​Wide receiver is arguably the deepest position in fantasy football, and the pool got even more talented for this season. Rookies, rising stars and established veterans still producing — you name it, there’s someone for every drafter. Our Yahoo analysts take a look at the wide receiver position and share their breakout candidate for 2026.Matthew Golden, PackersThe 21-year-old early declare couldn’t ice Christian Watson (4 years, $92M), Romeo Doubs (4 years, $68M), Jayden Reed (3 years, $50M) and Dontayvion Wicks for playing time as a rookie, but when he did play, Golden was just fine. His 1.44 yards per route is passable, especially if we give him partial credit for about five near explosives when he was just missed by Jordan Love. Golden’s understanding of the playbook has improved per the coaching staff, and they obviously trust him in 2026, otherwise they wouldn’t have let Doubs walk and traded Wicks.Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2026 NFL seasonIn camp, Golden is drawing rave reviews from all beat reporters, and we’ve had three confirmations of him being in valuable 2-WR sets ahead of Reed (in camp, in Preseason Week 1 and Family Night). If Golden is a real-deal Round 1 receiver, he’s going to be a WR2/3 this year. If he’s just an okay one, then he’s still a WR4 fill-in. There was enough dynamism on his rookie tape for people to get excited about his further development. And as a bonus, the Packers are stressing more pace for their 2026 offense. I won’t be surprised if their pass volume goes up as a result. — Hayden WinksJosh Downs, ColtsThe opportunity in front of Josh Downs is the best it’s ever been. 2026 looks like the first shot of his career to play more than a strict slot role, and it’s much more of a prediction considering the lack of replacing Michael Pittman Jr. on the outside and Alec Pierce still coming back from injury.When he has been on the field, Downs has been great, especially in PPR leagues. Taking his whole career (even rookie games), Downs averages over 13 PPR PPG when playing a very normal 70%+ of the snaps. His fit with Daniel Jones as a short area, quick target is ideal. The Colts’ young receiver is going outside the top-100 draft picks and has the chance not only to be good, but highly consistent as a week-to-week play if he lands on the positive side of his range of outcomes. — Joel SmythLuther Burden III, BearsThe fantasy hype around Burden has quieted due to a groin injury that will likely keep him out until Week 1. Thankfully, the sophomore wideout was already seen doing light work with trainers before the Bears’ first preseason contest, providing hope that he’ll be back to form for the opener. Aside from the injury, it’s easy to get excited about Burden as a potential star in Ben Johnson’s ascending offense. From Week 10 on in his rookie season, Burden’s playing time increased and he averaged nearly 64 yards per outing — a 1,000-yard pace over an entire 17-game schedule.The 22