CeeDee Lamb just posted his weakest full season since his rookie year, which is enough to give any fantasy manager pause. A closer look at how that average got dragged down tells a more forgiving story. The bigger question is what his ceiling actually looks like now that he shares a field with another alpha. Fantasy managers picking late in the first round have a real decision on their hands.
Should I Draft CeeDee Lamb in Fantasy Football?
Lamb averaged just 14.4 fantasy points per game last season. The only year he finished with a worse mark was his rookie campaign. On the surface, that is scary.
It is also easy to explain away. Lamb missed three games with a high ankle sprain, and more importantly, there is a zero-point outing baked into that average from the game he exited on his first touch. The Dallas Cowboys also pulled their starters midway through a meaningless Week 18 contest. Weeks 3 and 18 have no business being part of any honest evaluation of his season.
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Strip those two out and Lamb averaged 16.6 PPG. That is still below his 17.6 mark from 2024, and it is a far cry from the overall WR1 season he put together in 2023 when he averaged 23.7 PPG. But 16.6 sits firmly in WR1 territory, which is a very different conclusion than the raw number suggests.
The efficiency backs it up. Lamb averaged 2.41 yards per route run and earned a target on 26.1% of his routes run. He was still elite by any reasonable standard. There is really no path to him busting. At absolute worst, he is a mild underperformer.
Here is my actual issue with him. That 2023 ceiling no longer exists. Lamb reached those heights because he was the unquestioned top option in the Dallas passing game, and that is simply not the arrangement anymore. He now shares the field with George Pickens, who profiles as a true alpha in his own right. Absent a Pickens injury, it is doubtful Lamb has 20-point-per-game upside.
Any player I am drafting in the first round needs that upside. That is the whole point of spending a premium pick.
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Lamb is my WR5 and the WR5 by ADP, so this is not a disagreement about the player. He is a safe pick and one I would be perfectly fine making if I had to. The problem is roster construction. He goes in the back half of Round 1, and in that spot, I want to double-tap running back the vast majority of the time, because I know I can double-tap wide receiver in Rounds 3 and 4.
I would happily take Lamb if he slid to me in the early second. That rarely happens. Typically, someone in the room likes him more than I do.
Katz’s WR Fantasy Rankings 2026
- Ja’Marr Chase | CIN
- Puka Nacua | LAR
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA
- Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET
- CeeDee Lamb | DAL
- Justin Jefferson | MIN
- Drake London | ATL
- Malik Nabers | NYG
- Nico Collins | HOU
- A.J. Brown | NE
- Chris Olave | NO
- George Pickens | DAL
- DeVonta Smith | PHI
- Zay Flowers | BAL
- Rashee Rice | KC
- Jaylen Waddle | DEN
- Tee Higgins | CIN
- Terry McLaurin | WAS
- Ladd McConkey | LAC
- Emeka Egbuka | TB
- Luther Burden III | CHI
- Tetairoa McMillan | CAR
- Garrett Wilson | NYJ
- Parker Washington | JAX
- Jameson Williams | DET
- Christian Watson | GB
- Rome Odunze | CHI
- Carnell Tate | TEN
- Davante Adams | LAR
- Mike Evans | SF
- Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI
- DJ Moore | BUF
- Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX
- Chris Godwin Jr. | TB
- Stefon Diggs | WAS
- Michael Pittman Jr. | PIT
- Josh Downs | IND
- Wan’Dale Robinson | TEN
- Quentin Johnston | LAC
- Jayden Reed | GB
- DK Metcalf | PIT
- Jordan Addison | MIN
- Courtland Sutton | DEN
- Jakobi Meyers | JAX
- Makai Lemon | PHI
- Xavier Worthy | KC
- Michael Wilson | ARI
- KC Concepcion | CLE
- Romeo Doubs | NE
- Jalen Coker | CAR
