Jaylen Waddle vs Ricky Pearsall: Who Should You Start?
Two wide receivers who will land on plenty of the same rosters in 2026. Jaylen Waddle (Denver Broncos) finished the 2025 season averaging 10.1 fantasy points per game in 16 games. Ricky Pearsall (San Francisco 49ers) came in at 7.8 PPG over 9 games. The gap is real but not insurmountable with the right matchup.
Jaylen Waddle carries a 2.3-point PPG advantage from the 2025 season. That baseline matters, but it is one input among several. Matchup difficulty, scoring trends, and injury reports move the needle week to week, which is why the best answer changes depending on when you are asking.
Target volume is the story here. Jaylen Waddle saw 100 targets in 2025, while Ricky Pearsall drew 53. That workload gap usually translates into a higher weekly floor for Jaylen Waddle, even in weeks where Ricky Pearsall posts the bigger ceiling game. Consistency-minded managers lean toward target share; boom-bust managers chase the upside.
One scheduling note: Jaylen Waddle is off Week 14 and Ricky Pearsall Week 9. If these two are on your roster, you will need a fill-in wide receiver for both weeks. DraftCall flags bye conflicts so you can plan ahead rather than panic on waivers.
