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Will highlights which fantasy football wide receivers have increased value in standard leagues compared to PPR formats for 2025 fantasy football. Read his top standard league WR targets.
In recent years, more and more fantasy leagues have transitioned to point-per-reception scoring. Unlike standard-scoring leagues where running backs dominate the early rounds of drafts, PPR formats allow for a higher valuation of the wide receiver position.
Since most wide receiver analysis uses a PPR-centric lens, those in standard leagues must remember that a player’s value can vary greatly between league formats. In standard leagues, pure reception volume is irrelevant. Instead, yardage on a per-route and per-target basis is essential, as is red zone usage and efficiency.
This article will highlight a few wide receivers who are strong candidates for standard-scoring leagues but may be players to fade in PPR formats. That’s not to say that these players can’t be effective in PPR leagues, but rather that their utility is greater in leagues that value yardage and touchdowns over target volume.
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A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
On a per-target basis, there’s a case to be made that Brown was the NFL’s best receiver in 2024. The only issue with Brown from a fantasy perspective is how infrequently the Eagles’ offense looks to throw the ball.
Philadelphia’s run-heavy offense caps Brown’s ceiling in PPR leagues, but he’s efficient enough with the targets he receives to still be a value in standard-scoring formats. In 13 games last season, Brown logged 67 catches for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns. He finished as the WR10 in per-game PPR scoring and the WR8 in per-game standard scoring.
Where Brown stands out is in yards per-route-run: His 3.45-yard average was second-best among all qualified NFL receivers. He also dominated targets within his team, finishing with the league’s second-highest target share at 34.3%.
Justin Jefferson was the WR5 last year in YPRR with 2.5
If AJ Brown had a season with less than 2.5 YPRR, it'd be his lowest ever. Going into year 7. Alien. pic.twitter.com/NWFSKR6Sh2
— Ron Stewart (@RonStewart_) July 10, 2025
A 34.3% target share might lead fantasy managers to believe Brown will be a PPR-monster in 2025, but Philadelphia’s offensive structure is a major limiting factor. The Eagles finished 2024 dead last in pass rate over expectation (-8.5%) and first in total rush rate (56.3%).
Philadelphia has a new play caller in former pass-game coordinator Kevin Patullo, and he’s publicly stated that he wants the team to throw more in 2025. However, even a sizable increase in pass rate would still result in the Eagles being among the most run-heavy teams in the league.
Given that Philadelphia is the defending Super Bowl Champions, it’s unlikely that a new coordinator will be empowered to completely overhaul last year’s offense. As such, the place to target Brown is in standard-scoring leagues where his efficiency and explosiveness can shine through.
In addition to his standout per-route numbers, Brown is a big-play threat. Last season, his 16.1 yards-per-reception average ranked second among all receivers with at least 80 targets. The ability to score from anywhere on the field, combined with dominant per-target data, makes Brown an elite standard-league wide receiver option.
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Seemingly ageless, the 32-year-old Evans has famously recorded at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his 11 NFL seasons. He’s also been one of the league’s best end zone targets, finishing with at least 11 touchdown catches in four out of the last five seasons.
MIKE EVANS. 1,000 YARDS ONCE AGAIN. pic.twitter.com/V4S7S8APUX
— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025
Because Evans’ fantasy value comes from yardage and touchdowns more so than receptions, he finished 2024 as WR7 in per-game standard scoring but WR10 in PPR.
Evans is an efficient player from a yardage perspective. He finished ninth out of 141 qualified receivers in yards per route run (2.63), and his 11.6-yard average depth of target was the third-highest among all players with at least 70 receptions.
With his combination of size and speed, Evans is a touchdown threat as both a deep-ball receiver and a red-zone ball winner. Over the last two seasons, he’s averaging 0.77 touchdowns per game, best among all wide receivers.
The Buccaneers lost 2024 offensive coordinator Liam Coen to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but new playcaller Josh Grizzard served as their pass-game coordinator last season. Between Grizzard and quarterback Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay’s offensive infrastructure is stable.
The Bucs finished 2024 ranked second in total passing touchdowns and seventh in red zone pass-rate over expectation, so there should once again be plenty of chances for Evans to score.
While Evans is his team’s most decorated receiver, there’s plenty of target competition in Tampa Bay. The Bucs used a first-round pick on Ohio State wideout Emeka Egbuka in the 2025 NFL Draft and will welcome Chris Godwin back into the fold after losing him to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 7 of the 2024 season.
Last year, Evans finished behind Godwin in target share (26.6% to 24.1%), a red flag for PPR-drafters looking for reception volume. Between Evans, Godwin, Egbuka, and 2024 third-round draft pick Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay has four receivers deserving of the ball.
That’s not to mention tight end Cade Otton and running backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White, all of whom can make plays in the passing game. With so many capable playmakers around him, Evans is a far better bet in standard leagues than PPR.
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
It took Williams a couple of years, but the former first-round pick proved in 2024 that he’s a big play waiting to happen. Williams recorded 1,001 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns in 15 games played, finishing third in the NFL in yards per reception (17.3).
Williams doesn’t get a ton of touches in a Lions’ offense that’s deep with playmakers, but he’s a threat to take it to the house every time he gets his hands on the ball.
Jameson Williams Advanced Analytics: (2024)
➖MORE Fantasy Points Per Target than Chase
➖MORE Yards Per Reception than Jefferson
➖MORE Target Separation than LambRanking 12th in Yards After Catch (447) while being just 40th in Targets (91) tells us how HIGH his Upside is.. pic.twitter.com/haf8PwHVqN
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) June 15, 2025
Among the 93 receivers who ran at least 250 routes in 2024, Williams finished 22nd in yards per route run (2.23). His work after the catch may have been the most impressive part of his game. Williams averaged 8.6 yards after catch per reception, the most among all players with at least 50 catches. That type of per-touch yardage efficiency helped Williams to be significantly more effective in standard leagues (WR17 per game) than PPR leagues (WR26).
As long as he shares the field with All-Pro wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, Williams is unlikely to be the top target earner in the Lions offense. He also has to compete with tight end Sam LaPorta and running back Jahmyr Gibbs, both of whom Detroit will make a point of scheming up touches for in the pass game.
If Williams' target share remains around the 18.8% he earned in 2024, he’ll be highly dependent on yardage and touchdowns to score fantasy points. That’s a concern in PPR formats, but just fine for standard-scoring leagues.
Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons
In a move that was widely panned at the time, the Falcons signed Darnell Mooney to a three-year, $39 million contract during the 2024 offseason.
Mooney rewarded Atlanta by bouncing back to the form he flashed in his peak 2021 season, finishing last year with 64 catches for 992 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games. Mooney ended 2024 as the WR35 in per-game standard scoring, but currently holds an average draft position of WR49.
buy Darnell Mooney stock while you can pic.twitter.com/NHTKYCExAK
— Rise Up Walker (@RiseUpReader) June 15, 2025
Mooney remains one of the NFL’s most underrated deep-ball threats. Among receivers with at least 80 targets, Mooney finished fourth in yards-per-reception (15.5), behind only Williams, Brown, and Calvin Ridley. Mooney also finished 38th out of 141 qualified receivers in yards per-route-run (2.0).
The biggest change in the Falcons' offense between 2024 and 2025 is at quarterback, where Michael Penix Jr. will take over for Kirk Cousins as the Week 1 starter. That could mean a massive increase in downfield chances for Atlanta receivers: Even as a rookie, Penix finished second among all quarterbacks with a minimum of 100 plays in average depth-of-target (10.22 yards).
While Mooney should have plenty of chances to rack up yardage, there’s reason to believe his target volume could be in trouble. For one, he plays next to a clear WR1 in Drake London, whose 29.3% target share was the sixth-highest in the NFL.
The Falcons also profile as a run-heavy offense. They finished ninth in rush rate last season (45.6% of plays) and have a superstar running back, Bijan Robinson, with a strong run-blocking offensive line. Those are variables that could lead Mooney to struggle in PPR leagues. Despite Mooney's recent injury, he should be all good to go for the regular season.
Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos
A second-round draft pick in 2023, Mims's greatest impact through his first two seasons has been on special teams. However, he started to show some very encouraging signs as a receiver down the stretch of the 2024 season and could be a real value in standard-scoring fantasy leagues in 2025.
Mims finished the 2024 season with 39 catches for 503 yards and six touchdowns, but 434 of those yards and all his scores came in the Broncos' final seven games.
Recent reports indicate Mims may be in line for Denver’s WR2 role behind Courtland Sutton. Given that his main competition for the role are similarly unproven players like Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin, and Pat Bryant, Mims should win the job if he can produce.
The underlying numbers suggest that Mims’s production has nowhere to go but up. Last season, among 141 receivers with a minimum of 100 routes run, he had a 2.98 yards-per-route-run rate, ranking fourth behind only Puka Nacua, Brown, and Nico Collins.
As evidenced by his work as an All-Pro returner, Mims is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. His 12.2 yards after catch per reception was the highest out of all receivers with at least 30 catches and nearly four yards greater than second-place KaVontae Turpin (8.4 YAC/R).
Marvin Mims Jr. takes the screen pass all the way! @Broncos on the board first.
📺: #KCvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/9HtY3eRX8l— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025
Mims’s main issue in 2024 was limited opportunity. He finished fourth among Denver receivers (behind Sutton, Franklin, and Vele) in target share at 9.5%, and fifth in total routes run with 169.
However, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix looked in his direction when he was on the field. His 0.31 targets per route run was the sixth-highest among qualified wide receivers.
Although there are signs that Mims's workload will increase in 2025, he’s still unlikely to garner a huge share of Denver’s available targets and receptions. That makes him a risky selection in PPR leagues, but it won’t impact his standard-scoring profile quite as much. If Mims can produce the way he did down the stretch in 2024 for the full season in 2025, he’ll be monstrously efficient as a standard-league point scorer.
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