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Oh, how time flies. We have reached training camp, with all players set to report by July 28th. The Hall of Fame Game is also right around the corner on August 6th. Next up, fantasy football drafts!
This offseason has brought 21 offensive coordinator changes. While not all of those coordinators will call plays, many offenses will look different in 2026. With so much change around the league, we’re bound to see more players break out, bounce back and, dare I say, regress.
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Bounce-Back Fantasy Football Wide Receivers
Here are four wide receivers who failed to deliver on their average draft position (ADP) last season but are set to bounce back in 2026.
Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN)
Hot Take: Justin Jefferson is a stud. Last season, however, was frustrating. The fact that he managed to record over 1,000 receiving yards with J.J. McCarthy under center shows you how great he is. He’s fallen to WR6 in the expert consensus rankings (ECR).
Kyler Murray has entered the chat after a couple of rollercoaster seasons in Arizona. I can’t think of a better place to go than Minnesota under head coach Kevin O’Connell.
One thing Murray has consistently done in years past is feed his No. 1 wide receiver. In 2024, Marvin Harrison Jr. saw 114 targets. In 2022, DeAndre Hopkins, after returning from a six-game suspension, led the league in targets from Week 7 on.
Jefferson should immediately become Murray’s go-to receiver, making an overall WR1 finish well within reach.
Ladd McConkey (WR – LAC)
If you remember this time last year, the biggest question was how the snaps would be divided in the slot between Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey. It ended up being much ado about nothing.
McConkey continued playing both from the slot and on the perimeter, much like he did in 2024. However, his metrics and production dipped last season. He finished with 66 receptions, averaged 49.3 receiving yards per game and averaged 1.47 yards per route run, per the Fantasy Points Data Suite.
So, why the optimism for 2026? Allen led the Chargers with 118 targets and is still a free agent. That leaves a sizable hole in the offense, and McConkey should be the biggest beneficiary of those vacated targets.
McConkey still ran the ninth-most routes, tied for 15th in red-zone targets and finished seventh in end-zone targets among all wide receivers, per the Fantasy Points Data Suite.
The Chargers’ offense under Mike McDaniel should be one fantasy managers want to invest in, and McConkey is set for a big bounce-back season.
Emeka Egbuka (WR – TB)
It’s hard to forget the way Emeka Egbuka came storming out of the gate as a rookie; he’s primed for a breakout. Through the first seven weeks of the season, he was the WR8 in PPR points per game.
Despite cooling off in the second half, Egbuka still finished WR23 overall. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 6 but continued to play through it. One fair concern people have is his role on the outside. When Mike Evans went down with a hamstring injury, Egbuka moved to his position on the perimeter and struggled to create separation.
Egbuka did improve as the season went on, though. Through the first seven weeks, among all wide receivers with a minimum of 100 routes on the outside, Egbuka ranked 21st out of 44 qualifying receivers in separation, per the Fantasy Points Data Suite.
From Week 8 through Week 14, a stretch in which Evans missed time, Egbuka improved to 12th under the same qualifier.
Buccaneers offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has said he wants Egbuka to play full-time as the Z receiver, which would play to his strengths. This allows him to play off the ball and be a movable chess piece within the formation, creating more separation opportunities.
With Evans now in San Francisco, Egbuka becomes the No. 1 receiver in Tampa Bay. If his growth continues, he has legitimate top-12 upside. With everyone searching for the next Jaxon Smith-Njigba breakout, Egbuka is the next one up.
Ricky Pearsall (WR – SF)
The market is down on Ricky Pearsall after another tough season. A lot of it has to do with injuries, and Mike Evans’ arrival doesn’t help his value either. Let’s start with the injuries.
Pearsall had the unfortunate situation where he was shot in the chest in 2024. Last season, he dealt with a hamstring and a PCL sprain. It’s been a tough start to his career in terms of health. But he’s shown durability in the past. He played in 55 games over five college seasons.
Evans is clearly the top dog, along with Christian McCaffrey, but Pearsall flashed when he was on the field. In the nine games he played, he finished as a WR2 four times and did so without scoring a single touchdown.
According to the Fantasy Points Data Suite, across those nine games, Pearsall ranked sixth in separation and second in win rate among all wide receivers with at least 200 routes run. He has the skill set to consistently get open.
George Kittle will continue to command targets if healthy. He is recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in January, though reports suggest he could be ready for Week 1. The team also drafted De’Zhaun Stribling with the first pick of the second round, and his field-stretching ability could actually help Pearsall underneath and in the intermediate part of the field.
If Pearsall can stay healthy, the ability to get open gives him a realistic path to finishing as a WR2 in this offense.
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