- Jalen Nailor should be the first Las Vegas Raiders receiver off the board: Nailor outgraded Jordan Addison in Minnesota last season and complements new quarterback Fernando Mendoza‘s playing style, yet he is currently being drafted after teammate Tre Tucker.
- Ryan Flournoy is a stash with waiver upside: Flournoy graded like a No. 2 but sits behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens for the Dallas Cowboys, making him a deep-league flier and a top waiver target if either Pickens or Lamb goes down.
- Darnell Mooney is a New York Giants insurance play: Mooney is buried in a crowded room, but if Malik Nabers fails to return from a torn ACL to start the season, he could step into the top receiving role.
Jalen Nailor, Las Vegas Raiders (ADP: 20.06)
Nailor was a sixth-round pick in 2022 and played more than 50% of the Vikings‘ offensive snaps as their No. 3 receiver in each of the past two seasons, holding off Brandon Powell and Trent Sherfield in 2024 and Adam Thielen in 2025. Jordan Addison ranked second on the team in snaps and targets, but Nailor earned a higher PFF receiving grade than Addison in 2025.
This offseason, Nailor joined the Raiders, whose wide receivers ranked third-to-last in receiving yards and second-to-last in receiving touchdowns last season. Las Vegas hired Klint Kubiak as head coach and added quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza, all of whom should help the passing game. Still, the Raiders made minimal changes at wide receiver, replacing Tyler Lockett with Nailor. That leaves Nailor and Tre Tucker projected as the starters, while Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton compete for the No. 3 role.
According to PFF's draft guide, Mendoza performs best on short and intermediate throws outside the numbers. On those routes last season, Nailor turned six of 11 targets into either a first down or a touchdown, compared to Tucker's nine of 28. Tucker handled most of those opportunities for the Raiders, while Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison filled that role in Minnesota, helping explain the difference in volume.
Both receivers fit Mendoza's strengths, but Nailor has earned the better PFF grades so far, even though Tucker carries an earlier average draft position (ADP) on most sites. Based on his play to date, Nailor should be the first Raiders receiver off the board in fantasy drafts.
Ryan Flournoy, Dallas Cowboys (ADP: 20.11)
Flournoy was a sixth-round pick by Dallas in 2024. He played sparingly as a rookie, catching 10 passes for 102 yards while buried down the Cowboys' depth chart. He started 2025 fifth on the depth chart behind CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin.
Several early injuries led Flournoy to play over 50% of snaps for the first time in Week 5, where he caught six passes for 114 yards. He continued to see more playing time once the other receivers were healthy, typically playing between 40% and 45% of snaps. In a Week 14 shootout against the Detroit Lions, Flournoy caught 9 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, even though the other Dallas receivers were healthy.
He earned an 80.3 offensive grade last season, which would usually be good enough to be the second option in an offense, but Dallas still has Lamb and Pickens, so Flournoy is locked into the third receiver spot. Dallas ranked sixth in 11-personnel usage last season, and most of the teams ahead of them invested in tight ends this offseason, so the Cowboys could lead the league in 11-personnel usage this season.
Flournoy should be among the top third receivers in the NFL. He will likely go undrafted in most redraft leagues. Other third receivers will likely get drafted because they will have more opportunities to move up their respective depth charts without an injury. However, if Lamb or Pickens suffers a serious injury at any point this season, Flournoy would be one of the top waiver-wire targets of the year.
In deeper leagues and best ball leagues, Flournoy is worth rostering, as he will have a few big games throughout the season.
Darnell Mooney, New York Giants (ADP: 19.12)
Mooney has played six seasons in the NFL, including four with the Chicago Bears and two with the Atlanta Falcons. He's been a starter throughout that time, but rarely a fantasy starter. He finished 38th in fantasy points per game in 2024, while his best season from a fantasy perspective was 2021, when he averaged 12.9 PPR points per game, 31st among wide receivers that season.
He signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the New York Giants, joining a very crowded wide receiver room. New York kept Darius Slayton and Malik Nabers, drafted Malachi Fields in the third round, and added Calvin Austin III in free agency. In June, the room became more crowded with the addition of Odell Beckham Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Slayton, Fields and Beckham are all likely competing for the X receiver role. While Mooney was the X receiver for the Falcons last season, he was a Z and slot receiver early in his career for the Bears. Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy was Mooney's head coach in Chicago in 2020 and 2021, including his only 1,000-yard season. He is likely competing for snaps at Z and slot in New York with Nabers, Austin and Smith-Schuster.
Considering how much New York invested in Mooney relative to Austin and Smith-Schuster, he should be the favorite to play in the slot in 11 personnel. This won't be enough to make Mooney fantasy-relevant in most leagues, but Nabers' health will be worth monitoring. Nabers tore his ACL and meniscus last season and might not be ready for the start of this season. If that happens, Mooney could fill Nabers' role until he's ready, and potentially be the top receiving weapon in the offense.
This makes Mooney an intriguing late-round option, particularly for a fantasy manager who selected multiple rookies or other receivers who might have a slow start.
Dontayvion Wicks, Philadelphia Eagles (ADP: N/A)
Wicks was a fifth-round pick by the Green Bay Packers. When everyone was healthy, he was a backup behind Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed. His 75.4 grade over the past three seasons was the worst among the Packers‘ four receivers, but would typically be good enough to rank top-three on most depth charts. He avoided 22 tackles over those three years, the most among Green Bay's receivers, and posted the highest rate of positive grades per route, though also the most drops and fumbles.
Wicks was traded from the Packers to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, and Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion also joined the Eagles as their offensive coordinator. The Eagles spent the past two seasons with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson as their top three receivers, but Brown was traded and Dotson left in free agency. Philadelphia also drafted Makai Lemon and added Hollywood Brown to fill out the depth chart.
The expectation is that Wicks will be the X receiver, Smith the Z, Lemon in the slot and Hollywood Brown the top backup. Wicks doesn't have A.J. Brown‘s size, but he is clearly the biggest of this group. He is also similar to Brown in one respect: both excel at avoiding tackles. They are two of just 13 wide receivers to avoid 0.18 tackles per reception over the past three seasons among those with at least 100 receptions.
Smith is highly likely to be the top target earner, and there is a decent chance Lemon emerges as the second option. But Lemon could struggle as a rookie, and even if he plays well, he might be limited to three-receiver sets while Wicks plays every down. When the Eagles' offense is clicking, it has been able to support two fantasy-relevant receivers. There is a chance Wicks is that second receiver, making him worth a late-round pick in deeper leagues.
Jalen Tolbert, Miami Dolphins (ADP: N/A)
Tolbert was a third-round pick by the Cowboys in 2022. He was initially thought to be their potential third receiver, but Noah Brown instead became a top-three receiver for the first time in his career, and Tolbert caught just two passes as a rookie. He eventually worked his way up to third on the depth chart, first behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks, then behind Lamb and George Pickens after Pickens replaced Cooks. His best season was 2024, in part because of an injury to Cooks, when he caught 49 passes for 610 yards and seven touchdowns and finished 45th in fantasy points per game.
KaVontae Turpin had always complicated Tolbert's role as the third receiver, and in 2025, Ryan Flournoy overtook him on the depth chart. Tolbert then left for the Miami Dolphins in free agency. Miami moved on from Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, leaving Malik Washington as the only notable holdover from last season and added Tutu Atwell in free agency while drafting Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr.
Training camp and the preseason will go a long way toward determining how much each of those six receivers plays. After OTAs, Omar Kelly noted that Tolbert had put some distance between himself and the rest of the group, and that he was playing the X role, likely also the natural spot for Douglas and Bell. If that holds, Atwell could play the Z and Washington the slot. If Tolbert isn't playing well enough early in the season, Miami could turn to a rookie, though third-round rookie receivers don't often crack the starting lineup.
A lot could change before the season starts, but for now, Tolbert is the top Dolphins receiver to target. Generally, any team's top receiver is worth at least flex consideration.
© 2026 PFF - all rights reserved.