- Ja’Marr Chase
This one feels like a no brainer for me as I firmly believe Ja’Marr Chase is the best wide receiver in football. There are a few players on this list that you could make the argument for but Chase is just a different beast. It is always a special treat when you get to watch a player you know is destined for the Hall of Fame week after week. The target share he demands in this offense while lined up with another WR1 in Tee Higgins is absolutely ridiculous. Even with Joe Burrow missing 9 games last season, Chase still averaged just over 11.5 targets a game which is a dream for PPR. I’m still getting flashbacks to his game against the Steelers where he caught 16 of his 23 targets for 161 targets and 1 touchdown.
- Puka Nacua
A menace both on and off the field, Puka Nacua shares a bunch of the same characteristics that make Ja’Marr Chase such a good wide receiver for fantasy. He is the focal point of a pass-happy offense led by a top QB in the NFL and is just an absolute demon with the ball in his hands. You probably can’t go wrong drafting any of these guys at the top of this list but Puka is just a step above in my opinion. I won’t waste your time here other than saying this guy is great for fantasy.
- Jaxson Smith-Njgiba
At the 3rd spot I have Jaxson Smith-Njgiba and I’ll be honest, you probably can’t go wrong with JSN at the 2 spot and Puka Nacua at the 3 spot instead. It really comes down to your personal preference. They are both pretty similar in my head and JSN is just as much of a focal point of the Seahawks offense. He is also a target machine. Not only that but the reigning offensive player of the year led the league in receiving yards. Sam Darnold is probably the difference maker here compared to Matthew Stafford but that is marginal at best. I’d love to have JSN on my team regardless.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown
Still sticking with consensus here, I like Amon-Ra St. Brown quite a bit. Definitely one of my favorite players in the NFL, Amon-Ra thrives within the Lions offense. In 2025, he had the 2nd most targets (172) and tied for the second most receiving touchdowns (11). This is the start of the drop off from the truly elite fantasy potential the first 3 offer but it is not by much. Last season the Lions were a top 10 team when it came to passing attempts and clearly there is an established connection with his QB. I don’t expect much to change with Amon-Ra’s fantasy output from last year and a top 3 finish is certainly in the cards.
- AJ Brown
If you watched any football at all last year, then you are painfully aware of the dysfunction that plagued the Eagles. I’m not saying AJ Brown was responsible for all of it but he certainly played his part. But hey, new year, new team and I’m fully buying into the reunion between Brown and Mike Vrabel but also the potential of getting to play with Drake Maye. In my top 10 QBs list, I highlighted Maye as my number 2 fantasy QB and that Brown serves as an immediate upgrade to Stefon Diggs. The Patriots are a bit more pass happy than the Eagles which should benefit Brown and the lack of a number 1 receiver standing next to him in New England should up his fantasy potential.
- CeeDee Lamb
CeeDee Lamb’s 2025 campaign did not quite go how many expected it would. He missed 3 games and didn’t seem to play to the same standard he had in years past. He still managed to finish with 71 catches for 1,077 yards and 3 touchdowns. I do think a bounce back season is in order though. The Cowboys are one of the top offenses for fantasy and Dak Prescott clearly has a connection with Lamb. Not to mention that we have already seen the potential for Lamb to finish as the number 1 fantasy wide receiver. I imagine the touchdowns will go up and Pickens should come down a little bit from his performance last year. I’d gladly take CeeDee when possible.
- Nico Collins
Nico Collins is one of those guys that you don’t really question the talent, it’s usually the durability and QB play that are the first things fantasy managers are concerned about. He has yet to play a full season (missed 2 last year) and the concerns surrounding CJ Stroud are getting louder. However, he has still managed to post 3 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons and when healthy, he is one of the best wide receivers in fantasy. He finished as WR8 last season fueled by 71 receptions on 120 targets for 1,117 yards and 6 touchdowns. A season-ending injury to Jayden Higgins may result in more targets going Collin’s way which is why I’ve bumped him up a spot from his finish last year..
- Justin Jefferson
When writing this, I had a hard time keeping Justin Jefferson off this list. If Ja’Marr Chase is the best wide receiver in football, then Justin Jefferson is the 1B. However, when it comes to fantasy, Jefferson is plagued by his QB slinging the rock. I do think Kyler Murray is an upgrade over J.J. McCarthy and we have seen evidence of Kyler being able to support a wide receiver’s fantasy relevance at times. I’ll be interested to see what happens with a wider receiver of Jefferson’s caliber and if Kyler gets his chance to restart his career in Minnesota. For those reasons I’m not reaching for Jefferson in drafts but will certainly take him if falls to me at the top of the second round.
- Drake London
As a devout Panthers fan, I often find it hard to sing the praises of other players within the division. Something about it just doesn’t feel right. I do enjoy Drake London though and wish he was on my team. Since entering the league, London has been a strong offensive presence for the Falcons and for that he was rewarded with a 4 year 141 million dollar contract this offseason. I have him this far down on my list for a variety of reasons. While really talented, he is not quite in that elite tier of wide receivers and his QB options are a bit limited for this season. Michael Penix Jr. has shown flashes but has yet to play a full season and is still rehabbing from ACL surgery. The Falcons also went out and added Tua Tagovailoa which I feel like we kind of know what to expect already and it’s kind of “eh”. Neither option is great in my mind but both will throw the ball a ton and without a clear second receiving option, London should get a bulk of the targets. I’m also a fan of the head coaching change and I’m hoping the offensive minded Kevin Stefanski helps elevate London’s game.
- George Pickens
I mentioned above that the Cowboys are one of the top offenses for fantasy football and last year George Pickens was a huge part of that. While CeeDee Lamb dealt with injuries and drops, Pickens was lighting up defenses to the tune of 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns. I think Lamb bounces back and Pickens regresses a little bit but it is still well within the realm of possibilities that Pickens will finish as a top 10 wide receiver. It is also worth mentioning that he is playing under the franchise tag this year so he will no doubt be trying to ball out in the hopes of landing a massive contract.
Guys I like:
Davante Adams
You know what? Give me the old guy. Sure, players drop off the older they get and that’s natural. However, there are always those special players who are able to defy father time. Davante Adams has always been a special player and I expect him to be able to produce moving forward. Do I expect him to have 14 TDs again? No, probably not. That doesn’t mean regression is going to hit him like a freight train though. The best part about Adams is that he doesn’t have to be the number 1 guy. Puka Nacua demands so much attention that Adams is able to run free within this offense. While low compared to the rest of his career, he still had a 24% target share in the Rams offense. He is also crazy good in the red zone. I have routinely gotten Adams later in drafts where the waters get a bit murky and it blows my mind. Adams is an excellent value in a Super Bowl contending offense.
Brian Thomas Jr.
Last year was tough for a player that came out of the gates swinging his rookie year. Myself and many others drafted Brian Thomas Jr. early with the hopes that he would be able to build on his great rookie season where he had 87 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns. Unfortunately, that did not happen. He never seemed to fit into the Jaguars new offensive scheme under Liam Coen for some reason. This year the Jaguars have a lot of mouths to feed so Thomas is a bit of a gamble but the talent is there. I think another offseason with Coen can only help rebuild his role in this offense a bit. Plus the discount you can get him for makes the gamble more worth the risk. Right now on ESPN he is going after his teammate Parker Washington and after guys like Matthew Golden, Michael Pittman Jr. and Christian Watson. All of which, except maybe Washington, I’d rather take Thomas over.
Marvin Harrison Jr.
Nobody is expecting the Cardinals to be good at all next year. All signs are pointing to a limited number of wins led by their stable of backup QBs. But so what? Bad teams throw the damn ball. In comes Marvin Harrison Jr. who has faced nothing but slander for being an OK receiver last year. He missed some games after their BYE week and just could not find his mojo. It’s hard to blame him though. The offense felt stale and they were not playing for much. However, outside of Trey McBride, I think Harrison is the best receiving option they have. Critics will say Michael Wilson’s end of season performance indicates something else but that was during Harrison’s injury and the Cardinals were throwing a million times a game. Harrison is still a first round pick who had 885 yards and 8 touchdowns his rookie year. I believe Mike Lafleur will reinvigorate this offense and Harrison will hit a bounceback year.
Rashee Rice
A lot can be said about Rashee Rice, outside of football, and none of it is good. So it’s ironic he finds himself in my “Guys I like” section. For the sake of this article I’ll stick with his on field performance with it being said I don’t condone the poor life choices he continues to make. With that being said, the Chiefs are in rough shape when it comes to their receiving options. Travis Kelce is in potentially his final season, Xavier Worthy shows flashes but doesn’t perform consistently and there are a myriad of guys competing for a role after that. That leaves Rice as the lone man standing to fulfill that WR1 role. Through 8 games last season he saw 78 targets which on its own is pretty crazy. In those games he scored double digit fantasy points 6 times and of those 6 double digit scoring games he scored 20+ in 4 of them. Should he play a full season, I have no doubt that he can finish as a top 10 wide receiver.