Fantasy Football Target Tree 2026: Who Will Lead Every NFL Team In Targets?
Fantasy football analysis has evolved a lot since I started playing. I remember when average depth of target (aDot) was brand new. And we asked ourselves, “How do they even figure that out?” Now it’s a basic stat compared to WR target share, first read targets, DVOA, you name it. There’s an entire world of advanced stats out there, going as deep as you want to go.
But, at the heart of fantasy football, what matters most is still the NFL receiving hierarchy. Targets are still king. And figuring out the fantasy football target share rankings is still crucial to our success in fantasy drafts. Plus, knowing who the next man up on the WR depth chart and target tree is the key to finding wide receiver sleepers on waivers. That’s why we do the Target Totem Pole and keep it updated all season long!
What Is A Target Tree/Heirarchy
You can call it whatever you please - target tree, target hierarchy, target totem pole. The idea is still the same. Virtually every NFL team has a pecking order of sorts that dictates which players get the ball more than others.
In the running game, it’s a little simpler since one guy is typically in the game and he either gets the handoff or he doesn’t. With pass-catchers, there are almost always multiple wide receivers and tight ends on the field. Specific plays are drawn up for specific players, whether those are first read targets, screens, play-action, designed double moves, you name it. Yes, the quarterback is going to read the defense every play, which affects where the ball goes, but a lot of play calls are chosen because OCs believe they will work for a specific player.
Naturally, that ends up being crucial for fantasy football. But I don’t think the average gamer understands why that is true.
2026 Fantasy Football NFL Pre-Draft Target Report
Let’s take targets plus carries and call that a “look”. Over the last five years, every wide receiver to finish top 24 in PPR has averaged 6+ looks per game. That’s a pace of over 100 looks on the season.
In fact, 119 of those 120 players averaged 6+ targets. The only exception was 2023 Deebo Samuel, who averaged ~5.9 targets per game but also had 37 carries for 225 yards and 5 TDs. He’s the one exception over the last five years. So you essentially need to be on a 100 target pace unless you are going to have abnormal rushing production for a WR.
Over the last five years, since the NFL expanded to a 17-game season, there have only been two instances of three players on the same team all getting 100+ targets per Pro Football Focus. One was a season with an asterisk on it because it was the 2022 Vikings who traded for T.J. Hockenson mid-season. Adam Thielen was no longer on a 100+ target pace after the trade, but he made it to 100 because he accumulated a lot of targets beforehand.
The other was the Dallas Cowboys last year, where CeeDee Lamb got hurt, and Jake Ferguson snuck in behind Lamb and George Pickens with exactly 100. Jake Ferguson averaged 17.7 PPR points per game (TE2) in the five games Lamb was hurt or missed, but only 9.4 (TE20) in the others. So, even when a team “technically” hits that three-player mark, it doesn’t mean they are all great.
What does that all mean? If you think a guy can be a WR2 or a top 5-6 TE in fantasy or better, you need him to get 100+ looks. And, more realistically, 100+ targets. And, to get those, you need him to be a top two target on his team. Otherwise, you are projecting an anomaly. And we don’t project anomalies.
How Does The Target Totem Pole Work?
It’s pretty simple. We rank the players on each team from left to right in terms of who we believe gets the most targets. Then we color-code them based on our confidence level of what target range they will fall in. This will help us not only identify who is locked in, but it will also help us find pockets of uncertainty for us to take stabs at.
Since this is the predraft version, we aren’t going to project injuries (if a guy is currently hurt like Tucker Kraft, that will obviously be factored in). So, anyone below in blue or green we expect to get 100+ targets and are our primary “reliable” players to target. Anyone outside of that, you need to use your imagination to figure out how they get the targets we need. And I absolutely encourage you to do that because that’s how you get an advantage if you are right.
Like we did last year, we will continue to update this puppy weekly based on targets per week. Good luck out there, gang, and let me know in the Fantasy Alarm Discord what you think!
Fantasy Football Target Chart 2026 Draft Guide
Fantasy Football Target Totem Pole Advice & Takeaways
In this section, we are going to highlight the players who are locked in as the top two targets on their team with the first bullet points. Then we’ll look at any target battles that could have upside for fantasy football. Each team will have a notes section that lays out the key info and the bets we are making.
Arizona Cardinals
Locked In:
Target Battle:
Notes:
Because Trey McBride is such a target hog, we are set up for a battle between Marvin Harrison and Michael Wilson. The comments about Michael Wilson playing the Z role and Marvin Harrison playing the X have folks feeling like Wilson could benefit from an easier role, which is possible. But the reality is that Marvin Harrison Jr was preferred over Wilson in every game they played more than 60% of the snaps last year. So you would really need to bet on the new regime to favor Wilson.
I’d also like to note that, on the rare occasion Trey McBride does miss time, Elijah Higgins has been used in that role. So he’s a name to know as the potential rare pure tight end handcuff.
Atlanta Falcons
Locked In:
- Drake Lndon
Target Battle:
We’re willing to bet on Kyle Pitts regardless of who wins the battle here for two reasons. First, the barrier to a top-five season for tight ends is technically 90 targets, so we can live without 100. Second, Pitts has the high-end TE speed to do more with less when it comes to chunk plays, so he may not need a massive target share. Outside of him and London, the rookie Zachariah Branch is a little more appealing to us than the journeyman Jahan Dotson, though Bijan Robinson probably gets enough targets to limit the upside for them unless they flat-out get more than Kyle Pitts. Bijan got over 100 last year himself.
Baltimore Ravens
Locked In:
Target Battle:
- Mark Andrews
- Rashod Bateman
- Ja’Kobi Lane
- Elijah Sarratt
Declan Doyle is coming over after working under Ben Johnson. You have to imagine the 30-year-old will bring elements of that scheme. That’s great news for Zay Flowers, who will likely fall into the slot/flanker role ARSB was in for Johnson in Detroit. It’s also potentially good news for Mark Andrews after the “big slot” role we saw for Colston Loveland.
It also leaves a potentially interesting outside role. We’ve seen both Jameson Williams and Rome Odunze have success in this scheme. Rashod Bateman is the incumbent, and he did just score 9 touchdowns the year before last. But Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt could take command of a job on the outside and run with it. When asked about the rookie wide receivers, Jesse Minter recently said, "I do think there will be major opportunities for at least one of them when you look at the number of guys that we have.” That could mean as the WR3 behind Bateman or as the WR2, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
Buffalo Bills
Locked In:
Target Battle:
The Bills have not been the most pass-happy team. And they’ve been known to spread the ball around. But, even if he’s not getting a Bills Stefon Diggs era level of targets, DJ Moore should clearly be the top guy based on talent and investment alone. That then leaves a slot battle between Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid, with maybe Keon Coleman having an outside chance at a resurgence. No one on the team got 100 targets last year, but at least Kincaid has TE eligibility, which makes us more likely to take a shot on him at ADP than the WRs. Maybe this year, they will actually let Kincaid play more than half the snaps in some of these games.
Carolina Panthers
Locked In:
Target Battle:
At this stage, the battle really is between Coker and Brazzell after Legette has fallen out of favor. Jalen Coker just got a nice little extension in the range of what guys like Jalen Nailor, Rashod Bateman, etc. have gotten, so he’s the “safe” bet. Brazzell is your high-risk, high-reward upside play. We’d love to include Ja’Tavion Sanders in the mix as well, but the rotation with Tommy Tremble has always held him back. We do like him better than Tremble in your really deep leagues or dynasty.
Chicago Bears
Locked In:
Target Battle:
If we had to bet on a team to have three guys get 100+ targets, we might pick this one. It’s a high-volume offense and should be highly consolidated. We know how rare that is, though, so we have to try to weigh how it could play out. Rome Odunze is an established full-time player who was on pace for 127 targets last year, so he sits up top. Then we get into the hype players
We have seen part-time slot guys blow up transitioning to a full-time role, like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, CeeDee Lamb, Chris Godwin, etc. That’s the exciting upside appeal for Burden. But Colston Loveland finished the season with back to back to back to back games of 10+ targets. And he’s a TE, so those targets go a longer way for him due to positional scarcity. The reality here is that all three are exciting bets with contingent upside if one of the others gets hurt, so I’m not opposed to taking any of them if you get a good value. And it’s why we like Caleb Williams so much.
Cincinnati Bengals
Locked In:
Target Battle:
- None
The problem we run into here is that healthy Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are so very clearly the top two targets that it doesn’t leave much room for upside after them. Even when guys have gotten hurt, we really haven’t seen guys like Andrei Iosivas or Mike Gesicki get catapulted into fantasy relevance. Rookie Colbie Young is a name to know for dynasty, but the reality is that more teams will have one or zero fantasy-relevant pass-catchers, so we can just be happy this team has a clear top two.
Cleveland Browns
Locked In:
- None
Target Battle:
This one is about as wide open as they come. We’ve got a new coaching regime coming in, two highly drafted rookies, and possibly a new starting QB. Last year, the top two targets were Harold Fannin and Jerry Jeudy, though Jeudy recently admitted that “everything is different about this offense, the play-calling, the concepts,” when asked about Todd Monken’s scheme. So this is not just a situation where some terminology changes as Todd Monkey uses elements of the Air Raid offense with Erhardt-Perkins terminology, which notoriously relies more on routes grouped as a concept than simply a numbered route tree of the Air Coryell or the named routes of some West Coast schemes.
After drafting the rookies, GM Andrew Berry reiterated that Jerry Jeudy was their bell cow wide receiver. So there is a real chance the incumbents, Harold Fannin and Jerry Jeudy, are still the top targets (which makes the 27-year-old Jeudy an easy late-round stab at his ADP). But we all know that rookies can sometimes catch lightning in a bottle, so placing bets on KC Concepcion or Denzel Boston is the high-risk, high-reward play if you want to go there. Camp reports around the rookies have been glowing so far, as well as some positive hype for second-year player Isaiah Bond.
Dallas Cowboys
Locked In:
Target Battle:
- None
Anyone who has been following my content for a while knows that we aren’t huge fans of Jake Ferguson. The issue is that he’s not particularly athletic, so he needs a lot of targets or touchdowns to have upside. Last year, he managed to get to 100 targets, but a large portion of his production came when CeeDee Lamb was hurt. So, technically, Ferguson was TE5 in PPR, but he finished as TE8 in half and TE10 in standard. Guys like Jake Ferguson and Ryan Flournoy are really only contingent upside plays if one of Lamb or Pickens gets hurt - and Ferguson gets drafted a little too early for us to bank on that. The tweet below shows how drastic the split was when Lamb was/wasn’t on the field.
Denver Broncos
Locked In:
Target Battle:
- None
The Broncos tried for multiple years to find an option opposite Courtland Sutton. And pretty much every name there disappointed. In fact, it was rare for anyone to ever play more than 70% of the snaps, be it a WR or a TE. So they went out and traded their first-round pick for Jaylen Waddle. Even though he’s new to the team, we’ll give Waddle the nod in targets as it can be easier to generate them in his slot/flanker role than it is for Sutton as the split end.
It’s also hard to even suggest any other player has contingent upside if one of them gets hurt. Because we’ve seen that no one stepped up, I will say, if Courtland Sutton goes down, I expect Pat Bryant to take that split end role. If Waddle goes down, maybe we give Engram another shot since he has TE eligibility.
Detroit Lions
Locked In:
Target Battle:
Amon-Ra St. Brown is about as locked-in as a target machine as you can get. After that is when the real battle starts. With Gibbs obviously getting a ton of carries as well, we have no problem taking him as high as the first player off the board, but he’s mentioned here as he’s actually a real threat for 100 targets - he got 94 last year. That’s more of a thorn in the side of Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta than anything.
This team has been a bit deceptive, as, in our minds, all three pass-catchers have been fantasy relevant at the same time all along. But that hasn’t necessarily been the case. This past season was the first time Jameson Williams cracked 100 targets, but Sam LaPorta missed half the season with injury and only got 49 targets. In 2023, the one time Sam LaPorta got 100+ targets, Jameson Williams missed five games and only got 42 targets on the season.
Jameson Williams, with his field-stretching ability, has shown the ability to make big plays even if he’s not super consistent from week to week. That can be appealing in best ball and standard. LaPorta has the tight end eligibility, and new OC Drew Petzing loved throwing to his tight end with Arizona, as we know. Generally, though, I avoid playing this guessing game as both are being picked fairly high.
Green Bay Packers
Locked In:
- None
Target Battle:
With Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks gone, we can at least be confident in who the key players are. And, with the massive extension given to Christian Watson, we feel pretty confident ranking him towards the top. That said, he does operate as a field stretcher at times, which doesn’t necessarily translate to massive target shares, so there’s room for others to step up.
We might rank Tucker Kraft at #2 if he weren’t coming off a serious injury and expected to miss time. He’s pretty expensive for a TE, where you’ll also need to find another to start for you.
Houston Texans
Locked In:
Target Battle:
Nico Collins is the clear top dog. Jayden Higgins started his rookie year as a part-time player, primarily playing in two WR sets, but managed to carve out a bigger role and surpass Xavier Hutchinson around Week 10 or so. He still didn’t quite manage to become a full-time player while Nico Collins was healthy, but he’s our favorite target of this bunch given his usage last year.
The return of Tank Dell could potentially pour some cold water on the Higgins hype if he can return to form and reclaim his spot on the outside. It’s a tough bet given his injury history, but he returned to practice this summer. The hope for Jaylen Noel is that he can take over the slot role with Christian Kirk gone, but that role wasn’t even a full-time role for Kirk when he was healthy. If you are betting on pretty much all of these wide receivers to come out short, you can look to Dalton Schultz, but we’ve seen Schultz for a while, and the ceiling doesn’t feel particularly high.
Indianapolis Colts
Locked In:
Target Battle:
Michael Pittman's leaving opens the door in a big way for someone here. Alec Pierce got paid big money to be the WR1, and he was already a full-time guy as is. Josh Downs has been a part-time slot guy so far in his career, but is reportedly moving all over the formation in early practices. That is intriguing for his upside, but they also have second-year tight end Tyler Warren operating in the short to intermediate area.
Pierce and Warren are pretty safe picks given their role and their floor. The question really boils down to whether Downs is an every-down player with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine-Ikhine (or someone else) coming in for three WR sets or whether there is still a rotation there. If the full-time players are Pierce, Downs, and Warren, they all could be fantasy relevant, considering Pierce is not a target hog, and Jonathan Taylor doesn’t do much in the pass game either. It all rides on Daniel Jones’s health, however.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Locked In:
- None
Target Battle:
This is one of the most interesting offenses for fantasy. We love Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence. But we don’t know how the offense will shake out for fantasy. We expect Brian Thomas Jr and Jakobi Meyers to be the outside guys. But, in Liam Coen’s scheme, it’s the slot guy who has historically had the biggest upside. Parker Washington is in line to start there, but it’s not as simple a situation as you might think.
Last year, before getting hurt, Travis Hunter had that role. Any snaps for him could potentially come at the expense of Washington. Also, the Jaguars just drafted a blocking tight end, Nate Boerkircher, and a slot TE, Tanner Koziol. If they go jumbo sets with Brenton Strange, those snaps could also come at the expense of Washington. That makes us most likely to draft Brian Thomas Jr as a bounce-back candidate from this group, but they all have upside.
Kansas City Chiefs
Locked In:
Target Battle:
It might sound crazy to say he’s “locked in”. But Rashee Rice is out of jail, and he’s back to working at the team facility. Andy Reid says that he’s “in a good place”. Beat writers in that same article linked suggest he might not even land on the PUP list, that he might just be a full go for training camp. If Rice is healthy, he’s the clear top target for an offense that desperately needs one.
After him is where it gets interesting. Xavier Worthy has not lived up to expectations, but he’s had some excuses. Namely, that he’s had to play out of position with Rice missing so much time, he hasn’t had Patrick Mahomes for stretches, and he also played with a hurt shoulder last year. Then you have old reliable in Travis Kelce. Kelce is the safe bet, but Worthy is the upside bet if he can put it all together in year three.
Las Vegas Raiders
Locked In:
Target Battle:
Given what we know about Klint Kubiak, we expect Michael Mayer to play a lot of inline snaps with Brock Bowers moving around all over the formation - similar to how he used Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson. So Bowers is in a good spot. It’s fairly rare for teams to have two fantasy-relevant tight ends, but we have seen it before with the Eagles (Zach Ertz/Dallas Goedert) and Patriots (Rob Gronkowski/Aaron Hernandez), so there is a slim chance.
The more realistic possibility is that one more WR could be relevant. I say one more, as Kubiak’s use of multiple tight ends and a fullback really limits the offense to two full-time WRs max. So it’s the incoming Jalen Nailor, who they paid decent money for, against the incumbent Tre Tucker. Given that Tucker has the profile/skillset that better fits what Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed were asked to do in New Orleans/Seattle, we are leaning towards him. Klint Kubiak did say he’s asked him to take on a leadership role.
Los Angeles Chargers
Locked In:
Target Battle:
The Mike McDaniel scheme famously uses a fullback and multiple tight ends. After bringing him on board, the Chargers also signed fullback Alec Ingold from the Dolphins, then brought in blocking tight end Charlie Kolar. That usually consolidates the snaps and targets among the top two WRs, who we expect to be Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston. It’s not good news for second-year man Tre Harris.
McDaniel has also had a TE run 70% of his snaps from a WR spot in back-to-back seasons with Darren Waller and Jonnu Smith. That would have had us VERY excited for Oronde Gadsden, if not for one curveball - the signing of David Njoku. If one of them can clearly run away with that role, the upside could be there. But any sort of split could water them both down and leave McConkey and Johnston as the only meaningful fantasy pass-catchers.
Los Angeles Rams
Locked In:
Target Battle:
With a healthy Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, they are the clear top two targets on the team. There’s not much really to discuss there. Jordan Whittington could pick up extra snaps if one were to get hurt, but that’s not really what happened last year when Adams went down - they mainly leaned on extra tight ends.
For instance, in Week 16, when Adams went down, Nacua led the team in routes, but Colby Parkinson and Terrance Ferguson each ran 37, tying for second. The WR snaps, and a high aDot for Terrance Ferguson especially makes him appealing as a contingent upside play if a WR were to go down. The Rams further complicated things, however, by bringing back Tyler Higbee and drafting Max Klare in the second round. So these are more waiver wire options if there is an injury.
Miami Dolphins
Locked In:
- None
Target Battle:
The Dolphins are essentially tanking. They have more dead cap than they have active spending. And, with that, they have gone ultra cheap with pass-catchers. They have Malik Washington from last year, and they have also taken second or third chance stabs at guys like Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, and Terrace Marshall. They had multiple top 100 picks on the draft but didn’t use any on WRs, opting instead to take a lesser-known Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell, who is coming off a torn ACL.
De'Von Achane will get a big chunk of targets. But the most intriguing pass-catcher to us is Greg Dulcich. OC Bobby Slowik also uses multiple TEs and fullbacks, which is good for the pass-catching tight ends. And, if targets are spread around, the positional scarcity of the TE position is good news for Duclcih. Worth a late stab for sure.
Minnesota Vikings
Locked In:
Target Battle:
Justin Jefferson is a super mega star who generally commands 150+ targets when healthy. That puts a strain on the rest of the offense’s ability to get consistent targets. We know who the main pieces are in that Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings will be the other WRs with T.J. Hockenson as the primary tight end, but we don’t know how the targets will be distributed.
There is also the Josh Oliver problem. Every snap he takes alongside T.J. Hockenson takes a WR out of the game. Will it be Jauan Jennings or Jordan Addison in most cases? Can Kyler Murray’s tendencies towards the TE elevate T.J. Hockenson, or will he be the third or fourth target? I’m mostly staying away from the pass-catchers outside of Jefferson unless it’s best ball, and I’m trying to pair guys with Kyler Murray. They could all be inconsistent from week to week, and Justin Jefferson might not be fully excluded from that.
New England Patriots
Locked In:
Target Battle:
This one might not be a particularly meaningful battle. A.J. Brown is clearly the top option. And, given the money that was spent on Romeo Doubs in free agency, he is probably your second option. Given the lack of speed for Hunter Henry, he really needs a clear path to targets or a lot of touchdowns to be meaningful for us in fantasy. So he’s been relegated to more of a best-ball-only type pick in 2026.
New Orleans Saints
Locked In:
Target Battle:
There have been many instances where rookies have either started slow or busted completely. But when you pick a guy at eight overall, they almost certainly get a massive opportunity right away. So, after locked-in star Chris Olave, Jordyn Tyson gets the nod for us as the second target.
That said, rookies DO sometimes bust. And Tyson not only has a well-documented injury history, but he also had his reps limited in early practices with a hamstring issue. Juwan Johnson has TE eligibility, so he’s the next most appealing to us if something were to go wrong there. Devaughn Vele is now probably the WR3 on the outside looking in, so he’s more of waiver wire fodder if someone gets hurt than anything.
New York Giants
Locked In:
Target Battle:
If Malik Nabers were fully healthy, he would be blue on the chart. If we get word that he’s a full go, he will be. Regardless, we expect him to lead this group in targets when all is said and done - that’s how good he is. So the question really is, who will be the second target on this team?
As always, it’s appealing to us based on positional scarcity to have Isaiah Likely in that mix. He came over with John Harbaugh, and the usage of multiple TEs and a fullback could limit us to a lot of two WR sets. Oftentimes, we shy away from rookies, but in this case, the mystery box of Malachi Fields is the most appealing after the Giants traded three picks to move up 31 spots and get him. It’s easier to bet on his upside than the resurgence of guys like Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, or Odell Beckham. We just wish Likely had a little more speed.
New York Jets
Locked In:
Target Battle:
This is a really interesting one. We might not love Geno Smith. But we can acknowledge that he’s not a complete zero, and the Jets will need to throw. Garrett Wilson is clearly the WR1 there, but after that, it gets interesting.
There are three main bets to be made. The one we like best is betting on Kenyon Sadiq. Not only was he drafted before Omar Cooper Jr. in the 2026 NFL Draft, but if the targets are split evenly, his go a longer way because he’s TE eligible. After him, we like the unknown upside of Omar Cooper Jr who the Jets were willing to trade back into the first round to land. We’ll also keep an eye on Adonai Mitchell to see if maybe the rookies both start slow and he has chemistry with Geno Smith. Mitchell will probably go undrafted in most formats.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Locked In:
Target Battle:
Perhaps this is a bold assumption to make. But the Steelers made moves to acquire DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman. Shortly after acquiring Pittman, the Steelers decided to sign him to an extension as well. With Metcalf playing the split end and Pittman opposite him as the flanker, it seems pretty reasonable to me to assume these two players will be the top two targets on this team. Michael Pittman has gotten over 100 targets in five straight years, and last year was the first time DK Metcalf failed to get 100 - he finished with 99.
That leaves rookie Germie Bernard and tight end Pat Freiermuth on the outside looking in. Our guess would be that Bernard starts his rookie campaign as a part-time player, coming in for three WR sets. With Freiermuth, it isn’t even a forgone conclusion that he will be the full-time tight end or even the starter. Darnell Washington has reportedly slimmed down to the tune of 50 pounds, meaning that maybe he will try to be more than just a blocking tight end.
San Francisco 49ers
Locked In:
Target Battle:
If George Kittle were fully healthy, this would probably be less of a discussion. But we don’t know for sure what we are getting off a torn Achilles. Historically, Kittle has been able to do “less with more” because of his athleticism, but that is at the root of the problem with an injury like this. He’s a bit of a risky bet, but it could pay off handsomely if he comes back healthy.
The 49ers are another team that loves their fullback and multiple tight ends. So there is one full-time WR role available opposite Mike Evans. Christian Kirk is a part-time slot guy at this stage, so the best bets are Ricky Pearsall or rookie De'Zhaun Stribling. There’s also a world where Christian McCaffrey gets 100+ targets again, and maybe no WR outside of Mike Evans really matters, so keep that in mind.
Seattle Seahawks
Locked In:
Target Battle:
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the kind of guy who commands 150+ targets. He just carried his team to a Super Bowl win while winning NFL Offensive Player of the Year and getting paid big money for it. So we know he’s the top dog over there. It’s the next spot that becomes interesting.
Cooper Kupp was technically the second target last year, though clearly he is on the back stretch of his career. Rashid Shaheed was brought back in probably has the best shot to carve out a meaningful role as the WR2. Some are betting on AJ Barner, but, as we will discuss in our tight end series in depth, the profile and deployment for Barner are really not conducive to upside in fantasy football. Elijah Arroyo will also likely take some snaps as the receiving tight end, which further hurts Barner in the grand scheme of things.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Locked In:
Target Battle:
This is another one where we are personally willing to make a little leap. Perhaps that is because I spoke with someone who has covered the team for 10+ years, who says that Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin will be the wide receivers on the field for two wide receiver sets. Or maybe it’s just because we have seen what Chris Godwin can do in this scheme. We did a full write-up on that here if you want to know exactly why we are so confident in Godwin in 2026.
The beat writer we spoke with also made an interesting comment that he expects Jalen McMillan to play ahead of rookie Ted Hurst. If you are looking for late correlations with Baker Mayfield, I would lean toward McMillan over Hurst for now. Given how many viable wide receivers the Bucs have, that has us largely out on Cade Otton. How many injuries would it take for him to be a top two target on the team?
Tennessee Titans
Locked In:
- None
Target Battle:
This is a pretty wide-open situation here in Tennessee. Not only is there a new offensive coach in Brian Daboll, but there are some new faces in town. Coming off back-to-back 140+ target seasons, Wan'Dale Robinson has followed Daboll to the Titans. He’s our favorite pick in the target pecking order. They also selected rookie Carnell Tate at 4 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, so hopes are high for him.
Calvin Ridley is coming off a pretty serious ankle injury and was showing signs of decline prior to that, so we have our concerns there. That said, he restructured his deal to stay with the team, and you never quite know with rookies and new acquisitions, so it’s not crazy for him to bounce back. Gunnar Helm needs at least two of these guys to faceplant here, but one injury to the right guy could put him into a meaningful spot. With Chig Okonkwo gone, he’s at least in line for more snaps.
Washington Commanders
Locked In:
Target Battle:
It’s fitting that this is the last team in the article because they have more rumors surrounding them. The big factor here is that they have $43M in cap space and ties to multiple free agent wide receivers. So much so that we wrote an article breaking down their wide receiver options, including Brandon Aiyuk (via trade), Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Deebo Samuel, Tyreek Hill, and DeAndre Hopkins.
Regardless of acquisitions, Terry McLaurin likely remains a top-two target on the team. So he’s looking pretty solid. It’s the next options that would get hurt the most by the signing of someone like Stefon Diggs. If that doesn’t happen, we love the upside for tight end Chig Okonkwo or even rookie Antonio Williams. But we are still waiting for the last shoe to drop before we can fully evaluate this group of pass-catchers. And, when one does land there, maybe the others will quickly sign elsewhere…