Should You Draft the Eagles Rookie in Fantasy Football?

It’s not hard to connect the dots and understand the quiet optimism surrounding Makai Lemon in fantasy football circles.

The Eagles used first-round draft capital on the former Trojan, and with A.J. Brown taking his talents to New England, there are valuable targets available for the taking. What are the reasonable expectations for 2026 and beyond?

Should You Draft Makai Lemon in Fantasy Football?

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The 5-foot-11, 192-pound Lemon shone in his final season at USC, turning 79 receptions into 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. That kind of production could translate into a real role in Philadelphia as a rookie.

A.J. Brown scored 32 times and averaged just under 15 yards per catch across four seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, and with him gone, DeVonta Smith steps into the vacated WR1 role while Lemon is expected to soak up a chunk of what’s left behind.

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He showed last season he’s more than capable of threatening a defense vertically, averaging 26.0 yards per touchdown reception in 2025, and that kind of downfield ability is closer to a requirement than a bonus in this offense.

The Eagles ranked 30th in the NFL in dropback percentage during Brown’s tenure, and there’s little reason to expect that number to climb now that the offense’s best receiver is gone.

Lemon is currently priced outside the top 40 receivers, and that feels about right. There will be good weeks, but banking on consistently viable production isn’t the smart play. The Philadelphia scheme hasn’t historically been friendly to receiver volume, and Lemon’s own college tape showed that same kind of week-to-week unevenness.

Lemon’s Receiving Yardage Totals, Final 5 Collegiate Games

At Nebraska: 18 yards
Vs. Northwestern: 161 yards
Vs. Iowa: 153 yards
At Oregon: 34 yards
Vs. UCLA: 32 yards

We are talking about a talented player stepping into an above-average offense: there are worse profiles to put money behind. But for me, this reads more as a DFS asset, someone you target for a favorable single-week matchup rather than a receiver you commit to holding on your season-long roster.