Must-Have Fantasy Football Wide Receivers: 5 Early-Round Draft Targets

August 19, 2025

Joey Pollizze's 5 early-round fantasy football wide receiver draft targets for 2025. His must-draft wide receivers include Nico Collins, Drake London, George Pickens and more.

We are getting closer and closer to draft season. We are less than three weeks away from the start of the NFL season, which means it's time to start preparing for your league. Fantasy football drafts are one of the best parts of the fantasy season, but these fantasy drafts can also be one of the most stressful times for managers. 

In this article, we will go through the best early-round wide receivers in drafts. All five of these wide receivers are going within the first five rounds and have the upside to finish as strong fantasy options throughout the year. For the sake of this article, we decided not to include Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and CeeDee Lamb because they are the clear top three fantasy wide receivers in drafts.

So, who are the five must-draft early-round wide receivers in fantasy this year? Where should fantasy managers select these players in drafts? Let's dive in and find out. 

Nico Collins, Houston Texans

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins was at the top of his fantasy game in 2024. He averaged 17.6 PPR fantasy points per game and ranked top-5 in yards per route run (2.92), dominator rating (40.3%), and win rate versus man coverage (42.7%) among all wide receivers. All that made Collins an exceptional fantasy option last year. 

We shouldn't expect things to change much this season, as Collins will continue to be a top fantasy wide receiver option. He is the clear WR1 in this Texans offense, and his most significant competition for targets is Christian Kirk, and rookies Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins. Therefore, the 26-year-old should almost certainly finish with a higher target share (24.8%) than he did in 2024. 

After finishing fourth in fantasy points per route run among all wideouts last year, there is a real argument to be made that Collins deserves to be the fourth wide receiver taken in drafts behind Chase, Jefferson, and Lamb. He scored above 17 PPR fantasy points in six of the nine games he played at least 50% of the team's offensive snaps and averaged 9.4 targets across those nine contests. 

Nico Collins is big, fast and physical. His ball skills have become elite. I’m just not sure there’s a whole lot defenses are going to able to do with him this year.

— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) August 14, 2025

As a result, Collins is a must-target at the back end of the first round. He has both a safe floor and a high ceiling in this Texans offense, which is why he should be taken ahead of wideouts like Puka Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Malik Nabers in the first round. The sky is the limit for the star playmaker. 

Drake London, Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London broke out in a big way in his third NFL season. He totaled career highs in receptions (100), receiving yards (1,271), and touchdowns (nine) in 2024. Those strong numbers helped London finish as the overall WR5 in PPR formats, and the Falcons playmaker averaged a solid 16.5 PPR fantasy points per game. 

London established himself as a reliable WR1 for fantasy managers in 2024, with double-digit scoring in PPR formats in 15 of his 17 games. Although most of his numbers came with Kirk Cousins under center, we did get to see the former USC star with Michael Penix Jr. to end the season. In three games with Penix (Week 16 to Week 18), the 24-year-old continued to put up elite fantasy numbers.

London averaged 23.1 PPR fantasy points in those three contests with Penix, including an overall WR1 finish in Week 18 against the Carolina Panthers in which he scored a career-high 40.7 PPR fantasy points. In that contest, the 6-foot-4 playmaker caught 10 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns while seeing a whopping 18 targets. 

Michael Penix Jr. attempted 100 total passes in 3 full games as the starter last season

He targeted Drake London on 39 of them

London calling…you to draft him 🎥 ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/VBvqBTr6Az

— Colin McTamany (@Colin_McT) August 6, 2025

Given how much Penix seemed to look London's way in those three starts, the wideout should be in for another dominant fantasy campaign. He ranked seventh in total routes won (223) in 2024 and will be the clear top option in a Falcons offense that many believe will take a step forward in 2025. That makes him a nice target early in the second round of fantasy drafts. 

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

At this point in Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mike Evans' career, we know what to expect from the veteran. He will catch upward of 70 passes, total over 1,000 receiving yards, and have a great chance to reel in double-digit touchdowns. He has totaled these three numbers in four of his last five seasons. 

That consistency has made Evans one of the best fantasy wide receivers over the past decade. He has finished as a top-17 fantasy wide receiver in each of his last nine seasons and has totaled at least 1,000 receiving yards in every season of his 11-year career. In 2024, the 31-year-old finished as the WR14 in PPR formats with a 17.2 PPR fantasy point average. 

As a result, there might not be a better wide receiver target in the fourth round than Evans. Although many believe that this Buccaneers offense is due for some regression, the six-time Pro Bowler will still have every opportunity to be an elite fantasy option in 2025. Chris Godwin (ankle) could miss the first few weeks of the season, and the veteran has maintained at least a 24% target share in each of the past two years. 

That means fantasy managers should be in on the 6-foot-5 wide receiver this year. He is going as the WR17 on average in most drafts, which is low for a wide receiver who has finished as the WR14 (2024) and WR7 (2023) in PPR formats with Baker Mayfield as his quarterback over the last two seasons. So, make sure to target the future Hall of Famer in the fourth round of drafts. 

DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers

There are some question marks about how wide receiver DK Metcalf will fit into an offense led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Metcalf comes over to the Pittsburgh Steelers following an offseason trade that sent a second-round pick and a seventh-round pick in exchange for the Pro Bowl wide receiver and a sixth-round selection. 

However, this landing spot in Pittsburgh is actually a solid fit for his fantasy value. With George Pickens being traded to Dallas shortly after Metcalf's arrival, the 27-year-old faces very little competition for targets in this offense. So, it's fair to assume that he will be fed plenty of targets in 2025, especially considering his quarterback is Rodgers.

Rodgers has been known in his career to target his top wide receivers heavily. Davante Adams saw at least 145 targets in three of his final four seasons with Rodgers in Green Bay, and both Adams and Garrett Wilson were target hogs in that Jets offense last year. Once you are in good graces with the veteran quarterback, we all see the impact it can have on the field. 

Therefore, Metcalf will be a reliable WR2 fantasy option this year. He excels on balls thrown down the field, and Rodgers still has plenty left in the tank to get those passes to his star wide receiver. The 41-year-old ranked top-10 in money throws (22), deep ball accuracy rating (5.9), and deep ball completion percentage (39.3%) among all quarterbacks last season. 

DK Metcalf on 20+ yard targets last season:

♦️ 16 receptions (1st)
♦️ 5 touchdowns (T-2nd)
♦️ 96.4 receiving grade (2nd) pic.twitter.com/1nTAu3mPRu

— PFF (@PFF) August 6, 2025

As the clear WR1 in this Pittsburgh offense, Metcalf has the chance to see over 145 targets in 2025. If that turns out to be the case, he will easily outperform his WR22 ADP. 

George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys

There is a lot to love about Pickens in fantasy this year. Even though the 24-year-old goes from being the clear WR1 in Pittsburgh's offense to the WR2 in Dallas' offense, that might not hurt his fantasy value a whole lot. That's because he goes from a subpar Steelers offense to an elite Cowboys offense that could very well lead the league in pass attempts. 

So, the opportunities should still be there for Pickens in the passing game. He continues to build a strong connection with Dak Prescott in the passing game, and the team is moving him all around the formations in training camp. Those two things should help the Georgia product finish as a solid WR2 option in fantasy this year. 

Playing alongside Lamb in this Dallas offense might help Pickens more than it hurts him because he will likely face fewer double teams on the outside. That means Prescott could take plenty of one-on-one shots down the field, which is an area he thrived in in his last full season in 2023. The Pro Bowl quarterback ranked top-8 in both deep ball completion and deep ball attempts among all quarterbacks that year. 

So, fantasy managers should definitely take a shot on Pickens in the fifth round of fantasy football drafts. He is finally playing with the best quarterback of his career, and the Cowboys have ranked in the top-7 in team pass plays per game in each of the past two seasons. 

LIKE ROTOBALLER?

CLICK HERE, ENTER ROTOBALLER.COM, THEN CHECK THE BOX

More Fantasy Football Analysis