Free agency is around the corner in the NFL. The wide receiver market would be interesting if the top names reached free agency. Sadly, I don’t expect the first two featured wideouts listed below to reach the open market. Still, there’s an intriguing mix of potential first-time free agents and veterans who could be on the move in free agency. Spotrac estimates that the following six wide receivers will have salaries with an average annual value of more than $13 million. Let’s dive into their fantasy football outlook.
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Top 2026 Free Agent Wide Receivers
George Pickens (WR – DAL)
The Cowboys traded the Steelers a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick for George Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick before the season. Jerry Jones got everything he could have dreamed of and more from Pickens, who outproduced CeeDee Lamb.
According to the Fantasy Points data suite, among 86 wide receivers with at least 250 routes in 2025, Pickens was 27th in air yards share (31.8%), fifth in air yards (1,574), 23rd in target share (21%), sixth in receptions (93), fourth in receiving yards per game (84.1), tied for seventh in yards per route run (2.45 Y/RR), tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns (nine) and second in end-zone targets (18). Pickens turned his elite underlying and surface stats into the WR5 finish in half-point per reception (half PPR) formats and the WR6 finish in half-PPR points per game (14.4).
Spotrac projects Pickens’ market value at $30.6 million, and Over The Cap projects the franchise tag for wide receivers to be $28 million in 2026. If the Cowboys can’t agree on a long-term deal with Pickens, the franchise tag or a trade are options.
Alec Pierce (WR – IND)
Alec Pierce broke out in 2025. Out of the same sample of 86 wideouts with at least 250 routes, Pierce was third in air yards share (43%), fourth in air yards (1,631), tied for 36th in target share (17.4%), tied for 45th in receptions (47), tied for 12th in receiving yards per game (66.9), 12th in yards per route run (2.25 Y/RR), second in yards per target (11.94), first in yards per reception (21.34), tied for 18th in receiving touchdowns (six) and tied for 10th in end-zone targets (11). He was the WR24 in half-PPR points and tied for the WR20 in half-PPR points per game (10.7).
Pierce is an elite field-stretching weapon. He is also an appealing red-zone target. The Colts don’t have a high-salary quarterback on their books. Pierce is due for a big payday. Indianapolis would most certainly love to agree on a long-term extension with Pierce. The franchise tag also isn’t out of the question if a long-term pact can’t be agreed upon. However, the transition tag is also an option. Over the Cap projects the transition tag for wideouts to be approximately $24.3 million in 2026, and it ensures the Colts would have the right to match another team’s offer. Pierce is an ascending talent, and my money would be on him playing for the Colts in 2026.
Deebo Samuel (WR – WSH)
The Commanders moved some chips into the middle of the table after a surprising run to the NFC Championship Game during Jayden Daniels‘s rookie season. The bottom fell out on their over-the-hill roster, and Deebo Samuel is set to hit free agency.
The veteran wideout’s 2025 production wasn’t too dissimilar to his 2024 output. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Samuel had 1.60 Y/RR on 420 routes in 2024 and 1.66 Y/RR on 437 routes in 2025. Sadly, his yards after the catch per reception (6.5 YAC/Rec) dropped to a career low of 6.5, down from last year’s career low of 8.2. Samuel turns 30 years old on January 15.
Samuel can help a new employer in a secondary or, better yet, a tertiary or ancillary role if his production doesn’t dip much further. However, given Samuel’s unique skills and reliance on YAC, a cliff season might be on the horizon.
Jauan Jennings (WR – SF)
Jauan Jennings held out during a significant portion of training camp and the preseason, seeking an extension or a trade. He got neither. While the offseason impasse might have suggested the two sides parting ways at the end of the year, that might not be the case.
Instead, Brandon Aiyuk will almost certainly play somewhere else in 2026. The 49ers voided his 2026 guaranteed money. With Aiyuk assuredly out of the picture in 2026, Ricky Pearsall failing to prove he’s an alpha wide receiver while dealing with a knee injury this year and lackluster options elsewhere on the depth chart, retaining Jennings might be a priority for San Francisco.
Jennings has also been banged up but managed to suit up for 15 games in the regular season. Jennings’ production this year was a mixed bag. Among wide receivers with at least 250 routes this season, Jennings was 42nd in air yards share (25%), 33rd in target share (17.8%), tied for 37th in targets per route run (0.20 TPRR), 22nd in first-read rate (26.4%), tied for 36th in receptions (55), 41st in receiving yards per game (42.9), 50th in yards per route run (1.51 Y/RR), tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns (nine) and tied for 28th in end-zone targets (eight). Jennings’ high first-read rate and end-zone prowess were checks in the pros column for him, but his yards per route run were a check in the negatives column.
Perhaps a healthier Jennings in 2026 can perform better, and a big postseason showing could change his free-agent outlook as well. Still, he’s probably best viewed as a WR2/WR3 on a real-life team and a WR3/Flex in fantasy leagues in most landing spots.
Wan’Dale Robinson (WR – NYG)
Wan’Dale Robinson proved he’s more than a PPR scam in 2025. He broke out to the tune of career highs in receptions per game (5.8), receiving yards per game (63.4) and touchdowns (four). Robinson was the WR16 in half-PPR points and tied for the WR20 in half-PPR points per game (10.7).
Robinson was also a favorite of Jaxson Dart‘s in the passing attack, logging the following stats in Dart’s 11 starts.
- 92.8% route participation rate
- 7.0-yard average depth of target (aDOT)
- 25.2% air yards share
- 27.8% target share
- 0.25 TPRR
- 32.1% first-read rate
- 88 targets (8.0 per game)
- 64 receptions (5.8 per game)
- 599 receiving yards (54.5 per game)
- 1.67 Y/RR
- Two touchdowns
- 9.5 half-PPR points per game
- 13.6 expected half-PPR points per game
Malik Nabers is on the mend after having surgery for a season-ending knee injury suffered in Week 4 against the Chargers. Ultimately, he’ll return next year to be Big Blue’s and Dart’s No. 1 wide receiver. Darius Slayton is also under contract. There’s room in the wide receiving corps for the Giants to retain Robinson. However, a new head coach might want to go in a different direction. Robinson played well enough to garner significant interest on the open market, and he might get there. His landing spot will impact his fantasy value, but Robinson’s fantasy outlook is up after a stellar 2025 campaign.
Mike Evans (WR – TB)
It’s difficult to imagine Mike Evans suiting up in any uniform other than Tampa Bay’s. At the same time, the club signed Chris Godwin to a multi-year extension last summer, drafted Jalen McMillan in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft and used the 19th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Emeka Egbuka.
The Buccaneers wouldn’t be hurting at wide receiver without Evans. Nonetheless, the two sides could reach an agreement on a one-year deal if Evans wants to remain with the only team he’s ever played for and continue playing. It’s not a lock he’ll keep playing, though. Evans could take “a month or two” to decide his playing future.
Unfortunately, his 1,000-yard receiving streak came to an end after 11 seasons. Evans played in only eight games this year because of injuries. The 32-year-old receiver might not have extended his streak to 12 years even if he remained healthy, since he had fewer than 60 receiving yards in seven of eight contests. Yet, he reminded fantasy gamers and football fans of his ability to dominate a contest by barbecuing the Falcons for six receptions and 132 receiving yards on 12 targets in Week 15.
Evans also still had a nose for the end zone. He scored a touchdown in three games this year. Evans had a 35.9% air yards share, 21.5% target share, 0.28 TPRR, 27.8% first-read rate and seven end-zone targets. So, some of his underlying data was quite good in an injury-plagued year. Evans’ 3.8 receptions per game, 46 receiving yards per game and 1.76 Y/RR weren’t as encouraging. Gamers will need to recalibrate their expectations for Evans if he continues to play in 2026. Nevertheless, he did enough in 2025 not to write him off in fantasy leagues in 2026 just yet.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
