Everything in fantasy football is speculation, until the pre-season starts. Teams signal their intent in who they sit, when starters stop playing, and how they line up receivers. Throw in injuries and you get a heap of movement in fantasy football value in just three weeks. So let’s make sure you’re up to date with the biggest wide receiver risers of the pre-season. All rankings are in half-PPR, though you can find my PPR rankings here. Also, make sure you check out my running back risers and fallers article.
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Quarterback Risers:
Patrick Mahomes (KC-QB11): I had grave concerns about Mahomes during the off-season, but he looks good to start the season. I expectation some limitations initially and that’s why I can’t rank him higher, but the upside is huge.
Kirk Cousins (LV-QB28): I’m becoming more convinced by the day that Cousins may just play out the whole 2026 season, or at least until he’s injured or the Raiders are out of playoff contention. Fernando Mendoza looked plain bad (which isn’t alarming, he’s a rookie and the Raiders aren’t good) and would benefit from sitting and learning behind Cousins, as Patrick Mahomes himself did behind Alex Smith. Cousins has some solid superflex upside.
Kyler Murray (MIN-QB17): There wasn’t much doubt, but Murray is locked in as the starter in Minnesota. He gets a strong receiving corps, solid O-line and positive coaching staff for the first time in years and is a true sleeper in fantasy, especially in 4-points passing TD leagues.
Quarterback Fallers:
Justin Herbert (LAC-QB13): Herbert wasn’t good last season and not much has changed. In fact the major change is the departure of Keenan Allen and the arrival of Mike McDaniel. He’s not exactly quarterback catnip, and is more likely to create an improved run game, as evidenced by the tight end changes. I think Herbert is being massively over-drafted when there’s so many quality options available this season.
Jayden Daniels (WAS-QB6): The Commanders pass offense has reportedly been very poor this off-season, with Daniels struggling behind a poor O-line. He was a top tier quarterback but now, in my rankings, belongs in the same area as Dak Prescott and Jaxson Dart.
CJ Stroud (HOU-QB24): Jayden Higgins’s injury and some more mediocre pre-season performances have me totally out on Stroud, who hasn’t been good since his rookie season.
Cam Ward (TEN-QB25): There’s so much upside in this offense, but Ward has been awful throughout training camps and pre-season games. He’s a major avoid for me in fantasy and I’d drop him further if not for the talent around him.
Tight End Risers:
Dalton Kincaid (BUF-TE11): The Bills used Kincaid in every relevant 12 personnel situation, a role he rarely had last season. That’s huge for his upside and consistency. He jumps from a risky weekly start to a reliable option in an offense which is still short of weapons.
George Kittle (SF-TE8): The veteran looks like he’ll start in week one in Australia and carries the same weekly upside that has regularly made him a top three tight end on a per game basis. He remains a massive health risk but you’re not getting more upside in the middle rounds of the draft.
Juwan Johnson (NO-TE15): Jordyn Tyson’s injury opens up opportunities for Johnson to once again function as the number two target in an improving Saints offense. He’ll likely fade as the season goes on though, so draft him alongside another tight end.
Dalton Schultz (HOU-TE20): Copy and paste my Juwan Johnson comments. Jayden Higgins being out for the season makes Schultz a possible number two receiver, though Kayshon Boutte could take the shine off this. He’s now a startable option when he was previously a low-upside desperation guy in TE-premium leagues.
Darren Waller (CAR-TE28): Carolina has the most empty tight end room in the league, giving Waller the opportunity to emerge as the main guy. Will he? Probably not, but you’re not getting this much upside late in deep drafts.
Tight End Fallers:
Kyle Pitts (ATL-TE7): Pitts played less than half of the Falcons’ relevant 12 personnel snaps, which is a significant concern entering the season. He’s still got a heap of upside, but he drops below more reliable options like Tucker Kraft and Harold Fannin Jr for me.
Oronde Gadsden (LAC-TE36): The Chargers have made it abundantly clear that Charlie Kolar is their starting tight end, with David Njoku doing the blocking work and Gadsden playing purely on many third downs and other key receiving situations. They simply don’t trust him to block. That’s a similar situation to what we’ve seen from the Bengals in recent years and it makes all the tight ends useless for fantasy. That may change, but I’m not taking that risk.
Isaiah Likely (NYG-TE16): There’s no arguing Likely’s upside, but his usage in the pre-season won’t allow him to be fantasy-relevant at all. He played a little over half of New York’s 1-tight end snaps and didn’t see the field in 12 or 13 personnel. That could easily change come week one, as we had a very small sample size and he was the only tight end to rest in the second pre-season game, but I’m very concerned.
Kenyon Sadiq (NYJ-TE22): I love Sadiq the football talent and the dynasty stash, but I wouldn’t roster him in redraft leagues. He didn’t see the field in pre-season games and is still ramping up at training. He will have a role, but it won’t be fantasy-relevant for most of the season.
Eli Stowers (PHI-TE53): A pre-season fantasy darling, I was never convinced by Stowers, who wasn’t one of my favorite prospects coming out. He may emerge as a good receiving tight end in the years to come, but as Ja’Tavion Sanders showed, that’s a risky path that often doesn’t pay off. Stowers is currently the Eagles TE4. He’s a hold in dynasty but a drop in every other format.
If you have any questions or thoughts, hit me up in the comments below or message me on my socials @hashtagwasley. You should also check out my rankings here, to ensure you’re making the right picks every round. Good luck this season!
