Backup Wide Receivers to Stash: 4 Fantasy Football Deep-League Sleepers and Handcuffs (2025)

August 4, 2025

Andersen's fantasy football backup wide receivers to target in deep fantasy football leagues. His fantasy football WR sleepers and handcuffs to stash, including Jack Bech.

The 2025 NFL season will be here before we know it, which means fantasy football is also right around the corner. Nowadays, more and more fantasy managers are playing in deep leagues consisting of 14 or more teams with extremely deep lineups and benches.

As roster sizes gradually increase, stashing backups with upside is vital. These backups can become lineup staples down the stretch as injuries and bye weeks occur.

In this article, we'll highlight four backup wide receivers to consider stashing in 2025 fantasy football. To be considered a backup, a player must not be listed in the starting lineup of RotoBaller's depth chart page.

Mack Hollins, New England Patriots

The Patriots have a crowded receiver room. Although players like DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, and Kayshon Boutte are the early candidates for the No. 2 receiver role behind Stefon Diggs, there's a case to be made for Hollins making a splash during his first season in New England.

Hollins held a depth role in Buffalo last season, but he still managed to lead the team with five receiving touchdowns. He offers speed and reliable hands, which is something the Patriots don't necessarily have with any receiver not named Diggs.

Hollins finished 2024 with a 19.4 percent target premium, ranking 19th among NFL receivers. He was a dependable option for Josh Allen, who had a 118.6 QBR when targeting the veteran receiver. That number ranked 13th among all receivers. In total, he caught 50 passes, which was the second-highest mark of his career.

Even at age 31, he showed that he could contribute in a below-average receiver room. He'll have an opportunity to do the same in 2025 with New England.

Although Hollins, who is currently on the PUP list, will still have to fight for his job — just like Douglas, Williams, and Boutte — it's promising that New England specifically went out and targeted him in free agency after his strong 2025 campaign. He's an intriguing fantasy option in the final few rounds of drafts.

#Patriots WR Mack Hollins took a trip out to Australia for some strength and conditioning training.

Hollins might be the strongest wide receiver in the NFL…

Log Lift: 198lbs
Axle Bar Deadlift: 573lbs
Dumbbell Press: 132lbs
Sled Pull: 738lbs

(🎥 akiegaldie IG) pic.twitter.com/YbhxJ0YC19

— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) July 9, 2025

Jack Bech, Las Vegas Raiders

Bech exploded for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns during his final season at TCU, prompting the Raiders to draft him near the end of the second round.

Even though Bech hasn't played an NFL game yet, he's already drawing glowing reviews from head coach Pete Carroll. "Jack really played well yesterday," Carroll said earlier this week. "He blocked well; he caught the ball in traffic. I think it was obvious [that] he's one of those guys. He's got the feel, he's got the sense, he can play the game."

Coachspeak is one thing, but when it merges with an opportunity for playing time, good things typically happen. Bech has a clear path to the No. 2 receiver role behind Jakobi Meyers. Tre Tucker has delivered minimal production through his two NFL seasons, and Dont'e Thornton Jr. has flashed potential but possesses weaker draft capital than Bech.

Of course, fantasy managers shouldn't get too complacent or pay a premium for Bech. As RotoBaller previously reported, the rookie "has some work to do to make up ground" in the competition for the No. 2 role alongside Meyers.

Nevertheless, Bech has draft capital on his side, and he showcased his skill set against a high level of competition in the NCAA. At his current ADP of 190, Bech is being drafted in the 16th round of fantasy drafts. That's a very intriguing price tag for a potential breakout rookie who could catch north of 50 passes this season.

#Raiders coach Pete Carroll likes what he's seen from Jack Bech & Dont'e Thornton lately

I mentioned on the podcast yesterday that Jack's game will come alive in pads because of his physical style of play...Pete thinks so too:

"Jack looked really good yesterday. He blocked… pic.twitter.com/pklF7rsh3G

— Jesse Merrick - Silver & Black Sports Network (@JesseSBSN) July 29, 2025

Elijah Moore, Buffalo Bills

The Bills are the third stop in four years for Moore, who was most recently a member of the Browns. He has managed to scrape together some respectable seasons with poor teams, and he could take his productivity to the next level now that he's finally in a good offense.

Moore turned in back-to-back 100-target seasons with the Browns, but he hasn't been a top-50 fantasy receiver since his rookie campaign. Nevertheless, he ranked sixth among NFL receivers in total route wins last year, 28th in unrealized air yards, and 22nd in true catch rate. He was also one of the most-utilized slot receivers in the league, registering 480 slot snaps. That equated to a 53.7 percent rate and ranked fifth in the NFL.

Moore should compete to be the Bills' primary slot receiver this season, while players like Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir represent bigger-play threats who are more apt at stretching the field. Buffalo has a crowded offense with a lot of rushing opportunities going to James Cook and Allen, but the good news for Moore is that this offense should be on the field a lot. As a result, as long as Moore continues to earn snaps, he'll command targets.

One of the NFL's best route runners, Moore's start to training camp with his new team has been slightly delayed due to a leg injury. However, he should have no problem getting up to speed once he's healthy again. A sneaky candidate to break 1,000 yards and lead the Bills in receiving, Moore represents an absolute steal at his current ADP of 294.

New Bills WR Elijah Moore is looking...ELITE.

Josh Allen may have finally found his WR1 😱 pic.twitter.com/2U72P1eAhK

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 10, 2025

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Miami Dolphins

Westbrook-Ikhine was one of the most exciting stories last season as he caught eight touchdowns over eight games in the middle of the year. His 0.28 touchdowns per catch is one of the most obscure scoring ratios we've seen in a long time.

Part of Westbrook-Ikhine's explosion last year was a result of playing for the Titans. They were often trailing in games and needed to take deep shots downfield to score points, or simply even move the ball. Westbrook-Ikhine also didn't have much competition within the Titans' receiver room.

Nevertheless, there is merit to his stat line — and while he's unlikely to replicate last year's absurd campaign, he can still be a low-end contributor in fantasy football. After all, his big-play skill set fits quite nicely into the Miami Dolphins' offense, where he'll presumably break camp as the No. 3 receiver behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Westbrook-Ikhine finished 2024 with an ADOT of 11.7 yards, plus 15.5 yards per reception. This should pair nicely with Tua Tagovailoa, who was relatively accurate throwing downfield and totaled 2,271 air yards despite missing six-plus games. We also can't ignore that Westbrook-Ikhine had a +39.4 percent target premium (sixth-best among receivers) and +19.6 production premium (third-best), according to PlayerProfiler.

It's fair to have some questions about Westbrook-Ikhine's ability to transition to a new offense. However, there are also plenty of reasons to be excited, perhaps more than ever. Miami is expected to air the football out this year, which could benefit Westbrook-Ikhine even more than it benefits someone like Hill.

The 28-year-old is also set to play with the best quarterback of his career in the best offense he's ever been a part of. The sky is the limit for Westbrook-Ikhine, who is a sneaky candidate to be a top-50 fantasy receiver for the first time in his career.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was a touchdown machine last season 🤝 pic.twitter.com/nOqiecWr8N

— SleeperTitans (@SleeperTitanUp) June 7, 2025

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