New Places, Familiar Faces – 2026 Wide Receivers
A change of scenery can sometimes breathe new life into a player’s fantasy value. But is the grass greener on the other side? That’s what we’re hoping to find out with several wide receivers this season.
Below, I highlight five familiar faces in new places and discuss how their new situations should impact fantasy football in 2026.
A.J. Brown (New England Patriots)
The offseason’s worst-kept secret. A.J. Brown finally got his wish and was shipped out of Philadelphia, reuniting with head coach Mike Vrabel in New England. The hope is that Brown will be happier in a pass-first offense quarterbacked by Drake Maye. And with that happiness, perhaps more productivity from Brown. Receivers are simple creatures; they just want the ball.
The issue is that Brown was already plenty productive last season. Excluding Week 18, he finished as the WR8 in total fantasy points scored. He was even better down the stretch: from Week 10 through the fantasy championship, Brown averaged 16.7 fantasy points per game, good for WR7.
That said, Maye could unlock Brown’s true ceiling. Last year’s MVP runner-up ranked first in yards per attempt (8.9), true passer rating (116.3), and true completion percentage (77.3%), per PlayerProfiler data. He was also fourth in deep ball completion percentage (50.0%). Brown ranked 12th in deep targets (22) in 2025 and remains one of the league’s premier downfield threats.
I’m all in on Brown this season and have him as a top-eight receiver. In dynasty, I’d be trying to add him if I were looking to push my chips in as a contender. With Maye slinging it, Brown’s upside is colossal, and I don’t want to miss out on what could be a special season.
Jaylen Waddle (Denver Broncos)
After a lot of trial and error with multiple players, Sean Payton finally has a dangerous weapon to deploy at flanker and in the slot: Jaylen Waddle. The Broncos were a Bo Nix ankle injury away from potentially reaching the Super Bowl and decided to go for broke by trading three picks, including their 2026 first-rounder, to land the former No. 6 overall pick this offseason.
Despite only totaling 910 yards and six touchdowns last season, Waddle remained efficient and explosive. He ranked sixth in first downs per route run (0.127), 10th in yards per route run (2.41), 10th in EPA with a mark of +64.0, and 13th in PlayerProfiler’s Explosive Rating (115.3).
Waddle now gets to catch passes from Bo Nix, who led the league in pass attempts a season ago. Nix was also third in deep ball attempts (71), which should mesh well with Waddle’s game. He produced his highest EPA per target on deep outs, digs, and post routes, per Dynatyze data.
You don’t trade a first-round pick for a decoy, so expect Payton and new offensive coordinator Davis Webb to feature Waddle early and often. The setup is there for him to smash this season and top 1,000 yards for the first time since 2023.
Waddle is a mid-WR2 for me in all seasonal formats and only a low-end WR2 in Dynasty because he’s already 27.
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