Fantasy Football: Wide receiver sleepers for 2026 drafts

Josh Downs is in line for a full-time role: Michael Pittman Jr. was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, and Alec Pierce is currently on the team's PUP list, so the Indianapolis Colts‘ slot receiver should escape his sub-60% snap share.

Xavier Worthy has breakout potential: A healthy shoulder and increased opportunity could position Worthy to lead Kansas City in receiving.

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Each season, most of the players who help fantasy managers reach the playoffs are selected early in drafts. However, every year a handful of late-round picks or undrafted players emerge as league winners. Last season, Michael Wilson, Wan'Dale Robinson, Alec Pierce, Parker Washington and Keenan Allen all outperformed their draft cost to become reliable fantasy starters.

Here are five wide receivers currently being drafted in the 11th round or later who have the potential to become weekly must-start options.

Last updated: Monday, August 3

Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts (ADP: 11.02)

Downs has spent the first three seasons of his career as the Colts' slot receiver, and he's been very effective. His 82.5 PFF grade ranks 25th among all wide receivers, and his 1.74 yards per route run similarly places in the top 30 at the position.

Despite producing like a weekly fantasy starter, Downs has struggled to earn that level of trust because he rarely plays in two-receiver sets. Throughout his career, Alec Pierce has been the Colts' X receiver and Michael Pittman Jr. has filled the Z role, leaving Downs with 1,180 routes in 11 personnel compared to just 33 in two-receiver sets. He was on the field for only 58.7% of the Colts' offensive snaps last season, while most fantasy starters play at least 80% of their team's snaps.

Indianapolis traded Pittman to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, finally moving Downs to second on the depth chart. And Alec Pierce has started training camp on the PUP list after having ankle surgery in March. While Pierce should be available for the start of the season, Downs will be the top wide receiver in training camp until Pierce is back.

General manager Chris Ballard said of Downs, “We’re going to see some of the special stuff you’ve seen in the past, but more,” and indicated he will get more opportunities. Head coach Shane Steichen added at the start of training camp, “[We're] trying to find different ways to get him the ball. We'll go through that in training camp and game week prep, but we're excited for him this year.”

Downs finished 44th in fantasy points last season, but the bump in snaps and targets should be enough to make him a top-36 option. He's currently getting drafted as if he'll take a step backward, making him a nice late-round value.

Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs (ADP: 11.08)

Worthy was a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The speedy receiver was seen as a deep threat for Kansas City but made little impact for most of his rookie season, averaging 32 yards per game over his first 11 games with an average depth of target in the double digits for most of them. The Chiefs then used him more in the slot with a lower average depth of target the rest of the way, the role where Rashee Rice thrived as a rookie and early in 2024 before his injury. Worthy's average jumped to 57 yards per game over his next six. He then gained 85 yards in the AFC Championship Game and caught eight passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the Super Bowl loss.

Last season, his average depth of target climbed back to 12.5. JuJu Smith-Schuster often took the slot and the low-average-depth role when Rice was out. Worthy was meant to be the deep target, yet both Tyquan Thornton and Hollywood Brown gained more receiving yards on deep passes. His incomplete deep balls were uncatchable, and something was off with his chemistry with Patrick Mahomes.

Worthy suffered a shoulder injury in Week 1 and did not have surgery until after the season. Reports later suggested the shoulder bothered him all year, limiting what he could do. On routes where a receiver needs to be more physical, he simply could not. This looks like a case where playing through injury shouldn't be held against him.

He was named the unofficial MVP of Kansas City's OTAs. The Chiefs moved on from Brown and Smith-Schuster and added only fifth-round rookie Cyrus Allen, a sign they still trust Worthy as a starter and key part of the passing game. It is also worth noting how young he entered the league; he is actually younger than Allen and other receivers in this year's rookie class. It is fair to expect improvement at his age regardless of the injury. Given Rice's off-field issues and Travis Kelce‘s age, it is entirely possible Worthy leads the Chiefs in receiving yards. New offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy centered his offense around Tyreek Hill, and Worthy could fill that role.

Worthy is a flex option in drafts, with the upside of a top-10 finish if he becomes the top weapon in Kansas City's offense.

Jayden Higgins, Houston Texans (ADP: 12.07)

Higgins was the 34th overall pick in the 2025 draft by the Texans, and he appeared in line for a large role. Nico Collins was locked into the top receiver spot, and Houston added Christian Kirk, Justin Watson and Braxton Berrios, drafted Higgins and Jaylin Noel, and still had Xavier Hutchinson.

The initial concern was that Kirk would play in two-receiver sets ahead of Higgins, but it was actually Hutchinson who cut into his playing time. The two shared the Z receiver role, with Higgins playing more in two-receiver sets and Hutchinson more in three. When Collins missed Week 8, Higgins played 82% of snaps and caught four passes for 34 yards and a touchdown. He continued to play more than 55% of offensive snaps most weeks after that, and topped 80% again in the regular-season finale and the divisional round, though Collins was out for both of those as well.

Higgins graded notably better than Hutchinson, 71.9 to 62.3 in receiving grade. His 1.46 yards per route run were the second-most on the team behind Collins, while Hutchinson sat at 1.05. The general expectation is for Higgins to see a bigger role this season. Kirk left in free agency, leaving slot snaps up for grabs. Most will likely go to Noel, but Hutchinson graded well in the slot, so he could play more there in 11 personnel, which would open the door for additional Higgins snaps.

Higgins is being viewed as a potential breakout star for Houston, and there is a good chance he improves his efficiency. But whether that translates from helping the Texans to helping fantasy managers will depend on his role and playing time, which will be worth monitoring throughout training camp.

Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks (ADP: 13.03)

Shaheed went from undrafted rookie to All-Pro returner in his second season. His offensive playing time grew as his rookie year progressed, including three late games with 75 or more receiving yards. He played more than 50% of snaps and became more of a deep threat in his second season, with six games over 60 yards, five of which included a touchdown, and nine games of 36 yards or fewer, with nothing in between.

In 2024, Shaheed leaned even further into the deep-threat role, with an 18.8 average depth of target and a 39% deep-target rate. He made eight explosive plays over six games, gaining 73 or more yards in four of them and 11 or fewer in two others, before a meniscus tear ended his season early.

Shaheed was off to a much more consistent start in 2025, with four or more receptions in each of his first nine games. He was in the final year of his contract, and the Saints did not plan to re-sign him long-term, so they traded him to the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle had lost its third receiver, Tory Horton, for the season, and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak had been Shaheed's coordinator in 2024.

His playing time was inconsistent in Seattle. He had two games over 60 receiving yards and ran the ball more than he caught it during the playoffs. His average depth of target fell to 11.5, down from his previous stint in Kubiak's offense.

Seattle changed offensive coordinators again but still signed Shaheed to a long-term contract. There is significant speculation that he is in line for a larger role this season, presumably passing Cooper Kupp on the depth chart to become the second option in the passing game behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Shaheed is a fine, high-upside late-round option. Unlike most younger late-round targets, we should have a good read on whether he will pay off in fantasy after the first month or two of the season.

Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets (ADP: 16.06)

Mitchell was drafted 52nd overall in the 2024 draft by the Indianapolis Colts, with the thought that he would push Alec Pierce for the starting X job. Pierce had been held under 600 yards and to two touchdowns in each of his first two seasons.

Mitchell ended up as the primary backup to all three Colts receivers as a rookie, starting the season in the slot and filling in for both Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr. during the middle of the year. In one of his two games above a 65% snap rate, he caught six passes for 71 yards, and he was held under 40 yards in every other game. He also posted notably high separation rates.

The New York Jets acquired him, and he quickly became the top passing-game option while Garrett Wilson was on injured reserve. From Weeks 12 to 17, he averaged 10.6 points per game, which ranked 31st among wide receivers over that stretch. That window intentionally sets aside Week 11, when he was eased into action, and Week 18, when he played only 25 snaps.

New York plans to keep Mitchell as its X receiver, alongside a healthy Wilson and first-round rookie Omar Cooper Jr. His new offensive coordinator is Frank Reich, and his new quarterback is Geno Smith. Mitchell is worth a late-round pick as a talented former early-round selection who will finally get a chance to start.