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Who should I draft for fantasy football in 2025? Fantasy football outlooks for Xavier Worthy, Zay Flowers, Rome Odunze and our expert draft advice.
There's no doubt that young wide receivers have massive upside in fantasy football. Managers saw that firsthand with wide receivers like Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers, Drake London, Ladd McConkey, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. All five of those playmakers finished top-12 at the wide receiver position in PPR formats last year.
In this article, we will look at whether Xavier Worthy, Zay Flowers, and Rome Odunze have top-12 upside this year. We will dive into each of their 2024 campaigns and analyze their fantasy football outlook for the 2025-2026 season.
So, should fantasy managers be taking Worthy, Flowers, or Odunze in drafts? Which one should you choose in fantasy football drafts? Let's dive in and find out.
Xavier Worthy Fantasy Football Outlook
Worthy had a very up-and-down fantasy season in 2024. While he did score in double figures in PPR formats in nine of his 16 full games played, he struggled to make much of a fantasy impact in the first half. He averaged just 8.7 PPR fantasy points per game across the first 10 weeks. However, in the back half of the season, the Chiefs' playmaker emerged as a strong WR2 option.
The 28th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft averaged 15.6 PPR fantasy points in his final seven games (Week 11 to Week 17). During this stretch, Worthy had four top-20 fantasy finishes, including a WR15 finish in which he scored 22.9 PPR fantasy points against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Week 17 game.
Worthy also continued his strong play into the NFL playoffs, as he totaled at least six catches and 85 receiving yards in both the AFC Conference Championship game against the Bills and Super Bowl LIX against the Eagles. As a result, the 22-year-old playmaker should be a more consistent fantasy option in his second year.
Xavier Worthy ran 209 routes over his last 7 games of 2024-25 (including playoffs + super bowl).
His per route metrics over that span were nuts
TPRR: 24.4%
YPRR: 2.28
1stRR: 11.5%
PFF Grade: 84.3He averaged 21.6 PPG over that span (not including week 18, KC rested starters) pic.twitter.com/zBvZltBy52
— Ron Stewart (@RonStewart_) August 5, 2025
However, he does face some competition for targets. Rashee Rice will be healthy after missing most of the 2024 campaign with a season-ending knee injury, and Travis Kelce will still be a major factor in this Kansas City offense. With Marquise Brown also going to be involved in some capacity, Worthy's fantasy ceiling might be capped.
Now, it's hard to know what Worthy's ceiling can be with Rice's suspension hanging in the balance. If Rice were to get suspended for eight to 10 games, fantasy managers should feel a lot better about the second-year wideout. But if Rice only gets suspended for two to four games, then it might be hard for Worthy to be a strong WR2 throughout the year.
So, whether Worthy takes that next step in fantasy depends on Rice's suspension because the latter has proved to be Patrick Mahomes' favorite target when he's on the field. Rice's suspension may not come until later in the season, as his hearing date with the league is scheduled for September 30. Still, the former Texas star should be involved enough to be a solid WR3 option in his second year. He caught at least five passes in each of his five regular-season games in 2024.
Zay Flowers Fantasy Football Outlook
Since Flowers entered the league in 2023, he has quickly established himself as the top pass catcher in the Baltimore Ravens' offense. He has caught at least 70 passes and totaled over 850 receiving yards in each of his first two NFL seasons. Last year, the former Boston College alum reeled in 74 passes for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns.
Those solid numbers helped Flowers finish as the overall WR25 in PPR formats. He averaged 12.3 PPR fantasy points per game and scored in double figures in 11 of 17 games. On paper, the 24-year-old had a solid all-around fantasy campaign. However, he didn't have much of a fantasy ceiling in that run-first Baltimore offense.
Zay Flowers is extremely talented. But playing in the Ravens offense - with an elite rushing attack and deep group of pass catchers - puts a ceiling on his fantasy outlook compared to receivers being drafted right around him. pic.twitter.com/mr59jEt3Ru
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 6, 2025
Flowers failed to finish as a top-20 fantasy wide receiver in 12 of his 17 games, including in each of the final eight weeks of the season. During those last eight games, the 24-year-old scored above 15 PPR fantasy points just once. So, despite being the WR1 in this Ravens offense, the team's lack of passing made him an inconsistent fantasy option.
There are some positives, though, to point out for Flowers entering the season. He ranked top-20 in targets (116), target share (25.7%), receiving yards (1,059), yards after the catch (463), and yards per route run (2.34) among all wide receivers in 2024. As a result, the 5-foot-9 playmaker should continue to be a high-floor fantasy option this year.
He will certainly lead this team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards in 2025, which should help him finish somewhere between the WR20 and WR25 in PPR formats. If you are hoping that he can finish way higher than that, it might be a long shot. Flowers will once again have a lower fantasy ceiling.
Rome Odunze Fantasy Football Outlook
It was a rookie season to forget for Odunze. After being selected ninth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, the former Washington wide receiver wasn't a strong fantasy option in his first year. He finished as the overall WR49 in PPR formats and finished as a top-40 fantasy wide receiver just four times last season.
There were several reasons why Odunze wasn't able to be a strong fantasy option in Year 1. He faced some competition for targets with DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, had a rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams throwing passes to him, and that whole Bears offense was dysfunctional. As the 23-year-old enters his second NFL season, his situation has vastly improved.
For starters, the Bears' offense should be much better as a whole. Ben Johnson will now be calling the plays in Chicago, and Williams should only grow as a passer in Year 2. Both of those things should help Odunze be a more consistent fantasy option this season. Therefore, he could be worth a pick in the middle rounds.
Name an NFL player that you think is going to breakout this season
I'll start: Rome Odunze#NFL | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/aNozlDyJkV
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) August 11, 2025
Odunze showed some nice things in his first year, which should give fantasy managers some confidence in drafting him at his consensus 81 ADP. The Washington product totaled 23.4 PPR fantasy points in a Week 3 game against the Colts and then totaled 104 receiving yards a few weeks later in Week 9 against the Cardinals. More performances like that should be the norm for the former first-round pick in 2025.
Fantasy managers could also see a similar Year 2 jump as Smith-Njigba, who went from an uninspiring fantasy option to a fantasy superstar in just one year. While we shouldn't expect Odunze to jump up to WR1 status like Smith-Njigba did last year, the Bears playmaker could emerge as a strong WR2 option on a Bears offense that should be 100 times better.
Who Should I Draft in Fantasy Football?
Deciding between Worthy, Flowers, and Odunze in fantasy drafts this year is not an easy one. All three wideouts have the potential to be consistent fantasy options this year. Flowers has the safest fantasy floor of the three, Odunze has the highest ceiling, and Worthy is somewhere in the middle with a solid ceiling and floor.
The interesting thing about these three wideouts is that Odunze is going two whole rounds later than both Flowers and Worthy. However, if you had to choose only one wide receiver to take in drafts, Worthy might be your best-case scenario. We saw the Texas product come on toward the end of last season, and Rice will certainly miss a handful of games due to a suspension.
As a result, Worthy is the best selection of the three wide receivers. He should have plenty of spike weeks throughout the year in this Mahomes-led offense, and even when Rice is on the field, the second-year playmaker could be the second option in Kansas City's passing attack. We also all know that Worthy has the potential to catch a long touchdown on any given week.
Who Should I Draft Tool
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