Our look at the best fantasy values by position heading into the 2025 NFL season continues with wide receivers. The projected draft position listed for each player is based on 12-team league formats with PPR scoring.
NOTE: Average draft position was pulled from FantasyPros.com at 1 p.m. ET on July 29.
Projected draft position: Round 8 (WR42)
It isn’t the sexiest pick, but Meyers sneakily eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards and finished last season as the WR23 in average fantasy points per game (14.5, per FantasyPros.com). He did this while playing with a mishmash of quarterbacks (Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew and Desmond Ridder). Now he will catch passes from veteran Geno Smith, who should be able to lead the offense to much more success. Meyers saw 129 targets last season despite missing two games, and I expect his target volume to remain high this year. Based on this projection, fantasy managers can grab a guy who could receive 140-plus targets in the eighth round. That's a great deal.
Projected draft position: Round 12 or later (WR53)
The Chargers' second-round pick is already making waves in training camp and very well could be a starter in Week 1. Ladd McConkey will again lead this team in targets, but Harris has a strong opportunity to be Justin Herbert’s second-most-targeted receiver this season. McConkey mostly dominated the slot, but Harris could lead the Bolts in outside targets in his rookie season. His biggest competition in that area is Quentin Johnston, who has struggled to be a reliable weapon over his first two NFL seasons. Harris won't need many targets to be fantasy relevant if he brings his big-play prowess to the NFL; he averaged 17.7 yards per reception over the last two seasons at Ole Miss (most by any player in the FBS during that span, min. 100 rec.).
Projected draft position: Round 5 (WR25)
Worthy finished his 2024 rookie season as just the WR45 on average (11.0 PPG) due to a slow start. However, in the second half of the season, he showed his potential as a great fantasy asset. From Week 11 through the Super Bowl, Worthy posted 17.5 fantasy points per game after averaging just 8.7 points in Weeks 1-10. That increase in production emphasized Patrick Mahomes' trust in Worthy, which could lead to more targets in 2025. Plus, Travis Kelce is entering his age-36 season, while Rashee Rice, who's returning from injury, could be suspended after pleading guilty to two felonies.
Projected draft position: Rounds 5-6 (WR27)
The 2022 first-round pick squarely found his footing in Year 3. He thrived when given the opportunity last season, averaging 17.3 fantasy points per game in the nine games in which he had at least six targets. For perspective, that was more points than Mike Evans, Brian Thomas Jr., A.J. Brown and Drake London averaged over the course of the season. Jared Goff and the team trusted Williams more and more as the 2024 campaign progressed; the speedy wideout received at least six targets in seven of the last eight regular-season games.
Projected draft position: Rounds 6-7 (WR32)
It took five years, but Jeudy finally lived up to his potential after entering the league in 2020 as the No. 15 overall pick. In his first year with the Browns, Jeudy recorded the first 1,000-yard season of his pro career with 1,229 yards. He finished as the WR12 in total fantasy points ... but sits as the WR32 in average draft position for the coming season. That feels far too low for a player who averaged 101 receiving yards and 16.2 fantasy points per game during the back half of the season (Weeks 11-18). Yes, the Browns' QB situation is a mess -- with four guys competing for the starting job -- but Jeudy undoubtedly will be the go-to target, regardless of who's under center. If Joe Flacco wins the job, Jeudy could be a weekly top-10 producer.
Projected draft position: Rounds 5-6 (WR28)
Hunter is walking into an ideal situation in Jacksonville with a ton of available work; the Jaguars have 153 vacated targets from 2024 after moving on from veterans Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis and Evan Engram this offseason. The main reason Hunter is projected to go in the fifth or sixth round is because he's expected to split snaps at wide receiver and cornerback. However, he had no issues playing both positions full time at Colorado -- averaging an astounding 111.5 snaps per game over the past two seasons -- and he was extremely productive, as well. In 2024, Hunter caught 96 balls for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns. Three rookies finished inside the top 12 receivers in fantasy points last season: Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers and Ladd McConkey. At his WR28 draft slot, Hunter has the opportunity to be a league-winning pick this year.
Projected draft position: Rounds 8-9 (WR45)
One year after getting shot in the chest during an attempted robbery, San Francisco's 2024 first-rounder finds himself in a prime situation to showcase his talents to be a true WR1 in the league. The 49ers traded Deebo Samuel to the Commanders. Meanwhile, Brandon Aiyuk could miss some time while recovering from an ACL tear, and Jauan Jennings, who views himself as a No. 1 receiver, is seeking a new deal from the team.
Pearsall missed the first six weeks of his rookie season while recovering from the gunshot wound and took some time to get his bearings upon return. However, he finished strong, racking up 14 catches for 210 yards and two touchdowns in Weeks 17 and 18. In the three games in which he saw at least six targets, Pearsall averaged 21.6 fantasy points, scoring at least 17 points in each contest. Pearsall has the upside to be a top-15 fantasy WR this season.
Projected draft position: Rounds 1-2 (WR7)
It is rare that a player being drafted in the top 15 picks is considered a “value,” but Collins should not be the seventh wide receiver off the board. Last season, Nico put up over 1,000 receiving yards and seven touchdowns despite missing five games. (Projecting his production over 17 games, you get 140 targets, 96 catches, 1,425 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.) From Weeks 1-5, Collins averaged 113.4 receiving yards and 21.3 fantasy points per game -- only Ja’Marr Chase scored more fantasy points than Collins during that span. Unfortunately, his performance dropped off dramatically after he suffered a hamstring injury in Week 5. A healthy Collins, who is expected to see a large target share with so many new faces joining the Texans' passing attack, has the upside to finish as the overall WR1 in 2025.
Projected draft position: Rounds 4-5 (WR22)
It has been several years since Metcalf rewarded fantasy players who drafted him. Now he finds himself with a new team and with a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. Metcalf’s skill set is a perfect match for the veteran quarterback, with both players excelling deep down the field and in the end zone. Metcalf has the fifth-most receiving touchdowns since 2020, and his average of 16.0 yards per reception since 2023 ranks third in the NFL among all players with at least 100 receptions. Per Next Gen Stats, Rodgers tied for the NFL lead with nine deep passing touchdowns (20-plus air yards) in 2024.
Metcalf should be peppered with balls in this Steelers offense, as there is very little competition for targets after Pittsburgh traded George Pickens to Dallas. Last season, Metcalf averaged 14.8 fantasy points in the 10 games in which he had at least six targets.
Projected draft position: Round 3 (WR12)
Hill was regularly drafted as a top-three pick in 2024 fantasy drafts and has now fallen all the way to Round 3 after one down campaign. By average points per week, Hill was the WR33 last season after being the WR2 in 2023 and WR3 in '22. There are several ways to interpret his 2024 downturn. Hill, who posted his first sub-1,000-yard campaign since 2019, turned 30 before last season. Meanwhile, injuries to both himself and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa held the receiver back. I choose to believe the latter factor -- which is more random -- is the more pertinent one.
Hill played through a wrist injury all season -- for which he underwent a pair of procedures during this offseason -- but still performed well when targeted by Tagovailoa, who missed six games to injury. Hill averaged just 12.8 fantasy points per game overall in 2024, but he posted 21.2 points per contest when he had at least eight targets from Tagovailoa. If Miami's QB1 can stay healthy in 2025, I fully expect Hill -- an absolute steal in the third round -- to get back to putting up big-time numbers.
