4 Dynasty Fantasy Football Sleepers To Target In Startup Drafts: Jayden Reed, Jayden Higgins And More
Sam Wallace identifies four sleeper wide receivers to target in dynasty fantasy football startup drafts.
Everyone loves finding value in the middle/late rounds, especially in their dynasty fantasy football startup drafts. For this column, I'm focusing on players who, as of this writing, are going outside the top-100 picks in dynasty formats, according to the latest fantasy football rankings. These are players I expect to return on value greater than where they are currently going in drafts. Let's take a look.
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Players We're Targeting in Dynasty Fantasy Football Startup Drafts
Jayden Reed | WR | Packers
As one of the handful of resident Packers fans on the Fantasy Life staff, I am once again looking forward to seeing how the wide receiver room will shake out in Green Bay this season. After a few years of famously not having a true No. 1 wideout, I think the target distribution will at least be a bit more consolidated this season.
On paper, we have the following projections slated for the top pass catchers for the Green & Gold:
Christian Watson is the presumptive WR1, and I have no issues with that. His field-stretching ability and TD-upside could result in him having a truly monstrous season if everything clicks. However, I am most interested in Jayden Reed. As I mentioned at the top, each of the players mentioned in this piece are going outside of the top 100 in dynasty startup drafts.
That makes Reed an enticing proposition given his relatively cheap price tag.
Injuries derailed his 2025 campaign and limited him to just seven games. However, he posted consecutive top-30 finishes in PPR in each of his first two seasons (2023, 2024). He's a moveable chess piece for Matt LaFleur, as he's able to manufacture a variety of touches and opportunities for someone (Reed) I've often referred to as Deebo-lite.
With no single pass catcher on this offense projected to go over 1,000 receiving yards, give me the upside of Reed, who is going considerably later in drafts compared to Watson. Still just 26 years old, Reed has an opportunity to soak up some of the 131 targets from 2025 that left in the form of both Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks.
Rounding out your WR room with Reed simply makes too much sense. Go scoop up that value and enjoy a more concentrated passing attack in Green Bay this season.
Jayden Higgins | WR | Texans
As a rookie, Jayden Higgins finished with a solid first season:
- 68 targets
- 41 receptions
- 525 receiving yards
- 6 TDs
Despite playing alongside one of the top-end talents at the position (Nico Collins), Higgins functioned well as the No. 2 wideout. However, veteran TE Dalton Schultz outpaced Higgins in targets (106), receptions (82) and receiving yards (777).
I fully expect the 34th overall pick to have a much stronger sophomore season. The Texans let Christian Kirk leave in free agency, which really just opens things up for Jaylin Noel, but Higgins has all the attributes to be a solid secondary option.
Higgins is already drawing considerable praise in camp, and all signs are pointing to him having a truly special season if everything clicks.
He's currently valued as a low-end WR4. That should be his floor both in 2026 and in the seasons to come. Despite a tough third season that saw C.J. Stroud post career-low marks in passing attempts, passing completions, passing yards and passing TDs, I'm viewing him as a bounceback candidate (and a sneaky dynasty trade target in SF formats) who can elevate this offense.
A second-year player with strong momentum led by a promising, young QB with a ton to prove this season? Give me all the Higgins at his current price point both for this season and beyond.
Jalen Coker | WR | Panthers
A common situation I like to target for fantasy purposes is an offense that is likely to have a condensed, or funneled, passing game.
On paper, that's certainly looking like it'll be the Carolina Panthers in 2026, especially after losing rookie wideout Chris Brazzell (knee) for the season.
That's what makes a player like Jalen Coker so intriguing. He's played in only 11 games in each of his first two seasons, but he finished strong down the stretch in 2025, scoring three times in his final five games.
It (still) remains to be seen if Bryce Young is the long-term answer at QB in Carolina, but he'll have two massive targets this season in his top two wideouts. Tetairoa McMillan (6-foot-5) and Coker (6-3) should each earn their fair share of opportunities and our projections agree:
- McMillan - 126 targets, 75 receptions, 1,051 yards, 7.1 TDs
- Coker - 91 targets, 63 receptions, 789 yards, 4.3 TDs
I'm certainly not suggesting the Panthers offense is going to be one you'll want to aggressively target, but with no viable No. 3 option in the room, and at his current price point, Coker is someone I'll be looking closely at in dynasty startup drafts.
De'Zhaun Stribling, WR - 49ers
The electrical substation takes no prisoners.
In any other setting, that sentence would require additional context but not here. You all know exactly what I'm talking about.
Even before the injury bug made its way through the 49ers offense last week, I was already cautiously optimistic about De'Zhaun Stribling.
Sometimes, we just have to trust a team when they make a draft pick that initially appears a bit unorthodox. That's what I'm doing with Stribling. Certainly not thought of as a Round 1 prospect, Stribling went off the board with the 33rd overall pick. For some added context, Stribling comes in at WR6 in our WR Rookie Super Model. Of the top-10 wideouts in this class (per our Model), Stribling is the oldest and his Film Rating is the second worst.
His draft capital is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Stribling (hamstring) joins a somewhat-revamped wideout room. Here are the current names and their respective injuries, as of this writing:
- Ricky Pearsall (out for the year)
- Mike Evans (quad)
- Christian Kirk (calf)
- Jacob Cowing (hip)
- Deebo Samuel (yeah, he's back)
Stribling will have to factor in …s omewhere. Toss in both George Kittle (knee) and Christian McCaffrey and I'm not entirely sure what to make of this offense in early August.
That's what makes Stribling appealing in dynasty formats. Most of these pass catchers are on the back half of their respective careers and/or have dealt with injuries over the years. Before long, Stribling could work his way into a larger role for one of the better offensive minds in football.
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Players Mentioned in this Article
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