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On the surface, it sure seems strange to say that a wide receiver is a Dynasty winner right after his team drafted a wide receiver in Round 1 of the NFL Draft. That is because it is, in a vacuum. But when the Philadelphia Eagles selected Makai Lemon in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, it appeared to indicate that they will indeed trade A.J. Brown after June 1st. And if Brown is gone, replaced by Lemon, then DeVonta Smith is at the very least a small winner, and he may be a huge winner.

Smith has seen 29 targets in three games without Brown over the last three seasons. He averaged 16.6 PPR Fantasy points per game in those three games. He's also been outstanding whenever Dallas Goedert missed time. That's probably not a fair expectation with Lemon on the roster, at least once he gets acclimated to the NFL, but it is certainly within the range of possibilities. Smith is still in the prime of his career and looks like he has a great opportunity to claim a WR1 role. He is up to WR21 in the rankings below, but it is a very tight tier, and you could easily make a case for him as high as WR17. 

I had Jacob Gibbs on Fantasy Football Today Dynasty this week to break down the rookie class. Here is where we rank Lemon and the other rookie wide receivers:

One veteran wide receiver who is a much more clear winner is Rashee Rice. There was talk of the Chiefs taking Carnell Tate or Jordyn Tyson as high as ninth overall. Instead, they didn't take a wide receiver until pick 176 when they took Cyrus Allen. This is after avoiding the wide receiver position in free agency as well. That leaves Rice in the same role he has been in, which has been one of the best roles in football. In his last 17 healthy regular-season games, Rice has 120 catches for 1.377 yards and 10 touchdowns. He just turned 26 years old. Rice is up to WR9 in my rankings, and I think you could make a case for him as high as WR6. But he doesn't have a long-term contract, and the list of off-field incidents seems to grow by the offseason. In other words, if you want to be risk-averse, this may be the best time to deal Rice. I'm not sure his value has ever been higher. But if you are a contender, there are only five wide receivers I project to have better 2026 production than Rice.

Alec Pierce and Josh Downs didn't rise much in the overall rankings because of the rookies added ahead of them, but they were definitely winners. Michael Pittman is gone, and after the draft, it looks like Pierce, Downs, and Tyler Warren could all see a significant bump in targets next year. Downs is the cheapest of the trio and someone I would like to acquire this offseason.

Looking to make a trade? My Dynasty trade charts, for both one-QB and Superflex leagues, are updated over at SportsLine. Check them out here.

Here are my updated Dynasty Wide Receiver Rankings: