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. Here are a few wide receivers our fantasy football expert consensus targets in drafts.
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2026 Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Wide Receivers Experts Love
Let’s look at a few wide receivers our expert consensus has ranked well above their current ADP.
Michael Pittman Jr. (PIT)
Michael Pittman Jr. quietly remained productive in 2025 despite losing ground to Alec Pierce in the Colts offense and dealing with declining efficiency. Now in Pittsburgh, Pittman projects as a reliable possession receiver who could quickly become Aaron Rodgers‘ preferred underneath target. His fantasy ceiling may be limited compared to DK Metcalf‘s splash-play upside, but Pittman’s volume and red-zone involvement should keep him firmly in the WR3 mix in a pass-happier offense led by HC MIke McCarthy. If the Steelers lean heavily on quick-game concepts, Pittman could easily lead the team in receptions/targets.
– Andrew Erickson
Josh Downs (IND)
Josh Downs is good. PFF’s 20th-highest graded WR in 2025. And for the second straight year…the Colts slot WR was hyper-targeted at a 24% clip. That led all Colts WRs and TEs in 2025. And he creates separation. Per Fantasy Points Data…Downs ranked 20th in average separation score. Downs has been limited because of a lack of high-end route participation, but a late-season route bump could suggest more of Downs in a full-time role in 2026….after the team traded Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers.
– Andrew Erickson
Wan’Dale Robinson (TEN)
Wan’Dale Robinson quietly delivered a breakout campaign in 2025, finishing as a top-20 WR in points per game while cementing himself as one of the most underrated volume earners. The former Giant expanded beyond his underneath role, seeing more downfield usage while surpassing 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career. Now reunited with Brian Daboll in Tennessee, Robinson profiles as a natural fit alongside young QB Cam Ward thanks to his separation skills and reliability underneath. His massive target-earning profile gives him sneaky upside, especially in full-PPR formats where volume is king.
– Andrew Erickson
Jayden Higgins (HOU)
We should always be looking to take swings on talented second-year wide receivers for fantasy football, and Jayden Higgins fits the bill as a possible late-round breakout candidate for 2026. Last year, in Weeks 8-18, Higgins had seven finishes as a WR3 or better in weekly scoring. During that stretch, Higgins, among 119 qualifying receivers, also ranked 24th in target per route run rate (24%) and 38th in first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). During those 11 games, among the same group of 119 receivers, Higgins was also 28th in yards per route run and 25th in route win rate as a perimeter receiver. If C.J. Stroud can at least be a league-average passer in 2026, Higgins could be a weekly WR2/3 or flex option. He also has contingent upside if Nico Collins misses any time.
– Derek Brown
Khalil Shakir (BUF)
Khalil Shakir once again provided stability without much ceiling, finishing as a WR3/4 despite operating as one of Josh Allen‘s most trusted targets. His short-area role created a reliable weekly floor, but limited downfield and red-zone usage continued to cap his fantasy upside. The addition of DJ Moore adds even more competition for targets, making it difficult to project meaningful volume growth in 2026. Shakir still profiles as Buffalo’s safest receiver from a consistency standpoint, but fantasy managers should view him more as a floor-based depth option than a breakout candidate.
– Andrew Erickson
Jalen Coker (CAR)
The Carolina passing attack will flow through Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker this season, especially with Chris Brazzell now missing up to eight weeks with a torn LCL. Last year, when Coker was at his healthiest (quad injury early in the year) during Weeks 13-19, he was challenging Tetairoa McMillan for the top spot in Carolina’s aerial attack. During that stretch, Coker had a 20% target share (McMillan 18.3%), 2.30 yards per route run (McMillan 1.78), four red zone targets (McMillan, one), and a 28.3% first-read share (McMillan 26.1% per Fantasy Points Data). In those six games played, Coker finished with at least 14 PPR points four times. Coker is a late-round priority for me this season. The massive divide between McMillan and Coker in ADP should not exist. Enjoy the value.
– Derek Brown
Late-Round Wide Receivers Experts Love to Draft
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Check out the consensus 2026 fantasy football draft rankings from our experts.
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