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Joey's must-draft fantasy football veteran wide receivers for 2026 drafts. His four must-have veteran WRs include Davante Adams, Mike Evans, and more.
Every fantasy manager wants to draft the new and exciting young players. It's why Marvin Harrison Jr. had a first-round ADP in his rookie season. It's why Ashton Jeanty had a first-round ADP in his rookie season last year. It's why Jeremiyah Love is being taken in the first two rounds of fantasy drafts this year. But drafting those young players doesn't always pan out.
Sometimes it's smarter to take veterans who carry a high fantasy floor and can provide consistent numbers throughout the season. In this article, we will dive into four veteran wide receivers who all fantasy managers should be looking to target in drafts this year. These wide receivers might be overlooked by some fantasy managers, but they have the potential to put up strong fantasy numbers all year.
Let's take a look at the best veteran wide receivers to target in 2026 fantasy football drafts. Only wide receivers with at least five years of experience in the NFL were considered veterans for this article.
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Jaylen Waddle, Denver Broncos
NFFC ADP: 50.1 (WR22)
There are some question marks about how new Denver Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle will fit in on his new team. Waddle was traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Broncos this offseason and joins a Denver offense that already features a solid WR1 in Courtland Sutton. Sutton has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns with 15 total touchdowns since the beginning of the 2024 season.
However, Waddle's fit in Denver is honestly a match made in heaven. He joins the perfect scheme to help him reach his full fantasy potential again, and the five-year veteran should be the clear top option in this offense over Sutton. The Broncos didn't trade a first-round pick, a third-round pick, and a fourth-round swap to not feature him in this offense.
The Broncos obviously had a vision for Waddle when they traded for him. That vision is clear to see, as both Bo Nix and Waddle should thrive together in their first year. That should help the 27-year-old playmaker be a viable fantasy option throughout the 2026 season and could help him flirt with WR1 numbers this upcoming year.
The chart below from Reception Perception highlights exactly how Nix and Waddle could be in sync in 2026.
Look at the routes that Bo Nix throws the most to + the routes that Jaylen Waddle is successful on
- Nix was 4th in Air Yards
- Waddle was 6th in Air Yards Share (min 4 gms)
- Courtland Sutton was 7th in Total Air YardsThe Broncos are going deep, folks... pic.twitter.com/gDZ31SjKae
— Alfredo Brown (@AlfredoABrown) July 16, 2026
Nix threw plenty of corner routes (6.2%), nine routes (13.3%), post routes (11.3%), and dig routes (9.2%) last season. These were the same routes that Waddle thrived in last year, as his success on corner routes (62.5%), nine routes (57.9%), post routes (89.5%), and dig routes (83.9%) were all excellent.
It's also important to note that Nix ranked sixth in air yards, third in deep-ball attempts, and 12th in completion percentage versus man coverage in 2025. At the same time, Waddle ranked fifth in air yards share, 18th in target rate versus man coverage, and 11th in fantasy points per route run among all wide receivers last year.
Waddle will have such a high ceiling on a Broncos offense that threw the ball more than any other team in the NFL last season. He is finally not competing with Tyreek Hill for targets and should benefit from being the top option in an offense again. Drafting him at his 50.1 ADP in NFFC leagues makes too much sense.
Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams
NFFC ADP: 52.7 (WR23)
There might not be a safer wide receiver going outside the first two rounds of fantasy drafts than Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams. The 33-year-0ld veteran has finished as a top-12 fantasy wide receiver in PPR formats in six consecutive seasons, which included a WR9 PPR fantasy finish in his most recent season in 2025.
Adams caught 60 passes for 789 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns across 14 games last season. He averaged 15.9 PPR fantasy points per game and finished as a top-12 fantasy WR in five of his last eight games. If not for a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the final three weeks of the regular season, the Rams playmaker could have finished as a top-7 fantasy WR.
Although Adams will turn 34 years old in December, he is still a must-draft veteran wide receiver in fantasy drafts this year. Not much has changed for this Rams offense from last season. Matthew Stafford is still the quarterback, Puka Nacua will continue to move around the entire formation, and the six-time Pro Bowler will remain a massive touchdown threat on the outside for Los Angeles.
Mcvay using the exit motion to manufacture a free release for Adams lined up on the ball.
Davante does a nice job using his body to lean on the smaller defender and create separation at the break point. pic.twitter.com/ER0SEIMqtA
— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) July 14, 2026
That all makes Adams a strong selection at his Round 4 ADP. He ranked top 12 among all wide receivers last year in target rate (28.3%), air yards (1,444), red-zone targets (32), red-zone target share (35.6%), fantasy points per route run (0.55), and target rate versus man coverage (33.5%). This veteran still has plenty left in the tank.
Mike Evans, San Francisco 49ers
NFFC ADP: 57.9 (WR27)
After spending 12 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, veteran wide receiver Mike Evans decided to sign a three-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency. His departure from the Buccaneers came after he put together a career-worst season in 2025. Evans finished with a career-low 30 catches for 368 yards and three touchdowns across eight games.
There is certainly a lot going against Evans entering this season. He failed to reach 1,000 yards for the first time in his career last year, will turn 33 years old in late August, has dealt with multiple injuries in each of the past two seasons, and joins a completely new offense that has multiple solid pass-catchers (Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, and Christian Kirk).
Despite all this, though, Evans could really be in for a massive 2026 season.
Even though Evans was extremely limited during the 2025 campaign, he was still a strong fantasy option when he was on the field. He scored in double figures in PPR formats in six of the seven full games he played, while also ranking second among all wide receivers in overall win rate and separation score versus zone coverage (according to Fantasy Points Data).
Evans should fit in quite nicely on a 49ers offense that is searching for a WR1 to step up. Pearsall has dealt with injuries in each of his first two seasons, Jauan Jennings left in free agency, and Kirk really isn't a major threat to the veteran's potential target share. This all paves the way for the six-time Pro Bowler to be a big part of this San Francisco offense.
The big 6-foot-5 wide receiver should also immediately click with quarterback Brock Purdy in the passing game. Purdy ranked top-10 among all signal-callers in yards per attempt, adjusted yards per attempt, and completion percentage versus man coverage in 2025.
That should play to Evans' strengths, as he ranked top five in target rate versus man coverage last year and will continue to be a deep-threat target for the 49ers this season. Fantasy managers shouldn't be overlooking Evans in drafts because of his age. Like Adams, he has plenty left in the tank.
Chris Godwin Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFFC ADP: 98.5 (WR44)
It has been a few injury-riddled seasons for Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. He dislocated his ankle and fractured his fibula midway through the 2024 season, and was in and out of the lineup in the first 11 weeks of the 2025 season. Those injury concerns are why Godwin finds himself going so late in drafts this year.
However, the Buccaneers playmaker is one of the best veteran wide receivers to target in the later rounds of fantasy drafts. Evans is no longer with the team after signing with the 49ers, and Godwin showed some good things down the stretch last season. He averaged 13.4 PPR fantasy points per game from Week 13 to Week 17.
Chris Godwin Jr. making this look easier than it is 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/T9cgBSHxid
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) June 4, 2026
Godwin has already shown that he can handle a WR1 workload in this Tampa Bay offense. Remember the 2024 season when he was the overall WR2 through the first seven weeks before suffering that gruesome leg injury. The only thing really holding him back from being a productive fantasy option again is injury. If he stays healthy, there is real WR2 upside here.
Obviously, staying healthy is a big question mark for Godwin right now since he has played under 10 games in back-to-back seasons. But he's worth the risk at his very generous ADP. The 30-year-old is fully healthy entering training camp and should be a key piece in Tampa Bay's passing attack. That's enough to take a chance on him at his draft price.
There is a world in which Godwin out-targets Emeka Egbuka in 2026. The nine-year veteran will be back in the slot for the Buccaneers, and quarterback Baker Mayfield loves throwing to his slot playmakers. Last season, Mayfield had a 31.5% slot target rate, which ranked in the upper half of the league. Now that his top slot pass-catcher is fully healthy, that number could rise even more in 2026.
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