Rob Lorge's League-Winning Fantasy Football Wide Receivers (Part III)

August 15, 2025

Rob's must-draft fantasy football wide receivers and potential league-winners. His undervalued WRs and value picks with upside, including Travis Hunter and Jayden Reed.

This series has focused on receivers who are likely to outplay their ADP significantly and thus should be targets for everyone in their fantasy football drafts this year. The term "league-winner" gets thrown around too frequently. While someone like Keon Coleman, whom we'll discuss in this article, may not have the goods to be a true "league-winner" in the truest sense of the word, he does have the potential to provide fantasy managers with a significant return on their investment.

This should interest all fantasy managers. Some players are being drafted at their ceiling, but the players identified in this series and those who will be identified in this final entry have plenty of upside available at their current costs. This makes them ideal targets because they're unlikely to disappoint and have an excellent opportunity to provide a strong return on their current price tags.

This is the final entry into this series, where we'll touch on the final three receivers in this must-draft series. If you missed the first entry, you can read it here, and the second entry can be found here. To take advantage of our great premium tools, please use the promo code "BOOM" to receive a 10% discount.

Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars - WR33

Part of the reason Hunter's price continues to be so affordable is that some fantasy managers are worried about Hunter splitting snaps on offense or defense. The concern is how many snaps he'll play on offense. While that's valid, the concerns are exaggerated and focused on the wrong details. Let's start with the exaggerated concerns first.

On their first depth chart of the season, the Jaguars are listing their No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter as a starting wide receiver and a second-string cornerback. pic.twitter.com/axvxhUMWzV

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 4, 2025

The Jaguars listed Hunter as a starting receiver and a backup cornerback. Just looking at their depth chart, it makes sense. They have Tyson Campbell, Jourdan Lewis, Levi Wallace, and 2024 third-round pick Jarrian Jones at cornerback. They also have Darnell Savage, a dual-threat defensive back who can play in the slot and at safety.

At receiver, behind Brian Thomas Jr., the cupboard is very bare. Needless to say, the Jaguars need Hunter at receiver more than they need him at cornerback.

Jaguars HC Liam Coen said that his goal is for Travis Hunter to play ~80% of snaps on offense, and “match that number as much as possible” on defense 👀

🎥: @CoachspeakIndex / @RichEisenShow pic.twitter.com/NZKz0gUoC1 https://t.co/CyfvlAEypg

— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) August 5, 2025

There are a few key points to focus on in this interview. The first point, although 80% may not seem like enough to provide fantasy managers with upside, is that there's no reason whatsoever why Hunter will play on running plays. When he's on the field, they're going to be throwing the ball. Another thing to note is that Liam Coen says, "trying to match that number as much as possible on defense."

This statement seems to indicate that their priority for Hunter is on the offensive side of the ball. Now that we have addressed some of those concerns, let's focus on why we should be drafting Hunter.

Hunter's Reception Perception success by route chart above shows that he's a stud, pure and simple. You can read his full profile here. The critical thing to remember when looking at Hunter's collegiate career as a receiver is that he was primarily a cornerback. That's where he spent his time in meetings in Colorado. He mainly practiced at cornerback. He was essentially just messing around at receiver.

That's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point. He was that good without focusing fully, or at the very least, primarily at receiver. Despite that, there's a whole heck of a lot of green up there. Here's what Matt Harmon had to say about Hunter in his profile,

"While he’s not the most technically refined prospect I’ve ever charted, he’s one of the best at just working himself open. Hunter’s success rate vs. man coverage is the fifth-highest mark among Power 5 prospects in the Reception Perception database (2016 to 2018 and 2021 to 2025 draft classes), besting previous top route-running performers like DeVonta Smith and Chris Olave.

His 87.9% success rate vs. zone coverage trails only Calvin Ridley among Power 5 prospects, and his 84.4% success rate vs. press is the best among prospects who faced press at least 22% of their routes. Travis Hunter is the closest player I’ve charted to prime Odell Beckham Jr. since his early days with the New York Giants. If you don’t realize what insanely high praise that is for me to offer up, please check out the historic data on this website.

Beckham was legitimately a phenom to start his career and still owns top-three scores in success rate vs. man and press coverage. Both prime Beckham and Hunter are outrageous athletes who explode out of routes to earn miles of separation, are technically sound off the line vs. press, win at the catch point despite smaller frames and can house layup targets with their run-after-catch skills.

If Hunter solely focuses on playing wide receiver- of course, I have no idea if he will- he has all the traits needed to be a Tier 1 NFL wide receiver. When just viewed as a wideout, not only is Hunter, without a doubt, the best prospect in this year’s NFL Draft class at the position, but he’s also going to compete for the top overall spot on my 2021 to 2025 stacked board."

In his final year in college, Hunter finished with 121 targets, 96 receptions, 1,258 yards, and 15 touchdowns. These numbers ranked ninth (targets), tied for second (receptions), fourth (yards), and tied for second (touchdowns). And I need to reiterate this again, he was primarily focused on playing cornerback in college!

Among 134 receivers with at least 75 targets, Hunter's catch rate of 79.3% was the fourth-highest. His PFF receiving grade (89.0) ranked sixth among this sample size. Hunter's 2.51-yard per route run average was the same as that of fellow first-round receiver Emeka Egbuka, tied for 29th out of our 134 receiver sample. Statistically, Hunter is a great receiver prospect.

From a film standpoint, he's elite, and he wasn't even focused on the position in college. Think about that!

The fit in Jacksonville is also worth getting excited about. Liam Coen just got the best season out of Baker Mayfield, and there's no reason to believe he can't do the same with Trevor Lawrence. Mayfield didn't just set career-highs either. He dominated the league. His 4,500 passing yards ranked third, and his 41 passing touchdowns tied for second behind only Joe Burrow’s 43.

Mayfield set career highs last year in completion rate, adjusted completion rate, yards per attempt, pass yards, passing touchdowns, passing touchdown rate, and PFF passing grade. Lawrence will also have the best group of pass catchers and arguably the best offensive line of his career. There are plenty of reasons to be very bullish on his 2025 outlook, and that'll only help Hunter.

Liam Coen had three players rank top-12 in screen targets per game (@FantasyPtsData).

And they were well-designed; all of Chris Godwin, Rachaad White, and Bucky Irving ranked highly in yards after the catch/reception on those targets.

Brian Thomas or Travis Hunter this year? pic.twitter.com/SB1nwWG45B

— Ryan Heath (@RyanJ_Heath) April 25, 2025

Last year, Liam Coen had both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin finish in the top 10 in half-PPR PPG. With the way Jacksonville's depth chart looks behind Thomas and Hunter in terms of pass-catchers, it's clear to see they'll be the most heavily targeted players. If Coen revitalized and brought out the very best in Mayfield, why can't he do the same for Lawrence?

If Coen could get Evans and Godwin to finish in the top-10 in half-PPR PPG, why can't he do the same for Thomas and Hunter?

Is it just me ... or does it sound like Travis Hunter has been the best WR in Jaguars camp?https://t.co/c6m7uzf7rn

— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) August 3, 2025

Now, this part is where I might lose some of you, but there's a chance that Hunter outperforms Thomas. Is it likely? No, probably not, but the fact that it's even possible, even a 15% chance, makes him an appealing target at his current price.

Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers - WR42

Okay, so let me get this straight... I can draft Reed at WR42 after he finished as the WR36 last year and the WR24 as a rookie? Sounds like a pretty good deal, am I right?! Now, consider that injuries impacted his WR36 ranking last year. Jordan Love dealt with knee and groin injuries that impacted his performance, as well as the passing volume in Green Bay. With a hampered quarterback, Matt LaFleur leaned on the running game.

Reed also dealt with an ankle injury in the second half of the season that didn't cost him any time, but did impact his performance.

Jordan Love missed Weeks 2-3 and played through a groin injury from Week 8 on.

The Packers posted a +3.6% Pass Rate Over Expectation in 5 games with a healthy Love, which would have ranked 7th-highest.

In their other games? A -8.2% PROE, which would have ranked dead-last. pic.twitter.com/9fd4yXrfB3

— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) June 23, 2025

With a healthy Love under the center, fantasy managers should expect the Green Bay passing volume to rebound. Last year, the Packers threw the ball 479 times. In 2023, Love's first season as the starter, they threw it 581 times. That's a decrease of 102 in a single season. We should expect a regression to the mean, which should result in 50-100 more pass attempts this year compared to 2024.

That's huge for Reed because he is their primary slot receiver and hasn't generally played on two-receiver sets. The more pass attempts there are, the more opportunities Reed has to get on the field. More snaps and more team pass attempts will equal more targets for Reed, and when he's targeted...

Fantasy Points per Target Leaders
[2023-24, min. 150 targets]

1. Jayden Reed - 2.50
2. George Kittle - 2.43
3. Deebo Samuel - 2.39
4. Nico Collins - 2.26
5. Mike Evans - 2.21 pic.twitter.com/G50SMzMxex

— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) August 7, 2025

It's hard to argue that Reed isn't an extremely talented receiver, but the utilization wasn't there last year to fully put that on display. There were 53 receivers last year to record 75 targets. Here's where Reed ranked in some advanced metrics:

• 12th in Yards Per Route Run (2.37)
• First in Yards Per Target (11.43)
• Fourth in Yards Per Reception (15.58)
• Fourth in Yards After the Catch Per Reception (7.33)
• Tied for First in Contested Catch Percentage (75.0%)
• Eighth in Fantasy Points Per Route Run (0.47)

Hard to argue that Reed isn't worthy of more volume, and maybe that would've happened last year if Reed and Love hadn't gotten hurt. They're both healthy going into the 2025 season, and now Reed's ADP cost is lower than either of his finishes in 2023 and 2024. You're essentially buying him at his floor, but it isn't just the advanced metrics that love him. Reed also passes the film test.

Matthew Golden has also been included in this series because it's uncertain who the Packers' top-targeted receiver will be. While it feels like it'll be Golden, it could be Reed. His advanced metrics are great. His film scores are outstanding. With an improvement in the team's passing volume, Reed could return to his rookie production when he finished as the WR24. He's outplayed his ADP in both seasons.

Reed has been dealing with a foot sprain that had him in a walking boot, but he did recently shed that. This was first reported at the Packers’ first preseason game last week, but Matt LaFleur said Reed should be ready for Week 1.

This news is only going to continue causing Reed’s ADP to fall. As fantasy managers, ideally we don’t want to be drafting players that are hurt. However, Reed is young, and has a very reasonable price that will only continue to drop. It’s something to be mindful of, but it’s not something that is going to cause me to pass on someone who has outplayed his current ADP in his first two seasons.

The Packers routinely have a top-10 offense, and head coach Matt LaFleur is one of the best offensive minds in the NFL. He's being drafted as a WR4 and could finish as one of the top-20 receivers.

Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills - WR52

Coleman is a bit of an enigma, and he's the first receiver of the nine where we'll be focusing more on his situation and environment than on the player, specifically. Generally, we want to avoid doing this, but at his price tag, I'm willing to make an exception. Here are the selling points. Coleman is a Buffalo Bill. That means he'll be catching passes from Josh Allen.

Last year, the Bills finished with the ninth-most passing yards and seventh-most passing touchdowns. The year before, they finished eighth in passing yards and seventh in passing touchdowns. This kind of environment offers plenty of upside in terms of fantasy.

Buffalo also employs a very ambiguous group of pass-catchers. While many expect to see Khalil Shakir lead the way in terms of targets, he rarely played in two-receiver sets last year and was deployed almost exclusively as a slot receiver. Shakir isn't a bad player by any means, but he's also not a No. 1 receiver. He's entering his fourth season and last year set career highs in targets (100), receptions (76), yards (821), and touchdowns (4).

He had a 21.2% target share last year, a solid number, but not one that would prevent another receiver from becoming a fantasy asset. Could Shakir be leapfrogged? It's certainly possible.

Behind Shakir, however, are even bigger question marks. Is it Coleman? Dalton Kincaid? Someone else? Outside of Shakir, the target competition is not very imposing, giving Coleman plenty of opportunity to establish himself as Allen's No. 2 target, and if he takes a big step forward, maybe even Allen's No. 1 receiver. Coleman could become Allen's preferred target in the end zone, which is where Coleman could see his fantasy value soar.

McDermott: Khalil Shakir (ankle) should be ready for Week 1.

— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 7, 2025

"Should be" ready for Week 1 sounds a bit unsure. In any case, Shakir has been in a walking boot recovering from a high-ankle sprain that will keep him out for the remainder of the preseason. This will give Coleman even more time and opportunities to get on the same page as Allen. High-ankle sprains tend to linger and can negatively impact performance even after returning to play. Not only that, but they're susceptible to re-injury.

Keon Coleman propagandapic.twitter.com/BDFzWgPOip

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) July 28, 2025

Coleman was drafted with the 33rd overall pick in the NFL Draft. He was viewed as an athletic receiver with great size, but he was raw and would need time to develop. This was on full display as a rookie, but that didn't stop Coleman from flashing his potential with some of his physical gifts, as you can see above. Rookies tend to get better as the season rolls along, and we certainly saw that with Coleman last year.

You can see from the table above just how much better Coleman got in the second half of the season. Now, he gets another offseason with Allen, and for the next few weeks, he'll be operating as the team's No. 1 receiver with Shakir sidelined. He's on a top-10 offense, catching passes from a top-three quarterback, and there is a decent chance he could lead the team in targets.

He has big-play potential as a downfield weapon and someone with excellent size who could become the team's preferred end zone option. For someone with so many things going for him, including his improved play and excellent draft capital, the price of admission is risk-free. The upside is definitely worth chasing.

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