Most of the fantasy football world agrees that either Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs should be the first running back drafted in 2026. However, it’s a much more open debate on which wide receiver should be the first drafted this year.
I have four wide receivers in my top tier: Ja’Marr Chase, Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. All four belong in the conversation of which wide receiver should be the first one drafted. They are the only wide receivers that are sure-fire first-round picks to me. Furthermore, all four should be picked within the first six picks of all half-point and full PPR scoring single-quarterback drafts.
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Making the Case for the Fantasy Football WR1
Therefore, which one should be the first wide receiver drafted? That’s for each fantasy player to decide, as all four wide receivers are deserving of that title. However, I’ve laid out the case for and against drafting each player as the first wide receiver off the board.
Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
The Case For: Chase is the WR1 in my rankings. Last year, he finished as the WR4, averaging 19.6 PPR fantasy points per game despite missing one contest with an injury and playing without Joe Burrow for half the season. Yet, Chase has been outstanding when playing with his former college teammate.
The superstar wide receiver has averaged 22.3 fantasy points per game over the past two years Burrow was healthy, including a 23.7 average in 2024. Last season, the superstar averaged 12.4 targets and 20.7 fantasy points per game with anyone but Jake Browning starting.
The Case Against: Unfortunately, Burrow has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. The superstar quarterback has missed 23.8% of the games in his career, including 16 contests (31.4%) over the past three years. Thankfully, the Bengals re-signed Joe Flacco earlier this offseason after trading for him before Week 6.
Last year, Chase averaged 14.4 targets and 21.5 fantasy points per game with Flacco starting over a five-game span, when Cincinnati got into multiple high-scoring games. Meanwhile, the Bengals vastly improved their defense over the offseason, which could cut back on how much the team is chasing points on offense.
Puka Nacua (WR – LAR)
The Case For: There hasn’t been a more impressive wide receiver over the past three years than Nacua. He has had at least 160 targets over a 17-game pace every season of his career. Furthermore, the former BYU star was the WR4 as a rookie, averaging 17.6 PPR fantasy points per game.
Nacua has gotten better every year of his career, ranking as the WR3 on a points-per-game basis in 2024, averaging 18.8 fantasy points per contest. Last season, the superstar finished as the WR1, averaging 23.4 fantasy points per game, the second-highest average in fantasy football.
The Case Against: Thankfully, Nacua has had most of the receptions in his career come from Matthew Stafford. The future Hall of Famer has only missed one game over the past three years because of injury. However, he missed eight games in 2022 and had a back issue heading into last season.
Furthermore, Nacua’s production skyrocketed when Davante Adams got hurt. He averaged 22.1 fantasy points per game and had a 5% touchdown rate with the veteran healthy. By comparison, Nacua averaged 29.4 fantasy points per game and had a 13.8% touchdown rate during the final three weeks with Adams sidelined.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA)
The Case For: Smith-Njigba broke out in the second half of the 2024 season, leading to a top-15 ranking last year. However, he was far better, ending the season as the WR2, averaging 21.2 PPR fantasy points per game, leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards despite playing on a run-first offense.
Despite having Sam Darnold as his quarterback, Smith-Njigba was outstanding last year, averaging 2.21 fantasy points per target, the second-best mark among qualifying wide receivers. Furthermore, he had a 44.1% receiving yards market share and a 42.1% dominator rating, which proves that Smith-Njigba was the passing attack for Seattle in 2025.
The Case Against: The Seahawks have a new offensive coordinator, as Brian Fleury was hired after Klint Kubiak took the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job. Fantasy players have to wonder if Darnold will continue to play like he did last season or will turn back into a pumpkin, especially with a first-time offensive coordinator.
Seattle also no longer has an elite rushing attack after losing Kenneth Walker III in free agency and Zach Charbonnet coming off a torn ACL, which will lead defenses to put more resources on slowing down Smith-Njigba. Furthermore, the team held onto Rashid Shaheed, giving the superstar some meaningful target competition.
Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – DET)
The Case For: I would argue that the safest player to draft is St. Brown. While he isn’t the WR1 in my redraft rankings, St. Brown is the top guy in my guillotine rankings. He has been incredibly consistent, totaling at least 115 receptions on 141 targets for 1,263 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns in three consecutive years.
More importantly, the former USC star has finished as a top-seven wide receiver in PPR scoring every season since his rookie year, including three consecutive WR3 finishes in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Furthermore, St. Brown scored double-digit touchdowns in all three seasons despite Detroit having several other productive weapons on offense.
The Case Against: Unlike the other three wide receivers in this conversation, St. Brown is a long shot to finish this year as the overall WR1. He has had some lucky breaks over the past few seasons with Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams missing time because of injury and suspension, helping his target share upside.
Furthermore, the Lions have high hopes for Isaac TeSlaa after all six of his receiving touchdowns (on only 16 receptions) accounted for 23.1% of the team’s red zone total. More importantly, the coaching staff keeps talking up Jahmyr Gibbs. If he has a Christian McCaffrey-like elite year, St. Brown could see his role on offense decline.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
