Fantasy Football 2026: Fantasy-relevant free agent wide receivers & impacts

Stefon Diggsstill has upside: Diggs can serve as a capable No. 2 wide receiver on an NFL team.

• Keenan Allen is still efficient: Allen earns targets at a strong clip but isn't as dynamic with the ball in his hands.

• Deebo Samuelis valuable after the catch: Samuel can increase a pocket-passing quarterback’s fantasy-scoring ceiling.

Editor's Note: This article was last updated prior to Samuel's reported signing with the San Francisco 49ers.

NFL free agent wide receivers Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen and Deebo Samuel will make fantasy-relevant impacts whenever they sign with a new team. While all three could return occasional flex results in best ball formats, landing spot pending, Diggs is likely the only re-draft-relevant player.

Advanced 2025 metrics for Diggs, Allen and Samuel

Weeks 1-Super Bowl LX Receiving PFF Receiving Grade Current Age Rec./Tgt. – Yards – TDs Target Rate Slot-Target Rate Deep-Target Rate Yards per Route Run Average Depth of Target Missed Tackles Forced Missed Tackles Forced/Reception Yards After Catch/Reception Explosive Pass Plays First Downs per Route Run Stefon Diggs 82.6 32 99/120 – 1,123 – 5 22.2% 10.3% 10.8% 2.08 8.4 12 0.12 4.1 25 0.56 Keenan Allen 76.4 34 84/126 – 802 – 4 25.4% 10.7% 11.9% 1.62 8.4 10 0.12 2.9 11 0.61 Deebo Samuel 70.2 30 72/99 – 727 – 5 22.6% 14.2% 6.1% 1.66 5.5 17 0.24 6.5 19 0.44

Among 37 NFL wide receivers with at least 95 targets, all three rank 20th or better in target rate, with Allen taking the No. 8 overall spot. All three also place inside the top 12 in slot-target rate, while none rank inside the top 30 in deep-target rate.

Diggs slots 12th in yards per route run (YPRR), while the other two rank outside the top 20. Both Diggs and Allen are short-to-intermediate target earners at this point. 

Diggs can likely still function as a serviceable No. 2 wide receiver and an efficient No. 3. Should he land with a wide receiver-needy team like the Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons or Miami Dolphins, he could return value as a matchup-based flex starter.

Allen remains an efficient target earner, yet he now plays with a catch-and-fall style. He continues to be linked to the Indianapolis Colts, despite the unit’s improving health. All three wide receivers are connected to Indianapolis here. 

Explore PFF Fantasy ToolsSee projected points and full stat lines across PPR, Half PPR, Standard, DFS, IDP, and BestBall formats. Import your league to view projections tailored to your exact scoring settings. Fantasy Football ProjectionsProjected points and full stat lines across every major scoring format—or sync your league to see projections built for your exact settings. (opens in new tab)Overall and position draft rankings by scoring type. We combine PFF grades, strength of schedule, and teammate quality to model upside and downside—among the most accurate in Fantasy Pros’ annual ranking competition over the last five years. Fantasy RankingsSeason-long draft rankings by position and scoring type—powered by PFF grades, strength of schedule, and teammate context to capture upside and downside. (opens in new tab)Customizable, printable cheat sheets for PPR, Half PPR, Standard, 2QB, IDP, Dynasty, and Rookie leagues. Players are tiered by position from our draft rankings, with ADP from popular fantasy platforms factored in. Fantasy Draft Cheat SheetPrintable, customizable cheat sheets for PPR, Half PPR, Standard, 2QB, IDP, Dynasty, and Rookie leagues—players tiered by position using our rankings and ADP. (opens in new tab)Sync your fantasy league to unlock the Live Draft Assistant and custom Lineup Optimizers—real-time pick suggestions, waiver wire targets, and sit/start recommendations built for your scoring formats and roster rules. Fantasy League SyncConnect your fantasy league to unlock the Live Draft Assistant and custom lineup tools—real-time picks, waiver targets, and sit/start advice for your scoring and roster rules. (opens in new tab)Subscribe For Full Access (opens in new tab)

Should Allen land in Indianapolis or a similar landing spot, he would improve the quarterback’s scoring potential while lowering the skill-position group’s projectable target shares.

Screen pass targets account for 28.3% of Samuel’s target sum (28). He caught 27 screens for 270 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown and earned a qualifying 87.7 PFF receiving grade, ranking third among 14 NFL wide receivers with at least 15 screen pass targets last year.

He possesses a specialized run-after-catch skill set that can boost a pocket passer’s weekly fantasy output. Signing with the Los Angeles Rams makes sense. Samuel would produce usable fantasy stat lines sporadically, though.

Among the three, only Diggs is likely to warrant re-draft consideration on a new team; however, all three are worthwhile best ball picks.