2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 10 Wide Receivers for 2026 Drafts

January 19, 2026

John's early 2026 fantasy football wide receiver rankings - his top 10 WRs for 2026 drafts. These are the top fantasy WRs who will be drafted early in 2026.

The NFL regular is officially over, but the show goes on. Today we're taking an early look at our 2026 fantasy football rankings - top 10 wide receivers. It's never too early to look at who might be the top 10 wide receivers selected in 2026 fantasy football redraft leagues.

For two years in a row now, the first and second-round picks at WR have been disproportionately disappointing. But that could always change, and zero-RB drafters aren't likely to completely change their philosophies overnight.

In PPR leagues, elite receivers have massive ceilings, buoyed by gaining an additional point for every reception they make. They'll never not be highly valuable. So who could be the top 10 drafted wideouts for 2026? Let's dive in.

10. George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys

Without a doubt, Pickens would be higher on this list were he not technically the WR2 on his team. CeeDee Lamb, though he was handily outproduced by Pickens this season, is still technically the team's top wide receiver. But it wouldn't be a huge shock if Pickens scores more than Lamb again in 2026.

They have different skill sets, but Pickens is the better contested catch specialist and had a far better catch rate than Lamb in 2025. Lamb has suffered from drops throughout his career, with 2025 being his worst season for high-profile drops.

GEORGE PICKENS. WOW.

PHIvsDAL on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/ZcmA7vSMIH

— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2025

He's the better downfield playmaker and better end zone target, meaning he simply has higher fantasy upside than Lamb, who had just three touchdowns in 13 games this season, compared to nine in 16 games for Pickens. Both will undoubtedly be picked in the first three rounds of fantasy drafts.

But it would be tough to choose Lamb over Pickens at this point.

9. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

Olave truly shone as the "workhorse" WR1 for the Saints after his team traded away their WR2, Rashid Shaheed, to the Seattle Seahawks. Being the only good receiver a team has is sometimes incredibly valuable for a player in fantasy football.

Olave's ADP for next year is understandably skyrocketing -- he scored 20.5, 36.8, and 25.9 PPR fantasy points in his last three games, racking up four touchdown catches in the process. He seems to be thriving in first-year head coach Kellen Moore's offense and building great chemistry with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough.

CHRIS OLAVE 62 YARDS

NOvsCAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/e9BXTPaXQb

— NFL (@NFL) November 9, 2025

Olave averages nearly 10 targets per game on the season. He had high numbers even before Shough got the starting job and while Shaheed was still on the team. They just didn't translate to great production. But if you were hoping to get a steal on Olave in the 2026 draft, you're probably out of luck.

There will likely be plenty of leagues in which he goes in the late second or early third round, in which case he'll be a riskier pick. But if you can manage two workhorse starting running backs in the first two rounds and Olave in the third, that's not such a bad deal.

8. Nico Collins, Houston Texans

Collins struggled with consistency in his 2025 season. His 2024 was marred by injury, though he looked like a top-3 receiver in the games he played before he hurt his hamstring. And in 2023, he had a massive breakout, finishing as the WR12 despite missing two games and playing with a rookie quarterback.

Still, he's a dominant WR1 target-earner on a team that could probably have a good offense if they'd actually invest in the offensive line and hire a good offensive coordinator. Their current OC, Nick Caley, has been one of the NFL's worst play-callers and offensive gameplan designers this year.

AND THEN A 43-YARD TOUCHDOWN@CJ7STROUD is on fire.

HOUvsLAC on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/zcHDq3vB1O

— NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2025

The entire offense could take a step forward if he'd actually use the rookie receivers his team drafted in the second and third rounds and stop giving so much playing time to WRs Xavier Hutchinson and Christian Kirk. Still, it doesn't seem like those guys are much of a threat to Collins' target share.

It's the overall ineptitude of the offense, including quarterback C.J. Stroud's struggles behind a poor offensive line, that prevents Collins from being a top-5 fantasy receiver for 2026.

7. Malik Nabers, New York Giants

Nabers (knee) will be returning from a torn ACL he suffered early in the 2025 season. However, there's reason to believe he could have a huge season. He showed his ridiculous talent in the games he played in 2024 and 2025, and the Giants got a big quarterback upgrade in rookie Jaxson Dart.

QBs Russell Wilson and Daniel Jones simply didn't play well for the Giants. Jameis Winston, the backup to Dart, at least has the ability to be a high-volume passer, though he's been turnover-prone throughout his career. But both Dart and Winston are big upgrades for Nabers.

The only drives we saw Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo on the field at the same time

This is gonna be so fun to watch over a whole season pic.twitter.com/bNeeTeOViQ

— evin (@EvinKnowsBall) December 5, 2025

The whole offense should be in a much better place with running back Cam Skattebo (ankle), Nabers, and Dart all healthy, and could easily be in the top half of the league as an offensive unit as long as their elite left tackle, Andrew Thomas, stays healthy. That's a question mark, though.

Still, Dart has the mobility, elusiveness, and play-making chops to complete long passing plays downfield even in the face of pressure. He looked like one of the most creative quarterbacks in the NFL in limited action in 2025. That bodes well for Nabers, who looks like an elite wideout in his own right.

WRs Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton and tight end Theo Johnson don't present significant target competition for a player of Nabers' caliber, but the Giants could choose a receiver early in the 2025 draft, which could eat into Nabers' upside.

6. Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs

Rice was one of the best receivers in fantasy football in 2025, but he enters 2026 with significant question marks. He relies on the scheme to get manufactured open looks, as do pretty much all the Kansas City receivers. And he's not a great traditional route-runner.

He relies heavily on screens, designed touches, and even rushing plays at the goal line for his fantasy scoring. In eight games in 2025, he scored under 13.0 PPR fantasy points three times. His ceiling is around 30 points, which isn't what you want from a first-round fantasy pick.

33-yard gain from Mahomes to Rice!

📺: #Kickoff2024 on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/xQrbudZAnE

— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2024

Rice's limited versatility could make him more vulnerable to defenses catching on to Kansas City's scheme. Their scheme should also be easier to exploit with tight end Travis Kelce either entering his age 36-to-37 season or retiring entirely. KC doesn't have enough overall talent at pass-catcher to keep defenses honest.

They also don't have much of a run game, have a struggling offensive line, and will have a QB coming off of an ACL tear late in the 2025 season.

5. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

St. Brown is the first of the truly "elite" tier of receivers. The top five wideouts for 2026 fantasy football all have clear ability to be league-winners, are in stable offenses, and have very high target shares. St. Brown maintained his role as the No. 1 wideout for the explosive Lions offense.

St. Brown is so consistently good and so reliable that it's easy to forget just how explosive he is. Through 16 games, he's the WR3 overall in PPR fantasy points scored. He ranked the same in both 2024 and 2023. So far, he's caught 106 of his 157 targets for 1,262 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.

52 yards with some YAC for Amon-Ra

DETvsLAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/iFvThJEbtQ

— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2025

St. Brown is a jack-of-all-trades at his position. He's an elite route-runner, plays with great strength, has great hands at the catch point, is nifty with the ball in his hands at picking up extra yards, and plays all over the field from all formations.

He's still well within his prime, too.

4. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons

London showed elite upside in a small window of healthy games this season, once the offense actually started getting the ball to him as much as they could. In a five-game (of healthy contests) starting in Week 4, London logged games of 25.0, 31.8, 38.8, and 24.4 fantasy points.

Had he not gotten injured multiple times, and had his quarterback not gone down with an ACL tear, we could have seen a bona fide league-winning season from London. We might have to wait until next year for that to happen, though, when QB Michael Penix Jr. (knee) is back and healthy.

Drake London high points it for a touchdown!

ATLvsNE on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/LVLA4WVmmm

— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2025

It seemed to take the Falcons far too long to just start chucking it up to him in the red zone and hope he comes down with it. He's tall and hyper-athletic with long arms, so you'd think they'd have started doing it earlier. Either way, his ceiling is WR1 overall material, so he should be drafted very early in fantasy.

3. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

We may never see Chase's true potential, as the Bengals are reportedly hanging on to head coach Zac Taylor. Their owner isn't very serious about having an elite football team. Still, the Bengals continue to play terribly on defense, and quarterback Joe Burrow is back and healthy.

Chase has been a disappointment this season, with Burrow missing time and the offense sometimes falling flat. Still, he's just one season removed from winning the Triple Crown for receivers in 2024, with 127 catches for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns. He's the WR5 overall this season, too.

JA'MARR HIT THE SPIN CYCLE 🔁

📺: #ARIvsCIN on FOX pic.twitter.com/gP04jHzWWd

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 28, 2025

He's an elite physical presence at WR, has strong hands, and is the best yards-after-catch threat in the NFL. He also has an elite QB throwing to him. He's an easy first-round pick.

2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

Smith-Njigba benefited from an elite offensive coordinator, a quarterback who plays very well when not pressured, and the departure of WR DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was remarkably consistent at scoring between 20 and 30 PPR fantasy points this year.

He doesn't quite have the ceiling of some of the other players on this list, like Nacua, Chase, and London, but his lack of "down" games was quite impressive. He regularly helped fantasy managers win matchups they had a fighting chance in, though he didn't often single-handedly decide matchups.

JSN 63-YARD TOUCHDOWN.

SEAvsTEN on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/wtqsQxa5rk

— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025

He racked up 113 catches for 1,709 yards and ten touchdowns in his first 16 games in 2025. I do worry a bit about what happens to this offense if their offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, gets a head coaching job. Smith-Njigba will be fine, but his ceiling might not be quite as high. Kubiak has been a revelation for the Seahawks, and his schemes help the offensive line massively.

Regardless, JSN is worth a first-round pick next season. He'd probably go a bit higher if running backs didn't crush it so hard this year.

1. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams

Nacua is the WR1 this season. It still feels like we've only seen a glimpse of his potential, though, as there were quite a few games in which he wasn't targeted heavily, and he still struggles with injury issues. Nacua could catch 150 passes, gain 2,000 yards receiving, and score 15 touchdowns in 2026, and few people would be surprised.

PUKA NACUA ALMOST JUST CAUGHT THAT BALL pic.twitter.com/QzrdZ76htp

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) December 30, 2025

Nacua plays in one of the most well-designed offenses in the NFL with a future Hall of Fame quarterback. He's probably destined for the hall himself when all is said and done. He's the best WR in the NFL at the catch point, and has simply mind-blowing ball skills.

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