Fantasy Football Rankings Upgrades: A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith Rise After Trade

The long-awaited A.J. Brown to the Patriots trade is finally in our rearview mirror, which led to obvious changes to our consensus fantasy football rankings. Five wide receivers have recently risen up Dwain McFarland’s rankings, headlined by a pair of obvious ones. Let’s dive into what changed the most in Dwain’s recent half-PPR rankings update.

Risers In Dwain McFarland’s Fantasy Football Rankings

A.J. Brown | WR | NE

Dwain’s Ranking: WR8

We’ll see just how much A.J. Brown has left in the tank after an injury-riddled and disappointing 2025, but all indications are that he’s ready to go and set for a monster season with third-year gunslinger Drake Maye at the helm. While many will point to his unhappiness with the Eagles for his down 2025, it’s rather clear that his hamstring injury served as a primary culprit.

AJ Brown suffered a hamstring injury in training camp last year, including a setback.

Starts the year badly with 12.4 PPG (WR24)

Reaggravated the hamstring in Week 8 and sits out + gets a Week 9 bye week.

Rest of season, including Wild Card: 15.5 PPG (WR7)

15.5 is pretty…
— Dwain McFarland (@dwainmcfarland) June 1, 2026

As his WR8, Dwain currently has Brown forecasted for 86 catches, 1,207 yards and 14 touchdowns on 133 targets in his fantasy football projections. His cost is going to steadily rise with the trade official, but he’s someone I want to sprinkle into my teams around mid-to-late Round 2.

DeVonta Smith | WR | PHI

Dwain’s Ranking: WR10

Another obvious upgrade from the trade is DeVonta Smith, who now steps into the WR1 role for the Eagles as arguably the biggest winner of the A.J. Brown trade.

Smith has flashed an immense ceiling in games where he operates as the de facto WR1, with Week 8 of last season being our most recent example. Without Brown in Week 8 last season, Smith posted a 100% route rate, 50% target share, 33% TPRR and an 80 Utilization Score. While his 14.4 half-PPR points (WR20) left a lot to be desired, the underlying metrics illustrate the insane role we could see in 2026.

Expanding the sample without Brown to more than one game, Smith has demonstrated this upside for the better part of the last two seasons, too.

DeVonta Smith over the last two seasons without AJ Brown on the field (137 routes):

38% targets (elite)
2.69 yards per route (elite)

Small samples be damned, that is juicy.
— Dwain McFarland (@dwainmcfarland) June 1, 2026

Currently projected for 89 receptions, 1,148 yards and 6.9 touchdowns, Smith has a clear runway for a WR1 season

Christian Watson | WR | GB

Dwain’s Ranking: WR26

The offseason drumbeat for a Christian Watson breakout season continues to gain momentum. With Romeo Doubs joining the Patriots and Dontayvion Wicks shipped off to Philly, the Packers, for the first time in recent memory, have a rather straightforward room of pass catchers.

Watson has always been a per-route monster who’s been hampered by injuries that have capped his ceiling. We saw a glimpse of the upside after his return last season, especially between Weeks 10 and 14. During those five weeks, Watson posted an 83% route rate, 24% target share, 23% targets-per-route-run rate and ranked as the WR7 overall, averaging 14.1 half-PPR points per game.

When I asked Dwain about the thesis behind the rankings upgrade, he pointed directly to that increased route rate and expectation for more playing time in 2026:

“... Condensed routes with Doubs/Wicks gone. 14.4 PPG last year in contests with 80%+ routes. A lock for over 80% this year, could be closer to 90%!!! Ranks 20th in YPRR for WRs with at least 500 routes over the last three years (2.02).”

Watson remains one of my favorite clicks out of any wide receivers to click in 2026 fantasy drafts.

Jayden Reed | WR | GB

Dwain’s Ranking: WR37

Similar to the Watson upgrade, Jayden Reed should be staring down the barrel at the most playing time upside of his career.

He missed nearly all of 2025 after getting hurt in Week 1, but when Dwain spoke about the upgrade, he talked about just how good Reed has been when he’s seen an expanded role.

“... Clearest path ever to playing a larger role with guys gone, new contract and ranks 19th in YPRR for WRs with at least 500 routes over last three years (2.03). But what if he remains stuck in the slot role!?!? Well, that is his floor and represents the price you are already paying as a WR4. Low-risk/high-reward click --> my most drafted WR in top 100 picks.”

Ranked as Dwain’s WR37, Reed is currently being drafted as the WR39 on Underdog and offers immense upside for a player currently being drafted near their floor. Plus, with all of the latest going on with Josh Jacobs, we could see an expanded role out of the backfield for Reed, which boosts both his fantasy floor and ceiling. While I personally prefer Watson as my GB receiver to draft over Reed, I’m making a point to target one of them (or Tucker Kraft) in as many drafts as I can this summer.

Stefon Diggs | WR | FA

Dwain’s Ranking: WR52

With the A.J. Brown trade behind us and Jauan Jennings signing with Minnesota, we’re bound to see some of the last remaining WR free agency dominos fall, starting with Stefon Diggs, whom Dwain agrees on:

“The top available free agent option, and almost certainly going to climb once he finds a landing spot. If it is with a big-time QB, Diggs could climb into the WR3 conversation. I have him 20 spots ahead of Underdog fantasy football ADP overall at the moment and want to remain ahead of ADP until he reaches WR4 territory, which feels like his floor—even if he signs with a bad team or crowded offense.”

After winning his trial last month, Diggs has made it clear that getting back on the field remains his priority, and some juicy landing spots have been thrown around (hello, Kansas City). It’s clear that Diggs still has some gas left in the tank despite being limited to 68% of the routes last regular season, as he still posted a 21% target share and a 24% targets-per-route-run rate. While his target share and TPRR fell in the postseason, it was encouraging to see his route rate jump to 79% in their three playoff games.

Earning targets is still a strength of Diggs’, and with several WR-needy teams in the market with strong QB play, we could see another productive season from Diggs at a cheap price tag. He’s one of my highest-priority clicks at his current cost, as I expect his ADP to skyrocket whenever he signs.