RADIO
Matt Donnelly's dynasty fantasy football sells at the wide receiver position. His WRs to sell in dynasty leagues in 2026, including Brian Thomas Jr. and more.
A wise man once wrote, “You have to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold’em, and know when to walk away, and know when to run.” For fantasy football managers, it’s important when evaluating your rosters that you never count your money when you’re sitting at the table; there’ll be time enough for counting when the season's done.
We are going to look at which receivers fantasy football enthusiasts need to move on from right now, before their market completely collapses and leaves you holding an empty bag. In dynasty leagues, it’s better to get out a year early than a year too late, and here are five receivers to get out from this season.
For a deeper dive into dynasty strategy, rankings, and trade tactics, check out our complete Dynasty Fantasy Football Guide.
Editor's Note: The FFPC Baby Gorilla Tournament is now open, featuring a $100,000 grand prize and a $675,450 total prize pool! This 12-team, Tight End Premium contest uses a 20-round draft format, with the overall winners determined by total points scored during Weeks 15–17. Get $25 to use toward your first entry by signing up through our link. Grab your team now! Sign Up Now!
Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
One of the more polarizing wide receivers this offseason has been Jaguars pass-catcher Brian Thomas Jr. In 2024, the then-rookie caught 87 of 133 targets for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns, only to follow that up with a subpar 2025 campaign in which he recorded 48 receptions for 707 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Brian Thomas Jr. could not be more wide open for six
SEAvsJAX on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/JjOVLbUEna
— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025
With the drop-off in production, we saw a steep decline in Thomas’ dynasty ADP, as he is now considered to be a late sixth-round selection in most startup drafts coming off the board as the WR27.
One reason we witnessed a decline in production from one season to the next was injuries. Last year, Thomas battled through a variety of ailments, including ankle, shoulder, and wrist concerns.
Those injuries cost him three games, but limited what he could do in several other contests. In Thomas’ rookie season, it was Trevor Lawrence who missed seven games due to injury, so the two have really not had a chance to build a rapport.
While those injuries continue to add up and could take years off the back end of his career, another red flag is the competition for targets down in Duval County. Last season, Parker Washington announced his presence to the world, leading the Jaguars in receptions (58), targets (95), and receiving yards (847).
Then there’s Jakobi Meyers, who was acquired at the deadline, who would go on to post 42 receptions and 483 receiving yards during his nine-game tenure. This is the same Meyers who had caught 87 of 129 targets for 1,027 yards the previous season with the Las Vegas Raiders.
If Washington and Meyers weren’t concerning enough, Travis Hunter will have some special packages, and Brenton Strange will also play a role in diminishing targets from Thomas, having seen 60 targets in 12 games last year. It’s not a talent concern for Thomas; it’s a too many mouths to feed situation that caps any ceiling he may have moving forward.
Mike Evans, San Francisco 49ers
After starting his career with 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, injuries finally got the better of Mike Evans in 2025. From 2014 to 2024, Evans built a Hall of Fame-worthy resume, accumulating 836 receptions, 12,684 receiving yards, and 105 touchdowns.
Despite that injury-plagued 2025 campaign that yielded career lows in receptions (30), receiving yards (368), and touchdowns (three), Evans still has what it takes to help a contender get over the hump in fantasy while netting a decent return for managers looking to retool their rosters. This is thanks in large part to a change of scenery, which created some conversation around his name throughout the offseason.
The quickest way for your asset value to decline is for people to stop talking about you. That’s when you essentially become irrelevant. Even after his worst statistical season to date, the move from Tampa Bay to San Francisco is one of renewed hope in fantasy circles. In Tampa Bay, Chris Godwin Jr. and Jalen McMillan are once again healthy. With the emergence of Emeka Egbuka, it was only a matter of time for Evans to fade away.
With the 49ers, Evans ascends to the top of the wide receiver depth chart after the departures of Deebo Samuel Sr. and Jauan Jennings. Sure, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle are still around. Still, they're getting a little older, and historically, McCaffrey has seen injuries in the seasons following heavy workloads, much like the one he had in 2025.
It should be easy to play off Evans being a WR1 once again in trade talks with Christian Kirk and the underwhelming Ricky Pearsall as the other options in that wide receiver room. Those conversations should net a first-round selection as the season goes on and/or a young player in return. At 32 years of age, Evans has one, maybe two more seasons to provide value.
Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
Considering what many invested in rookie drafts back in 2024, Marvin Harrison Jr. has been a disappointment early on in his career. While 62 receptions for 885 yards and eight touchdowns are fine for most rookies, that production was somewhat underwhelming considering the hype in which he entered the league.
Then in 2025, Harrison was dealt blow after blow, suffering a concussion, appendicitis, and multiple heel injuries, costing him five games. If that wasn’t bad enough, while Harrison was on the mend, Michael Wilson was developing a rapport with Jacoby Brissett that led to a third-year breakout for Wilson. Wilson caught 78 passes for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns, all of which were career highs.
For those looking to get out, historical data suggest a significant increase in fantasy production from Year 1 to Year 2 when comparing a player's career baseline average in PPR formats. Harrison's issue will be with Wilson.
Unless Wilson is injured, the best Harrison can hope for is to split Wilson's target share. Trey McBride will still get his 160-plus targets, and Jeremiyah Love will also take touches away in both the run and passing game.
While Harrison continues to make a name for himself, he still has that name-brand recognition that comes with having one of the best fantasy-producing wide receivers the game has ever known as a father.
Call it fantasy nepotism, if you will, but that name-brand association is what will still allow fantasy managers to recover premium draft capital in 2027, as many in the industry still consider Harrison a WR2 with WR1 upside.
A.J. Brown, New England Patriots
New faces in new places often get fantasy managers excited, but for those in Philadelphia, they are all too aware of the drama that comes with A.J. Brown. Does Brown make the Patriots' passing game better? Yes. Does Brown make Drake Maye better? Also yes.
However, if there is one head coach who is familiar with Brown’s antics, it’s Mike Vrabel, who coached the All-Pro receiver when they were together in Tennessee. Vrabel didn’t appear to be overly heartbroken when the Titans dealt Brown to the Eagles, so it’ll be interesting to see how this reunion plays out in Foxborough.
No one is going to question Brown’s talent. Over seven seasons, Brown has produced 8,029 receiving yards and 56 touchdowns on 524 receptions and has six 1,000-yard seasons over that period, which includes a current streak of four consecutive seasons as such.
While Brown has averaged 15.3 yards per reception over his career, he has surpassed 100 receptions in a single season only once, in 2023. Brown’s next highest reception total came in 2022 when he registered 88 receptions.
Maye was one of the most efficient passers last season, with 31 touchdowns to only eight interceptions, completing 72% of his 492 passing attempts. When looking at the Patriots' passing pecking order, Brown is likely to slot into Stefon Diggs' production role. A role that was responsible for 85 receptions, four touchdowns, and 1,013 receiving yards, and a WR17 finish in fantasy.
Brown is still heralded as a WR1 in fantasy despite what looks to be an incoming mid-WR2 fantasy finish on the horizon and a dynasty startup ADP of WR19. Take advantage of the hype and get a little more value in return while you can.
Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Some of us peaked in high school, while others, like Nico Collins, peaked during their third season in the NFL (2023). Right now, you can still get a solid return on a trade involving Collins.
While his best season was in 2023, Collins has still produced 1,000-plus yards in each of the two seasons since. In fact, over the last three seasons, Collins has recorded 219 receptions for 3,420 yards and 21 touchdowns.
STROUD TO NICO IN THE CLUTCH! pic.twitter.com/eDCJuaqKSq
— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2025
Here’s the thing, though. Despite the recent success, Collins has yet to play a full season since entering the league in 2021 and has missed 23 games over those five years. Those soft-tissue injuries add up over the course of a career, and moving on now helps reduce some of that risk.
It really comes to risk management and how much you value availability. When Collins plays, he produces. That said, there is a higher probability that he misses time at some point with a hamstring injury, possibly during your fantasy playoffs.
While injuries are part of fantasy, we also have factors beyond Collins’ control. We have an erratic at best C.J. Stroud. Last season, Stroud completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,041 passing yards. We also have the Texans offensive line, which was better last season, but is always worth mentioning. In two postseason games, Stroud was sacked six times.
We also have the current state of the Texans receiver room. While Collins is the featured pass-catcher, we also have fellow second-year receiver Jaylin Noel looking to make an impact. After those two, we have the potential return of Tank Dell, who in 2024 caught 51 of 81 targets for 667 receiving yards in the 14 contests before a horrific knee injury that cost him the entirety of the 2025 season.
Finally, we have the addition of David Montgomery to bolster the Texans running game. While Woody Marks was adequate, his 3.6 yards per carry wasn’t instilling fear in opposing defensive coordinators.
Montgomery enters the equation with a career 4.1 yards per attempt average and has finished above 4.0 yards per carry in each of the last four seasons. A more competent run game will lead to fewer throws on third down, which in turn will affect Collins’ bottom line when he is in the lineup.
More Dynasty Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
