Makai Lemon vs. KC Concepcion: Who Should You Draft In 2026 Fantasy Football?

Philadelphia Eagles’ Makai Lemon and Cleveland Browns’ KC Concepcion will be two rookie wide receivers on fantasy managers’ draft boards.

Who should be the preferred player in fantasy drafts? We’ll break down each receiver’s skill set and situation to see who you should have on your fantasy team.

Should You Draft Makai Lemon or KC Concepcion In 2026 Fantasy Drafts?

What Could Be Their Potential Role?

Lemon may find himself in a situation where he can become one of the top options in the Eagles’ offense.

According to reports, A.J. Brown will be traded to the Patriots. Brown has six seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, but the tension between him and the Eagles is leading to his departure.

Last year, DeVonta Smith led Philadelphia with 1,008 receiving yards, and he will likely become the leading receiver with Brown’s exit. This is likely why the Eagles drafted Lemon in the first round, and he could fill that WR2 position.

Smith and Brown each caught for 1,000 yards last season, which could lead to Lemon posting similar numbers.

Concepcion’s path to becoming one of the Browns’ top options is more difficult. Jerry Jeudy has led the Browns’ receiver core in recent years and could remain the top target.

Everyone could also be competing against second-year tight end Harold Fannin, who had a stellar 2025 rookie season, leading Cleveland with 731 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.

However, teams usually do not draft a wide receiver in the first round without making them the top option.

How Was Their Offense Last Year?

For Concepcion, the Browns had one of the worst passing offenses last season; Cleveland finished 31st in passing yards per game (165.1) and last in passer rating (67.4). There could be a quarterback competition during training camp between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders.

The Eagles were a slightly better passing offense, finishing 23rd in passing yards per game (192.8) and 14th in yards per attempt (6.9). Jalen Hurts is the Eagles’ starting quarterback, which means Lemon and Hurts can develop their chemistry immediately. Hurts prefers throwing to his two top wide receivers. Last season, Smith and Brown accounted for 54.8% of the targets. With Brown potentially on his way out, Lemon could receive those target shares.

What Type of Receiver Are They?

These receivers have different playing styles, but both are among the best at their positions, which led to their selection on Day 1 of the draft.

Concepcion specializes in being a vertical threat and making big plays. Last season at Texas A&M, Concepcion frequently ran deeper routes, averaging 12.3 yards of depth per target, the sixth-highest in the nation, and his 2.46 yards per route run ranked 11th. He was exceptional, finishing with the sixth-most 10+ yard receptions (41) and the eighth-most 30+ yard receptions (7).

Lemon is one of the top route runners in this draft class. He lined up as a slot receiver on 75.6% of his snaps in three seasons at USC, leading to shorter routes, including a 22% target rate behind the line of scrimmage (+8 vs. avg) and 39% between 0-9 yards (+3 vs. avg).

Shorter routes did not result in fewer yards gained. Lemon ranked eighth in the country last year with 14.6 yards per reception and 14th with 502 yards after the catch. He was also tough to bring down; his 21 missed tackles last year were the fourth-highest among wide receivers in the country.

Although most of his receptions came from under 10 yards, he also excels when given the chance to be a deep threat. His 16 catches from passes of 20 yards or more were the third-highest in the FBS in 2025.

Lemon holds a large advantage because, while Concepcion centers on being a deep threat, Lemon has shown he can excel on vertical and shorter routes.

Who Has The Better Fantasy Value Between Makai Lemon and KC Concepcion?

Last season, the Eagles produced two top 20 fantasy wide receivers; A.J. Brown finished as the WR14 and Devonta Smith was the WR18. The Browns’ best-performing wide receiver was Jerry Jeudy at WR58, and no other receiver finished in the top 100.

Lemon is ranked as the consensus WR40 in our fantasy football rankings at an ADP of 88.23, while Concepcion is the WR46 at 127.2.

It feels like Lemon has the opportunity to surpass his projections, while the questions with the Browns’ offense could result in Concepcion not meeting expectations.

Players Mentioned in this Article

MakaiLemon
WRPHI
Proj
139.2
KCConcepcion
WRCLE
Proj
135.2

Published May 6, 2026, 10:57 ETUpdated May 6, 2026, 10:57 ET