2026 WR Rankings After the NFL Draft | Tyson, Garrett Wilson, Eagles WR Room & More!
Fantasy Football Today
0:01 We're talking wide receiver updates following the NFL
0:04 Draft here on Fantasy Football Today Express.
0:07 I'm Jamie, that's Dave, you know us.
0:08 Let's talk about some wide receivers who have maybe seen a little bit
0:12 of a dip or an increase in their fantasy football value following the NFL Draft.
0:16 And Dave, the first place I want to start is in New Orleans,
0:19 where prior to the NFL Draft, we were very excited about Chris Olave,
0:22 and I think there should be some excitement still about Chris Olave.
0:25 But the Saints maybe surprised us a little bit.
0:27 They go get Jordan Addison in the first round.
0:29 They had a tight end and Oscar Delp,
0:31 but obviously I think everybody's looking at Addison as you know,
0:34 he was in the conversation to be wide receiver one for this class.
0:36 He goes two behind Carnell Tate.
0:38 Does Addison coming to New Orleans impact Chris Olave in a negative way?
0:42 Yes, I'm less excited to draft Olave
0:45 as a potential number one fantasy wide receiver.
0:48 He's now much more of a number two fantasy wide receiver.
0:51 Look, he he was averaging around 10 targets per game last year.
0:55 That's pretty good.
0:56 And I know that he really meshed with Tyler Shuck.
0:59 But you can't help but think that Addison's going to come
1:02 in and take a nice chunk of that target share
1:05 and maybe lower it a little bit for Chris Olave
1:08 more to a like seven and a half targets per game.
1:10 It's still really good.
1:11 He's still a number two fantasy wide receiver.
1:13 He's one I'd particularly try and target.
1:16 But he's not one that I think we can look at and say,
1:18 all right, last year almost 17 PPR points per game.
1:21 He'll be better than that this year.
1:22 I don't think he will be.
1:24 And that's why I think he's more of a wide receiver two.
1:26 Uh call him top 20, not even like a top 12-15 type of wideout.
1:31 So Chris Olave for the most part in our drafts,
1:34 I don't know what his average draft position is in best ball right now,
1:36 but in our drafts, he's typically been going in round three.
1:40 You can get Jordan Addison in probably round seven.
1:43 Which player do you prefer?
1:46 I'd still rather have Olave.
1:47 I mean, I've got him right at the three-four turn.
1:50 So I'd have a problem if it's early round three.
1:53 But I don't want Addison at round seven.
1:55 I think that's too soon.
1:56 Okay, so we'll see which Saints wide receiver ends up being better.
1:59 If you talk to probably the guys on the Beyond the Box Score,
2:01 I think they're very excited about Jordan Addison, understandably.
2:03 So could actually end up being the best receiver for the Saints.
2:06 So we'll see how this all plays out in New Orleans.
2:08 Let's go to the Jets,
2:09 where they spent two first-round picks on two receiving options, tight end C.J.
2:12 Uzomah wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr.
2:15 Garrett Wilson last year when he played in the five games that he was healthy,
2:19 was a looking like a stud, averaging over 19 PPR points per game.
2:23 Came back, dealt with some injuries again after that hot start,
2:27 so it didn't actually finish with over 19 PPR points per game,
2:29 but still looked like the guy we were
2:31 hoping to see for the majority of his career.
2:33 Now he has much more significant company in terms of targets.
2:37 We'll see how this quarterback situation shakes
2:39 out with Geno Smith as the starter.
2:41 How do you view Garrett Wilson following
2:42 the additions the Jets made in the NFL Draft?
2:44 I'd rather draft Olave.
2:47 I mean, I I've I am taking this really hard as someone who's been
2:52 a big fan of Garrett Wilson's game
2:54 really since he's entered the National Football League.
2:57 And the targets have reflected that.
2:58 We're talking about three straight years of at least 9.1 targets per game.
3:04 And only one of those years has he been a monster for fantasy,
3:07 and it was the year where he barely played.
3:09 He got hurt early on.
3:10 You just talked about it.
3:11 19 PPR points per game.
3:12 That's awesome.
3:13 I think that ship has sailed.
3:14 You just think about the rest of the Jets
3:16 offense now with Omar Cooper coming along,
3:19 and I think he'll impact Wilson more so than C.J.
3:22 Uzomah, but they both will.
3:23 And it makes me nervous that his target
3:26 volume is going to take a significant hit.
3:28 And so he's he's a number two wide receiver by default, Jamie.
3:33 I talked about it on our main show today,
3:35 how they're just eventually you run out of number two wide receivers,
3:39 and there's just this huge glut of number three wide receivers.
3:42 And Garrett Wilson might belong in that glut of number three wide receivers.
3:47 I don't have him quite that far down, but I'm not nearly as excited about him,
3:51 and I'm even less excited about He is in that glut if we're talking non-PPR.
3:55 I know nobody plays non-PPR anymore, but whatever, I've still got to rank it.
4:00 In full PPR, he's top 24, but he's barely top 20.
4:05 Yeah, I'm I'm curious to see how the average draft position will settle.
4:07 I think he's a good round four pick, you know,
4:09 as one of those I still think of him as a as a number two wide receiver.
4:12 I think had they not gone out and spent
4:15 as much significant capital on two receiving options,
4:18 and let's just say it was Garrett Wilson, C.J.
4:20 Uzomah, and Adonai Mitchell as opposed to a first-round
4:22 wide receiver and a first-round tight end,
4:25 then I think Wilson would still be in a great
4:26 spot and potentially a borderline number one wide receiver.
4:29 But I think just looking at it now,
4:30 additional competition for targets, change in coordinator once again,
4:34 change in quarterback once again,
4:35 there's just a lot of question marks for Garrett Wilson.
4:37 So the talent's still there.
4:39 Obviously, he's got to stay healthy,
4:40 but we'll see how this all sort of you know, separates with these guys.
4:43 One more wide receiver situation where there was a addition and maybe
4:46 an additional subtraction that I want to talk about is in Philadelphia.
4:49 So they get A.J.
4:50 Brown, spend the 20th overall selection trade up to get A.J.
4:54 Brown.
4:54 We're expecting A.J.
4:55 Brown to move on, but we know
4:57 that the Eagles receiving core is going to look different.
4:59 So how do you view DeVonta Smith now?
5:01 How do you view Brown?
5:02 And anybody else interest you in this wide receiver room,
5:05 Dontayvion Wicks, Marquise Brown, any of those guys?
5:07 I love Brown as a prospect.
5:09 I don't like his situation in Philadelphia this year.
5:12 To me, he's more of like a bench wide receiver.
5:16 I'd rather have Jordan Addison on my fantasy squad.
5:19 Him in his first year sharing with DeVonta Smith,
5:23 Dallas Goedert, it's still Jalen Hurts under center,
5:26 and I still feel like they're going to run the ball a ton in Philadelphia.
5:30 So it makes me nervous to love Brown,
5:31 but I do love DeVonta Smith cuz I think he's the benefactor of A.J.
5:36 Brown leaving town.
5:37 And that means that he should see an uptick in targets.
5:40 We've already seen it it's been rare, but when he's played without A.J.
5:44 Brown, the target volume is high for DeVonta Smith.
5:47 The fantasy numbers are high for DeVonta Smith.
5:50 I'd rather have DeVonta Smith than both
5:52 Olave and Garrett Wilson in fantasy drafts.
5:55 He is a wide receiver two who I would love to have,
5:58 and I think he's got top 12 upside.
6:00 And it's all contingent on A.J.
6:01 Brown leaving town.
6:03 And I'd be excited if A.J.
6:04 Brown leaves town and goes to New England.
6:07 That's what everybody's saying.
6:08 I think that's a great landing spot for him.
6:10 I like him better than DeVonta Smith if he goes to New England
6:15 and he ends up being the number one target getter for Drake Maye.
6:18 That's an offense that should throw the ball more than Philadelphia's.
6:21 He should be targeted a lot.
6:22 We've seen him for years do well in fantasy getting eight plus targets per game.
6:27 I think he continues to do that in New England with Drake Maye.
6:31 Yeah, well we'll get into the New England
6:32 side of things obviously after the trade happens,
6:34 which we expect to be post-June 1st.
6:36 I just think for the DeVonta Smith, you're right,
6:38 is going to be a a huge season for him.
6:40 I guess I'm a little bit more optimistic for A.J.
6:41 Brown just because I don't think the the Wicks-Brown
6:44 group isn't necessarily going to take a huge step forward.
6:47 I think it'll be impactful,
6:48 but not necessarily to the point where it drags down both Smith and Brown.
6:52 Obviously, the Eagles have a plan for Brown,
6:54 which is why they went to go get him.
6:55 There's about 120 targets available if you just
6:57 give a few more to to DeVonta Smith,
7:00 you know, based on the 120-130 he's been typically getting.
7:03 So I'm excited about Smith.
7:04 I'm excited about Brown as well.
7:05 He's my second favorite rookie wide receiver after Carnell Tate.
7:08 All right, we'll take a quick break.
7:09 We're going to come back and get into a couple of scenarios where they didn't
7:11 draft wide receivers and how that may
7:13 have impacted Dave's rankings here on FFT Express.
7:17 All right, Dave, let's wrap this up with a couple of teams
7:19 that did not add wide receivers where we thought they may have.
7:22 And I'm looking at Indianapolis and Green Bay.
7:24 Let's start with the Colts because they move on from Michael Pittman.
7:26 They give Alec Pierce a big deal.
7:28 And now we're looking at it really as it's just it's Pierce,
7:31 it's Josh Downs, and obviously Tyler Warren at the tight end spot.
7:33 But in the terms of the wide receivers,
7:35 did you get more excited about Pierce and Downs following the NFL Draft?
7:38 A little bit.
7:39 I mean, I had it ranked the way that the roster looked before the draft.
7:43 I would have been surprised if they had
7:44 spent big draft capital trying to replace Michael Pittman.
7:48 I knowing the Colts didn't have a lot
7:49 of draft capital obviously after the Sauce Gardner trade.
7:53 It it would have been surprising.
7:54 So Pierce to me is in the thick of that wide receiver three group.
7:57 He could finish as a top 15 wideout and it wouldn't surprise me.
8:01 He could finish as wide receiver 40 and it wouldn't surprise me.
8:04 So he's a risk that I think is worth taking.
8:06 I think the same for Downs, too, if it's full PPR.
8:10 But he's way toward the bottom of that wide receiver three list.
8:13 He could average around like 11 PPR points per game.
8:17 I could see him doing that, Jamie, without Michael Pittman there.
8:20 It should mean more opportunities for him
8:21 in that short area over the middle of the field.
8:25 So I I don't mind these guys.
8:27 I just don't want to reach for these guys if I can help it on draft day.
8:30 It's a great way to put it,
8:31 and obviously we have to see if Daniel Jones is 100% coming
8:34 off that Achilles injury and just how this quarterback room looks like.
8:38 Most likely Anthony Richardson is going to be out the door.
8:41 So do we see Riley Leonard early in the season?
8:44 That would be a little bit discouraging for Pierce
8:46 and for Downs at least in the early part of the season.
8:49 And then we go to Green Bay,
8:50 where they've made a lot of moves this offseason at wide receiver,
8:52 but more of guys leaving as opposed to guys coming in the door.
8:55 So they move on from Romeo Doubs.
8:56 He signs in New England.
8:58 They trade Dontayvion Wicks to the Eagles.
9:00 And now we have Christian Watson.
9:02 We have Jayden Reed, who got a big contract extension this offseason.
9:06 And a guy they spent a first-round pick on last year in Matthew Golden.
9:09 What changed for you with the Packers wide receivers following the NFL Draft?
9:12 I am nervously excited about Christian Watson.
9:17 We're talking about a player who last year averaged 13.2 PPR points per game.
9:21 That's the best single season average he's had in his career.
9:24 He did it on five and a half targets per game.
9:27 And I know he missed time, and he's he's got a lot of injury concern.
9:31 But man, it's intoxicating thinking about what his ceiling
9:34 is cuz he does have a huge ceiling,
9:37 and you can draft him as a number three wide receiver.
9:39 I do like him better than Alec Pierce.
9:41 I think he is worth targeting.
9:44 Call him a top 30 wideout, but he's got the upside to be better than that.
9:48 And then you've got Matthew Golden, who's got a nice profile,
9:52 but really could never turn it on last year
9:55 after having a great training camp and a good preseason.
9:58 So, I think Jayden Reed's going to get drafted next and I am hoping
10:03 that he has a role similar to what I was talking about with Josh Downs,
10:06 maybe with a little bit higher of a fantasy ceiling
10:10 as far as per game goes cuz I think he
10:11 can get a lot of targets and do some stuff
10:13 with the football off of hand-offs and end-around stuff like that.
10:17 They can really start to utilize him more and they've been hesitant to do that.
10:21 I think now they've painted themselves into a corner with the receiver
10:24 room where they either have to give Jayden Reed more or they've
10:27 got to try to make it work with Matthew Golden in a second
10:30 year and they might try and do both of those things.
10:32 They might have to do both of those things
10:34 if Christian Watson goes down with an injury.
10:36 So, I'm very interested in getting Jayden Reed as well.
10:38 It just has to be at the right price.
10:40 I probably have him ranked a little too low.
10:42 He's in my top 60.
10:43 He's not in my top 50.
10:45 Probably should be in my top 50 because
10:47 I think there's a lot of potential for him.
10:49 And then Matthew Golden, same exact thing.
10:51 I just worry about just how much target volume he's going to get.
10:55 I wouldn't mind ending my fantasy drafts with at least one Packers wide
11:00 receiver and maybe even two or three if one of them is Christian Watson.
11:04 I think it's going to be fun to see how
11:06 these guys all work together because there is a lot of upside.
11:09 Uh there is as we've seen in their careers, Watson injury-related,
11:12 Golden just being a flop last year and Jayden Reed injury-prone as well,
11:16 uh not living up to expectations, but I mean, the runway's clear.
11:19 You know, it's no longer a crowded wide receiver room.
11:21 There is opportunities for all three of these guys to hopefully get production.
11:25 And I think as Dave said,
11:26 the price will probably determine how soon you want to buy in on these guys,
11:29 but a lot of upside if you can get the right Packers receiver,
11:32 maybe all three of them and they deliver for Jordan Love.
11:35 That'll do it for us here on Fantasy Football Today Express.
11:37 More rankings debates coming up on our Fantasy Football Today show as well.
11:41 Make sure you tune in whenever we're broadcasting
11:43 on YouTube and certainly download our podcast wherever it's available.
11:46 For Dave Richard, Tom Shafer, I'm Jamie Eisenberg.
11:48 Thanks for watching and listening to Fantasy Football Today Express.