It's time for the Footballguys staff to lay it on the line.
We asked a simple question: Who's your 2026 league winner?
Their answers included 4 running backs, 9 wide receivers, and 2 tight ends. Here they are.
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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.
Wide Receiver Flag Plants
WR DJ Moore, Buffalo
Jason Wood: DJ Moore's stock is rapidly rising as the fantasy community catches on to what we've been saying for months, ever since he was traded to the Buffalo Bills. Focusing on Moore's down year in Chicago misses the mark. Instead, remember he's a polished, veteran playmaker joining the AFC's top offense with a perennial All-Pro quarterback who has been desperate for an alpha since Stefon Diggs left town. Diggs averaged 160 targets per season in Buffalo; if Moore gets just 120, he easily outperforms his ADP. If he approaches 140-plus, he'll win your league for you.
WR Ladd McConkey, LA Chargers
Meng Song: Allow me to officially dub Ladd McConkey as "Vanilla Tyreek". With Keenan Allen now officially a Colt, the runway is clear and lit for McConkey to take off into elite WR1 skies in 2026. Say what you will about Mike McDaniel's tenure in Miami, but the man knows how to scheme pass-catchers into space to allow his playmakers to create yards after the catch. With the return of Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater healthy (knock on wood), Justin Herbert should be able to find his dangerously speedy No. 1 wide receiver early and often this season.
WR George Pickens, Dallas
Jeff Tefertiller: George Pickens offers all the upside of the first-round receivers, but at a much cheaper cost. In PPR leagues last year, he finished sixth on a per-game basis, yet is being drafted as WR10 at the very end of the second round (pick 24). If you have an early pick in the first - and take a running back - Pickens makes a great second-round pick. He will only be better in year two playing in the Dallas offense.
WR Chris Godwin Jr., Tampa Bay
Phil Alexander: Baker Mayfield recently said, "Chris Godwin Jr. looks like the best version of Chris Godwin Jr." The best version of Godwin led the entire NFL in PPR fantasy points, receptions, first downs, and yards after the catch through six games in 2024 before dislocating his ankle and essentially losing a season while recovering. If Mayfield's assessment is correct, Godwin is set to shred his comical WR36 ADP and return league-winning value.
WR DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia
Sam Wagman: DeVonta Smith has been successful at each step of his NFL career so far. Over 1,000 receiving yards in three of the last four years and was pacing for over 1,000 when he got hurt in 2024, and that was with A.J. Brown around for all four seasons. Now Smith is the unquestioned WR1 in an offense that has shown to tightly concentrate receiving yards, and there's every chance his previous success ratchets up to top-8 levels. Smith will face more top cornerbacks with Brown gone, and he is being drafted with a top-15 ADP despite only finishing ahead of WR20 one time, but his top-quarter percentile success rate against both man and press that he featured in 2025 should enable him to continue that success as Jalen Hurts' new top target on the boundary.
WR A.J. Brown, New England
Maurile Tremblay: The last time A.J. Brown had a top-tier quarterback and a role he was happy in, he went for nearly 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's now paired with the reigning MVP runner-up, who led the league in completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passer rating while throwing to a middling receiving corps. New England was fifth in red-zone trips last season, but 17th in converting them, and A.J. Brown is the fix. His floor is a 1,000-yard season, and his ceiling is the overall WR1.
Chad Parsons: Drake Maye was a warranted MVP candidate last season, and they overtly upgraded their WR1 and WR2 positions. Brown has been one of the dominant and most efficient receivers in the NFL...until last year. Still firmly in his prime, a motivated Brown can challenge for the WR1 overall in fantasy. The tougher schedule for the Patriots might even aid the Maye-Brown connection with more pressure to score and catch-up moments along the way.
WR Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville
Andy Hicks: Brian Thomas Jr. endured one of the sharpest drops in recent memory. His rookie season demonstrated truly elite career potential, but a disappointing sophomore campaign derailed those hopes. The only comparable fall this century is Michael Clayton with the Buccaneers in 2005. Moving Travis Hunter mostly to defense helps Thomas play like his rookie self, and training camp reports say Thomas looks great. He still carries clear WR1 upside but has a scary floor. A risk, but go big or go home
WR Zay Flowers, Baltimore
Jeff Blaylock: One of the keys to winning fantasy football leagues is finding first-round talent in later rounds. Zay Flowers finished as fantasy's WR7 last season despite playing for an offense that ran the league's fourth-fewest plays and had the lowest pass rate. Yet, he's still available as late as the fourth round in many leagues. Flowers has consistently been one of the league's most efficient wide receivers, ranking among the league leaders in yards per route run, yards after the catch per reception, and missed tackles forced per reception in each of the last two seasons. Expect the Ravens to throw more with new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, a Ben Johnson disciple. If Doyle finds ways to utilize Flowers better in the red zone, we might be getting a top-5 fantasy wide receiver with our third- or fourth-round draft pick.
WR Michael Wilson, Arizona
Bob Harris: Michael Wilson broke out late last season. Through his first 38 career games, he averaged 4.3 targets and 7.6 points per game. Over the final eight weeks last year, with Jacoby Brissett starting, those numbers jumped to 11.0 targets and 21.2 points -- WR3 overall production during that stretch. Wilson was WR6 overall in Brissett's 12 starts. With his WR37 ADP and seventh-round price (behind Marvin Harrison Jr., who's going as WR31 in Round 6), Wilson, who will fill Puka Nacua's Z receiver role in new head coach Mike LeFleur's offense, delivering close to last year's numbers would be league-winning upside.
