- A.J. Brown could reach new heights with the New England Patriots: Brown has been stuck in run-first offenses playing alongside stars Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley, but that should change in New England.
- Garrett Wilson looked like a star before the knee injury: Wilson averaged 76.4 yards per game through five weeks and scored in 80% of those games, up from 27.5% over his first three seasons.
- Christian Watson is finally the clear No. 1 in Green Bay: The Green Bay Packers traded Dontayvion Wicks and let Romeo Doubs walk in free agency, clearing out a receiver room that split work four ways for three straight seasons.
These are the wide receivers going in the first 10 rounds whom I rank higher than their consensus ADP across ESPN, Yahoo and Sleeper. If you can land any of them near their current ADP, you’re getting one of the best wide receiver values on the board.
A.J. Brown, New England Patriots (ADP: 2.12)
One year ago, we released our wide receiver rankings ahead of the 2025 season and placed Brown at No. 1, driven largely by his dominance against single coverage. He followed that with a relative decline in production, as a lower percentage of his targets were catchable, his contested-catch rate dipped and his yards after the catch per reception also declined.
There has been speculation that frustration, rather than declining ability, drove that quieter season. Philadelphia's rushing attack was so effective that several victories required very little involvement from Brown. In 2024, he caught one pass for 10 yards in the Eagles‘ wild-card win, two passes for 14 yards in the divisional round and three receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl. That trend carried into 2025, when Brown opened the season with one catch for 8 yards in Philadelphia's Week 1 victory and was held below 50 receiving yards in six additional victories throughout the year.
In June, Brown was traded to the New England Patriots, where he reunited with head coach Mike Vrabel and is the clear top skill player on the roster. Philadelphia generated below-average production from its wide receiver group last season, while New England ranked fifth in receiving yards by wide receivers (2,945) despite lacking a true elite option at the position.
Brown owns a 12.8-yard average depth of target over the last three seasons, the most among the top-10 wide receivers by PFF grade. His new quarterback, Drake Maye, was the fourth-most accurate on passes of 13 or more yards at 49.7% last season, while Jalen Hurts ranked third-lowest among the top 30 quarterbacks at 36.8%. Brown should not only be a bigger part of the Patriots' offense, but also more effective per target as well.
If Brown's quieter 2025 season stemmed primarily from situational annoyance rather than physical decline, he still has the ceiling for an elite fantasy campaign in New England. If it instead marked the beginning of a broader downturn, fantasy managers could be in for a disappointing year.
Garrett Wilson, New York Jets (ADP: 4.04)
Wilson was the 10th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and opened his career with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. His receptions per game increased each year, culminating in a 2024 campaign in which he finished 10th among wide receivers in PPR points and 21st in points per game. Expectations were high entering his fourth season, particularly after he reunited with former college quarterback Justin Fields.
Wilson delivered over the first five weeks, averaging 76.4 receiving yards per game — more than 10 yards above his 2024 average — and scoring a touchdown in 80% of his games. That production came despite Fields missing 1.5 games during that stretch. Wilson then suffered a knee injury in Week 6 that sidelined him for a month. He briefly returned before reinjuring the knee, ending his season.
Wilson has earned an 85.6 PFF receiving grade over his first four seasons, ranking 25th among wide receivers over that span. Inconsistent quarterback play has limited his production, with Jets quarterbacks combining for a 55.6 PFF passing grade over those four years. Expectations for new quarterback Geno Smith should be similar to those for Aaron Rodgers in 2024, the best quarterback Wilson has played with in the NFL.
Wilson has also benefited from relatively little competition for targets. The exception was 2024, when Davante Adams earned a 78.2 PFF receiving grade with New York. The Jets have since added first-round picks Omar Cooper Jr. and Kenyon Sadiq, while Adonai Mitchell will serve as the X receiver. That trio may not command targets at the level Adams did, but Wilson faces more competition than he has for most of his career.
Wilson's ADP is roughly in line with his per-game production over the past two seasons, leaving much of his upside tied to the quality of the Jets‘ offense. If the unit clicks, he has clear top-10 fantasy potential. If New York remains among the league's least productive offenses, however, Wilson could once again finish outside the top 20 wide receivers.
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers (ADP: 6.12)
Watson has spent the past three seasons in a crowded receiver room alongside Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks. All four have produced between 1,300 and 2,000 receiving yards and 11 to 18 touchdowns over that span, while each has earned a receiving grade above 74.0 over the past four seasons. Green Bay’s below-average use of 11 personnel only made it harder for any one receiver to emerge as a consistent fantasy option.
Watson finally separated himself last season. His 88.5 receiving grade was easily the best season of the group, with Wicks’ 77.8 mark in 2023 the next highest. Watson recorded at least 80 receiving yards and a touchdown in three of his final five games and ranked as the WR12 from Weeks 13 through 17.
The Packers have since made it clear they view Watson as a major part of their future. They traded Wicks and allowed Doubs to leave in free agency, leaving Watson and Matthew Golden on the outside with Reed in the slot and significantly less competition for snaps. Green Bay also signed Watson to a four-year, $92 million extension with a $31 million signing bonus.
Injuries remain the obvious concern. Watson has dealt with knee and hamstring issues throughout his career, most recently tearing his ACL in January 2025 and missing half of last season. Green Bay’s offseason commitment suggests confidence in his health, but his history still adds considerable risk.
The upside is clear: Watson could build on last year’s finish and produce like a WR1 over a full season. At a sixth-round ADP, fantasy managers aren’t paying anything close to that ceiling.
Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars (ADP: 7.10)
Thomas took the league by storm as a rookie, scoring 284 PPR points, fourth most among wide receivers, though he ranked 12th on a per-game basis. Despite possessing the frame of a prototypical X receiver, Thomas was at his best from the slot. His 89.2 receiving grade and 3.12 yards per route run from the slot both led wide receivers with at least 125 slot routes.
Jacksonville then hired Liam Coen, who had helped Cooper Kupp and Chris Godwin produce elite fantasy seasons from the slot. Instead of putting Thomas there more often, however, the Jaguars drafted Travis Hunter and primarily used him inside, pushing Thomas outside. Thomas’ target rate fell from 24.7% to 18.7%, while his deeper target profile produced more uncatchable and contested passes. He ultimately fell to 47th in fantasy points per game.
The Jaguars later shifted from Hunter to Parker Washington in the slot, and Washington played well enough that Thomas isn’t expected to move back inside this season. Still, there are plenty of reasons to expect a rebound.
Trevor Lawrence made improving his chemistry with Thomas an offseason priority, and that progress reportedly carried through OTAs and training camp. Jacksonville also drafted two tight ends, potentially signaling more two-tight-end sets, but Thomas’ playing time should remain secure.
Thomas may be inconsistent from week to week in an offense that also features Washington and Jakobi Meyers, but improved chemistry with Lawrence and some positive touchdown regression should make his third season considerably better than his second. At a seventh-round price, that rebound is worth betting on.
Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers (ADP: 10.12)
Johnston entered the league as a first-round pick in 2023 but began his rookie season behind Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Josh Palmer. Injuries eventually pushed him into a major role, but the production rarely followed. He was held to 35 receiving yards or fewer in 13 of 17 games.
The Chargers moved on from Allen and Williams the following offseason, leaving Johnston as their X receiver, while rookie Ladd McConkey emerged as the top option. Johnston improved, particularly near the end zone, but remained inconsistent. That continued into 2025, although his production became less volatile and he reached 70 receiving yards six times.
The biggest reason for optimism in 2026 is the arrival of Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator. McDaniel has built his passing attacks around speed, and Johnston’s tracking data suggests he plays faster than his 4.51-second 40-yard dash would indicate. That makes him one of the more natural fits for the new offense.
McDaniel’s offenses with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle also leaned heavily on go and post routes. Johnston has been used on those concepts before, but often on deeper targets. Bringing some of those opportunities closer to the line of scrimmage could improve his catch rate and give him more chances to create after the catch.
Johnston still profiles as a potentially frustrating, touchdown-dependent flex option, but his role in McDaniel’s offense gives him a legitimate path to another step forward. At the end of the 10th round, that upside is well worth the price.
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