The Path to a WR1 Season: DJ Moore (Fantasy Football)

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DJ Moore ’s NFL career has already been a roller coaster. He endured a revolving door of QBs in Carolina that included the likes of Teddy Bridgewater , PJ Walker , and Kyle Allen . He finished as the WR6 with, of all QBs, Justin Fields and the Bears in 2023. Most recently, he was essentially run out of Chicago after one season under head coach Ben Johnson . Now he finds himself in Buffalo after the Bills gave up their second-round pick to acquire the veteran wideout. If you have followed my writing with The Ballers long enough, you know that I’m an OG DJ Moore truther . Now paired with the objectively best QB of his career, can he become a WR1 for fantasy football in the high-powered Buffalo offense? If so, he will be one of the best values in fantasy drafts. Let’s explore what it would take for Moore to finish as a WR1 in 2026. Editor’s Note: This profile is part of our annual Path to a Fantasy WR1 Season series . For our methodology and an outline of the process, make sure you read the 2026 Path to WR1 Series Primer . Find out the full statistical projections for the Footballers Consensus WR1s in the Ultimate Draft Kit . 2025 Season Recap The 2025 season was Moore’s third and final season in Chicago. You can see from the table below that his numbers steadily declined during his time with the Bears, bottoming out last season. Season GP PTS PPG TGT REC YDS/REC YDS YDS/RR TD 2023 17 238.5 14.0 136 96 14.2 1364 2.31 8 2024 17 189.1 11.1 140 98 9.9 966 1.44 6 2025 17 145.2 8.5 85 50 13.6 682 1.24 6 Not only was 2025 his worst statistical season in Chicago, but it was also his worst overall performance since his rookie season in 2018 with Carolina. The Bears also added an influx of young pass-catching talent in 2025, spending high draft picks on Colston Loveland and Luther Burden , not to mention the presence of Rome Odunze , who was a first-round pick in 2024. Compound this with the arrival of a new coaching staff and an offensive scheme led by Ben Johnson, along with viral clips of questionable effort and negative body language from Moore, and it was clear his time in Chicago was done. But it wasn’t all gloom and doom in 2025. Despite his decreased output and negative attention, Moore still made spectacular plays for the Bears, including arguably the most exciting catch in franchise history. Caleb Williams overtime game-winning TD to DJ Moore against the Packers was named the NFL’s Next Gen Stats Moment of the Year. One of the greatest plays in Bears history. pic.twitter.com/F28nIMB6fJ — Dave (@davebftv) February 6, 2026 Not only that, but it is easy to forget that he was Chicago’s most productive WR* in the NFL playoffs. Bears WRs in the Playoffs – DJ Moore: 15 tgt, 11 rec, 116 yds, 2 TDs – Rome Odunze: 12 tgt, 4 rec, 88 yds – Luther Burden: 14 tgt, 6 rec, 66 yds Moore led them in passer rating when targeted, catch rate, yards per route ran, YAC when the games mattered most https://t.co/kZdoRpZso0 — Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) July 9, 2026 *Notice it is not “pass catcher,” as Colston Loveland put up 25/12/193 in the playoffs. The Path for 2026 The chapter of Moore’s career in Chicago is closed, but it is hard to imagine him finding a better new home than Buffalo, where he will get the chance to be Josh Allen ’s top target. He is also reunited with Joe Brady, who served as Moore’s offensive coordinator and play-caller for the Panthers from 2020 to 2021 and was recently promoted to head coach in Buffalo. What does a WR…