Wide Receiver · New York Jets
Garrett Wilson — 2026 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis by Shawn Childs, from his 2026 guide — his words, unedited.
The case
- · Wilson comes off a right knee injury that didn’t require surgery that led to him missing 10 games.
- · He played well in four (7/95/1, 10/84/1, 6/82/1, and 6/71/1) of his first five games last year while playing with Justin Fields in four of those starts.
- · Before last season, Wilson didn’t miss a game in the NFL across three years.
- · He averaged 5.4 catches for 63 yards and 0.31 touchdowns over his first 58 NFL games (13.56 FPPG), painting him as a mid-tier WR2 in most fantasy seasons.
- · Geno Smith won’t light the passing needle for fantasy drafters, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba had 100 catches for 1,156 yards and six touchdowns with him behind center for 17 games in 2024.
- · Jets added offensive weapons in this year’s draft class, suggesting a much better offensive season.
Question marks
- · Was Wilson's knee injury minor or a hint of a future ACL issue?
- · At what point will the Jets switch to Cade Klubnik?
- · Wilson has yet to show impact value in scoring touchdowns.
- · Can Geno Smith lift his game high enough to create starting fantasy value for his top receiving options?
Shawn's conclusion
In 2024, a top high-stakes drafter fought for Wilson with the ninth overall pick in many high dollar league, showing his trust in his ceiling. Unfortunately, he fell into a more consistent fantasy profile than an impact WR1. Wilson has stated that he likes his new offensive system, and his resume paints a 100-catch/150 target season. He scored 11 times over his last 24 matchups, suggesting a better outcome in this area this year, even with question marks at quarterback.
More on Wilson
Wilson held WR1 form over his first five games (7/95/1, 4/50, 10/84/1, 6/82/1, and 6/71/1) while averaging 9.6 targets and 19.04 fantasy points in PR formats. In his poor showing in Week 6 (3/13 on eight targets) against the Broncos, he picked up a right knee injury that cost him a couple of games. Wilson tried to play through the issue in Week 10, but managed to stay on the field for only 19 plays. Subsequently, the Jets placed him on the injured reserve, ending his year with no need for surgery.
Wilson's three previous seasons with the Jets told a consistent story: reliable volume, inconsistent efficiency, and just enough big games to keep fantasy managers engaged without ever fully delivering.
In 2022, he turned 147 targets into 83 catches for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns, finishing 21st in PPR wide receiver scoring (217.00 points). His 56.5% catch rate was partly a product of the Jets' carousel of poor quarterback play, and his production was feast-or-famine: four genuinely impactful games (8/102/2, 6/115, 5/95/2, and 8/162) offset by seven single-digit fantasy outings (2/41, 3/27, 1/8, 4/24, 2/12, 4/30, and 3/18).
His 2023 season brought career highs in catches (95) and targets (168) despite losing Aaron Rodgers to a Week 1 season-ending injury. Wilson’s yards per reception dropped from 13.3 to 11.0, and he managed only one touchdown over his final 15 games. The Jets gave him double-digit targets nine times, and he reached seven or more catches in eight games while eclipsing 20.00 fantasy points just once (9/111), finishing 26th in PPR scoring at 216.10 points.
2024 was his most productive year. Wilson set career highs in catches (101), yards (1,104), and touchdowns (7) on slightly fewer targets (154). But his yards per catch (10.9) slipped again, and he dropped six balls. Wilson ranked ninth at wide receiver in fantasy points (253.90) in PPR formats, with three impact showings (13/101/1, 8/107/1, and 9/90/2). He gained over 100 yards in two other matchups (5/113 and 7/114) while scoring between 10.00 and 18.50 fantasy points in nine games.
The Jets' top wideout should be active again this year while doing most of his damage over the first two levels of defenses. He has a much better feel as a WR2 than as a foundation WR1, which was the case in the 2024 fantasy football draft season. His floor should be 90 catches for 1,000 yards with five to seven touchdowns, creating some value at his lower price point in 2026.
Get Shawn's full 2026 Draft Kit — free
Every breakdown like this one, plus his tiers, the top-200 cheat sheet, and how his 2025 season actually graded out. One email, instant download.