Draft These 6 WRs Before They Breakout in 2026.

Ron Stewart expects a bounce-back for Baker Mayfield, noting he was a shell of himself after week six last year due to injury. With a healthier offensive line and Zack Robinson's scheme—which utilizes motion to increase efficiency—Mayfield is expected to return to his early-season form. Mayfield was second in the NFL in increasing adjusted net yards per attempt with during-snap motion.

Ron Stewart views Brian Thomas Jr. as an awesome talent with a massive ceiling this year. While he does not qualify as a traditional breakout candidate after finishing as a WR11 in points per game during his rookie season, Stewart remains highly bullish on his potential.

Ron Stewart highlights Chris Olave as a player who crushed his middle-round draft price, serving as a successful breakout archetype.

Ron Stewart ranks Christian Watson as his WR27 (509 overall), 10 spots higher than consensus. Despite injury history, Watson's career efficiency (2+ YPRR) is elite. With Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks moving, Watson is projected for a full route share. In a 13-game sample with 75%+ route share, he averaged 17.5 PPG. He is expected to shift from a field-stretcher to a versatile flanker/Z role, with high efficiency on horizontally breaking routes (3.89 YPRR).

Ron Stewart identifies Colston Loveland as a target in his draft guide, projecting a potential breakout in his second season within a high-volume passing offense.

Ron Stewart references Matt Harmon's reception perception data to explain how Zack Robinson's scheme transformed Drake London from a pure X receiver (82% of snaps on the line) into a Z receiver with heavy slot work. This shift serves as a blueprint for future receiver development in Robinson's offense.

Ron Stewart projects a breakout for Emeka Egbuka, citing the arrival of Zack Robinson as play-caller and a potential shift to a Z-receiver role. Egbuka profiles as a target-hog similar to Amon-Ra St. Brown with verticality akin to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and he is expected to benefit from a healthier offensive line and Baker Mayfield's return to form.

Ron Stewart highlights George Pickens as a player who crushed his middle-round draft price, serving as a successful breakout archetype.

Ron Stewart notes that Isaiah Likely's departure from the team removes significant red-zone target competition, which creates a path for Zay Flowers to see increased opportunities in that area of the field.

Ron Stewart cites Jaxon Smith-Njigba as a successful historical example of a breakout wide receiver who provided significant value after being drafted in the third round, ultimately scoring over 20 points per game.

Josh Downs is a high-value breakout candidate in his fourth year, currently available in the 10th round. Despite playing exclusively in 11 personnel, he ranks top-10 in targets per route and first downs per route among high-volume receivers. With Alec Pierce potentially limited by an ankle injury and Daniel Jones expected to favor quick, underneath passes, Downs is a strong candidate to challenge for 100+ receptions and WR11-12 production.

Ron Stewart identifies Ladd McConkey as a prime year-three breakout candidate with top-12 upside, ranking him at WR2 (4.02 ADP) despite a 4.09 consensus ADP. Stewart cites McConkey's elite per-route metrics, including 4.17 yards per route run on go routes in 2024, and the return of Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater as catalysts for an offensive rebound. Additionally, Mike McDaniel's scheme and increased heavy-set usage—modeled after Jaylen Waddle's usage—are expected to boost McConkey's efficiency by moving him outside of 11 personnel.

Ron Stewart highlights Lamar Jackson's potential for a high-scoring season, noting his history of 36 and 41 passing touchdown campaigns. Stewart emphasizes that Jackson's fantasy production is tied to play-action frequency, noting that when Jackson is in a top-10 play-action rate offense, he consistently averages 20+ fantasy points per game.

Ron Stewart ranks Luther Burden as his WR22 (404 overall), seven spots higher than consensus. Stewart views him as a high-upside breakout candidate transitioning to a full-time role following DJ Moore's departure. Burden's efficiency is supported by a 2.3+ yards per route run rate, comparable to Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase. Stewart is actively buying stock, citing praise from GM Ryan P and a Week 17 breakout performance (27.8 PPR points, 8 catches, 138 yards, 1 TD vs. 49ers).

Ron Stewart acknowledges Mark Andrews as a teammate of Zay Flowers but argues that Andrews does not pose enough of a threat to Flowers' target share to prevent a breakout season.

Ron Stewart identifies Rashod Bateman as a teammate of Zay Flowers but explicitly states that Bateman does not represent meaningful target competition that would prevent Flowers from achieving a breakout season.

Ron Stewart respects Rome Odunze's upside as a year-three breakout candidate but is not actively targeting him, noting he is currently aligned with the market consensus as a 56th-turn wide receiver pick.

Ron Stewart projects Zay Flowers for a major breakout with top-six overall upside under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. Flowers demonstrated elite efficiency last year, ranking among the top 10 players with 200+ routes run, a 25% target-per-route-run rate, 10+ yards per target, and 10%+ first-downs-per-route-run. He leads all qualifying wide receivers in yards per route run on play-action passes over the last two seasons. The departure of Isaiah Likely removes significant red-zone target competition, further clearing a path for Flowers. Stewart ranks him as his WR7 (3.07 ADP), nine spots ahead of consensus.