Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Draft Sleepers: Undervalued WR3s to Target in 2025

Andrew Ball's fantasy football No. 3 wide receivers to target in 2025 drafts. His undervalued WR3s and draft sleepers, featuring Marquise Brown and more.

The ones are gone, the twos are off the board, and now the wide receiver board is looking thin.

Don't fret, fantasy football managers. There's still talent to be tapped out of the WR3s. Selecting receivers on elite offenses or rookies with the ability to move up the depth chart are two smart strategies. Sometimes, as you'll see below, both can apply.

Below are four WR3s to target in fantasy drafts this summer.

Note: San Francisco's Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall are being excluded from the list as their numbers on the depth chart are dependent on Brandon Aiyuk's health.

Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

From the coaching staff that brought you a Jalen McMillan WR1 stretch in the fantasy football playoffs comes the highly anticipated sequel with a fan-favorite character joining the cast.

Emeka Egbuka is viewed as one of the safest prospects in this year's rookie class. He's tactical in his route running and can smartly find gaps in the coverage, especially when operating out of the slot. He draws comparisons to Keenan Allen or Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who, coincidentally, he played with at Ohio State.

That's why it was such an initial surprise when Tampa Bay selected him with the 19th overall pick in the NFL Draft. Mike Evans just notched his 11th straight 1,000-yard campaign and was 10th in PPR fantasy points per game (17.2). Chris Godwin was even better, averaging 19.2 PPG (second among wideouts) before his season came to an injury-induced end in Week 7.

But that's where the pick begins to make sense. Evans will be 32 years old when the season kicks off. Godwin now has a pair of major injuries in his career (ACL tear and dislocated ankle). Tampa Bay lost all three games that Godwin and Evans missed (two of which McMillan also sat out). General manager Jason Licht couldn't pass on the value of Egbuka and likely saw him as insurance in case things go awry again.

So, why do we like him in Year 1? Quite simply, he's too talented to be left off the field, and it shouldn't take him long to move past McMillan on the depth chart. His presence allows the coaching staff to manage Godwin's usage (and Evans' to a lesser extent) while simultaneously training their future starters.

"The thing that sticks out is how cerebral he is. He’s so smart. Right now, I think we could plug-and-play him at every receiver spot – he understands the offense that well. That’s just him being a pro already. He’s not a rookie – he doesn’t act like it at least.” - QB Baker Mayfield on Egbuka's transition to the Bucs.

The Buccaneers lined up in 11 personnel for over two-thirds of their snaps (eighth most) in 2024. Now, with an even better receiving corps, that number could tick a few higher.

Egbuka's ADP currently stands as the WR50 due to the crowded wide receiver room in Tampa Bay. This is a situation where fantasy managers bet on the talent and hope that it's enough to shuffle the depth chart (ala Bucky Irving).

Marquise Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City's top four projected pass-catchers, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, and Travis Kelce, didn't play a snap together last season. Brown opened the regular season on injured reserve. By the time he returned, Rice's season had come to an early end.

With the injuries to their receivers, the Chiefs wound up adding DeAndre Hopkins to the mix. He's moved on to Baltimore, so now we're back to the original group projected to open the 2024 season.

Hollywood was active for two regular-season games and didn't play more than 60% of the snaps until the postseason. But he quickly earned the trust of Patrick Mahomes, earning 15 targets on just 45 snaps in those late-season matchups, and was the first read over 23% of the time.

Let's back up: Brown was a 1,000-yard receiver in his final season in Baltimore (2021). His season-long outlook wasn't as fruitful in his first year in Arizona (2022) due to injuries, but he averaged just 0.1 fewer receptions and 3.9 yards per game. The final season in the desert was disastrous, but it's easy to forget that a nagging heel injury slowed him down.

So, there was renewed optimism when Hollywood linked up with Mahomes, enough to make Brown a ninth-round pick in redraft leagues. This time around, he can be found in the 11th round. As we like to say in the fantasy industry, that's almost free. There's a strong chance whoever you draft there won't be on your roster by the middle of the season.

Again, not a lot has changed since he was considered a sleeper last offseason. The core group is the same. Sure, Rice established himself as Mahomes' guy for the first quarter of the season. What if he's not moving at full speed at camp as he recovers from his knee injury? What if Kelce's age continues to catch up to him? He was, after all, widely inefficient with Rice on the field. Or, what if the Chiefs return to their explosive ways as they talked about earlier this offseason?

Patrick Mahomes on Zoom: "The Goal is to try to get to some of the explosive plays we've had in the past." Adds he's happy Rashee Rice is back in the fold and "We got the guys, it's about me trusting them." #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/q3I7HwR3NO

— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) April 23, 2025

The price on Brown is too fair not to take the shot. Brown could even find a boost in his short-term value if Rice were to be hit with a suspension, as he recently accepted his plea deal.

Kyle Williams, WR, New England Patriots

Kyle Williams' spot in the article is simple: New England is desperate for an explosive wide receiver.

The Patriots didn't have any pass-catchers top 700 yards in 2024. Tight end Hunter Henry led the group with 674 yards on 66 catches. DeMario Douglas also caught 66 balls for 621 yards. Kayshon Boutte finished third (539) while second tight end Austin Hooper (476) rounded out the top four. That's two tight ends and a slot receiver in the top four.

Boutte ranked 27th in yards per reception (13.7). There was no other qualified New England receiver in the top 100. And, the former sixth-round pick may be on the roster bubble this training camp following the additions of Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, and Williams.

Diggs is 31 years old and tore his ACL in late October. He's looked comfortable in offseason training videos, but there's still no firm timetable for a return. Hollins makes winning plays (blocking) and brings veteran leadership to the team, but he averages 1.4 catches per game in his career. Even with Josh Allen in Buffalo last season, he couldn't muster two receptions per contest.

That's where the rookie comes in. The third-round pick brings vertical separation and a knack for getting under a deep pass. The fifth-year senior caught 70 passes for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns last year at Washington State.

Washington State WR Kyle Williams vs man coverage:

🎯 505 receiving yards
🎯 9 touchdowns
🎯 20 receptions
🎯 33 targets
🎯 0 drops
🎯 25.3 yards/rec pic.twitter.com/fcqoASF5OY

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 16, 2025

If Drake Maye continues to progress in his development, as nearly everyone believes he will, then at least one receiver in New England will reap the benefits. With a clear role up for grabs, fantasy managers can select Williams in the double-digit rounds and hope he becomes Maye's go-to guy. Hopefully, he does enough in camp to earn playing time over the veterans.

Joshua Palmer, WR, Buffalo Bills

Exit Amari Cooper and Mack Hollins, and enter Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore. The Buffalo wide receiver room is still crowded, and there's a big group of men vying to become one of Josh Allen's preferred options.

Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Cooper, Hollins, Curtis Samuel, and Dalton Kincaid averaged three targets or more in 2024. But Shakir was the only one with a target share better than 20%.

Palmer teased the fantasy community with a breakout campaign on more than one occasion. He showed the most in his second season (72 catches for 769 yards) but failed to deliver on the hype in Year 3, largely due to injury. And when Ladd McConkey arrived in Los Angeles, it was a wrap on Palmer's upside with the Chargers.

Is this a fool me three times situation, or does Palmer have a legitimate upside again in 2025?

For starters, he's now on one of last season's highest-scoring offenses and catching passes from the reigning NFL MVP. Allen's cannon of an arm is waiting for a downfield separator. Coleman's separation metrics and route win rate are dreadful. Shakir's average target distance (5.5 yards) ranked in the 100s.

Palmer's aDOT was over 15 yards (seventh among wideouts), and they weren't of the contested-catch variety. The data showed a strong separation score and win rate on Palmer's routes. That's what likely led to a three-year, $29 million contract earlier in the free-agency period.

A gorgeous post route from Joshua Palmer. Mostly clean pocket. Justin Herbert just missed him. pic.twitter.com/JRAzxZgRBg

— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) December 9, 2024

Palmer is a better best ball selection than in redraft, but he's worth a look as one of the final picks of a standard-sized redraft league.

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