Ron Stewart

Going into his year three season, Pearsall could be the last man standing and most trustworthy week-to-week option on the Buccaneers through the air, with Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, and George Kittle all aging or coming off major injuries.

Pre-PCL injury in 2025, Pearsall was WR3 in yards per game, WR4 in yards per route run, top 12 in points per game and expected fantasy points per game, WR2 in average separation, and WR1 in route win rate before the injury derailed his season.

Pearsall is going at the 89th turn as WR45, which represents strong value given his solid per-route metrics in 2025 (20%+ targets per route run, 10+ yards per target, 10%+ first downs per route).

The passing volume will be there in the Cardinals offense, and even if Carson Beck starts, the team should still be top 10 in pass attempts per game, which is not a death sentence for Harrison's fantasy outlook.

With new offensive play caller Mike LaFleur, Harrison profiles as a receiver who will be moved around in motion and used in more creative ways, which could unlock a breakout where he finishes as a top 24 wide receiver.

Brian Thomas Jr. is comparable to Marvin Harrison Jr. in per-route efficiency metrics, with Harrison Jr. not far off from his production levels in the 2024 rookie class.

Ricky Pearsall is behind Marvin Harrison Jr. in per-route efficiency metrics (targets per route run, yards per route run, first downs per route run) from the 2024 rookie class.

Xavier Worthy is behind Marvin Harrison Jr. in per-route efficiency metrics (targets per route run, yards per route run, first downs per route run) from the 2024 rookie class.

Michael Wilson took Marvin Harrison Jr.'s targets and role when Harrison Jr. returned from injury last season, limiting his production.

Malik Nabers was drafted ahead of Marvin Harrison Jr. as a rookie and had a strong season, contrasting with Harrison Jr.'s disappointing rookie year.

While Marvin Harrison Jr. lacks touchdown upside due to unsustainable passing volume from last year, the Cardinals are projected for the most dropbacks and pass attempts, giving him strong PPR upside this season.

Marvin Harrison Jr. is being drafted heavily by the analyst and has been pushed up in rankings due to his per-route efficiency metrics outperforming peers like Xavier Worthy and Roman Dunes, despite disappointing rookie and sophomore seasons.

Marvin Harrison Jr. is a year-three breakout candidate with strong per-route metrics (20%+ targets per route run, 1.6 yards per route run, 7.9% first downs per route run) and elite win rates versus man (80th percentile) and press coverage (77th percentile), positioning him for a real step forward this season.

Derrick Henry leads running backs in yards per target over the last three seasons and could see increased passing game efficiency through screen game usage with the Ravens, per beat reports.

With new coaching (Ben Johnson and Declan Doyle from top-10 play action teams), Lamar Jackson could see increased play action usage, which aligns with his elite play action passer rating (QB1 by Jacob Gibbs research) and could unlock more upside.

Lamar Jackson is getting a discount after last year, now going in round five on Underdog and likely slipping to the fourth round in redraft leagues, making him a value pick despite his elite play action passer rating (QB1 by Jacob Gibbs research).

Jackson should benefit from new coaching with Declan Doyle, who comes from Denver's top-10 play-action offense and can maximize Jackson's elite play-action passer rating.

Jackson is getting a discount after last year's injuries, now going in round 5 on Underdog and likely round 3-4 in home leagues, making him an attractive bounce-back candidate.

Jackson has an unmatched ceiling as the only QB with two seasons of 25+ points per game and can rival championship win rates with elite skill position players.

Irving has fallen in pre-draft rankings due to injury pessimism but is realistically a fringe RB2 who could easily be a top 12 point-per-game scorer this season.

Irving appears on track for camp with shoulder surgery expected to be stable and unlikely to be a big issue; foot is a mild concern but not enough to meaningfully downgrade him in redraft or dynasty.

Irving could get peppered with designed screen-style targets from new OC Zack Robinson, potentially going crazy even without a full-time role in this offensive environment.

Irving feels similar to James Cook last year and has massive upside to break out in year three with an RB1 point-per-game season, drafted as RB24.

Godwin could deliver 17+ points per game as a true league winner or 14+ points per game as a high-end wide receiver, with outcomes in that range realistic for the WR41 off the board.

Wirfs entered the year banged up last year, contributing to the Buccaneers offensive line's injury and turnover issues.

Hardman (Ibuka) suffered a hamstring injury last year as part of the Buccaneers' injury-plagued season.

Evans was among the Buccaneers players who were banged up last year, contributing to the offense's decline from week 7 onward.

Hardman (Mechco Ibuka) is part of a Buccaneers offense projected to bounce back with the 15th highest scoring projection and fifth best offensive line.

Gainwell is part of a Buccaneers offense projected to bounce back this year with the 15th highest scoring projection and fifth best offensive line.

Mayfield is positioned to benefit from Zack Robinson's pre-snap motion play-calling, as he ranks second among quarterbacks in adjusted net yards per attempt added from pre-snap motion.

As the wide receiver 41 off the board, Godwin has a range of outcomes including potential league-winner upside at 17+ PPG or high-end WR2 production at 14+ PPG, depending on where he is in his career at age 30+.

Godwin is positioned to benefit significantly from Zack Robinson's play-calling style, which emphasizes pre-snap motion. Robinson's slot receivers have been productive (Cooper Cup 2021, Drake London 19 PPG before injury), and Godwin is expected to operate primarily in the slot.

Godwin suffered a brutal ankle dislocation or broken tibia/fibula injury in 2024 (similar to Judkins and Scatabo injuries), which is a severe injury to come back from, though not as severe as ACL or Achilles.

Irving is a buy for a bounce-back year as part of a Buccaneers offense projected to be the 15th highest scoring with the fifth best offensive line, similar to James Cook's situation last year.

Irving was a second round pick who suffered a shoulder injury with a false timeline that extended for 10 weeks, ultimately never returning to any real effect on the field last year.

McLaurin is positioned as the wide receiver one in Washington and represents a perfect wide receiver two/three option this season with monster upside potential.

David Blau pledged to move McLaurin all over the formation unlike Kingsbury, with a direct quote from Blau stating 'how do we get Terry 10 targets a game.' This represents a significant shift from his previous downfield X role to being peppered with targets across the formation.

Jaden Daniels is expected to be healthy this year, which should help elevate the Commanders offense and Terry McLaren's production.

Despite injury concerns about his knees and hamstring, AJ Brown still has elite upside and his career is far from over. The analyst believes 2026 is the year everything comes together for him, especially with a quarterback who finished second in MVP voting in his second season.

Author is targeting AJ Brown in the second round in 2025, believing the market has discounted him too much due to injury narratives, and that his entire career has been defined by being held back by offensive environment rather than declining talent.