RADIO
Kipp's fantasy football wide receiver draft targets and value picks in the late-rounds of 2026 drafts. His top upside sleepers include Jalen McMillan and more.
Preseason NFL action has kicked off, which means the 2026 NFL and fantasy football seasons are right around the corner. It is truly a great time of year, and we here at RotoBaller are locked in to provide you with some of the best content on the market, especially when it comes to undervalued targets for your roster.
The wide receiver position has become more and more significant with every season that passes, and while it is important to get yourself one or two studs at the position, it is even more critical to find talent near the end of your drafts that could turn into a weekly starter.
The goal of this article is to pinpoint five late-round wide receivers who can help you win your league. These are players who are currently ranked outside of the top 50 of the position per RotoBaller's 2026 Fantasy Football Rankings. Without further delay, here are five late-round wide receiver candidates many of your leaguemates may be overlooking.
Bookmark our updated and revamped fantasy football rankings portal for all league formats!PPR rankings | Half-PPR rankings | Non-PPR (Standard) rankings | Rookie rankings | Superflex rankings | Best Ball rankings | Underdog rankings | Dynasty rankings | IDP rankings | Injuries
Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers
I expect this Panthers' offense to take a step forward once again with Bryce Young under center. Last season, they improved mightily en route to their first playoff berth since 2017. Jalen Coker should be a big part of this offense and has a great opportunity to improve on his 2025 campaign, as he is currently slotted to be the number-two wideout.
In 2025, Coker did not officially get his season underway until Week 7, but he was able to haul in 33 receptions on 43 targets for 394 receiving yards and three touchdowns across 11 games played. Coker really picked it up down the stretch, as he saw at least four targets in all but one game from Week 10 forward.
This excludes the 12 targets he saw in the Wild Card game against the Rams, which is worth noting because it shows the trust Young developed with him down the stretch to the point he was targeted so frequently in a must-win game. Coker's metrics also looked pretty solid in 2025.
Overall, he ranked in the 92nd percentile with a 76.7% catch rate, which shows his reliability. While I would have liked to see his air yards above the 34.2 yards per game he posted in 2025, I think this will improve in 2026 as he garners additional downfield targets.
Coker currently has an ADP of around 130, and could certainly outproduce this position in 2026, especially when you consider he will have four matchups against the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, both of which ranked in the bottom half of the league in terms of fantasy points allowed to the wide receiver position.
Jalen Coker with a 52-yard catch and run!
LARvsCAR on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/OLgLIMiAd8— NFL (@NFL) January 11, 2026
Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
We have our second Jalen on this list with Jalen McMillan, who could take a step forward this season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2025, McMillan missed a majority of the season with a neck injury; however, he did haul in 12 of 15 targets for 178 receiving yards across four games once healthy.
I like McMillan's opportunity share this season. With Mike Evans's departure to San Francisco, McMillan will be the third wide receiver on the depth chart behind Emeka Egbuka (foot) and Chris Godwin Jr. That being said, Godwin has played a combined 16 games over the previous two seasons, so there is always a chance McMillan moves up the depth chart.
In 2025, across limited action, McMillan posted an 80% catch rate, which would have ranked in the 92nd percentile. He is also someone Baker Mayfield should be able to trust this season, as McMillan saw six or more targets in four of his final five regular season games in 2024.
Baker Mayfield 🎯 Jalen McMillan
ATLvsTB on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/MweNeR0xLn— NFL (@NFL) December 12, 2025
Jauan Jennings, Minnesota Vikings
Jauan Jennings heads over to Minnesota from San Francisco and will be listed third on the depth chart behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. That being said, I think he will have plenty of opportunities to produce in this offense with Kyler Murray at the helm.
In 2025, with San Francisco, Jennings hauled in 55 of 90 targets for 643 receiving yards and a whopping nine touchdowns across 15 games played. He is a big wide receiver, listed at 6'3" and 212 lbs, which helps his red-zone target share. He is also capable of making the big play, as evidenced by his 21 receptions of 20+ yards over the previous two seasons.
Jennings admittedly is not one of the most reliable wide receivers on this list, as he posted just a 61.1% catch rate last season, but his ability to make plays in the red zone as well as big plays downfield allows him to get away with struggles in this department.
I especially think he could find value working with Murray, who thrives on the busted play, and could be targeting Jennings on exactly these types of plays next season. With a current ADP of 160, we could certainly see Jennings outperform this position in a new offense.
Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans
The next two wide receivers on this list might be my favorite, and we will start with Calvin Ridley. I think this Titans offense and Cam Ward take a big step forward this season, as noted in my Eight Fantasy Football Sleepers article, which is a big reason I like Ridley heading into 2026.
In 2025, Ridley played in just seven games, but he saw a total of 36 targets, hauling in 17 of them for 303 receiving yards. While he played in seven games, he only saw meaningful action in five games. In those five games, he was targeted at least six times in four of them and averaged nearly seven targets per game.
Ridley is expected to enter this season fully healthy and should be a popular option for Cam Ward along with first-round draft selection Carnell Tate and the freshly signed Wan'Dale Robinson, who comes over from the New York Giants.
Ridley still has gas in the tank, as noted by the fact that he still hauled in seven receptions of 20+ yards in 2025, and also managed to snag a reception of 40+ yards as well. Ridley has also had 1,000 or more receiving yards in each of his previous three seasons with 15 or more games played.
His current ADP sits at 230, which is way too deep in drafts for my taste. He makes for a great bench option with the possibility to move into a starting role, depending on the weekly matchup.
Cam Ward 🎯 Calvin Ridley
TENvsDEN on FOXhttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/8teXEHe7cN
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints
The Saints are another offense I could see taking a step forward in 2026 under Kellen Moore and second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. Shough looked good down the stretch in 2025, throwing for 250+ passing yards in each of his final four games, and Devaughn Vele could be a big beneficiary in this offense in 2026.
In 2025, Vele hauled in 25 of 40 targets for 293 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He really picked up steam near the end of his season, when he was targeted six or more times in three of his final four games from Weeks 12-15. Vele is also a big-bodied wide receiver, listed at 6'5" and 210 lbs.
This leads to him seeing solid targets in the red zone. In 2025, 10% of his targets were in the red zone, and he saw two red zone targets in his final four games. Vele currently has an ADP of 277, so he certainly could make for a nice final-round draft selection for your roster in 2026. It's also worth noting Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) will miss the start of the season.
Devaughn Vele got 🆙 pic.twitter.com/R4Ze4Nf9KO
— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2025
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Football Tool
Read more about the free Who Should I Draft tool here.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to draft...
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Draft? You may have noticed our Who Should I Draft? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy football drafts. You'll see NFL player tiles with bye weeks, stats, and projections, ADPs, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research and updates them constantly throughout the preseason. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Calvin Ridley, Jalen McMillan, Jalen Coker, Jauan Jennings, Devaughn Vele:
More 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!
