Evan Tarracciano | Fri, Aug 7th 2026, 7:22am EDT

5 Must-Have Wide Receivers to Target (2026 Fantasy Football)

If you ventured into my kitchen area, you’d find multiple whiteboards hanging on the wall, outlining both the weekly and monthly schedule for my family. With three kids going back to school (all are involved in sports), extracurricular activities like marching band, my wife’s call schedule at the office, and articles due all the time, it can be difficult to keep track of things. What time was I supposed to pick up my son from soccer practice? What meal did I plan to make for dinner tonight? Was my daughter’s biology test on Thursday or Friday? The list goes on.

Each month I make it a point to draw a little cartoon atop the monthly calendar, just to add a little flair. For August, I managed to scribble down a school bus, an apple, and a fake math exam (much to the chagrin of my kids). I can’t believe how fast this year has moved already. How can it be August?

With September right around the corner and preseason games already underway, fantasy football draft season is officially here. It is time to sit down and assemble our rosters, narrowing down players to target and avoid.

The two “make or break” backbone positions of fantasy football squads are running back and wide receiver. These two spots comprise the bulk of points each week, and managers often chock their benches full of upside stashes in the hopes of a breakout. Like every analyst in the sector, I have my fair share of “flag plant” players for 2026, especially at wideout.

There are a number of players that I’ll obtain as many shares of as possible. Some names will look familiar; others are unique to yours truly, but they all share one thing in common – they can be found after Tier 3 in the FantasyPros ECR (found here as reference). It is easy to say that Ja’Marr Chase or Puka Nacua will put up great statistics this year – you need to dive a little deeper than that to actually win a championship.

Here are a few of my favorite selections at the receiver position, ranked outside of the top-30.

Fantasy Football Wide Receivers to Target

Parker Washington (WR – JAC)

Parker Washington is coming off an outstanding third season in Jacksonville, finishing as the WR27 last season in half-point PPR formats with a 58/847/5 split (all career highs). Initially used as a rotational piece alongside Travis Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr., Washington really hit his stride after the Jaguars’ bye in Week 8, becoming the featured receiver in the offense and someone whom quarterback Trevor Lawrence favored. Washington saw at least seven or more targets in seven of his last nine starts, including a whopping 29 over the final three weeks of the season. Hunter is supposedly transitioning to playing more snaps at defensive back this year, and Brian Thomas Jr. took a major step back his sophomore season, struggling with injuries and ineffectiveness. I favored Washington over Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers as the Jaguars’ main receiving threat for 2026, even before the steady drumbeat of positive reports from beat reporters in Jacksonville these past few weeks. Described as “literally unguardable,” “the top target at practice,” and “dynamic” with the ball in his hands by multiple reporters, Washington is somehow slipping in drafts as a late-round value. Liam Cohen loves to call plays targeting players operating out of the slot as the primary read, and I don’t think that it is outrageous to project Washington for his first 1,000 receiving-yard season in 2026. Keep in mind that he’s also the return man for Jacksonville, so that adds further value in leagues that reward special teams contributions. He’s a favorite WR3 target for me in drafts this year.

Wan’Dale Robinson (WR – TEN)

Wan’Dale Robinson was one of the most productive wide receivers in the league last season, securing 92 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns, earning him a WR16 finish. His critics will be quick to point out that this was largely done without Malik Nabers consuming looks across from him, and now that he is in Tennessee alongside Carnell Tate, there is no chance that he could match 2025’s productivity. Honestly? I feel that is lazy analysis. Sure, Robinson has changed venues, but he remains paired with Brian Daboll, who clearly loves to feature him in this offensive scheme. Robinson’s 140 targets last year were the eighth most in the league, but before you consider this an outlier, I’ll quickly remind you that he had the exact same number of targets in 2024. The biggest difference between his finishes was a sharp rise in yards per reception, coupled with where he was targeted on the field. Titans quarterback Cam Ward is expected to make a second-year leap for the team, and a quick way for him to gain confidence is by throwing passes with a high completion percentage close to the line of scrimmage. Dismissing last season as a fluke has caused his ADP to plummet and his ranking to slip; currently, we have him pegged at WR43 in our rankings. Much like Rodney Dangerfield, Robinson is currently getting no respect, and it is high time for to change.

Makai Lemon (WR – PHI)

I discussed my opinion on the 2026 NFL Draft class last week with Bob Harris and Mike Dempsey from Football Diehards on Sirius XM, stating that managers were largely spoiled with the insane amount of production from rookies the year prior, and that they should temper expectations for this class. Due largely to college athletes wishing to stay for additional years to earn NIL money, the “top end” talent was scarce for teams to select from this year, with few true blue-chip options to grab. Philadelphia managed to acquire Lemon with the 20^th overall selection, trading UP to grab the former USC standout as the third receiver off the board in April. To put things succinctly, Lemon is a perfect fit for Philadelphia, which desperately needed to fill the gaping hole that A.J. Brown left when he was traded to New England. Lemon’s upside is as high as anyone in the class, especially considering his ability to line up both inside and outside on a potent offense like the Eagles. Lemon should thrive under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, who operates with a scheme similar to San Francisco and Los Angeles. His main competition for targets is DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, and both veterans have struggled with their fair share of bumps and bruises in the past. Additionally, I expect the NFC East to be a much more competitive division in 2026, with Washington and New York taking steps to close the gap between themselves and the Eagles. Out of all receivers selected within the first round, I prefer Lemon’s fit the most, and view him as the top choice for an immediate impact in 2026. News has been relatively quiet on Lemon out of Philadelphia’s camp since he’s been nursing a hamstring injury, but I haven’t come across a report that has me overly concerned about his ability to vault ahead of Dontayvion Wicks in the depth chart. I’m happy grabbing Lemon at his current ADP.

Romeo Doubs (WR – NE)

During Doubs’ first four seasons with the Green Bay Packers, he failed to separate himself from the rest of the crowded receiver room, posting FLEX-worthy numbers but failing to ascend further than that. The Packers’ propensity to feature a different receiver each week was infuriating, and consistency was hard for Doubs to ever attain without steady target volume. Thankfully, he will enjoy a change of scenery, now a member of the New England Patriots. He slides in immediately as the WR2 opposite A.J. Brown, and will benefit from the strong play under center by Drake Maye. Coordinator Josh McDaniels will feature Doubs as his chain-moving threat in this offense, which I expect to transition into a more pass-heavy approach in 2026. Doubs should easily slot ahead of tertiary options like Kayshon Boutte or Kyle Williams, and his veteran presence will be a giant boon to this young team. I still envision Doubs as a WR3 play, but his upside warrants consideration in the middle rounds as a dart throw worth investing in.

Malik Washington (WR – MIA)

The second Washington to make my list, Malik finds his name listed here almost by default. Sure, the Miami Dolphins are a total mess on both sides of the ball. Though that presents major warning flags to some, I’m willing to invest based upon current cost and potential upside alone. Someone other than De’Von Achane will need to catch passes for this team, and Washington is currently the top option on the team’s depth chart. Last season’s statistics for Washington aren’t particularly eye-popping – (46 receptions on 65 targets for 317 and three touchdowns doesn’t scream BREAKOUT CANDIDATE to many). That said, the Dolphins should be playing perpetually from behind and in a pass-heavy mode, and the remaining receivers don’t instill much fear in me. Rookies Caleb Douglas and Chis Bell are likely to line up outside, with Washington working out of the slot primarily. New quarterback Malik Willis has shown a connection with Washington early on in training camp, and his looks are no longer exclusively coming on screen passes or reverses, but downfield targets. Washington is the first Dolphins wideout listed on our ECR as a mid-tier 7 option, at WR74. I understand the hesitation, but the upside alone presents a massive return on investment if things break the right way in Miami.

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