Fantasy Football No. 3 Wide Receivers To Draft and Target: 5 Risers, Breakout Candidates (2025)

Joey's No. 3 wide receivers to target in 2025 fantasy football drafts. His WR sleepers and undervalued draft picks at wideout, including Marquise Brown Tre Harris, Ricky Pearsall, and more.

The most exciting part of fantasy football drafts is the first couple of rounds. These players will carry your fantasy team throughout the season and will be the stars you depend on to win your matchups every week. However, let's not forget about the importance of the later rounds. Fantasy managers can often find hidden gems in the double-digit rounds. 

In this article, we will dive into five No. 3 wide receivers who could turn out to be value picks in the later rounds. These players might not finish as a WR1 or WR2 in fantasy, but they could be consistent fantasy options for your team in 2025. 

So, which five No. 3 wide receivers should fantasy managers select in drafts? Let's dive in and find out. 

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears had three wide receivers finish top-50 at the wide receiver position in fantasy last year. DJ Moore led the pack with a WR16 fantasy finish, while Keenan Allen (WR34) and Rome Odunze (WR49) weren't as consistent fantasy options throughout the season. 

However, we should expect this Chicago offense to be better in Caleb Williams' second season. He should only improve as a passer in Year 2, and having a new head coach, Ben Johnson, direct this offense should help everyone. Johnson is highly regarded as one of the best offensive-minded coaches in the league. 

As a result, Luther Burden III is a wide receiver to target in the later rounds. Although the rookie has to compete with Moore, Odunze, Cole Kmet, and Colston Loveland for targets in the passing game, it's hard to imagine Burden not being involved in some capacity. He was just selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft and has the skill set to post solid numbers right away. 

LUTHER BURDEN. WOW.

65-YARD TD ON THE FIRST PLAY OF THE GAME❗️ pic.twitter.com/tMrOx9iikY

— ESPN (@espn) January 2, 2022

Burden broke out at just 18 years old in his sophomore campaign at Missouri. During that season, he caught 86 passes for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns across 13 games. While he did take a step back in his final college season by totaling just 676 yards, he was still one of the most explosive FBS wideouts. He ranked tied for first in missed tackles forced (30) in 2024. 

That makes Burden a target in most fantasy leagues. Fantasy managers should believe in Johnson righting the ship in Chicago because the potential is there for all three wideouts to be fantasy-relevant in 2025. 

Marquise Brown, Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown wasn't on the field much during the 2024-25 campaign. He suffered a sternoclavicular joint injury back during the preseason and missed the first 15 weeks. Once Brown made his season debut in Week 16, though, he was immediately featured in this offense. 

He saw eight targets on just 20 snaps in Week 16 and another seven targets on 25 snaps in Week 17. Brown was also featured frequently in the postseason, as the 27-year-old saw at least five targets in two of those three games. Therefore, there is a path where the former first-round pick could be a weekly flex play this upcoming season. 

It's important to note that he will have to compete for targets with Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, and Travis Kelce in 2025. However, there should be enough opportunities to go around in Kansas City's offense. Rice is coming back from a gruesome knee injury, Kelce will turn 36 years old in October, and Worthy only had a 17.2% target share as a rookie. 

So, Brown is a nice selection in the double-digit rounds. Fantasy managers should trust him in this Andy Reid-led offense, and the 27-year-old should serve as the Chiefs' go-to wide receiver on the outside. 

Tre Harris, Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tre Harris will likely start the season as the team's WR3. Both Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston should find themselves ahead of the rookie on the initial depth chart. Nevertheless, all fantasy managers should be in on the former Ole Miss product in drafts this summer. 

Harris landed in a fantastic spot in Los Angeles, where he could earn a solid target share in Year 1. The Chargers selected the 6-foot-2 wideout with the 55th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft following a strong final college season with the Rebels. The 23-year-old totaled 60 catches for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns across eight games. 

Harris only played in eight games last season due to a lower-body injury, but what he did in those eight contests was truly impressive. He had a 95 PFF grade against man coverage, had a 61.5% contested catch rate, averaged 5.12 yards per route run, and ranked tied for 33rd among all college wideouts in yards after the catch (7.7). 

Tre Harris’ route running is so underrated man

➖73.2% Success Rate Vs. Man Coverage
➖72.2% Success Rate Vs. Press Coverage

Separating at ease with his 6’2, 205 lb frame is a rare trait that so few Wide Receivers possess..

The Chargers might be the perfect fit for Tre Harris pic.twitter.com/3qCrmWO25H

— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) May 23, 2025

Given the rookie's skill set, it wouldn't be a shock to see him succeed right away in this Chargers offense. He has a rare size/speed combo and can win one-on-one balls in the air. The Ole Miss product ran a solid 4.54 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in March. With Justin Herbert as his quarterback, Harris is worth a look in most drafts. 

He could eventually emerge as the No. 2 wide receiver in this offense, and Herbert is one of the best deep throwers in the NFL. The Chargers quarterback ranked top-6 in air yards (4,323), adjusted yards per pass attempt (7.7), and deep ball competition (42.4%) in 2024. That all should help Harris be a solid fantasy option in Year 1. 

Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers

Fantasy managers should take San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall's rookie campaign with a grain of salt. He missed the first six weeks of the season after getting shot in the chest in an armed robbery attempt in August. Recovering from that scary situation while also trying to get back on the field is not easy. 

However, Pearsall showed some encouraging things in that rookie campaign, especially later in the season. He caught eight passes for 141 yards and one touchdown in a Week 17 loss to the Detroit Lions and then totaled 69 yards on six catches with one touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 18. 

As a result, there's a strong possibility that Pearsall will have a breakout campaign in 2025. He's a former first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and no one knows how Brandon Aiyuk will look in his first year back from a torn ACL. That makes the Florida product a must-draft in all fantasy formats.

His end-of-the-season numbers should give fantasy managers some confidence in drafting him. He could be a reliable fantasy option throughout the year, and there's a case to be made that he is the most talented wideout in this 49ers offense. Pearsall caught 65 passes for 965 yards and four touchdowns in his final college season with the Gators. 

So, he is likely the best No. 3 wide receiver to target in fantasy drafts. Deebo Samuel Sr. was traded to the Washington Commanders this offseason, and Aiyuk could be limited to start the season. That means Pearsall should be more involved on offense in Year 2. 

Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka didn't land in a great spot for fantasy in the draft. The Buccaneers already have two elite wide receivers (Mike Evans and Chris Godwin), and another up-and-coming wideout (Jalen McMillan) who stepped up toward of end of his rookie campaign in 2024. 

Therefore, it was a bit surprising when Tampa Bay selected Egbuka with the 19th overall pick in April's draft. This landing spot could draw fantasy managers away from him in redraft formats. However, the biggest thing we have all learned over the past few years is to draft based on talent, not situation. 

Short Motion into Sail ⛵️ pic.twitter.com/BnnaKRMweo

— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) May 18, 2025

There's also a chance that Egbuka sees more opportunities than people might think in this Tampa Bay offense in 2025. Evans will no doubt lead this team in the receiving game once again, but no one knows how Godwin will look this upcoming year. The slot wideout dislocated his ankle in Week 7 of the 2024 season. 

Even if Godwin is healthy enough to play in Week 1, there is a possibility it will take him a full year to get back his speed on the field. So, Egbuka is worth a pick in the later rounds. The Ohio State product was the second wide receiver taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the 22-year-old caught 81 passes for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns in his final season with the Buckeyes. 

Egbuka will probably not finish as a WR2 or WR3 in most fantasy leagues this upcoming season. There are just too many targets to go around, and he is the clear No. 3 wide receiver in this offense. However, we could see him have a similar rookie season to Odunze last year. The Buccaneers wideout will likely have some great fantasy games and some games where he isn't involved. 

Nonetheless, Egbuka is a sleeper target at his 167 ADP on Sleeper. He could emerge as a weekly flex play and is just an injury away from being a strong WR2 in this offense. Don't forget, both Evans and Godwin missed multiple weeks last season. 

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