Five Wide Receivers To Buy In Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues

February 9, 2026

Dave breaks down five wide receivers worth targeting in trades for 2026 dynasty fantasy football. Read about his favorite WR dynasty trade targets and buy-lows.

The Super Bowl has come and gone, and the NFL season is officially over. The dynasty fantasy football season, though, is just getting started. The NFL Combine is quickly approaching, and dynasty gamers are working hard to learn about the incoming rookie class. While that's at the forefront of managers' minds, it's important to keep an eye on veteran players who are appealing trade targets.

Scouting rookies and calling your shot is fun, but remember, the point of playing dynasty football is to win your league. Acquiring the right players in a trade could be the key to doing so. Today, we will examine several wide receivers whom dynasty managers should try to acquire.

Make sure you're following RotoBaller on X and download the RotoBaller app for all your fantasy football needs. Here are five wide receivers to buy in your 2026 dynasty fantasy football league.

Luther Burden III, WR, Chicago Bears

Burden fell out of the first round of the 2025 NFL draft due to concerns about his work ethic. Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears were quick to scoop him up in Round 2. That pick has aged well, as Burden displayed serious upside during his rookie season.

BEARS FLEA FLICKER TD

DALvsCHI on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/tMeMMgsWEy

— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2025

He only posted a 47-625-2 line on 60 targets, but you can clearly see the Bears have something here. Per Fantasy Points Data Suite, among 238 pass-catchers with 75+ routes run, Burden finished fourth in yards per route run and 14th in yards after the catch per reception. Yards per route run is a highly predictive metric and shows Burden has huge potential if he gains a larger role in Year 2. His ranking in yards after catch shows he is a force in the open field, and this is another path to a monster fantasy season.

Burden is already drawing interest from several prominent fantasy analysts, so his price will likely be very expensive. However, this looks like a case where it could be worth paying up for his services. Burden checks a lot of boxes and could be primed for a massive second-year breakout.

A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Brown has been the subject of constant trade rumors ever since the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX. Things seemed to have reached a breaking point, as several media outlets reported that Brown had asked for a trade multiple times last season.

It has also been reported that his relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts has become very strained. Brown's constant complaining on social media about the team's offense during the season will also likely result in him being shipped out of Philadelphia.

While Brown had a down year statistically, he still posted his fourth straight 1,000-yard season and scored seven touchdowns for the sixth time in his career. His advanced metrics also remained strong. Let's take a quick look under the hood at some of Brown's advanced metrics courtesy of the folks at Fantasy Points Data Suite:

• 27% targets per route run
• 37.7% air yards share
• 2.23 yards per route run
• 99 first read targets
• 35% first read target rate

These are still very good scores and do not indicate Brown is a player in decline. He also passed the eye test and still looked like one of the best receivers in the league.

Touchdown for A.J. Brown! Comeback brewing for Philly?

LARvsPHI on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/YiKACSCDpQ

— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2025

We'll see where Brown ultimately winds up, but odds are good the Eagles will trade him to an AFC team rather than a potential NFC rival. The Buffalo Bills would be an intriguing landing spot, and a pairing with Josh Allen could cure all of Brown's woes.

KeepTradeCut estimates Brown's current trade value is a mid-2026 first-round rookie pick. Given the strength of this year's rookie class, that seems like a good price for gamers to take a shot on Brown landing with a team that can better utilize his talents.

Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Nagging injuries limited Pearsall to just nine games in 2025. He still managed to improve upon his 2024 rookie season and set new career highs in receptions, receiving yards, and yards per reception.

Pearsall is a talented route runner, and if he can ever stay healthy, he could post some strong numbers over the course of a full season.

Purdy to Pearsall! wow

JAXvsSF on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/3cs1rBJxmv

— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025

San Francisco is poised to move on from Brandon Aiyuk this offseason. Fellow wide receiver Jauan Jennings is set to hit free agency, and tight end George Kittle will miss a chunk of the 2026 season recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. There is a very realistic scenario where Pearsall opens the 2026 season as the 49ers' WR1. That would put him in line for a career year.

Pearsall carries a lot of injury risk, but he also carries major upside as he appears set to operate as the lead pass-catcher in a Kyle Shanahan offense. He will likely be expensive to acquire in a trade, but he is a super-intriguing buy candidate. Pearsall will be a very popular third-year breakout candidate once we get closer to the 2026 fantasy football season, so it's probably best to make your move sooner rather than later.

DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Another Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver makes our list. It should come as no surprise because if we believe Brown is getting moved this offseason, then Smith would be a clear beneficiary.

We'll just leave this here https://t.co/jrRVz9JcXx pic.twitter.com/HFpL6CGJnv

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 5, 2025

In addition to Brown likely being shipped out of town, there is a lot of speculation that tight end Dallas Goedert could also be leaving Philadelphia this offseason. That would put Smith in a prime position to operate as the Eagles' far and away WR1.

Despite playing behind Brown last year, Smith still registered a 28.8% first read target rate and 92 first-read targets per Fantasy Points Data Suite. Those were the 17th-best and 19th-best marks in the NFL and were not too far behind Brown's scores. Smith also had twice as many designed targets (screens, etc.) as Brown, so the Eagles clearly made an effort to get the ball in Smith's hands.

There's some uncertainty regarding the Philadelphia offense with Sean Mannion taking over as offensive coordinator. However, it will be hard for this offense to be much worse compared to what we saw under Kevin Patullo in 2025.

Playing in Brown's shadow has made Smith one of the more underrated receivers in the NFL, but he could be set to make a massive leap in 2026. Check in with the Smith owner in your league and see if you can swing a deal to get him on your team.

Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers

This last one will surely ruffle some feathers and may not be for the faint of heart. Yes, there is a ton of uncertainty surrounding Aiyuk. He is coming off a major knee injury, and his ghosting of the 49ers this past year is highly concerning.

However, we should take a minute and remember we are still dealing with a highly talented player.

AIYUUUUUUUUUUUK AGAIN.

📺: #SFvsPIT on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/G4uoYVOqQn pic.twitter.com/oe2fa730Im

— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2023

There are several teams in the league that desperately need wide receiver help. The incoming draft class has some viable prospects, but it might be difficult for teams to find a pass-catcher with Aiyuk's upside.

While there's no excuse for Aiyuk's antics, it's worth noting that contract negotiations with San Francisco management were highly contentious. The team was very close to trading him to the Pittsburgh Steelers before Aiyuk showed up at the 49ers' facility and informed Kyle Shanahan at the last second that he intended to sign with the team. That prompted Shanahan to sprint up to general manager John Lynch's office and tell him to call off the trade with Pittsburgh.

Maybe those contentious negotiations left a bad taste in Aiyuk's mouth. Perhaps he remembered them during his time away from the team, which caused him to have second thoughts about San Francisco. Maybe that is the reason for his actions. Or maybe he's just another diva wide receiver, or decided he'd done enough work after finally getting a huge contract.

Either way, one team is likely to take a shot on him and sign him to a one-year "prove it" style deal. Aiyuk only turns 28 in March, so there is still plenty of meat potentially left on the bone here.

I acquired Aiyuk in several spots for a 2026 second-round rookie pick. With this being a weaker rookie class, that feels like an appropriate price to gamble on Aiyuk.

Acquiring him is a risky move, but it's really a relatively low-cost investment. If Aiyuk flames out similar to Diontae Johnson, then all you wasted was a second-round pick in a bad draft class. If Aiyuk does return and plays at a high level, then it's the type of move that could win your league.

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