Fantasy Scramble 2026: Wide Receivers

I am presenting this year’s Fantasy Scramble series to best help fantasy managers navigate the 2026 NFL season from draft day to postseason. Here are three wide receivers I’ve left mock drafts with the most shares of, with reasons to be optimistic in 2026 despite recent history.

Marvin Harrison Jr.
After disappointing in his first two seasons, current value says hammer WR3/flex dip.

Was there an unluckier player in 2025 than Harrison?

The Kyler Murray era ran its course, and Jacoby Brissett became the full-time starter in Week 6 against the Colts. That same week, Harrison suffered a concussion in the second quarter.

He returned the following week and caught two passes for 58 yards. It wasn’t a great fantasy performance, but returning from a concussion after one week is a difficult thing to navigate.

After the Week 8 bye, Harrison started getting on the same page with Brissett, catching 10 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown in each of the next two games. Just as that rapport was developing, appendicitis forced Harrison to miss Weeks 11 and 12.

He returned in Week 13, only to suffer a heel injury against the Buccaneers and miss Weeks 14 and 15. As the Cardinals’ season spiraled, Harrison received just four targets over the final two weeks, catching one pass for 14 yards. 

Michael Wilson emerged during Harrison’s absence, enough to be relevant in 2026, while Trey McBride and Jeremiyah Love will also command opportunities in 2026. 

Still, the Cardinals’ outlook remains that of a bottom-tier team in the NFL’s toughest division. New coach Mike LaFleur brings an offensive mind shaped by the Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay coaching trees, which could help generate fantasy production despite the team’s struggles.

If Harrison stays healthy in 2026, he has a chance to build on what we saw during his stretches of availability in 2025. With a full season alongside Brissett, he could emerge as one of the league’s best young receivers under 25 years old.

https://x.com/GuruFantasyWrld/status/2092208054267695408?s=20

Chris Godwin
Have two injury-plagued seasons pushed the 30-year-old too far down the rankings?

The No. 2 wide receiver in fantasy points per game through seven weeks of 2024, Godwin was enjoying a renaissance season as Baker Mayfield’s top target. He had 50 catches for 576 yards and five touchdowns before a severely dislocated left ankle ended his season with 59 seconds remaining against Baltimore. 

In what was one of the most perplexing decisions of the season, Godwin was still on the field with the Buccaneers trailing 41-31 and the game nearly over. Why was he even playing? Would he have sustained the injury had Tampa Bay rested its starters? We’ll never know. Todd Bowles defended the decision, saying the Bucs were still trying to win. 

Godwin returned in 2025 but played only nine games, with a lingering left fibula injury sidelining him for much of the season. 

Heading into 2026, his quarterback, Baker Mayfield, also has something to prove. Mayfield is entering the final year of his three-year, $100 million contract after extension talks with Tampa Bay stalled. He said he felt “disrespected” by the team’s offers and will play out the final year of his deal. 

A challenge for Mayfield is Emeka Egbuka’s toe injury, which could affect his availability early in 2026. Egbuka is currently considered day-to-day/week-to-week after suffering a toe sprain. 

That shifts attention to Godwin, who has flown under the radar this offseason. Aside from Egbuka, Jalen McMillan is returning from three fractured vertebrae and two herniated discs in his neck, while tight end Cade Otton and rookie third-rounder Ted Hurst round out the receiving corps.  

There’s a strong chance Mayfield peppers the 30-year-old Godwin with targets, giving him a path to becoming a reliable fantasy starter in 2026.

https://x.com/daverichard/status/2091934980553527408?s=20

Dontayvion Wicks
An underutilized dart-throw can become one of fantasy’s biggest risers in 2026   

Wicks has dealt with two major problems through his first three NFL seasons.

The first is drops. Despite just three drops in 2025 and two in 2023, he had nine in 2024 while catching only 39 passes.

The second was opportunity. Wicks spent his first three seasons fighting for playing time in a talented Packers receiver room. This offseason, Green Bay traded the fourth-year receiver to Philadelphia for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick. 

The Eagles also drafted Makai Lemon No. 20 overall, so snap count is still to be determined. But despite limited targets in Green Bay, Wicks has showcased a couple of undeniable traits that should earn him opportunities in 2026.

As a rookie in 2023, Wicks showed elite separation ability. PFF credited him with getting open on 55.13% of his routes against man coverage, the best rate among NFL wide receivers. The following season, he showed those numbers were no fluke. Through 10 weeks of 2024, PFF credited Wicks with a 75.44% separation rate, the best mark among wide receivers. 

Wicks also spent two seasons with new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, giving him familiarity with the system as he enters a new-look receiver room.

DeVonta Smith should remain the Eagles' clear No. 1 receiver. Lemon could see significant work from the slot, while Wicks has an opportunity to replace some of what Philadelphia loses with A.J. Brown's departure, particularly as an outside playmaker with size.

Watch the tape. Look at the way he runs routes. There’s a lot of underutilized potential, and the right amount of playing time could finally give Wicks the opportunity to show it.

https://x.com/MattHarmon_BYB/status/2087180806040977724?s=20