Makai Lemon’s fantasy value got a lift the moment A.J. Brown landed in New England. With Brown gone, Lemon is now expected to step into the No. 2 receiver role opposite DeVonta Smith, giving him a clearer path to snaps in Philadelphia’s passing game.
That matters because Brown had been taking a huge share of the offense. He handled a 30% target share last season and a 33% share in 2024-25, while Smith posted a 25% target share last season. Those are the kind of numbers that define how much volume is available, and they explain why Lemon’s draft price has started to move.
The market is already treating him differently. Lemon is going at pick No. 77 on Underdog, which makes him WR36 by average draft position, while fantasy rankings place him as the consensus WR41. Dwain McFarland has him at WR36, and Ian Hartitz has him at WR48. For a rookie receiver, that range says the industry sees both upside and uncertainty.
Lemon arrived with real credentials. The Eagles took him with the 21st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after trading up one spot ahead of Pittsburgh, and he followed that by winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award and becoming a consensus All-American in his final collegiate season. He closed that year with 79 catches, 1,156 yards and 9 touchdowns in 12 games, production that helped make him one of the more intriguing receivers in the class.
Still, the role is not his on arrival. Philadelphia added veterans Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown in the offseason, and both will be part of the competition for snaps. Lemon may have the cleanest opening now that Brown is in New England, but the Eagles did not hand him the job when they drafted him, and they did not clear the depth chart enough to remove the fight entirely.
That makes training camp the real turning point. Lemon’s fantasy case is stronger than it was before Brown moved, but whether he actually wins the WR2 job will decide if he is a flexible late-round target or just another rookie whose draft slot outruns his role.
