When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and which to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable fantasy football players below.
- 2026 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
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2026 Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Must-Have Wide Receivers
Here are a few wide receivers Derek Brown love to target in 2026 fantasy football drafts.
Christian Watson (GB) — ECR: WR27
Christian Watson got the bag this offseason and should be considered the clear WR1 for the Green Bay Packers. Watson deserved the pay day as a he proved that he can handle this role last year. Last season, in Weeks 8-18, he was the WR21 in fantasy points per game with an 18.2% target share, 61.1 receiving yards per game, 2.67 yards per route run, a 23.9% first-read share, and 0.122 first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). His target share and first-read share should go up this season with Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks gone and Watson likely getting promoted into a full-time role. Last year, he was also held back by a 68% route share (56th out of 109 qualifying receivers). The increase in usage and playing time should make his ultra-efficiency per route even more deadly in 2026. Last year, among those 109 qualifying receivers, Watson ranked fourth in yards per route run, tenth in first downs per route run, and sixth in fantasy points per route run. Watson is a strong WR2 with upside for more in 2026.
Parker Washington (JAC) — ECR: WR36
Parker Washington finished last season with a flurry of insane production; if he picks up right where he left off, he’ll be one of the best picks in fantasy football this season. Last year, in Weeks 16-19, Washington asserted himself as the Jags’ clear WR1. During that stretch, he averaged 22.3 PPR points per game while soaking up six red zone targets and 13 deep targets (per Fantasy Points Data). In those four games, he had a 28.9% target share, 113.5 receiving yards per game, 3.78 yards per route run, and a 33.3% first-read share. Those are all absolutely elite metrics no matter how you slice it. There’s some uncertainty about how the Jags target hierarchy sifts out this season with Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter healthy. Each player could effectively put a dent in Washington, putting up monster numbers in 2026, but that risk is baked into Washington’s price in drafts. He’s a wonderful upside swing in the later rounds.
Ricky Pearsall (SF) — ECR: WR43
Ricky Pearsall is reaching make-or-break territory. Last year was another injury-marred campaign, as he was limited to nine games played with a PCL sprain that plagued him all year, essentially. Pearsall still flashed when he was on the field, with four top-24 weekly finishes in those nine games (WR20, WR11, WR21, WR22). Last year, Pearsall only drew a 17.4% target share, but he averaged 58.7 receiving yards with 2.02 yards per route run and 0.103 first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). Last year, among 109 qualifying receivers, Pearsall ranked 23rd in yards per route run and 22nd in first downs per route run. On a per-route basis, Pearsall was excellent. Yes, Mike Evans was added to this offense along with Christian Kirk and De’Zhaun Stribling. I don’t see Kirk or Stribling impacting Pearsall’s role and volume in this offense if he can stay healthy. If Pearsall can finally put together a full, healthy 17-game season, this could be his breakout year. I’ll take that shot late in drafts all the time.
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Fantasy Football Draft Rankings
Check out the consensus 2026 fantasy football draft rankings from our experts.
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