting more than one somewhat high-end pass catcher from this offense is probably wishful thinking.
• WR75 Cooper Kupp: Turned 33 on June 15 and is coming off career-low per-game numbers across the board. And yet, it wouldn't be at all surprising if Kupp (again) works as this passing game's No. 2 target — a reality that could yield better fantasy results in 2026 should this passing game be forced to up its overall volume. Not the worst upside scenario for the former No. 1 WR in all of fantasy football.

Key question: How often do passing games enable *three* top-50 fantasy receivers?

Looking especially at you, Ryan Flournoy, Jalen McMillan, Jauan Jennings, Calvin Ridley and Tyquan Thornton, who are all fully expected to be the third option inside their respective receiver rooms, but maybe that's OK if the price is low enough inside a passing game we like?

Answer: There have been 31 instances of one offense enabling not one, not two, but three top-50 receivers in PPR points per game since 2017. That's good for an average of 3.4 per season. Fun fact: The 2018 Buccaneers are the only team in this span to produce *four* top-50 receivers. God bless Jameis Winston.

Now, some of this is a bit skewed from the per-game factor — there are examples of teams having a receiver go down due to an injury before someone else picks up the slack, which goes a bit against what we're sort of looking for. The 2025 Jaguars are a decent example of this.

Ultimately, the 2025 examples of this (Jaguars, Chargers, Buccaneers) reflect the reality that we are going to need a fairly high-end QB involved to accomplish this task. That makes me a bit hesitant in expecting too much from teams in this tier like the Browns, Jets and Titans, but I am more optimistic in potentially getting a decent runout from guys like Ryan Flournoy and Tyquan Thornton.

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