5 Fantasy Football Wide Receivers You Must Draft in Dynasty Leagues

Dave Ventresca's wide receivers to target in dynasty football drafts. His top wide receivers and draft values for 2025 dynasty fantasy football leagues.

Wide receivers have become the cornerstone for most successful dynasty teams. It’s been quite a reversal from how managers used to build their rosters. Much like redraft leagues, dynasty gamers used to build their teams around elite running backs and fill out other positions accordingly. This has completely flipped in recent years. As a result, we now see wide receivers fly off draft boards early and often.

With so many receivers being taken early in drafts, it’s gotten harder to find values at the position. Don’t fret, though. There are always values, even in this current landscape. You’ve just got to look a bit harder to find them.

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Brandon Aiyuk - San Francisco 49ers

2024 was a disastrous season for Aiyuk. Things got off on the wrong foot when contract negotiations with San Francisco spiraled out of control and led to Aiyuk nearly being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cooler heads prevailed, and Aiyuk signed a four-year deal before the start of the season.

BREAKING: 49ers, WR Brandon Aiyuk agree to 4-year, $120M extension ($76M in guarantees).
(via @mikegarafolo + @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/eRXnXZVab7

— NFL (@NFL) August 29, 2024

Perhaps the intense negotiations left a bad taste in Aiyuk’s mouth, as he didn't have his best year in 2024. He only posted a 25-374-0 line in seven games. Unfortunately, Aiyuk tore his ACL in a Week 7 game against the Kansas City Chiefs and would miss the rest of the season.

For some reason, Aiyuk is now the dynasty WR35 on KeepTradeCut. This seems like a massive overreaction to a down season and subsequent ACL injury, as he was ranked as high as WR12 in the weeks before the 2024 season. Yes, he could miss time to start 2025 recovering from his knee injury, but WR35? It seems that dynasty gamers have forgotten how talented Aiyuk is.

Brock 🎯 BA @brockpurdy13 | @THE2ERA#SFvsSEA on @SNFonNBC
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/s6HiWpwNeg

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 24, 2023

This all feels like a massive overcorrection for a player who may have been a tad overvalued entering 2024. He is still locked in with San Francisco for at least two more years and now has less target competition with Deebo Samuel Sr. out of the mix.

Take advantage of the dip in Aiyuk’s value and get him on your team. He may not have the best 2025, but he should be fully healthy again once 2026 rolls around. We already know Aiyuk is one of the best route runners in the league and can be an excellent dynasty asset functioning as the X receiver in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

Josh Downs - Indianapolis Colts

Downs' final 2024 numbers may not blow you away, but when we look under the hood, there are some good reasons to be excited about his future. Per Fantasy Points Data Suite, Downs registered a 30% targets per route run (TPRR), a 23.9% target share, and a 2.29 yards per route run (YPRR). Strong scores in these metrics highly correlate with fantasy football success.

The elephant in the room regarding Downs is the Colts' current quarterback situation. Anthony Richardson struggled mightily this past season, and it looks like he could be a bust. However, Colts general manager Chris Ballard hinted that the team would add competition to the quarterback position this offseason.

They eventually did, and the team signed Daniel Jones to a one-year, $14 million contract. Jones failed as the New York Giants' starting quarterback but consistently targeted Malik Nabers last year. The veteran signal-caller is undoubtedly an upgrade as a passer over what we've seen from Richardson so far.

Jones' arrival could be good news for Downs' fantasy value. He was most successful last year when Joe Flacco was under center. Downs is a talented receiver who just needs competent quarterback play to thrive.

Touchdown Josh Downs to give Indy a 24-7 lead!

📺: #TENvsIND on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/PAQDLqNOH2

— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024

Downs has the chance to soar up dynasty rankings with a big 2025. He's one of the more underrated receivers in the league and could break out in a big way if all goes right.

Khalil Shakir - Buffalo Bills

Shakir is coming off a career year in 2024. He posted a 76-821-4 line on 100 targets. He finished the season as the PPR WR37.

ALLEN TO SHAKIR FOR THE 51-YARD TD!

📺: #BUFvsLAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/uOWT3VwXqi

— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2024

Buffalo awarded Shakir with a four-year, $60.2 million contract extension for his efforts this past season. He is now locked in as Josh Allen’s slot receiver for the foreseeable future. The Bills did sign Joshua Palmer to a contract this offseason, but he doesn’t profile as a WR1.

Keon Coleman struggled as a rookie last year and was primarily a deep-ball specialist. If Shakir continues honing his craft, there's a chance he could become Allen's WR1. Even if Shakir has maxed out as a slot-only player, he can still be a very useful asset in leagues with multiple flex spots.

Shakir is a perfect WR3 target or low-cost option if you’re thin at receiver. Try to acquire him in your league. He’s improved every year, and his best days could be ahead of him.

Chris Olave - New Orleans Saints

While Olave was a popular breakout pick last year, his 2024 season was far from it. Olave had his worst season as a professional and only posted a 32-400-1 line across eight games. Part of the issue was that he sustained two concussions last year that forced him to miss nine games. This is a bit troubling as these head injuries marked the fourth and fifth documented concussions of Olave's playing career.

Fortunately, Olave is reportedly healthy entering the 2025 season. Dynasty gamers don't seem enthused by this news, as Olave is currently the WR26 according to KeepTradeCut. This is down from a WR10 ranking in July of 2024. The market is clearly worried about his concussion history. The Saints' current quarterback situation is also driving down Olave's value.

While these are legitimate concerns, it's important to remember that Olave is still a very talented player. He's an all-around receiver and one of the better separators in the league.

Jameis to Olave! What a grab

📺: #NOvsMIN on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/kECSNGbyLL pic.twitter.com/cV27iOQ3bG

— NFL (@NFL) November 12, 2023

If someone in your league is willing to sell Olave, work a deal to get him on your roster. There's some risk, and we probably won't get a great return on investment in 2025. However, New Orleans will probably be in the market for a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. The 2026 quarterback class is supposedly loaded with talent, so Olave could eventually get a nice quarterback upgrade.

While 2025 probably won't be Olave's best year, he still figures to lead the team in targets and is New Orleans' best pass catcher. This is the perfect time to fade the market, buy the dip, and take a chance on a highly talented player.

Jalen Coker - Carolina Panthers

Coker was an undrafted free agent out of Holy Cross in 2024. He latched on with the Carolina Panthers and began producing during the second half of the 2024 season. In 11 games, Coker posted a 32-478-2 line and showed an affinity for making big plays.

Coker 83 yards to the house!

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/tNU6kz0H9u

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 15, 2024

He legitimately looked the part of an NFL-caliber receiver, and his underlying data backs that up. Among 100 receivers with at least 40 targets, Coker finished a respectable 43rd in PFF's Receiving Grade. Out of 169 receivers with at least 50 routes run, Coker finished 86th in Fantasy Points Data Suite's Average Separation Score.

He performed better in this metric than Davante Adams, Jaylen Waddle, DJ Moore, and DK Metcalf.

Coker's presence helped elevate Bryce Young and the team's passing game down the stretch. He won't be mistaken for Justin Jefferson anytime soon, but Coker is a solid player with room to grow into a very useful dynasty asset.

The team selected rookie Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth pick in the NFL Draft. McMillan is a true WR1 prospect and should command a healthy target share in this offense. His presence certainly hurts Coker's upside. However, Coker showed some real potential as a rookie last year. He arguably performed better than 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette and could outright steal the WR2 job from Legette over the summer.

Coker's price tag is exceptionally cheap. He makes for a good late-round dart throw in dynasty start-up drafts. If Young and this offense continue to improve in 2025, Coker could emerge as a potential WR3 or flex play.

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