There's a consensus top four when it comes to wide receivers in fantasy football this year. If you want a no-doubt WR1 in the first round, you can generally feel good about drafting Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals), Puka Nacua (Rams), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks) or Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions).
But after that, it's on you to unearth the under-the-radar target hog after the second round. If you can find another WR1, your chance of making the playoffs is pretty high.
Here are the five best fantasy football wide receiver picks you can make in 2026:
More: 12 fantasy football late-round sleepers to target in 2026 drafts
Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Kyler Murray isn't one of the best QBs in the league, but he is a noticeable upgrade over J.J. McCarthy and the flotilla of terrible backups that Minnesota trotted out last year to sink Jefferson's fantasy season. The former Arizona Cardinal can still chuck it deep, and Jefferson can still go up and get a deep ball. This should be a great match and for Jefferson, a return closer to his 2024 season (103 catches for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns).
WR DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles offense is going to look a lot different without A.J. Brown, but it's hard to imagine that it ends with DeVonta Smith seeing fewer targets than in previous seasons. He's been about as good as it gets as a WR2 and should reach another level with a WR1 workload. If he can handle that, he'll finish as a top-5 wide receiver.
Luther Burden, WR, Chicago Bears
This might be too optimistic, but let's imagine a world in which Burden's training camp groin injury doesn't linger and isn't a factor in the regular season. Maybe we even get a discount of a round or two because of the injury, and now you have a chance to get what should be the No. 1 target earner in a Ben Johnson offense in the sixth round.
Johnson has been singing Burden's praises all summer and betting on second-year breakout candidates at wide receiver can be a lot of fun. Burden could be a star this season.
DJ Moore, Buffalo Bills
It's hard to argue that Moore's best years are in front of him, but the 29-year-old has also never played with a quarterback like Josh Allen before. Buffalo's secondary receiving options aren't impressive from top to bottom and Moore should see 100+ targets, meaning he doesn't have to steal that many touchdowns away from Allen and running back James Cook to make his price tag in the fifth or sixth round worth it.
Malik Washington, WR, Miami Dolphins
The competition for targets is about as weak in Miami as anywhere else in the NFL, and while the Dolphins will prioritize running the football, they will still need to throw the ball to somebody. Washington appears to be the front-runner for Miami's WR1 this year but is basically free in fantasy drafts. It's hard to find this level of upside in the late rounds.
Fantasy football wide receiver rankings
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 best fantasy football wide receiver picks you can make in 2026