- Rashid Shaheed is in line for a bigger role: There is significant speculation that he will pass Cooper Kupp to become the Seattle Seahawks‘ second option in the passing game behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
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Each season, most of the players who help fantasy managers reach the playoffs are selected early in drafts. However, every year a handful of late-round picks or undrafted players emerge as league winners. Last season, Michael Wilson, Wan'Dale Robinson, Alec Pierce, Parker Washington and Keenan Allen all outperformed their draft cost to become reliable fantasy starters.
Here are five wide receivers currently being drafted in the 11th round or later who have the potential to become weekly must-start options.
Last updated: Friday, Aug. 28
Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs (ADP: 11.11)
Worthy was a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The speedy receiver was seen as a deep threat for Kansas City but made little impact for most of his rookie season, averaging 32 yards per game over his first 11 games with an average depth of target in the double digits for most of them. The Chiefs then used him more in the slot with a lower average depth of target the rest of the way, the role where Rashee Rice thrived as a rookie and early in 2024 before his injury. Worthy's average jumped to 57 yards per game over his next six. He then gained 85 yards in the AFC Championship Game and caught eight passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the Super Bowl loss.
Last season, his average depth of target climbed back to 12.5. JuJu Smith-Schuster often took the slot and the low-average-depth role when Rice was out. Worthy was meant to be the deep target, yet both Tyquan Thornton and Hollywood Brown gained more receiving yards on deep passes. His incomplete deep balls were uncatchable, and something was off with his chemistry with Patrick Mahomes.
Worthy suffered a shoulder injury in Week 1 and didn’t undergo surgery until after the season. Reports later indicated that the injury bothered him throughout the year and limited what he could do, particularly on routes that required more physicality. His performance while playing through the injury shouldn’t be held against him. However, he re-sprained the shoulder on Aug. 1, so while the injury helps explain some of last season’s struggles, it could still affect him this year. He didn’t play in the first preseason game but began participating in 7-on-7 drills in mid-August.
Worthy was named the unofficial MVP of Kansas City’s OTAs. The Chiefs moved on from Brown and Smith-Schuster and added only fifth-round rookie Cyrus Allen, a sign that they still trust Worthy as a starter and key part of the passing game. It’s also worth noting how young Worthy was when he entered the league. He is younger than Allen and several receivers in this year’s rookie class, so it’s reasonable to expect continued improvement if his shoulder is healthy. Given Rice’s off-field issues and Travis Kelce’s age, it’s entirely possible that Worthy leads the Chiefs in receiving yards. New offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy previously centered Kansas City’s offense around Tyreek Hill, and Worthy could fill a similar role.
Worthy is a flex option in fantasy drafts if his shoulder is healthy, with top-10 upside if he emerges as the top weapon in Kansas City’s offense.
Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks (ADP: 13.05)
Shaheed went from undrafted rookie to All-Pro returner in his second season. His offensive playing time grew as his rookie year progressed, including three late games with 75 or more receiving yards. He played more than 50% of snaps and became more of a deep threat in his second season, with six games over 60 yards, five of which included a touchdown, and nine games of 36 yards or fewer, with nothing in between.
In 2024, Shaheed leaned even further into the deep-threat role, with an 18.8 average depth of target and a 39% deep-target rate. He made eight explosive plays over six games, gaining 73 or more yards in four of them and 11 or fewer in two others, before a meniscus tear ended his season early.
Shaheed was off to a much more consistent start in 2025, with four or more receptions in each of his first nine games. He was in the final year of his contract, and the Saints did not plan to re-sign him long-term, so they traded him to the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle had lost its third receiver, Tory Horton, for the season, and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak had been Shaheed's coordinator in 2024.
His playing time was inconsistent in Seattle. He had two games over 60 receiving yards and ran the ball more than he caught it during the playoffs. His average depth of target fell to 11.5, down from his previous stint in Kubiak's offense.
Seattle changed offensive coordinators again but still signed Shaheed to a long-term contract. There is significant speculation that he is in line for a larger role this season, presumably passing Cooper Kupp on the depth chart to become the second option in the passing game behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Shaheed is a fine, high-upside late-round option. Unlike most younger late-round targets, we should have a good read on whether he will pay off in fantasy after the first month or two of the season.
KC Concepcion, Cleveland Browns (ADP: 12.02)
Concepcion started his career as a slot receiver for NC State but was used in a more well-rounded role at Texas A&M. According to our draft guide, he wins with quickness, which helps him create separation. He struggled with drops throughout college, but that hasn't historically been a predictive stat heading into the NFL. His player comp was Luther Burden III, another receiver who can line up all over the offense.
He joins Cleveland, which entered the offseason with the biggest receiver need in the league. Last season, 10 teams posted a team PFF receiving grade below 70.0. Seven of them made at least one free-agency move to address it, and two others dealt with significant injuries at the position. The lone receiver room that looks largely unchanged is the Browns', and they carried the lowest team receiving grade of the group.
Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Isaiah Bond, Malachi Corley, Gage Larvadain and Jamari Thrash made up Cleveland's receiver corps last season, and they remain the top six on the depth chart for now. Corley was the only one with a PFF receiving grade above 60.0 (65.1), but he caught just 11 passes for 79 yards. Jeudy led the way as the only player to top 25 receptions, hauling in 50 for 602 yards.
The Browns have a new head coach in Todd Monken, who was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. The centerpiece of that passing attack was Zay Flowers, who posted 1,211 receiving yards last season, and Concepcion is the closest comparison to Flowers on Cleveland's roster.
Concepcion has a chance to lead the Browns in targets as a rookie, which gives him possibly higher 2026 upside than some receivers drafted ahead of him. His long-term outlook is murkier, though, as Cleveland will likely keep investing at the position in the coming years.
De'Zhaun Stribling, San Francisco 49ers (ADP: 13.02)
Stribling went 33rd overall in the 2026 draft, much earlier than most analysts expected. In college, the 6-foot-2 receiver ran a vertical route tree as a physical player who doesn't create much separation but wins at the catch point. Our draft guide gave him high marks for his competitive toughness and his strength as a blocker.
He joins a receiver room that changed significantly this offseason. Mike Evans signed in free agency to play X, Deebo Samuel came back after a year away to handle Z, and Demarcus Robinson returned to work the slot. Stribling's long-term role is likely at X, replacing Evans, who turns 33 before the season starts.
Through two preseason games, though, the slot looks like the more immediate fit. He has taken 20 snaps there against 16 out wide, while Robinson and Samuel have combined for seven slot snaps against 22 outside. He has produced in both alignments this summer.
He is well worth a late-round pick even without a starting job. San Francisco's other three receivers are all on the wrong side of 30, and both Evans and Samuel carry injury histories. Stribling should see meaningful snaps every week, with an outside chance of finishing as the team's top receiver.
Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins (ADP: 19.05)
Washington was a sixth-round pick by the Dolphins in 2024. The 5-foot-8, 195-pound receiver made his NFL debut in Week 4 and was held to 20 yards or fewer every week until Week 15. He was rotating with Odell Beckham Jr. for the third receiver spot behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle during that stretch. The Dolphins released Beckham, opening the door for an extended role. Waddle also missed time, and Washington played over 86% of snaps in both Weeks 16 and 17, gaining at least 25 receiving yards in each.
He was the clear second receiving option throughout 2025 behind Waddle, with Hill missing most of the season due to injury. He was consistently on the field in 11 personnel but used only sparingly in two-receiver sets. He averaged 57.3% of snaps over the season, with his playing time ranging from 44% to 70%. There was a general trend of him playing less in wins, as Miami was more likely to go with two receivers late with a lead. He caught at least one pass in every game but never had more than five receptions or 50 receiving yards in one.
The Dolphins offense has undergone significant changes this offseason. Bobby Slowik was promoted to offensive coordinator, and Malik Willis was signed to be the new quarterback. Washington was the one notable holdover at wide receiver, joined by free agent additions Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell and rookies Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman.
He will play in the slot in three-receiver sets, and the first preseason game suggests he will also play the Z role in two-receiver sets. Washington played 100% of snaps with the starters in 11, 12 and 21 personnel. That would be a significant increase in playing time compared to last season. He was the only wide receiver who rested in the second game, suggesting he is the top wide receiver on the team.
The increased role for Washington makes him a fine late-round target. He has a chance to lead all Dolphins players in receptions this season.