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Nathan's fantasy football wide receiver draft targets and value picks in the late-rounds of 2026 drafts. Her top upside sleepers include KC Concepcion and more.
The 2026 NFL season is just weeks away as fantasy managers gear up for their championship season. In fantasy, the draft is the single most important factor separating playoff teams from non-playoff teams, so in order to compete, you have to draft well.
Hitting your early-round picks is crucial, but managers can make up for it with late-round picks. Teams that take a running back-heavy approach will look to the late rounds for wide receivers, who could be starting pieces or even league winners.
With that said, here are five wide receivers to target with your late-round picks in this season's drafts:
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Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers
Despite a strong 2025 season, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston is being undervalued this season. In 14 games, Johnston had 51 receptions on 84 targets for 735 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging just over 10 half-PPR fantasy points per game.
The former first-round pick got off to a strong start to the 2025 season, totaling four straight games with over 70 receiving yards and scoring four touchdowns. After a falloff towards the end of last season, the Chargers' offense should improve significantly in 2026.
The offensive line was a major concern toward the end of the season, with both tackles, Rashawn Slater (knee) and Joe Alt (ankle), out. With Johnston working more vertical and crossing routes, there was no way for him to get targets on those routes without protection, since the line couldn’t block for quarterback Justin Herbert.
Former offensive coordinator Greg Roman is out, and Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is in. McDaniel specialized in working with speedy receivers like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and featured a heavy dose of vertical routes and crossers in his offenses from 2022 to 2025.
have a day, Q pic.twitter.com/WtxyrmjDwR
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 9, 2026
A positive for Johnston is Keenan Allen's departure, which frees up 122 targets from Allen's 2025 season. Even if Johnston gains 20 more targets this season, he would become a 1,000-yard receiver and could score double-digit touchdowns based on his efficiency from the last two seasons.
Most fans and analysts are still downgrading Johnston because of his horrific rookie season, but he’s improved significantly. With all the improvements and vacated targets in the Chargers offense, fantasy managers shouldn’t hesitate to draft Johnston if he’s available in the mid-rounds.
KC Concepcion, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion has flashed at training camp and could compete for the starting job right away. Although the quarterback situation isn’t great on paper, Concepcion remains a very good value that fantasy managers should take advantage of.
The rookie receiver was explosive and efficient in his final college season at Texas A&M, totaling 994 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns in just 13 games. He ranked third in the SEC among wide receivers in scrimmage yards and first in touchdowns, earning All-American honors as an All-Purpose Player.
The Browns have relied on rookies from the start in recent seasons and are looking to do the same with Concepcion. In 2025, they started five rookies for most of the season, and seven players under 23 were key contributors on their roster. They led the NFL in rookie snaps in 2025 (19.8%), with the New England Patriots second at 16.2%.
Training camp has cemented this, as both Concepcion and second-round pick Denzel Boston have turned heads in practice. The team is using Concepcion in the slot and frequently has him in motion at camp. He was used all over the formation during their preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, playing 15 of 19 snaps, and scoring a touchdown on a jet sweep.
The rookie KC Concepcion is in for 6!
CLEvsCHI on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/fC7gG5NpsM— NFL (@NFL) August 15, 2026
Monken’s offense has favored slot receivers in the past, and Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers averaged more than 65 yards per game in all three seasons under Monken. He was also the offensive coordinator in Cleveland in 2019, when Jarvis Landry had nearly 1,200 yards, and in Tampa Bay in 2018, when Chris Godwin Jr. was just beginning to emerge.
There’s a strong possibility that Concepcion will be the number one wide receiver in Cleveland by season’s end, and being drafted in the double-digit rounds is a very favorable price for a number one receiver.
Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker has also made noise this training camp, as he’s looking toward a potential third-year breakout. Despite missing the first six weeks with a significant quad strain, Coker still managed a solid season.
He totaled 33 receptions on 43 targets, adding 394 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 6.7 half-PPR fantasy points per game. He’s looking to build on what was supposed to be a lost season for the former undrafted player from Holy Cross.
Coker finished the season as the team’s clear WR2 behind Tetairoa McMillan, playing over 65% of the snaps in all but two games last season and over 70% in each of the team’s final four games, including the playoff game, where he had nine receptions for 134 yards and a touchdown.
Coker could climb even higher if Bryce Young has his best season. Young has been a below-average quarterback throughout his NFL career, and the former first overall pick has reportedly had his best training camp to date.
Jalen Coker Lining Up for Third-Year Breakout in 2026 https://t.co/zwG66WIOLD
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) August 14, 2026
The third-year wideout is aiming for his first 1,000-yard season in 2026, and if he can stay healthy and Young can have a strong season, Coker could have a legitimate chance to do so.
De'Zhaun Stribling, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling could be forced into a major role in the offense in 2026. Although he was drafted with the team’s first pick in 2026, he wasn’t expected to have a major impact, given the team’s depth at receiver.
After a few practices at the 49ers’ training camp, Stribling’s role is set to expand. The team is dealing with injuries to Mike Evans (quad), Ricky Pearsall (done for the season after PCL surgery), Christian Kirk (calf), Jacob Cowing (hip flexor), fullback Kyle Juszczyk (finger), and star tight end George Kittle (Achilles).
Stribling finished his college career with back-to-back 800+ yard seasons and six touchdown seasons and was a key contributor to Ole Miss’s deep run in the College Football Playoff. In the final five games of the 2025 season, Stribling caught 25 passes for 420 yards and four touchdowns, and became the top target for Trinidad Chambliss, who will likely be drafted in the future.
Now he is standing out at the 49ers’ training camp and had a very productive outing in the team's opening preseason game, hauling in seven passes for 63 yards in the first half. With Stribling pulling away as the team's starting outside receiver opposite Evans and with Brock Purdy at quarterback, he could be a contributor even without injuries to the wideouts on the outside.
An impressive preseason debut for @49ers' second-round pick De'Zhaun Stribling:
7 catches
63 yardsAll in the first half 🙌
TENvsSF on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/VxhMoyrhFb— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2026
Evans has been dealing with a quad injury and has a history of hamstring injuries over the past few seasons. Deebo Samuel Sr., signed by the team earlier in camp, has dealt with numerous hamstring injuries throughout his career, and the other playmakers have lengthy injury histories as well.
If injuries continue to affect these playmakers, Stribling could be forced into the role of the team’s best receiver. Ranked WR72 in RotoBaller’s positional rankings, he offers possibly the most handcuff value of any receiver outside the top 50 at the position.
Jahan Dotson, Atlanta Falcons
After two disappointing seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, wide receiver Jahan Dotson joins the Atlanta Falcons, where he is expected to see increased volume. In 2024 and 2025, Dotson caught 37 of 69 targets for 478 yards and one touchdown in 34 games.
As the WR3 in Philly and the fifth option in the passing game, Dotson’s role was limited. The Eagles ranked dead last in pass attempts in 2024 (448) and 24th in 2025 (497), so production was unlikely given his standing behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Dotson heads to Atlanta, where he is expected to be the WR2 behind Drake London. In his two seasons as the WR2 in Washington in 2022 and 2023, Dotson averaged 36 receiving yards per game and scored 11 touchdowns in 29 games, with Taylor Heinicke, Carson Wentz, and Sam Howell serving as his starting quarterbacks.
Jahan Dotson Pulling Away As Falcons' WR2 https://t.co/yDo76xKCAO
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) August 14, 2026
Now he gets Tua Tagovailoa as his likely starting quarterback, who has supplied multiple 1,000-yard receivers in two of the past four seasons. Dotson also enters Atlanta looking to replace Darnell Mooney, who has averaged 46 yards and six touchdowns over the past 31 games.
Is 1,000+ yards likely for Dotson in 2026? Probably not, unless London gets injured. However, is the WR96 too low a ranking for a WR2 in an offense with a fairly good quarterback in Tagovailoa? Absolutely.
The former 16th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft may have been discarded during his two seasons with the Eagles, but now back as the WR2, Dotson should be considered by fantasy managers in deeper leagues in the later rounds.
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Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Quentin Johnston, KC Concepcion, De'Zhaun Stribling, Jahan Dotson, Jalen Coker:
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