5 Dynasty Draft Values: Wide Receivers (2026 Fantasy Football)

As we inch closer to the start of the NFL preseason, dynasty startups continue to pop up left and right in the fantasy football space. Dynasty ADP has firmly been established, and I’ve reviewed that data on Dynasty Data Lab, which pulls real drafts from Sleeper to determine startup ADP. In today’s article, I’m covering five wide receivers who are being significantly undervalued in startups this offseason. Target these five players aggressively in your upcoming drafts. I’m confident they’ll see a surge in value once the season gets rolling.

Quick disclosure: the overall ADP you’ll see below is based on dynasty Superflex formats.

Fantasy Football Dynasty Startup Draft Wide Receiver Targets

Luther Burden III (WR – CHI)

My rank – WR14, 36th overall
ADP – WR17, 49th overall

If you’ve been following my dynasty content this offseason, you know how much of a Burden fan I am. He was highly efficient from a per-route basis as a rookie, finishing third in the NFL in yards per route run (YPRR), according to PlayerProfiler.

We saw Amon-Ra St. Brown develop into a superstar under Ben Johnson‘s system, and nothing is stopping Burden from following that same career arc. He was hand-selected by Johnson, and with D.J. Moore now in Buffalo, opportunity is wide open for the Missouri product.

Burden finished as the WR7 in fantasy points per route run in 2025, with just a 44.6% route participation rate. It’s reasonable to assume that route participation doubles in 2026. Assuming it does, Burden would be in line to average 15.1 PPR points per game. Getting that production from a second-year receiver would basically lock him in as a WR1 in dynasty moving forward.

Current startup ADP suggests you may be able to grab Burden after round four in your Superflex startups, which is an absolute smash. Take the value and don’t look back.

Jordyn Tyson (WR – NO)

My rank – WR10, 29th overall
ADP – WR20, 57th overall

Jordyn Tyson is my WR1 of the 2026 rookie class, one spot ahead of Carnell Tate in my overall dynasty ranks. He was incredibly efficient during his time in college, with a career 31.2% target rate and 2.71 YPRR. Tyson can play X, Z, and slot, and has the athleticism and ball skills that pop off the screen when you watch his college tape.

Why exactly are we valuing a wide receiver who was just selected 8th overall in the NFL Draft as a low-end WR2 in dynasty? I believe the market is concerned about Olave capping his fantasy ceiling and about his injury history.

While the hamstring stuff is a bit concerning, I’m willing to overlook injury history for the most part, as none of us can predict future injuries with any sort of accuracy. I also believe Tyson and Olave complement each other well, and the addition of Tyson will ultimately raise the overall ceiling of this Kellen Moore offense. Give me the superstar rookie playing in a dome and in a pass-heavy offense.

Zay Flowers (WR – BAL)

My rank – WR19, 45th overall
ADP – WR22, 60th overall

The Zay Flowers propaganda is making its way around the Redraft streets, but it doesn’t appear the dynasty community is quite as bullish. Well, I’m buying the hype on Flowers. He’s a former first-round pick heading into the prime of his career, coming off a WR7 overall finish in 2025. Flowers’ 29.1% target share ranked WR11 overall, and he finished as the WR5 in YPRR (2.62). If he can just post a league-average touchdown rate in 2026, he should have a chance to post a top-12 finish.

That’s the one caveat here. Despite Flowers being a target hog throughout his career, he only has 14 receiving touchdowns through three seasons. I’m betting on him finally turning the corner this season and earning a lucrative extension with Baltimore. He’s Lamar Jackson‘s No. 1 WR, and it’s not even close. That’s reason enough to buy in.

As a late-round five value, Flowers feels like a pretty obvious selection, looking at the other players going around him. I would consider him a full round earlier.

Makai Lemon (WR – PHI)

My rank – WR15, 37th overall
ADP – WR27, 68th overall

We have another rookie wide receiver on the list in Makai Lemon, selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 20th overall pick. The 2025 Biletkinoff winner was actually my WR1 of the rookie class pre-draft, but I moved him below Tyson and Tate after seeing draft capital and landing spot.

Like Tyson, Lemon was elite from a per-route perspective in college. He posted a 29.3% target rate and 3.13 YPRR for the USC Trojans in his final season. With A.J. Brown headed to New England, Lemon is stepping into the WR2 role right away for Philly. He’s a savvy slot receiver who plays bigger than his size suggests, and is a tremendous threat after the catch. I think there’s a world where Lemon surpasses Devonta Smith as the No. 1 WR this year and sees a monumental jump in dynasty value.

Market ADP suggests you can grab Lemon in the sixth round of Superflex startups, significantly after my early-round four valuation. I’m not sure why these rookies are being faded, but I can assure you it’s a mistake.

Josh Downs (WR – IND)

My rank – WR34, 91st overall
ADP – WR51, 128th overall

Why is Downs being valued as a WR5 in dynasty? Are we serious right now? I understand he had a disappointing 2025 campaign, but you have to understand the context. The Colts were deploying Downs almost exclusively from the slot position, and they transitioned to utilizing more 12-personnel sets, as many NFL teams were. With Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce on the team, Downs was often the odd man out in these heavy-TE sets. Warren was running a ton of routes from the slot, pushing Downs’ route participation down to 68.3%.

Fast forward to today, and Pittman is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers. We’ve also had reports of Downs being used all over the field in Organized Team Activities (OTAs). There’s always a chance Indianapolis signs someone like Keenan Allen (this would be devastating) or Deebo Samuel, but as of now, the No. 3 WR on the team is either Ashton Dulin or Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. There’s just no way either of these guys is seeing the field over Downs in 2WR sets.

And to be clear, now that Downs is clearly a top-two wide receiver in this offense (I’d argue he’s the best), it’s actually a good thing if the Colts run more heavy-TE sets. This will only further improve Downs’ per route efficiency, with fewer receivers on the field to fight for targets with. I wouldn’t be surprised if Downs is the top target earner in this offense in 2026, beating both Tyler Warren and Alec Pierce. This is a player who should easily go within the top 100 picks in a startup and is one of the most glaring values on the draft board.

Thanks for taking the time to check out today’s article. If you have any dynasty, devy, or C2C-related questions, I can be reached on X @jim_DFF.