Jaylen Waddle vs Zay Flowers: 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. Zay Flowers (Baltimore Ravens) came in at 11.8 PPG over 17 games. The gap is real but not insurmountable with the right matchup.
Zay Flowers carries a 1.7-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.
Both are workload receivers with similar target shares. Jaylen Waddle turned 100 targets into 910 yards and 6 touchdowns, while Zay Flowers converted 118 looks into 1211 yards and 5 scores. When target volume is this close, game script and defensive matchup typically decide the weekly winner.
One thing to note: both players share a Week 14 bye. That means you need a backup plan at wide receiver for that week, especially if one of these two is your starter.
