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Which backup fantasy football wide receivers should you buy in 2026? John Johnson examines five backup WRs who are worth making moves for in 2026 dynasty leagues.
Backup wide receivers present some of the most intriguing value propositions in dynasty fantasy football. No team has its WR1 absolutely set in stone, and even for elite players who are considered the best at their positions, a shuffling of depth charts and target priority can always happen.
The best example of this in 2025 was Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb. He was the WR1 overall in fantasy football in 2023 and was considered to be one of the best in the NFL. But WR George Pickens essentially supplanted him as the de facto top wideout for the Cowboys last season, and he's likely to continue in that role.
While Lamb is still excellent, Pickens was completely dominant and saw his dynasty value skyrocket as a result. Not every backup WR needs to take over a WR1 job to see their dynasty value go up, though. With that in mind, let's break down five wide receivers you should buy in dynasty fantasy football ahead of the 2026 NFL season!
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Jakobi Meyers, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
We might not be calling Meyers a backup wide receiver for long. Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. struggled mightily in his second year in the league, in stark contrast to his breakout rookie season. But season-ending injuries to every other starting pass-catcher on the team in 2024 led to Thomas getting abnormally high target volume late in 2024 that didn't carry into 2025.
The situation got bad enough that the Jags traded for Meyers. He looked every part of the WR1 in his short time in Jacksonville, and he'll have a full offseason to get more familiar with the offense and build chemistry with quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Meyers is a very dependable receiver with great hands who runs crisp, sharp routes and consistently gets separation.
Love this concept. Jakobi Meyers using the stack to blind the CB and get open. pic.twitter.com/oPj07fah4Y
— Fitz (@LaurieFitzptrck) December 14, 2025
Meyers is a quarterback's best friend thanks to the above-listed traits. Thomas, on the other hand, is a fantastic athlete, but had major issues with drops last season. In the past four seasons, Meyers has just nine drops, while Thomas has dropped 17 passes so far in his two years in the league. With offenses being less productive in the passing game in recent years, the bad effect of drops is magnified.
BTJr dealt with a wrist injury, but it seems his hands are overall questionable. Meyers should establish himself as the leader in targets, receptions, and yards in 2026, and he's valued outside the top-35 receivers in many dynasty rankings. That feels too low. He's a great player to trade for if you're a team making a run for a championship in 2026.
TREVOR LAWRENCE TO JAKOBI MEYERS TOUCHDOWN!!!
— Austin Pendergist (@apthirteen) December 7, 2025
Current KeepTradeCut Value:
- QB - (Superflex)
- RB - Jaylen Warren
- WR - Terry McLaurin
- TE - Jake Ferguson
- Rookie Pick - 2027 Mid Second Round
Tez Johnson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers still have WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. around, but both are 30 years of age or older and likely nearing the end of their careers. Johnson has the potential to be a solid WR2 down the road, though, like Thomas, it's important to manage expectations. Luckily for us, Johnson is very low in dynasty rankings.
He's outside the top-100 players at his position, which just seems a little too low. When allowed more targets in 2025, he turned in a few very solid performances. Games of 11.5, 15.8, 20.2, and 12.3 PPR fantasy points were the result of the flashes he showed, and all under a now-fired offensive coordinator and with a quarterback who dealt with injuries.
Baker and Tez bring it back to a one-score game in the final minute
NEvsTB on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/DX7FrSurP7
— NFL (@NFL) November 9, 2025
Johnson is very small, so that limits him from playing a full-time role on the outside. And he'll still have to deal with target competition from WR Jalen McMillan even after Evans and Godwin both are off the team, but McMillan hasn't shown much so far in his career other than an unsustainable touchdown streak to end the 2024 season.
Johnson can be acquired in fantasy for absolute peanuts, and using a late-round draft pick on a big question mark rather than a young player who's shown clear flashes might not be the best idea.
Current KeepTradeCut Value:
- QB - Jalen Milroe (Superflex)
- RB - Jaylen Wright
- WR - Isaiah Bond
- TE - Jake Tonges
- Rookie Pick - 2027 Mid Third Round
DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Last year's Eagles offense was likely an aberration that should be fixed in 2026. Kevin Patullo, the team's offensive coordinator that season, was severely criticized for his lack of creativity on offense. Prominent analysts likened his system to that of a Pop Warner football team. Those comparisons were not without merit.
Patullo rejected the concepts that the best NFL offenses are based on and failed to utilize route combinations that his receivers thrived on in past seasons. He was especially notable for his love of running hitch routes very heavily, destroying the run game, and failing to get his players in space. The timing was also often off on pass plays.
🗣️ DEEP BALL TO DEVONTA SMITH 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/fEPeDOjLzx
— Eagles History (@EaglesHistory) January 8, 2026
Smith is an elite talent who's had his production held back by just how great the Eagles' WR1, A.J. Brown, has been. But Brown struggled last season. Much of this was due to the offense, but he's also set to be 29 years old in 2026 and has a long injury history. Smith could take over as the WR1 as soon as this season or next.
He's not valued as if he'll be the eventual WR1, but it would only take one or two elite seasons for him to help a dynasty team win a championship. At 27 years old, he isn't exactly young, but he is still within his prime and has been quite durable despite his size. We could see a more pass-heavy offense from Philly, too, as both quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley age.
Current KeepTradeCut Value:
- QB - Sam Darnold (Superflex)
- RB - Saquon Barkley
- WR - Jameson Williams
- TE - Tucker Kraft
- Rookie Pick - 2026 Mid First Round
Alec Pierce, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Pierce was one of 2025's breakout wide receivers. He measurably improved all his numbers from the 2024 season, and with the quarterback upgrade from Anthony Richardson Sr. (the least accurate quarterback in the NFL) to Daniel Jones (not the least accurate QB in the NFL), Pierce shone as arguably the best deep-ball threat in the league.
He developed nicely in other areas of his game, though. He was far more serviceable on short and intermediate routes, and was able to use the threat of his speed to force defenders to play the deep pass, allowing him to get open on horizontally breaking routes and when working his way back to the quarterback for separation.
Philip Rivers hits Alec Pierce on the free play for a 20-yard touchdown!
SFvsIND on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/LkZfbV3umf— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2025
Pierce also played very well under duress, making a multitude of high-difficulty contested catches.
Current KeepTradeCut Value:
- QB - Daniel Jones (Superflex)
- RB - Derrick Henry
- WR - Michael Wilson
- TE - Oronde Gadsden II
- Rookie Pick - 2028 Late First Round
Sleeper: Dont'e Thornton Jr., WR, Las Vegas Raiders
While he's unlikely to become a dominant WR1 due to limitations in his skill set, like his contested-catch abilities and underdeveloped route running, he's likely to see a significant boost in production thanks to the arrival of new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak. The Raiders offense was abysmal last season.
They lacked any kind of vision on offense and rarely got into a rhythm, except one time against a truly awful Jacksonville Jaguars secondary, thanks to tight end Brock Bowers catching three touchdowns. Aside from that game, they were one of the worst passing units in the league, with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly losing his job midseason as a result.
Dont'e Thornton feels primed to explode. On Go routes this season, Thornton ranks:
-1st in Average Separation Score (0.545)
-1st in Route Win Rate (45.5%)
He would have an 86-yard TD and a 59-yard TD by now if Geno hit him in stride. See for yourself below.
Data via… pic.twitter.com/h6FjKwKbLs
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) September 18, 2025
Thornton is a 6-foot-5 receiver who ran a 4.30-second 40-yard dash at the 2025 NFL Combine. He has a ridiculous combination of size and speed. Players like him, who are quite raw as route runners, often struggle under bad coaching regimes, but can thrive when playing in an offense run by a mastermind. That's exactly what Kubiak is.
His value is low enough that you wouldn't have to give up much to get him. There are probably plenty of dynasty managers holding out hope that he thrives in a new system, but also plenty that just want to cut bait and don't trust the Raiders' long-term quarterback situation. They'll likely have a rookie QB in 2026, and there could be plenty of growing pains.
Current KeepTradeCut Value:
- QB - Justin Fields (Superflex)
- RB - Isiah Pacheco
- WR - Malik Washington
- TE - Colby Parkinson
- Rookie Pick - 2028 Mid Third Round
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