- Luther Burden III is poised to lead Chicago’s wide receivers: The Chicago Bears wide receiver was excellent on a per-play basis and will play a larger role this season.
- Emeka Egbuka is ready to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The second-year receiver should lead the team in targets, with several more accurate passes thrown his way from a healthy Baker Mayfield.
- The Indianapolis Colts trust Alec Pierce: Pierce was given a long-term contract with less competition for targets, setting him up for a career season.
Several wide receivers have teased fantasy managers with breakout potential but haven't yet put everything together. That could change in 2026. These three receivers are well-positioned for career-best seasons, making them excellent values at their current ADP.
Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears (ADP: 5.06)
Burden flashed as a rookie but never earned a full-time role. His 77.7 PFF receiving grade led all Bears wide receivers by a significant margin, yet his 402 offensive snaps ranked fourth on the team behind Rome Odunze, DJ Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus. Burden failed to surpass a 30% per-game snap share during the first half of the year but regularly exceeded 50% by season's end.
Chicago cleared a path for Burden to become a full-time starter in 2026 by trading Moore to the Buffalo Bills while allowing Zaccheaus to depart in free agency. The Bears' only notable additions at wide receiver were Kalif Raymond, who will turn 32 before the season begins, and third-round rookie Zavion Thomas. Neither profiles as a serious threat to Burden's playing time.
Burden ranked third among NFL wide receivers in yards per route run (2.69) as a rookie, trailing only Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He was especially effective out of 12 personnel, generating 6.51 yards per route run, the highest mark by any wide receiver in any personnel grouping with at least 40 routes run. Chicago could lean more heavily into 12 personnel in 2026 following the addition of third-round rookie tight end Sam Roush and the team's thinner wide receiver depth chart.
An expanded role combined with increased usage in favorable personnel groupings positions Burden for a breakout second season. Experienced fantasy managers are unlikely to let him slip far in drafts, but he could still emerge as a value in more casual leagues.
Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ADP: 5.01)
Egbuka endured a turbulent rookie season. After operating primarily from the slot in college, he opened the year as Tampa Bay's starting Z receiver before shifting to X receiver whenever Mike Evans missed time.
Egbuka flashed high-end potential throughout the season but became increasingly inconsistent down the stretch. Much of that stemmed from poor target quality, particularly on intermediate routes. He drew 46 targets 10-19 yards downfield, tied for the fifth-highest total among NFL wide receivers behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Davante Adams. Despite the heavy volume, he caught only 14 of those passes because just 17 of the 46 were charted as catchable.
Injuries to Baker Mayfield likely contributed to those struggles, as did a difficult late-season schedule. Eight of Tampa Bay's final 10 opponents ranked in the top half of the league at limiting fantasy points to wide receivers. Mayfield should enter 2026 healthier, while the Buccaneers' schedule projects as more balanced overall.
New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has also stated that Egbuka will operate primarily as the offense's Z receiver, the same role Drake London played in Atlanta and that Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp held during Robinson's time with the Rams. All three receivers produced top-five fantasy seasons under Robinson's influence over the past five years.
Egbuka will still compete for targets with Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Ted Hurst, but if he establishes himself as Tampa Bay's clear No. 1 receiving option, his role and offensive environment give him one of the higher ceilings among receivers outside the elite fantasy tier.
Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts (ADP: 7.08)
Pierce has spent the first four seasons of his career as the Colts' X receiver. He was a player to avoid in fantasy for his first three seasons, with a target rate below 16% in each year. Last season, his target rate increased to 17.4%, and he maintained a 20.1 average depth of target, meaning only 51 of his 83 targets were catchable. He brought in 47 of those passes for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns.
Players with a high average depth of target and a low-to-average target rate are typically difficult to trust in fantasy, because one week they will make a big play or two, and the next they could be held to just one or two receptions. Pierce had seven weeks as a top-24 fantasy wide receiver but also four weeks outside the top 50, resulting in a WR27 finish on the season.
Pierce signed a four-year, $116 million contract this offseason, signaling he will remain a major part of the Colts' offense. Adonai Mitchell was traded mid-season last year, and Michael Pittman Jr. was dealt to Pittsburgh this offseason, leaving roughly 125 vacated targets in the receiver room to be redistributed among Pierce, Josh Downs, and backups like Ashton Dulin and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
While Pierce should still receive several deep targets in 2026, there is reason to believe he will also see more shorter targets. He was targeted just 14 times on passes of 9 yards or less last season, down from 38 as a rookie. Pittman received 68 targets on short passes last season, and at least some of those will go Pierce's way.
There is some concern about Pierce recovering from ankle surgery, though he is expected to be back for training camp. Quarterback Daniel Jones has also faced health questions, but all indications suggest he is ahead of schedule, and he recently participated in 7-on-7 work at OTAs. As it becomes clearer that both Pierce and Jones will be ready for the season, Pierce's ADP will likely rise.
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