I have to say, sitting down in the mornings with a cup of coffee to write a fantasy football article with a positive outlook is always more refreshing than the alternative, picking out busts and players to avoid.
Somehow, the regular season is just one week away — I can’t believe that it is almost here already. Though a large portion of home leagues have drafted already, there are still plenty that wait until Labor Day weekend to draft, and a little last-minute cheat sheet never hurts to glance over.
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Fantasy Football WR3s With WR1 Potential
This article focuses on wide receivers that have the potential to finish within the top 12 at the position but are currently being drafted outside of the first 24 selections. This group of players is typically a secondary option for their team, mired in an offense that shifts its focus each week. Or they play on a run-first team that limits overall targets. The keyword is potential. Players who already possess the physical traits to ascend to WR1 status should have one factor break in their favor.
Here are four receivers who can be drafted in the middle rounds that have explosive potential.
Christian Watson (WR – GB)
Anyone who has followed Christian Watson’s career knows he possesses all the tools for a major breakout, but injuries, a crowded wide receiver room and Green Bay’s offensive scheme have held him in check. It seems that the skies are finally clearing, as we enter his fifth season in the league. Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks are gone, freeing up additional targets for Watson, who is being treated as the alpha option in the receiver room.
The legal situation swirling around Josh Jacobs will definitely put a crimp into the plans of how the Packers operate, forcing oft-injured MarShawn Lloyd to become the de facto top running back instead. It stands to reason that Green Bay will be forced into a more balanced approach until things are resolved, and your guess is as good as mine as to when that will happen.
Quarterback Jordan Love has proven that when given the opportunity to sling the ball around, he can be incredibly successful. He finished as the fantasy QB5 in 2023, passing for 4,159 yards and 32 touchdowns. It’s just that Love hasn’t been asked to ascend to those heights again, thanks to Jacobs’ success.
Managers drafting Watson certainly understand the injury history that comes in his wake — he hasn’t played an entire season since entering the league in 2022. Watson’s best fantasy finish came during his rookie campaign with a 41/611/7 split, but I’m confident that if his body holds up, he can become a fringe-WR1 in this offense.
DJ Moore (WR – BUF)
DJ Moore already finished as a WR1 earlier in his career, back in 2023, when his 96/1,364/8 resulted in a WR6 finish. Unlike Watson above, Moore has been the picture of health over the last half-decade, but has been hindered by younger competition sapping away his target share.
Leaving Chicago to join Buffalo during the offseason was a major boon for his fantasy value, as he instantly becomes Josh Allen‘s top option in the passing game. Moore’s style of play fits perfectly with how Allen likes to operate, extending plays with his legs and finding receivers who can break away downfield. Moore’s rapport with Allen has been described as seamless by Bills beat writers, who noted that the pair has an uncanny understanding of when and where to look for each other in passing situations.
Buffalo’s time to win a Super Bowl is now, and if they wish to make a deep run, Moore will be a focal point in the offense.
Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR – ARI)
Marvin Harrison Jr. entered the league in 2024 with about as much fanfare as I can remember, the prodigal son of a legend at the position. His dominance in college has thus far failed to translate to the next level, leaving a bitter taste in fantasy managers’ mouths. Yet, if one takes a step back and looks at the bigger picture, they will realize that Harrison’s failures aren’t on his shoulders alone, and that factors beyond his control have largely kept him in check.
Harrison’s rookie season saw him finish just outside of WR2 territory, with a robust 62/885/8 line that would be stellar for any other rookie not named Harrison. Last season, he sustained a concussion in Week 6 on the road against Indianapolis, had his appendix rupture the following month, which cost him another two games, and then dealt with a heel injury that sapped his explosiveness and forced him to miss another two games.
This came amid an awful quarterback situation and the Cardinals not calling plays that used his strengths. This season brings a fresh start under new head coach Mike LaFleur, who will call the plays. LaFleur enjoyed a ton of success as the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator from 2023-2025, and it stands to reason that he will make a point of getting Harrison involved early and often. Jacoby Brissett will start the year for the Cardinals, with rookie Carson Beck waiting in the wings once the team decides to give him an opportunity.
Brissett averaged nearly 300 passing yards per start last year, and (much to our delight as fantasy analysts) peppered his top options with targets, rather than spreading the ball around. I’m willing to give Harrison another chance in 2026, and am banking on a rebound campaign.
Parker Washington (WR – JAX)
Every time I refresh Parker Washington’s profile, I expect him to be drafted within the WR2 territory, but the market appears to have settled on him around WR30 overall, despite the offseason hype train. A PPR darling, Washington enters 2026 alongside Brian Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers, where he will primarily operate out of the slot.
A quick glance at how he ended last season explains why analysts are so confident that a breakout year is on the way for Washington. On a Jaguars team that lacks a true identity in the running game, Washington caught 29 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns over the final three games last season, and provided additional value on special teams as the primary return option. Other analysts will pour cold water on his outlook, citing target competition and the rise of Bhayshul Tuten in the backfield as reasons to avoid him at his current average draft position (ADP).
I’d counter that Jacksonville (and Washington) had their highest level of success last season, despite a crowded wide receiver room and Tuten on the team. As the saying goes — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Trevor Lawrence finished sixth in the league with 560 passing attempts last season, and I don’t envision much of a change. Washington doesn’t have the same touchdown upside as others on this list, but his floor each week with volume alone makes him a dangerous threat capable of pushing the WR1 envelope when the dust is settled.
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