dynasty wide receivers

AJB

New Places, Familiar Faces – 2026 Wide Receivers

Dynasty / By /

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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Luther Burden III

Luther Burden III: Has the Hype Become Too Much of a Burden?

Dynasty / By /

Luther Burden III has one of the most inspiring backstories in the NFL. Rising from a tough childhood in East St. Louis to becoming a standout wide receiver for the Chicago Bears, his relentless work ethic and local pride are undeniable. However, heading into his second year, his skyrocketing fantasy football ADP has reached a point of “all gas, no brakes.” In high-stakes dynasty startups, investing heavily in the sophomore receiver is a risky proposition, and he is currently being drafted at overvalued levels.

The Hype vs. Reality

It is hard not to be a fan of Luther Burden III. After an electrifying rookie campaign in 2025, his value has soared.

I was thinking about writing an article comparing Justin Jefferson’s first-year rookie season to Burden’s. The rise, the hype, and the comparisons entering their second seasons. Given the hype in ADP over the past couple of months, the analytics show no comparison. While Burden is incredibly electric after the catch, his usage in Ben Johnson’s offense has been heavily concentrated around the line of scrimmage. His average target distance ranked near the bottom among starting wide receivers, making his weekly upside highly dependent on yards after the catch rather than high-value, downfield passing volume.

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Justin Jefferson

The Jefferson Tax Act: Dynasty Fantasy Football’s Most Expensive WR2

All Access, Dynasty / By /

Let’s just say it out loud: Justin Jefferson is being drafted like it’s still 2022. But it’s not 2022 anymore. And the numbers don’t care about reputation. I’m not saying Jefferson is bad. I’m not saying he suddenly forgot how to run routes. I am saying that fantasy managers are paying for a version of Jefferson that no longer exists — and may not be coming back, despite where he lands in NFL fantasy rankings. This is not my Packers’ bias coming into play – although I do enjoy seeing him fail. What this actually is is a classic case of name value outrunning production.

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TreVeyon Henderson

Beginner’s Guide to Devy Startups

Devy / By /

For my first Devy article, I wanted to discuss the basic strategy behind a Devy startup draft. I’ve recently jumped into the Devy world, and I can safely say there’s no looking back. For those unaware, the Devy format is just a Dynasty league format, plus the addition of drafting current college players in a separate “Devy draft”. You roster these college players until they (hopefully) are drafted into the NFL, and you can place them into your weekly lineups. You can trade these players away like any other asset; they just won’t earn you points until they’re in the NFL (at least in standard Devy leagues). 

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watson

Christian Watson: 2023 Dynasty Profile

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Being a late bloomer, Watson was not heavily recruited in high school. He graduated at 6’2″, growing another two inches in college. Watson had a significant growth spurt between his junior and senior seasons, gaining 20 lbs. Because of this, he didn’t get significant playing time until his senior year, where he posted modest numbers of 23 receptions, 393 yards, and eight TDs. North Dakota State offered Watson a scholarship, and Watson stayed in the FCS program for all four years. His most impressive campaign was his senior season, posting 43 receptions, 801 yards, and 7 TDs. As a senior, he also tacked on 15 rush attempts for 114 yards and one TD. Watson was consistently used in the running game for the Bisons since his sophomore season. 

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The Art of Trading

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A crucial component to Dynasty football success is your ability to win trades and put your team in a better position to compete now or in the future. The “art of trading” is often overlooked by Dynasty owners, which can lead to frustrating experiences during negotiation. Taking the time to master the art of trading could pay dividends in your Dynasty league, and I’m here to provide you with a few tips to help hone those skills. So sit tight, enjoy, and let’s get ready to win some fantasy football leagues.

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Reviewing Dynasty Trades

Dynasty / By /

Welcome back, Dynasty family! I wanted to mix it up today and review a few real trades in my Dynasty leagues this off-season. I’ll show you the trade results and give you my thoughts, breaking down each trade, and letting you know who I think came out on top. I’ll also provide you with the basic league format for each trade, which helps us to see the complete picture. So let’s jump right into our first trade!

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Jordan Addison

Jordan Addison: Dynasty and Redraft Outlook

Dynasty / By /

The off-season is a great time to garner expectations for players entering the new season. There is plenty of data available to tell us what we might be able to expect from most players each season. With rookies, however, it can be much more challenging. We have much less to go off of, and having zero NFL information makes it especially difficult. But we should not get discouraged and give up. We must use what we have to formulate reasonable opinions on what might happen! This way, we can efficiently evaluate these players in both Dynasty and Redraft leagues. Today, I will cover Jordan Addison and what to do with him in Dynasty and upcoming Redraft leagues. 

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wandale

Giants Pass-Catchers

Dynasty / By /

As we inch closer to training camp, the fantasy hive-mind begins sorting out how they feel rosters and depth charts will settle by the time we get the regular season. Some spots are easy. Patrick Mahomes will be the QB1 for the Kansas City Chiefs. Some spots are much trickier. The New York Giants WR room is one of the trickiest in the league. A combination of middling veterans and unproven youth cause this group to be underwhelming. Despite no true superstars, someone will have to catch passes from Daniel Jones. Who will it be? Knowing the answer now will give you a massive edge over your league mates.

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Christian Watson

Breaking Down the Metrics: Dynasty Football Wide Receivers

Dynasty / By /

In the fantasy football Twitter space, different and new stats and metrics are thrown out constantly by people talking about their favorite and least favorite players. My job as a numbers-based analyst is to understand which statistics best project fantasy success. In this mini-series, I will go through each position and tell you some of my favorite stats, how much they matter, and stats I often see that do not matter as much as someone might want you to think. Let’s dive right in with our first position: wide receiver.

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Chris Olave

Wizful Thinking: Who Got Next?

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The revolution is here, and it is being led by WRs. In the last several years, the young WRs in particular, have changed the way many Dynasty managers have gone about building out their rosters for future success. We have seen numerous rookie wideouts make immediate impacts and become the foundation teams are now built around. The NFL has recently changed in more ways than one. We are in the “Air Raid” era that has allowed rookie WRs to come in and make an immediate impact.

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Comparing ADP, Dynasty to Redraft: AFC North

Dynasty / By /

A much-overlooked aspect of dynasty is value comparison, or comparing the values of dynasty players to redraft players and seeing which is worth more or less. You might be thinking “well, duh! Of course, older players are worth less in dynasty than redraft!” to which I agree. But what about Daniel Jones (QB – NYJ), who is only 25 years old? Should he be worth more in redraft or dynasty? Or how about Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – DEN), who in redraft has an ADP of WR10, but in dynasty he’s valued as WR6. Which side more appropriately values players? In this series, which will take place over nine parts (one part for each division and a rookie roundup after the draft), I’ll be evaluating every skill position player on every team and giving my thoughts on their value, whether they are overvalued compared to redraft, or undervalued. Usually, the appropriate value will be somewhere in the middle.

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