Must-Draft WRs
If you leave your draft without one of these five, you're cooked. Here's why each one needs to be on your board.
Nico Collins (HOU)
Nico Collins was already one of the most efficient WR1s in football, and with Jayden Higgins now out for the year with a torn ACL, Collins' role in this offense only becomes more crucial.
Finished as the fantasy WR9 in points per game (15.1) across 15 games, with three straight 1,000-yard seasons
Ranked 16th in the NFL in target share (24.6%) and 9th in air yards (1,529) last season… a true WR1 workload
Full continuity returns around him: CJ Stroud, HC DeMeco Ryans and OC Nick Caley are all back, and Collins has been Stroud's clear top target for three straight years
This week’s trade for Kayshon Boutte was for much-needed depth. And with Higgins sidelined and the same quarterback, coach, and play-caller all back in Houston, Collins is set up for his busiest season yet.
Emeka Egbuka (TB)
With Mike Evans now gone, Egbuka is stepping into a far more natural, undisputed WR1 role, and he's already flashed exactly what that could look like.
Before a late-season dip, he posted 40 catches for 677 yards and 6 TDs through his first nine rookie games
Ranked 9th in the NFL in targets (127) but 2nd in unrealized air yards (959) — a massive ceiling if his efficiency simply catches up to his opportunity
Ranked 2nd in the league with 27 deep targets as a rookie, establishing himself as a legitimate vertical threat
He’s got a turf toe issue at the moment, but by all accounts it doesn’t seem serious. Another year in Tampa's system with the volume Evans leaves behind, Egbuka is in line to smash his ADP.
Luther Burden (CHI)
He's currently working through a groin injury, but as a rookie Burden was already one of the most efficient receivers in football… and now DJ Moore is gone.
Ranked 3rd in the NFL in yards per route run (2.79) as a rookie, trailing only Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Closed the season on a heater: 21 catches, 324 yards and a touchdown on 26 targets over his final four games
Now in-line to operate as part of the top Chicago pass-catching options after the DJ Moore trade to Buffalo
That four-game stretch was just a glimpse of what a featured role could look like, and with Moore out of the picture, the path to targets has never been cleaner.
Josh Downs (IND)
The Colts brought in Keenan Allen for depth, but Alec Pierce still isn't right, and that keeps the door wide open for Downs.
Positioned as the Colts' primary target-earner and go-to slot separator after Michael Pittman Jr. was traded away
Just two seasons ago, Downs was targeted on 29.4% of his routes, which ranked 5th in the entire NFL. He can handle a big workload
Already ranks 6th in the NFL in total slot snaps (421) at 2.21 yards per route run, and per Reception Perception, he already out-targeted Pierce (22.2% target rate) last season
As long as Pierce remains limited, Downs is squarely positioned to get fed underneath.
DeVonta Smith (PHI)
Don't pass on DeVonta Smith. With A.J. Brown shipped out in June, Smith steps into the role of undisputed alpha receiver in Philly.
Elevated to the top receiving role in the offense after the Eagles traded A.J. Brown
Logged his third career 1,000-yard season in 2025, finishing as the overall WR20 despite a dysfunctional passing attack
Sitting behind the most favorable schedule for any WR room in football: projected 1st easiest in 2026
He scored just 4 touchdowns on 21 deep targets last year, which is a number that's almost certain to climb as the new offense's clear-cut WR1.
That's the list. Miss any one of these five, and you're punting on real WR1 upside. Draft accordingly.
-Joe