The wide receiver position has intriguing talent at all points in the draft, but the WR25 through WR36 range in average draft position (ADP) in half-PPR formats is an especially interesting area in drafts. There is a significant opportunity cost and a wide range of outcomes for some of the wideouts in that area.
I’ve sung the praises of Parker Washington, and I remain a fan of his at his WR34 (79.7 overall) ADP. He has the potential to finish as a WR1 and would fit the spirit of this piece. However, the following two wideout and their WR3 ADPs have WR1 upside, and also deserve their flowers. The forthcoming speedy and efficient wideouts project as the top wide receivers on their teams.
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Fantasy Football WR3s With WR1 Potential
Jaylen Waddle (WR – DEN) | ADP: 55 (WR26)
Jaylen Waddle will receive a sizable environmental upgrade in 2026. The Broncos freed him from the rebuilding Dolphins via a trade, and Waddle will step in as Denver’s No. 1 wide receiver alongside a nifty, big-bodied complement in the form of No. 2 wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
Denver’s offensive tendencies are a boon for Waddle’s fantasy scoring outlook. According to RotoViz’s pace app, since Week 1 of the 2024 season, the Broncos are tied for fourth in situation-neutral pass rate at 58%. The Dolphins had only a 54% situation-neutral pass rate during that period.
Furthermore, according to the Fantasy Points Data Suite, the Broncos ranked fourth in pass rate over expectation (5.5% PROE) in the 2025 regular season, while the Dolphins ranked 30th (-4.2% PROE). Denver was seventh in dropbacks (672), and Miami was 30th in dropbacks (532) last season.
Waddle will bring efficiency and juice to an offense that already leaned heavily into the pass. Per the Fantasy Points Data Suite, 91 wide receivers ran at least 250 routes in the 2025 regular season and playoffs combined, and Waddle had the following rankings:
- Fifth in air yards share (41.4%)
- 19th in target share (21.6%)
- Tied for 9th in targets per route run (0.26 TPRR)
- 15th in receiving yards market share (28.6%)
- 10th in yards per route run (2.42 YPRR)
- 13th in first-read rate (29.1%)
- Tied for 5th in first downs per route run (0.128)
- 9th in half-PPR points per route run (0.43)
- Tied for 12th in expected half-PPR points per route run (0.48)
Waddle’s four receptions and 56.9 receiving yards per game, and six receiving touchdowns last season were rock-solid, but they belie how impressive his aforementioned underlying data and rate stats were. Joining a pass-heavy offense is precisely what Waddle needs to blossom into a fantasy football WR1 in 2026.
Christian Watson (WR – GB) | ADP: 65.7 (WR29)
Injuries have been an unfortunate part of Christian Watson’s career, limiting him to 14 games as a rookie in 2022 and nine in 2023. The speedster also missed two games in 2024, but, more discouragingly, he tore his right ACL in Week 18. That game took place on January 1st, 2025.
Remarkably, Watson made his 2025 season debut in Week 8, on October 26th, 2025. Green Bay’s best wide receiver didn’t skip a beat, and the only game he missed the rest of the season was in Week 18, when the Packers rested their starters. Watson’s ability to avoid injury last season was an exciting career development.
Moreover, Watson barbecued defenses in 2025. Among 91 wideouts with at least 250 routes in the regular season and playoffs, Watson had the following rankings:
- 3rd in average depth of target (17.3-yard aDOT)
- 19th in air yards share (33.9%)
- 34th in target share (17.8%)
- Tied for 23rd in targets per route run (0.23 TPRR)
- Tied for 7th in yards per route run (2.45 YPRR)
- 6th in yards per target (10.44)
- 5th in yards per reception (17.03)
- 41st in yards after the catch per reception (4.08)
- 9th in first downs per route run (0.114)
- Tied for 5th in half-PPR points per route run (0.48)
- Tied for 21st in expected half-PPR points per route run (0.45)
Watson is a field-stretching weapon, as evidenced by his high aDOT. Yet, he was also mid-pack in yards after the catch per reception, which is a unique blend.
Sadly, Watson had only a 68.6% route participation rate last year. That might be partly attributable to the Packers exercising caution since he was returning from reconstructive knee surgery. At the same time, Matt LaFleur has a history of rotating wide receivers, and that also capped Watson’s route participation rate.
All signs point toward a narrower focus on playing time for Green Bay’s wide receivers this year after Romeo Doubs left in free agency and the team traded Dontayvion Wicks. The Packers didn’t draft any wide receivers, and Skyy Moore was their most significant addition in free agency. Watson has a straightforward path to a route participation rate north of 80% this season.
Watson also has enough tools in his tool belt to handle a full-time role, as he’s not just a one-dimensional vertical weapon. Watson torched defenses on a variety of routes, as evidenced by the table below, with data via the Fantasy Points Data Suite.
Watson was the WR15 in half-PPR points per game (11.5) among wideouts who played at least eight games last year. He was knocking on the door of a WR1 finish in points per game despite a sub-70% route participation rate.
Watson is undervalued, and even a slight uptick in route participation, along with the good health he exhibited after he returned from knee surgery, might be all he needs to finish as a top-12 wide receiver.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
