Parker Washington and Michael Wilson Get Jump On Target Projections
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Unest, WRs looking at a jump in targets, diving into the projections and Omar Cooper's scouting report.
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Unest:
In case you haven't heard: Fantasy Life Projections for the 2026 season are officially LIVE. Every rush attempt and target accounted for from all 32 teams. Dwain McFarland poured blood, sweat and tears into these for WEEKS … and now it's time for us to pick them apart!
Just kidding. Kind of. I absolutely do have a bone to pick with Mr. McFarland about Mike Gesicki being projected for under 50 targets. Dozens of us still believe! Dozens!
But no, today we keep that glass of Kool-Aid half-full and instead highlight a few somewhat surprisingly high WR target totals when comparing against way-too-early ADP. You know, guys who might actually have more fantasy upside than their low cost indicates? Is this a thing? Shouldn't there be a word for it? Snoozers? Ah, nevertheless.
Jaguars WR Parker Washington
- Projected targets: 113 (tied for 26th)
- Underdog ADP: WR36 (72.7)
Travis Hunter is reportedly expected to be a full-time corner, part-time receiver in 2026. This would make sense with Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr. and Parker Washington each being most people's ideas of #good wide receivers … but should we seriously expect the latter option to lead the way?
Well, based on our most recent sample, it sure looks possible! A hip injury sidelined Washington for parts of Week 13 and all of Week 14, but afterward, we got a five-game sample of Washington, Meyers, and BTJ working as Trevor Lawrence's top-3 receivers with Hunter out of the picture … and Washington easily led the way.
You see that PPR Rank "2" at the end of the above graphic? Only Puka frickin' Nacua scored more fantasy points than Washington during these five weeks. Yes, Washington is "only" WR6 when we look at per-game numbers. Also yes, the man looked GOOD in 2025 and profiles as a potential breakout candidate in this (hopefully) ascending offense.
Cardinals WR Michael Wilson
- Projected targets: 110 (tied for 28th)
- Underdog ADP: WR39 (77.7)
Wilson scored the 10th most PPR points of any wide receiver last season, even though he didn't lock down a full-time starting role until Zay Jones (Achilles) was lost for the season in Week 10.
He really did have us in the first half, not gonna lie. Look at this run!
Of course, this blistering second-half stretch also featured Marvin Harrison Jr. missing a bunch of time with various injuries. Same goes for short king Greg Dortch. Oh yeah, and Jacoby Brissett led the NFL in pass attempts on a shitty team that was constantly working in fantasy-friendly comeback mode.
A LOT of things went Wilson's way to help him break out down the stretch of 2025 … but the return of BFF Jacoby and relatively whatever free agent additions to the WR room (Kendrick Bourne, Devin Duvernay) have the rising fourth-year receiver potentially looking at a similar situation as last November and December.
The biggest obstacle to Wilson (again) working as the Robin to Trey McBride's Batman is the presence of Mazda Marv. And hey, maybe Harrison (finally) shows some of that alleged generational upside. But let's face it: Wilson's boom was better than anything we've seen from the former No. 4 overall pick at the NFL level, and he's also going a round later in early drafts!
Steelers WR Michael Pittman
- Projected targets: 122 (tied for 17th)
- Underdog ADP: WR45 (98.4)
Pittman deserves more love for pretty constantly working as a WR2 in fantasy land for the last half decade when not 1.) Pulling a Mike Tyson and playing through a broken back, and 2.) Catching passes from a literal Grandpa.
- 2021: 14.04 PPR points per game (WR24)
- 2022: 13.53 (WR22)
- 2023: 15.64 (WR14)
- 2024: 10.36 (WR45, played through fractured back)
- 2025: 11.91 (WR27, 14.1 points–WR16–in Weeks 1-14 before Philip Rivers took over)
Pass-game competition is virtually empty outside of DK Metcalf, who also popped in this analysis in terms of target rank (24) vs. WR ADP (38). Now, adding legit WR competition at pick No. 21 wouldn't help—Matthew Freedman has Pittsburgh selecting electric Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion in his latest mock draft—but even then, it'd be tough to project Pittman for fewer than triple-digit targets.
WR4 cost with a history of WR2 production and a projected WR2 target load. Best Bob Ryan impression. Is that something you might be interested in?
Buy Emeka Egbuka, Hold The Future
Mike Evans is gone. Emeka Egbuka just inherited the WR1 role in Tampa, and dynasty managers may have struck gold. Could his price climb a little more before it settles? Maybe. But if you're waiting for a discount that may never come, you're playing the wrong game. The smartest managers know that the best time to buy a young receiver with a locked-in target share and years of runway ahead of him is right now, before the rest of the league figures it out.
UNest works the same way. You don't wait until your kid is 16 to start building their financial future. You start now, when time is your single greatest advantage. A tax-advantaged investment account that grows with your child, set up in under 10 minutes. The long game is always the smartest play, on the field and off it.
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Editors’ Picks
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WR Class of 2024
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Projecting a Big 2026 for Jalen Hurts
We couldn’t let Ian have all the fun diving into the projections. Adam Pfeifer turned up five players who really stood out to him. One is out in Philly, and while the rest of the league has gotten better at defending the tush push, there is reason for optimism for a certain former Super Bowl MVP:
Jalen Hurts | QB | PHI
- Fantasy Life projection: QB2
Following a down year from Hurts and an ascension from young quarterbacks around the league, I was surprised to see Hurts projected for the second-most fantasy points, trailing only Josh Allen. Hurts finished as QB8, failing to average 20 fantasy points per game for the first time as a full-time starter. The Eagles lacked any sort of creativity on offense, deploying basic hitch route concepts more than anyone wished to see. Inept playcalling impacted Hurts, who failed to reach 200 passing yards 10 different times this past season. As a result, he’s currently coming off best ball draft boards as QB6, behind Caleb Williams and just ahead of Drake Maye.
Most rankings don’t have Hurts as the QB2 in fantasy, largely due to some uncertainty in Philadelphia. A new playcaller (again) and the speculation surrounding A.J. Brown clouds Hurts’ fantasy forecast at the moment. But if the offense has more creativity and his top wideout is back, Hurts could very easily return to his place among the fantasy elite.
And a TE returns to prominence. ⤵️
Omar Cooper: Three-Star Recruit to Hometown Hero
Omar Cooper was a three-sport star at an Indianapolis high school, then decided to stay close to home to play football at Indiana. After a slow start to his college career, his star began to take off as one of the pillars of the Hoosiers’ unprecedented 2025 national championship run behind Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. Now there is talk of Cooper sneaking into the first round of the NFL Draft, so Ian Hartitz filed his own scouting report about a player whose will is hard to take down:
The man is lethal after the catch: Cooper posted an ELITE missed tackles per reception mark of 0.39 in 2025—that's good for the seventh-best mark among 309 Power Four WRs with at least 50 catches in a season since 2021! His ability to transition to a runner after catching the football is a major strength, as is his Gumby-esque contact balance while fending off would-be tacklers. If you wanted to point to Cooper's “superpower,” this is it.
Ian has more reasons that Cooper is the center of so much intrigue. And as always, his comps both inform and entertain.
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