Looking at the FF pros and cons of Parker Washington going into 2026 season...
I have been doing four primary things, so far, this offseason…
1) Getting bombed with radiation for cancer treatment every weekday.
2) Taking 3+ hour naps due to the body-fatigue.
3) Acquiring Michael Wilson for my related Dynasty teams.
4) Acquiring Parker Washington for my related Dynasty teams.
I’m gonna talk about #4 here (we talked about #3 a month ago)...
I will talk about the ‘why’ on PW in a moment. First, I wanna talk about the risk.
The risk to the Wilson and Washington FF acquisition deals are ‘real’. And that’s not the only similarities they have…they have more positives in common than not. But the risk is — their own NFL teams ‘turn on or ignore them’ like the absolute idiotic way some teams/management run their team...and then you’ve wasted time and assets acquiring a disappointing, random WR3.
We saw Sean Payton do this to Marvin Mims… After Mims clearly showed on the field that he was their best offensive player to end 2024 season, a scenario that only came about because other Broncos WRs got hurt and Payton was forced to use Mims more, Payton did then push Mims as a starter to begin the 2025 season -- but then quickly benched him after Week 2-3 in order to push inferior receivers like Troy Franklin. Only to see Mims rise again in the playoffs and almost lead them to the Super Bowl...after being ignored all regular season.
Why would Payton do that to his own offense?
Beats the $#%@*&%$## out of me...but I’ve seen it so many times in my 15+ years of analyzing the NFL to try and profit off of it, it makes me numb to it by now...it’s my default thought/setting of what happens (Question: Why does ___ team do ___? Me: Because their constant idiots)
Please put that last part on my tombstone.
So why is ‘this time different’ with Wilson and Washington?
It might not be...but even going back to my desire to possess Mims last year at this time -- it’s cost prohibitive, the price is weak/FF people don’t believe or care at the time, the upside outweighs the investment up front...you won’t lose much by making a bold, but cheaper, move.
I could make an argument that Michael Wilson was the single best WR that I saw with my own two eyes in the NFL last season with the exception of Puka Nacua…I’m talking about how technically, all around great/talented a WR is/looks/works. Probably only Nacua was better. JSN was a watered-down version of Mike Wilson-Njigba. You could see it in all the games Wilson shined in -- but he was only allowed to do that because Marvin Harrison Jr. got hurt and couldn’t play. With MHJ (and Kyler) suddenly out, Wilson became the #1 WR for Arizona and was phenomenal, but the second that MHJ could limp back into the starting lineup...they immediately focused everything on Harrison and made Wilson the ‘who cares’ #2 target. After returning quickly from his injury, Harrison got re-hurt, so Wilson went back to being the #1 WR for the Cards and just killed it...again...even more...against better teams.
You’d think adult human beings in charge of billion-dollar football teams, humans known as ‘head coaches’, could see the most obvious thing happening right in front of their eyes…but they don’t always/often. We don’t know if Arizona’s new regime will favor Marvin Harrison at the expense of Michael Wilson…or whether they will let Michael Wilson become the superstar he is.
And we don’t know if Jacksonville will lean into Parker Washington like they did late 2025 season, or if they will push Jakobi and/or BTJ again.
All of it is risky — that’s why you want to watch what you pay here. The upside is tantalizing — both Wilson and Washington are routinely ranked on national websites as outside the top 40 WRs in Dynasty.
Mike Wilson has moved to #41 among Dynasty WRs on FantasyPros, an aggregator/average of 21 experts ranking the field...a few weeks ago that was #45.
Parker Washington is FantasyPros consensus/average #58 rank among Dynasty WRs...behind Quentin Johnston and DJ Moore and KC Conception and several other rookie WRs and Travis Hunter, the CB...err WR, among others.
Parker Washington is most responsible for making Travis Hunter a full time CB now...and yet he is ranked below Hunter, as a WR, in Dynasty. No respect. But that’s good for us.
People are skeptical, but somewhat intrigued on Mike Wilson (because of those massive numbers late 2025 season). But people are not really into Washington much at all...my theory is that it’s near-zero heat on PW right now because his surge came late in FF 2025, when people were ejected from the FF-playoffs...so they didn’t even really see it, a lot of them...and they KNOW that PW is beneath BTJ and Jakobi for the Jags, so ‘who cares about Washington?’. That’s music to my ears to make a deal...inexpensively.
OK, we talked about risk and other things...let’s talk about ‘the why’ I am doing this.
Parker Washington’s last 4 games of the 2025 season...
Week 16: 6-145-1/10 against a top pass defense in Denver. Jakobi and BTJ combined for 6-63-0/11.
Week 17: 8-115-0/10 against Indy, putting them away for their season and really all but clinching the AFC South, because the Titans were up next. Jakobi and BTJ combined for 10-78-0/16.
Week 18: 5-87-1/9 clinching the AFC South. Jakobi and BTJ combined for 8-93-0/11.
Onto the wild card round: Facing another tough/top pass defense, PW went for 7-107-1/12...in the most crucial of games. Jakobi and BTJ combined for 3-33-1/6 in this all-important event.
A four-game stretch to close the season for Washington of...
8.5 catches (10.3 targets), 113.5 yards, 0.75 TDs per game...23.9 PPR PPG.
While the COMBINATION of Jakobi and BTJ averaged...
6.8 catches (11.0 targets), 66.8 yards, 0.25 TDs per game...15.5 PPR PPG COMBINED.
It would be one thing if all this happened as the Jacksonville season swirled down the drain and you might then could say that it happened all in garbage time type games...but Jacksonville had critical games every week of the late season and then obviously the playoff game. In the most critical of times the team, the QB went to Parker Washington to save the day and virtually ignored/went away from Meyers and Thomas combined. If that isn't a massive statement, I don't know what is.
And we have all seen, from time to time, players be in the right place at the right time and had some big statistical pop late in a season and then we hoped it would going to carry over to the next season...like Marvin Mims at the end of 2024 season or Tyler Higbee in that massive late season run with the Rams several years ago (thinking of things off the top of my head) -- But then it doesn't lead to any continued action into the following season. I think this one could be different because Washington’s output compared to the other WRs was so dramatic and effective that I don't know how they turn away from him in 2026.
And this didn't happen because the other guys were hurt and it created a moment for Washington. That theory was kind of true earlier in this season when Washington had his sparks of big breakout moments with no follow through once the injured guys got back into the lineup. But there were no injuries for Meyers and Thomas late in the season. In the most critical of times Trevor Lawrence led Parker Washington to being the highest scoring PPR PPG WR in FF from Week 16 to the wild card playoff...that cannot be a fluke.
And I can personally testify this wasn't just the creation of a whole lot of cheap and easy targets for a blip of time. This was Washington becoming an all-around, go to, clutch, contested catch making madman. Washington has earned this prominence...Washington has taken control of the Jacksonville WR room by force. It was talent, in abundance, not draft stock and payroll comparison. It was a coup. I have said to several people, about this subject, that two of the 10 best WR talents that I watched perform week in and week out in the 2025 season were Parker Washington and Michael Wilson. In the 2024 season, Marvin Mims made a move to being the best receiver on his team but not taking over the league as the gold standard WR talent...he’s just talented. Washington and Wilson, in 2025, made a move towards being two of the BEST WR's in the entire NFL -- that's a big difference to try to compare it to the Marvin Mims late season 2024 situation.
Take a look at some of Washington’s catches slash highlights from 2025 season to get your whistle whet... https://youtu.be/ppDBeN86CEU?si=xrh6znU0tMWVwz4Q
I have been trading middle to late second round picks and players equivalent to that range to get deals done that include Washington or just FOR Washington. I would like to give more of a 3rd-round pick or give that kinda of level (3rd-round pick in the DRD) of existing player in exchange – but the second you start asking about Parker Washington his owner starts (in his head) getting worried and defensive about why you're wanting a player nobody, including the owner, wants at this time. So, if you're going to go down this road you have to be crafty and not just bull in a China shop it into a deal discussion and unwittingly drive the price up. Play it cool. Don’t counter too fast. Don’t scare them.
I am willing to overpay a tad given the current market price, a ‘price’ which isn't bad at all, for Washington or Wilson. The top five or so rated rookie WRs for Dynasty Rookie Drafts right now...to me...pale in comparison to what we've already seen, what we already know is possible/capable with a Parker Washington or Michael Wilson. Last DRD the late-1st or middle to late 2nd-round picks were WRs like Jayden Higgins, Tre Harris, Kyle Williams, Luther Burden, Jack Bech. One year later we could hardly care less about most of them today...and not because they're not talented, but it's the situations that they are in. What kind of situations do you think the new, weaker class of WRs compared to 2025 and 2024, will fall into? There's no way any of them are going to be anything close to a #1 WR right away...or most likely ever. But I could definitely see Michael Wilson and Parker Washington being #1 WRs for their team -- I can think that because I’VE ALREADY SEEN IT HAPPEN WITH MY OWN EYES just a few months ago...I know what it looks like!!! I'd rather have the known talent and take a gamble on how they're used versus a totally blind bet clutching on to my rookie draft picks hoping to land a needle in a haystack (that doesn’t exist) between picks #10-20 overall.
And we know the Cardinals nor the Jaguars are going to be drafting any big name WRs. There aren't even big name WRs to be had from this draft, per se. But even if there was one or two top WRs, I don't think the Cardinals or Jaguars see themselves with a wide receiver need. So, I know Wilson and Washington are in situations I have a feel for. The rookie WRs being drafted between #10-20 overall, I have no idea what situations they're landing in and whether they're going to be pigeonholed as #3 or #4 or #5 WR's for an unknown amount of time.
I am making my move on Michael Wilson and Parker Washington at these very reasonable or lower valuations all offseason while the FF news is sparse and the FF analysts are on vacation or analyzing/writing for fantasy baseball. Come July and August, when people get back to football work, there could be an awakening on Wilson and or Washington.
I am getting them in my grain silos way before the FF world wakes up to this, if they ever do.
We have little lose but much to gain taking the shot.
