- Parker Washington finished last season as a top-10 receiver in PFF grade:Washington earned an 85.1 receiving grade in 2025. He caught 26 passes for 454 yards and three touchdowns over his final four games, including the playoffs.
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This is a collection of my favorite wide receiver league winners, breakouts and sleepers for the 2026 fantasy football season, updated to reflect my latest rankings and ADP. The league winners are early-round targets with a better chance than similarly priced players to deliver first-round value. The breakouts are mid-round picks poised to become household names while outperforming their ADPs, while the sleepers are late-round options with the upside to emerge as weekly fantasy starters.
League Winners
DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles (ADP: 3.09)
Smith has been a dependable fantasy starter during his time in the NFL, averaging at least 3.5 receptions and 50 receiving yards per game throughout his career. He's ranked among the top 30 wide receivers in fantasy points per game in each of the last four seasons despite being the second option in the Eagles’ offense behind A.J. Brown.
Smith has consistently graded between a 78.0 and 84.0 each season, putting him in the range of a great, but not elite, receiver. That's culminated in an 89.4 career overall PFF grade, slotting 20th among wide receivers over the last five seasons. Because career grades reward sustained performance over larger samples, his sits above any single season's mark. That is particularly impressive considering Smith’s career 20.5% target rate, tied for third-lowest among those 20 receivers.
Smith has played more in the slot over the last two years than in his first three, but has improved most out wide. He posted an 89.9 PFF receiving grade out wide in 2025 with a 25.3% target rate. Smith also achieved 2.95 yards per route run when lined up out wide last season, tied for third-best behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Puka Nacua. Meanwhile, Smith’s grades in the slot have deteriorated over time.
The Eagles traded away Brown and lost Jahan Dotson in free agency while adding Makai Lemon, Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks. Lemon will primarily be a slot receiver, while both Brown and Wicks have played inside at times in their careers. We should see a significant shift toward Smith playing out wide rather than in the slot. The departure of Brown should help Smith's target rate.
Smith's ability to be a top-five or top-10 fantasy wide receiver will somewhat depend on the Eagles' ability to rebound as a team, but given the talent on the unit, that is a decent bet to make. At worst, his floor will be higher with the elevated target rate, making him an even safer starting fantasy option.