Khalil Shakir has quietly finished as a top-40 receiver in each of the past two seasons without generating much attention. Buffalo’s addition of DJ Moore has pushed him even further down draft boards this summer.
The gap the market is pricing between the two may be far wider than it should be. Fantasy managers should know what Shakir still offers at this cost.
Should I Draft Khalil Shakir in Fantasy Football?Shakir is a solid, unexciting player. He is similar to Jakobi Meyers, though with considerably less fanfare attached. He is not special, and he is not going to move the needle for anyone.
There is still upside here, though, especially at this price.
START PREPARING:PFN’s FREE Fantasy Draft Simulator
Start with the track record. Shakir has finished as a top-40 wide receiver in each of the past two seasons. That is not stardom. It is also exactly the range where fantasy managers are digging around for WR4 and WR5 options, which means he is producing above where he now goes.
The obvious complication is Moore. Buffalo brought him in to be the alpha, and he will be. But if you read my Moore profile, you know I am fading him quite strongly, and that skepticism has not softened despite what he showed in the preseason.
Here is the question I keep landing on: Moore will be the better player and he will outscore Shakir, but is he 30 wide receiver spots better? I do not think so. That is an enormous gap the market is baking in between two players in the same offense, and the underlying numbers do not support anything close to it.
Look at what Shakir did last season. He earned a 21.1% target share and was targeted on 23.9% of his routes run. What makes those figures notable is the context, because he produced them on a mere 61.4% snap share. That is efficiency with the opportunity he was given rather than volume masking a lack of ability.
The Bills will likely continue rotating their receivers, and with Moore in town, Shakir’s snap share is probably not climbing. It does not need to. There is no real reason to think he cannot hold something close to a 20% target share even alongside a legitimate WR1. He was already doing it on limited playing time.
His efficiency backs it up as well. Shakir posted 1.81 yards per route run last season, which is meaningfully better than what receivers at this ADP typically produce. That number belongs to a player who wins his matchups, not one hanging around because of a defined role.
FANTASY RANKINGS:PFN’s FREE Fantasy PPR, Half-PPR, and Non-PPR Rankings
Let me be honest about the ceiling. There is minimal upside here. Then again, how many receivers going outside the top 50 have any meaningful upside at all? That is the wrong lens for this part of the draft. Getting WR3 production out of your WR5 is a win in my book, and Shakir has a real chance to deliver exactly that.
Shakir is my WR55 against a WR54 ADP, which tells you I have no quarrel with the price. I am not actively trying to draft him. But if I fall behind at wide receiver and need a body I can trust, he is a very safe fail-safe to have on the board.
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
- Quentin Johnston | LAC
- Josh Downs | IND
- Wan’Dale Robinson | TEN
- 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
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
Leave a Comment