6 Second-Year Wide Receivers: Fantasy Football Outlook (2026)

The 2025 rookie class produced one of the more electric groups of instant fantasy football contributors in recent memory, and now every one of these players enters 2026 with a full season of NFL tape, an offseason to build on their role, and, in most cases, a clearer runway to more usage. Below is the 2026 fantasy football outlook for second-year wide receivers.

2026 Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Second-Year Wide Receivers

Let’s take a look at the most fantasy football-relevant second-year wide receivers in fantasy football drafts. Check out their current rankings and fantasy football outlook for 2026.

Wide Receivers

A mixed bag of Year 2 outlooks, from clear breakout candidates to receivers still fighting for target share.

Tetairoa McMillan (CAR) — WR15, Overall RK30, Bye: 5

Tetairoa McMillan wasted no time establishing himself as Carolina’s clear-cut WR1, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year after nearly topping 1,100 receiving yards on 126 targets. The rookie standout commanded elite volume immediately, finishing with a 23% target share and massive 41% air yards share despite operating in a run-heavy offense. McMillan consistently delivered as Bryce Young‘s go-to option and flashed massive upside whenever the Panthers leaned into the passing game. After such a polished rookie campaign, T-Mac looks poised to make the jump into the fantasy WR1 conversation entering Year 2.

Emeka Egbuka (TB) — WR19, Overall RK40, Bye: 10

Emeka Egbuka could crush his mid WR2 draft cost this season. Egbuka faded after Week 5 last year after he sustained a hamstring injury, and Baker Mayfield‘s injury severely impacted his ability to feed catchable targets to the receiving options in Tampa Bay. In Weeks 1-5, Egbuka was the WR3 in fantasy points per game, commanding a 22.1% target share with 89 receiving yards per game, 2.71 yards per route run, a 26.1% first-read share, and 0.104 first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). Had Egbuka kept up that pace all season, he would have ranked 19th in target share, third in receiving yards per game, fourth in yards per route run, 26th in first-read share, and 20th in first downs per route run. Sadly, he didn’t keep up that pace. In Weeks 6-18, despite still drawing a 23.1% target share with a 28.9% first-read share, Egbuka had only 41.1 receiving yards per game, 1.50 yards per route run, and 0.052 first downs per route run as the WR55 in fantasy points per game. If Egbuka had closed the season with the flurry of production instead of the other way around, fantasy gamers would be foaming at the mouth to draft him this season. Consider me a rabid drafter hellbent upon drafting as much Egbuka as possible this season. Entering his second season with Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan as his primary competition for targets, Egbuka can establish himself as the team’s clear WR1 and return WR1/2 production.

Luther Burden III (CHI) — WR23, Overall RK48, Bye: 10

Luther Burden steps into a much larger workload in 2026. Last year (including the playoffs), Burden had only five games in which he played at least 53% of the snaps. In those games, he had a 15.5% target share and 61.2 receiving yards per game, which is concerning, but his per-route metrics were outstanding, with 2.30 yards per route run, a 23.6% first-read share, and 0.120 first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). There’s a lot of projection for Burden’s 2026 season. Last year, he was stellar overall per-route with a 26% target per route run rate (11th), 2.83 yards per route run (third), 0.117 first downs per route run (12th), and 0.56 fantasy points per route run (eighth, among all wideouts with at least 200 routes). The hope and hype centered around Burden is that he can turn that small-sample hyper-efficiency into a marvelous season with a full-time workload. That could happen this year, and it sends him screaming up the weekly rankings for wide receivers, but Burden also has Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland to contend with for the top spot in the Chicago pecking order. Burden is best viewed as a WR2 with upside.

Tre’ Harris (LAC) — WR64, Overall RK167, Bye: 7

Tre Harris has to be one of the best WR sleepers to take in 2026. The second-year WR is being grouped into the “elite” Chargers WR conversation alongside Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston by HC John Harbaugh. And even though his rookie year didn’t feature a ton of highlight-reel plays or counting stats, his playing time increased because of his contributions as a run-blocker. That suggests he could see much more playing time (and targets) than his bottom-dwelling ADP would indicate in 2026. Harris can create big plays and is versatile enough to line up all over the formation. He also averaged 5.5 targets in the last two games that QJ missed in the second half of the season. If the Chargers lean into the run game more with their new OC, Mike McDaniel, Harris could be a major benefactor in terms of snaps/routes based on how well he does the dirty work.

Travis Hunter (JAC) — WR65, Overall RK169, Bye: 7

Travis Hunter remains one of fantasy football’s most fascinating wild cards as Jacksonville continues to balance his two-way responsibilities. Early indications suggest the Jaguars want him playing more cornerback in 2026, although that may not necessarily come at the expense of his WR role. Before his injury last season, Hunter was heavily involved as a schemed-touch weapon, leading the Jaguars in catches while flashing explosive upside from the slot. His fantasy value ultimately hinges on offensive snap volume, making him more of a high-upside stash unless injuries or dedicated role expansion push him into a full-time receiving role.

Jaylin Noel (HOU) — WR71, Overall RK183, Bye: 8

Jaylin Noel barely made an impact statistically as a rookie, but Houston always viewed him as more of a long-term option behind its veteran receivers. With Christian Kirk now gone, Noel has a realistic path to a much larger offensive role after flashing whenever he received extended playing time in 2025. He was Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) seventh-highest graded returner on 72 combined kick/punt returns in 2025. He flashed on multiple occasions as a receiver in Year 1. In the games where Noel ran at least 17 routes, he averaged almost four receptions per game.Tank Dell‘s eventual return could create some overlap, but Noel is firmly on the radar as a Year 2 breakout candidate in Houston’s offense.