With the RazzBowl 8 draft inching ever closer, my Scott Fish Bowl 16 draft in the books, and the second season of our invite-only @RazzballNFL (Home – Razzball Fantasy Football) Guillotine League and PPR Redraft leagues, I bring to you one of my favorite articles…Bold Predictions. Now, before you roast me for the predictions that follow, please know that anyone can call themselves bold when telling you how the first two rounds of each draft should shake out. To me, that is not only not bold, but also lazy and boring. Below you will find bold with capital B for the 2026 season.
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Now…let’s get into the bold!
Jaxon Smith-Njigba will finish outside the Top 10 WR in 2026. See? Right out of the gate with a banger! Rarely do WR with middling QBs put up career seasons like we saw from JSN in 2025 with Sam Darnold pitching the ball. There are some key factors to consider when looking at this prediction. (1) Kenneth Walker III is gone. (2) The mastermind OC is gone. (3) The RB room is milquetoast at best even with Zach Charbonnet in the mix, which he will not be for some time. (4) DCs will be happy to allow Rashid Shaheed to beat them over the top while they double-team JSN. (5) Sam Darnold is, well, Sam Darnold. Is JSN good? Yes, he is. Is JSN great? Yes, I think he is. Is he going to repeat his WR1 from 2025? No, he will not. In fact, I am willing to double-down on my bold prediction by giving you some of the WRs that will out-perform JSN in 2026: Ja’Marr Chase, Puka Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown, CeeDee Lamb, and (this is where bold becomes BOLD), AJ Brown. At me and let’s have a discussion.
DeVonta Smith will not be a Top 12 fantasy WR. Shaking your head already? Hear me out. There is no AJ Brown taking the top DB thus allowing Smith to run rampant. We do not know what Makai Lemon brings to the table (I have some thoughts on this dude; catch me on the podcast). The Eagles will continue to be a run-heavy offense with Saquon being option number one. Another OC means additional churn and turmoil for players having to learn the new system. Jalen Hurts is not a good passing QB. What else do you need to know? Smith is a wonderful player, and he impresses especially for his size, but I truly feel he regresses in 2026. That regression will be much more about the circumstances around him than it will be about him.
2026 draft darling Parker Washington will finish as the WR3 for Jacksonville with both Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr. outperforming him. I promised bold and this is another call you will not read from any other analyst. Parker Washington was a 2025 waiver wire goldmine that fantasy owners are expecting to ascend to the next level in 2026. To be honest, I think Washington hit the next level in 2025, and I do not expect him to outperform his 95-58-847-5 line this season. The 95 targets are probably the number most likely to dip with BTJ back and fully healthy. I am happy to allow other managers to pay up for Washington while I scoop up Meyers/Thomas Jr. 1-3 rounds later. Listening to fantasy pundits and “experts” lately, some of the loudest voices have been lauding the Jaguars offense. I am not as sold on the total offense as I think the running game is bottom half of the league with Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. manning the RB room. If the Jags cannot effectively run the ball, then they will have trouble establishing play action with the overall offense suffering. I prefer the other two WRs and Brenton Strange over the current cost of Parker Washington.
Matthew Golden finishes higher ranked than Romeo Doubs does in 2026. You just knew I had to throw a bold homer pick in the mix. Well, here it is. For whatever reason, the Packers finally draft a WR in the 1st round and then rarely used him. He proved in the playoff game that I refuse to talk about that he can be an alpha-ish WR if given the opportunity. Said opportunity will come in 2026, or Matt LaFleur will be looking for a new job in 2027. With some uncertainty hanging over Green Bay with the Josh Jacobs legal issues, look for the Packers to lean on Jordan Love and the passing game at least early on. Fans of the Pack hope Tucker Kraft will be back for Week 1, but that may not occur, which provides even more opportunity for Golden to shine. Doubs is headed to a team that will see its targets dominated by AJ Brown, hence my bold prediction of Brown finishing as a Top 5 WR in 2026. Doubs was a fan favorite in Greem Bay, but he is not the talent Golden is, so the question really resides with LaFleur, the OC, and the play calling. Are the Packers willing to invest in some play calling the way they did draft capital when they selected Matthew Golden? I think they will and Golden will perform!
Once again, Davante Adams fights off Father Time and finishes as a Top 12 WR (probably Top 10). This could be considered a second homer pick since I love Adams so much from his time in Green Bay. Adams is an elite route runner with vice grips for hands. He is strong, smart, and fast enough to get off press coverage while still being able to get downfield at will. Factor in Adams’ red zone abilities and we have the makings of an absolute stud WR. Fantasy is built on points and Adams delivers points in the red zone every season. With Puka seeing the top coverage, Davante should be able to flourish with Matthew Stafford under center again in 2026.
Let me know where you think I am right and wrong with these Bold Predictions and comment with some of your own. Also, follow me @stiles08 on Twitter/X and send questions comments at the bottom of this article. Make sure you jump around the Razzball site for all your fantasy football needs.
-Stiles-
