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Is Parker Washington or Brian Thomas Jr. the WR1 for the Jaguars? Should you draft Washington or Thomas Jr. in 2026 fantasy football drafts? Aidin's expert draft analysis and advice.
After years of misery and suffering, the Jacksonville Jaguars are finally looking dangerous.
Liam Coen is an offensive genius, Trevor Lawrence had an outstanding 2025 season and is finally looking like the generational player we all knew he'd become, and they are blessed with two standout WRs. Brian Thomas Jr. dominated the 2024 season as a rookie, while Parker Washington had a terrific 2025 season once Thomas Jr. slowed down due to injuries. Now, both players are vying for the WR1 spot.
This begs the question: Which Jaguars WR should you draft in 2026 fantasy football? Without further ado, let's look at the 2026 fantasy outlooks for both Parker Washington and Brian Thomas Jr. and decide which player is worth targeting.
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Parker Washington Fantasy Football Outlook
Parker Washington had only averaged 22.1 yards per game over the first 33 games of his career, and it seemed he would never outperform his sixth-round pick expectations. However, everything changed after the Jaguars' bye week last season.
Every day is Parker day 😮💨@Dream_Finders | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/GnCwKM30Yd
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) August 9, 2026
From Week 9 to the end of the 2025 regular season, Washington put up 640 yards and scored four touchdowns, finishing as the PPR WR11 during that span. He also caught seven of 12 targets for 107 yards and a touchdown in the Jaguars' playoff loss to the Bills, his playoff debut.
Last season, Washington had a knack for coming up big when he was needed the most. 41.8% of his 2025 receiving yards came in third-down situations, while an impressive 47.2% of his yards came when the team needed 10+ yards to move the sticks.
Washington has gone from strength to strength this offseason, and has reportedly established himself as Trevor Lawrence's favorite target, per ESPN's Michael DiRocco.
DiRocco also reported that Washington "always seems to be open" and "has thrived in one-on-ones against the Jaguars' top corners."
Brian Thomas Jr. Fantasy Football Outlook
The world of football moves rapidly. In 2024, Brian Thomas Jr. went off for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns. Only three other rookie WRs have ever replicated those numbers in the Super Bowl era: Randy Moss, Odell Beckham Jr., and Ja'Marr Chase.
“When he’s playing at a high level, our offense is just different.”
Jags HC Liam Coen talks Brian Thomas Jr.'s potential impact on the @RichEisenShow 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vzQO9VIK3M
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 31, 2026
However, after the 2025 season, Thomas was constantly involved in trade rumors, which stemmed from his injury-riddled sophomore campaign and supposed "poor fit" in Liam Coen's system.
However, Coen called Thomas early in the offseason to assure the wideout he was not on the trade block, per Jeff Howe of The Athletic.
Howe also reported that the team turned down two "significant" trade offers for BTJ, proving that he's still a valuable member of the organization. Thomas Jr. has healed from his injuries and looked very impressive during training camp.
"I mean, honestly, he's having a great camp so far, and it just built off the spring," teammate Jakobi Meyers told USA Today's Paul Bretl. BTJ remains the team's main option on vertical routes, and his big-play potential is massive.
Who Should You Draft in Fantasy Football?
There's pretty much nothing to split these two. Washington is going in the middle of the sixth round in PPR leagues, while Thomas Jr. is being drafted in the middle of the seventh round.
Liam Coen's offense is very situation-dependent, and both players can alternate WR1 duties week-to-week depending on the matchup. It might be a good idea to draft both in consecutive rounds, and if you can take Trevor Lawrence a few rounds later, you can have one of the best stacks in fantasy football.
Both players are great value picks this year; Washington has the higher weekly floor while Thomas Jr. has the higher ceiling.
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Football Tool
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2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Dak Prescott, Ashton Jeanty, MarShawn Lloyd, Saquon Barkley, Matthew Stafford, Chase Brown, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Wan'Dale Robinson, Zay Flowers, Dallas Goedert, Tyler Warren, Parker Washington, Brian Thomas Jr.. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football drafts.
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.
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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 to 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 Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Dak Prescott, Ashton Jeanty, MarShawn Lloyd, Saquon Barkley, Matthew Stafford, Chase Brown, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Wan'Dale Robinson, Trevor Lawrence, Jakobi Meyers, Zay Flowers, Dallas Goedert, Tyler Warren, Parker Washington:
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