RELATED: See Underrated Wide Receivers here.
Some wide receivers don't get enough credit. Others get too much. Avoiding those overrated players is what keeps your roster contending for a championship.
We asked the Footballguys staff which NFL wide receiver they think is the most underrated. Here's what they said.
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A quick note on staff opinions: One of the strengths of Footballguys is the range of opinions across our staff. Features like this one are designed to show you where individual analysts differ. But we don't waffle. For our final say on where we see a player, check the Footballguys Consensus Rankings, where we bring the staff together and plant a flag on how we think the players should be ranked.
Overrated Wide Receivers With 3 Votes
Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay
Jason Wood: Emeka Egbuka was overvalued before he suffered a toe injury that now puts his Week 1 status in question. Setting the injury aside, the reality is Egbuka failed to catch 50% of his targets last year, and NFL history paints a dismal picture for wideouts in that cohort. Even if that isn't enough to scare you off, he ranked among the league's worst receivers against man coverage in 2025, and opposing defenses will force him to prove he can win in isolation. Finally, Baker Mayfield remains one of the most overrated quarterbacks in the NFL; he simply isn't a difference-maker.
Meng Song: I expect Emeka Egbuka's ADP to continue dropping since it's only been a little over a week since he suffered the toe injury. Even so, it should be a glaring red flag that, while the Buccaneers haven't confirmed a turf toe diagnosis, Todd Bowles has already said he's "not sure at this time" whether Egbuka will be ready for Week 1, more than three weeks out. I've moved Egbuka down my rankings outside of my top-36 wide receivers, which means he's essentially off my board. You don't necessarily need to avoid him quite that long in drafts, but there's no reason Egbuka should be drafted before Round 6 right now, well behind his current ADP.
Bob Harris: From Weeks 1 through 5 last season, Buccaneers wideout Emeka Egbuka was the WR4 overall. His 20.1 points per game were tied for third with Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But the 2025 first-round draft pick went from being a top-5 fantasy producer to WR43 from Week 6 through the end of the season. Hence, his WR18 ADP and early fourth-round price. While it's possible Egbuka can duplicate his initial success, it's not the most likely outcome for me. There are any number of receivers going after him that I'm more comfortable with -- including Chris Godwin Jr., who I can land in Round and who might outperform Egbuka.
Drake London, Atlanta
Matt Waldman: Drake London when factoring in the weight of his average draft position versus what I believe will be his actual value. London excels as a big slot, but Kevin Stefanski's offenses lean heavily on 12 personnel. I'm not convinced there will be enough three-receiver sets for London to return to his value from 2024. It doesn't help that his quarterback room is suspect. Michael Penix Jr. is learning his second offense and coming off an ACL tear, and every defense in the NFL knows Tua Tagovailoa's limitations.
Gary Davenport: You can't argue with Drake London's talent—he was fourth in PPR points among wide receivers in 2024 and eighth in PPR points per game at his position last year. But London has topped 1,000 receiving yards one time in four seasons. Kevin Stefanski's offense in Atlanta isn't a great fit for what London does best. And Atlanta's likely starter under center (Tua Tagovailoa) just spent two seasons neutering the fantasy value of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Other than that, though—everything's good.
Chad Parsons: While a fan of London's profile and coming off a career-best season, there is minimal confidence in either of their notable quarterbacks (Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr.) staying healthy or productive for long. Add Kyle Pitts Sr. and Bijan Robinson as key offensive cogs, and I struggle to see enough upside.
Overrated Wide Receiver With 2 Votes
Christian Watson, Green Bay
Craig Lakins: Entering his fifth season, Christian Watson has yet to eclipse 41 receptions or 620 yards in a single season. I have a hard time believing he will pull it together and pay off his 5th-round average draft position. His coach and quarterback are the same, while there's a second-year wideout (Matthew Golden) on the opposite side and a surging tight end (Tucker Kraft) to compete with for targets.
Jeff Bell: I agree with Craig on Christian Watson. While it seems that cooler heads are starting to prevail, with his average draft position trending down following active practices by Tucker Kraft, a great deal of wishcasting is pushing Watson well ahead of teammates Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden. The Packers under Matt LaFleur have shown us who they are in spreading the ball around and involving all in a passing attack ranked 27th in attempts. Believe them.
Overrated Wide Receivers With 1 Vote
Stefon Diggs, Washington
Jeff Haseley: Drafting Stefon Diggs requires paying for past name value rather than actual fantasy upside. While he caught 85 passes in New England last year, he averaged under 12 yards per catch as a short-area option. Now entering his age-32 season in Washington, competing for targets with Terry McLaurin caps his ceiling, making him a low-upside trap. Other players are available in later rounds who can yield similar, if not better, production.
Matthew Golden, Green Bay
Phil Alexander: Fun fact I learned on Reddit. Since 2015, seven first-round wide receivers failed to score a touchdown as rookies — Kadarius Toney, Corey Davis, Mike Williams, John Ross, Kevin White, Josh Doctson, and Laquon Treadwell. Matthew Golden became the eighth last season. Damning trivia aside, Golden's underwhelming college production carried over into a quiet rookie year, and he enters 2026 as the fourth target in a Green Bay offense that wants to run first.
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota
Jeff Blaylock: I have to go with Justin Jefferson, but it's not an indictment of his abilities. It's every bit an indictment of his quarterbacks. Murray has never supported a fantasy WR1 and barely supported any fantasy WR2s in seven seasons. Jefferson may be better than any of them, and the Vikings may be a better team than any of the Cardinals teams Murray played for, but drafting Jefferson at the end of the first round not only requires him to produce at his ceiling but also requires Murray to significantly exceed his ceiling as a passer.
CeeDee Lamb, Dallas
Jeff Tefertiller: I like the Egbuka and Rice picks, but think CeeDee Lamb is being overlooked in this conversation. He is being drafted as WR5, even though he has only one finish in the top eight receivers (on a per-game basis) over the past five years. Four of those were before the arrival of George Pickens. Drafters are getting a late round-two value in the first, not something I would advise.
Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina
Maurile Tremblay: Tetairoa McMillan's 70 catches and 1,014 yards as a rookie came from volume, not from separating. Bryce Young's career-best season in 2025 produced barely 3,000 passing yards at 6.3 yards per attempt, so McMillan has to swallow a huge share of a small pie just to repeat his rookie line. That pie is being sliced further: Jalen Coker was extended as a real No. 2 after closing the year with a 134-yard playoff game, and Darren Waller was signed to be the big field-stretching target the offense lacked. The second-year bump being priced in requires a passing environment that simply isn't there.
Malik Nabers, NY Giants
David Zacharias: There's substantial risk in expecting Malik Nabers to deliver on his WR10 Underdog ADP. What if full recovery from his offseason ACL and meniscus surgery doesn't occur until midseason? Or if his historical target percentage is diluted, given the arrival of Isaiah Likely, Malachi Fields, and Darnell Mooney? Or does he return to play too soon and get reinjured? You have to be risk-tolerant to be drafting Nabers in the second round.
Puka Nacua, LA Rams
Sean Settle: Puka Nacua checked into a rehabilitation facility earlier this offseason, a real red flag that's gotten surprisingly little attention given he's being drafted as a top-5 overall pick. He's also entering the final year of his rookie contract, exactly the kind of situation that's historically produced distractions and holdout drama for ascending stars looking to get paid. On the field, Davante Adams continues to siphon off red-zone opportunities that would otherwise pad Nacua's touchdown totals, and analysts are already flagging him as the highest-risk name in the WR1 tier. Paying a top-five price for a receiver carrying this much off-field uncertainty, whatever the on-field talent, is a bet you don't need to make when safer WR1 options exist at the same price point.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City
Andy Hicks: With three seasons in the NFL and only 12 games in the last two years, Rashee Rice is a risk on the fitness front alone. Between his off-field misconduct and chronic inability to stay out of trouble, he remains a major liability for long-term success in the league. He may produce an elite season, perhaps even this season, but he won't do it on my roster. The odds are against it.
Carnell Tate, Tennessee
Ben Cummins: Carnell Tate was the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft. That's very exciting, but I'm not sold it will lead to difference-making production in year one. His quarterback, Cam Ward, struggled to consistently go through his reads and progressions in college, and then had a horrible rookie year. Last season, Ward ranked 27th in passing yards per game (194.8), 37th in pass touchdowns per game (0.9), 36th in EPA/Play (-0.138), 37th in Success Rate (38.7%), 34th in Completion Percentage Over Expected (-3.4%), 28th in Big Time Throw Percentage (3.7%), and 40th in Pressure to Sack Percentage (23.9%). Ward might simply not be an NFL-caliber starting quarterback. I have little doubt the pair will hook up for some highlight-reel downfield connections, yet the consistency and reliability week to week won't be there.
Jaylen Waddle, Denver
Dave Kluge: Jaylen Waddle is being drafted as if he'll be the Broncos' clear-cut WR1, and he certainly may. But Sean Payton's historical tendencies suggest he'll reach deep into his personnel bag every week. Courtland Sutton is one of the league's most reliable red-zone weapons, and a group of Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims Jr., and Troy Franklin provides underrated depth. Given Waddle's career-long health struggles and the depth of this receiver room, it's hard to see how Waddle can live up to his lofty price tag in drafts.
