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John's fantasy football wide receiver rankings and analysis for the 2025 NFL season. Read RotoBaller's analysis of the 2025 fantasy football wide receiver rankings.
Choosing the right wide receivers in the first few rounds of your fantasy football redraft leagues or dynasty startups is one of the most important things you have to get right as a fantasy manager. Because the majority of people play in PPR, or points per reception leagues, good WRs have excellent value.
It makes sense that players who catch the ball the most will be some of the most valuable, depending on league type and scoring settings, of course. For default redraft leagues, receivers are generally the highest-scoring group of players, as long as there isn't a cluster of injuries at the top of the WR group like there was last year.
Still, it's important to scrutinize the top WRs every year and see which ones you should be happy about drafting, which ones you should potentially fade, and which could provide value beyond what their current ADP (anticipated draft position) is. For reference, we will be following FantasyPros rankings. So let's dive in!
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1. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
There isn't a normal PPR scoring league in which Chase isn't the unanimous No. 1 player, and that's for good reason. He's in one of the best offenses in the league, with an elite quarterback throwing it to him. Cincinnati regularly struggles on defense, forcing their offense to pass the ball heavily. And he's one of the most talented wideouts in the league.
One of the most explosive plays I’ve ever seen on tape:
Jamarr Chase 🤯
Dagger 🗡️ Concept from the #Bengals pic.twitter.com/1iuwDNqDRm
— Mark Patritto (@MarkieP_) April 3, 2025
Chase is outlandishly skilled. He plays with the strength of a receiver that's 20 pounds heavier, has elite body control, can make contested catches with the best of them, and is a monster with the ball in his hands. He also has fabulous chemistry with Burrow, likely owing to them playing together in college.
He's one of the best WRs in the league in one of the best situations for fantasy football. Aside from potential injuries, which are unpredictable, he's very likely to finish in the top 5 at his position every season he and Burrow play together in the next five years.
2. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
While it's undeniable that Lamb is one of the league's best receivers, I wouldn't personally put him in the No. 2 slot. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will be returning from a hamstring avulsion injury he picked up in 2024, and while the two combined for huge production in 2023, Prescott's best days appear to be behind him.
I have no issues with Lamb, per se, but his 2023 season was just a bit fluky, not in terms of how good he is as a player, but while he finished as the WR1 overall, he was close to being the WR2 in terms of points per game, and would have been if Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill hadn't gotten injured.
CeeDee Lamb is the best route runner in the NFL 😮💨🔥 pic.twitter.com/XQt5ywXWR0
— Ernie The Cowboys Fan (@E_TheCowboysFan) April 16, 2025
The 2023 Cowboys offense, run by former (and now departed) coach Mike McCarthy, regularly ran up the score as much as possible on hapless opponents like the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders. They also faced a very poor Philadelphia Eagles secondary. At least two of those teams have significantly improved since then, especially on defense.
It will be a lot more difficult for the Cowboys to do this in 2025. Their roster isn't in as good of shape as it was last season, and Dallas didn't draft a legitimate WR2 to help draw coverage away from Lamb. There's not a world in which I'd rank Lamb over the next player on the list.
BREAKING: Steelers to trade WR George Pickens to the Cowboys. (via @rapsheet, @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/Eh9kMstOPu
— NFL (@NFL) May 7, 2025
In slightly more recent news, the Cowboys traded for WR George Pickens. I actually like this move for Lamb, because there will finally be someone that demands decent coverage attention from defenses. Lamb should still get spammed with targets, but could see slightly easier coverages moving forward!
3. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
I'm a big believer in quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who appears set to step into the QB1 role for the Vikings in 2025. He missed all of the 2024 season due to a meniscus injury he suffered in that year's preseason, but all indications are that he's ready to go for 2025.
The last time Jefferson had a quarterback that wasn't terrible (like Sam Darnold is), he put up ludicrous numbers. In 2022, he finished with a ridiculous 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns with Kirk Cousins as his QB. Last year, when Cousins wasn't in head coach Kevin O'Connell's offensive system, he was benched for a rookie.
Justin Jefferson has been a human highlight reel for five years in the NFL.
What’s your favorite play from ✈️? pic.twitter.com/PAy7Rcbc7w
— SleeperVikings (@SleeperVikings) March 21, 2025
Jefferson is a better athlete than Lamb and will be playing in a better offensive system, and if McCarthy can just be a better player than Darnold, we could easily see another WR1 season from JJettas. I think Jefferson should be ranked as the No. 2 receiver, ahead of Lamb, and there's an argument he should be the No. 1.
I don't overly hate taking him over Chase if you're a massive Vikings fanboy. If the Vikes QB situation stays stable, with McCarthy staying healthy all season, they might not finish off too far from each other.
4. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
There are those who are concerned with the arrival of WR Davante Adams, a great player in his own right, potentially taking away precious target volume from Nacua, and thus lowering his fantasy ceiling. I think in this case, that isn't a huge concern, because both will operate in head coach Sean McVay's elite offensive system.
We saw how Nacua played in his rookie season in 2023 when WR Cooper Kupp was more of a factor, and it really wasn't a big deal. Though we may see less games with 13 or more targets in 2025, as was the case in 2023, when Nacua didn't have a single game with 13 or more targets after the first few weeks, the Rams offense will concentrate itself heavily around Adams and Nacua, and both should get plenty of work.
Puka Nacua ridiculous numbers pic.twitter.com/hmmSySGZ7o
— Football Insights 📊 (@fball_insights) December 13, 2024
Nacua's efficiency, which is beyond the elite tier and in the "oh my god I didn't even see him there because he's so far away from the others that he breaks the chart" tier, suggests that he could benefit from having a legitimate WR2, and not the washed up Kupp, as his complement.
Defenses will have a terrible time trying to slow the two of these guys down in 2025. As for where he's ranked, he's pretty much fine here. Elite receivers in elite offensive systems are some of the safest high-upside players you can draft.
5. Malik Nabers, New York Giants
Drafting Nabers here in redraft is something I'm less excited about. The problem is his new quarterback. Russell Wilson, who likely will start at least six games in 2025, is a serial stat-padder who prefers to take sacks, throw checkdowns, or chuck the ball deep rather than to the intermediate parts of the field where Nabers thrives as a separator.
If Russell Wilson ends up being the NY Giants starter (which seems likely at this point), it could be bad news for Malik Nabers.
Wilson has a real tendency to avoid throwing over the intermediate and deep middle of the field, limiting his pass attempts targeting posts, slants,… https://t.co/nhLPtuNcPz
— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) March 26, 2025
The Giants seem poised to have another tumultuous season on offense. That's not what you want as a fantasy manager. The ideal scenario would be for rookie Jaxson Dart or veteran Jameis Winston to start all season, and that seems unlikely.
I'm enamored with Nabers' talent, but I can't sacrifice the upside of a player on a stable, great offense here. I'd have Nabers ranked a few spots lower.
6. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
Speaking of great players on great offenses, St. Brown is one of them. I'd have him above Nabers because he'll remain with the Detroit Lions, who have had one of the league's best offenses for two years in a row. While their offensive coordinator for those years, Ben Johnson, left the team for the Chicago Bears, much of their O should remain pretty similar.
AMON RA ST BROWN TOUCHDOWN LETS GO!!! pic.twitter.com/vilbuHJTiu
— J (@Lion4lifedet) November 3, 2024
It's important to draft players that have high upside and aren't in scenarios where they might see their production hurt by factors out of their control. The loss of Johnson is important, but ARSB should still have a good chance of putting up top-5 WR fantasy numbers.
7. Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Collins, like Nabers, isn't in an ideal situation. While his early 2024 numbers were insane, the Texans just drafted rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, two of the most underrated wideouts in this class. And quarterback C.J. Stroud struggled mightily in 2024, behind an offensive line that might be even worse this season.
We are OFFICIALLY Nico Collins days away from the 2025 NFL Draft 🤘🏻
Top 3 WR ITL 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/PshsCGqbJD
— Jacob (@TexansJacob) April 12, 2025
The problem here is that both Noel and Higgins could come on really strong toward the end of the season, and in that case, we'd be a bit less likely to see three straight games with double-digit targets for Collins in the fantasy football playoffs. This is also not a stable offensive system, as former OC Bobby Slowik was (rightfully) fired after 2024 (because he is terrible).
It remains to be seen if the Texans want to be idiots and try to run the ball as much as possible when they should be passing very heavily to their talented group of WRs. Collins is for sure a top-8 receiver heading into 2025, but I'd have him below the next guy on our list.
8. Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
Thomas just got a massive upgrade at offensive coordinator/head coach. The Jaguars hired Liam Coen, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC, to lead the show in 2025, and that's big for Thomas.
While the team got rid of WR Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram, they traded up to draft Travis Hunter, the best WR prospect in the draft, and Coen immediately said he'd be playing majority WR to start things off.
Brian Thomas with 87 yards and a TD in Week 13 BUT:
1. Underthrown on potential 77-yard TD
2. Overthrown on potential 69-yard TD pic.twitter.com/W4c1tvSKSr— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) December 2, 2024
Thomas is the most absurd athlete of any receiver in the league. He has long arms, stands at 6-foot-2, and has blazing 4.33-second 40-yard dash speed. He also developed very nicely as a route-runner in 2024, and was a fantastic separator. And with Hunter on the team, Thomas can start taking more slot snaps, where he produced at an elite level last year.
Thomas should be a bit higher. I'd have him inside of the top-5, ahead of Nabers and Collins. He has a better offensive mind running the show (Coen), so that helps.
9. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
Presumably, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will be the Falcons starter in 2025, and unless he fails spectacularly, should remain so for the whole season. This is a good thing for London, because in the few games that Penix started, he hyper-targeted London to an extreme level.
Drake London in 3 games with Michael Penix Jr. as the starter:
-39 Targets
-22 Catches
-352 Yards
-2 Touchdowns
-23 PPR points per gamePenix seemed to be way more locked in on London than Kirk Cousins ever was. Wouldn't be surprised if London led the league in targets in 2025
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) April 29, 2025
London put up massive numbers in the final three games of the season, which were the trio of contests that Penix started. We should probably expect those numbers to carry over into 2025, and if they did, it would be huge. We could see London flirt with 25 PPR points in around half of his games, with multiple contests exceeding that by a solid margin.
wide receivers with the highest percentage of their team's 21+ air yard targets in 2024:
1. tyreek hill, 85.7%
2. Calvin Ridley, 75.8%
3. Terry McLaurin, 65.3%
4. malik nabers, 64.9%
5. Jakobi Meyers, 61.9%
6. drake london, 60.7%
7. justin jefferson, 58.3%
8. marvin harrison…— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) April 28, 2025
Right now, London is the primary target for the team at all parts of the field. At Washington (in college), Penix was consistently chucking deep passes to his trio of wideouts, and with London plausibly maintaining his impressive share of the team's deep passes in 2025 as well, that could unlock more big-play potential.
It's hard to go wrong with London in the second round. And if Penix is eventually benched for Cousins, the latter could have a better season due to his previously-torn Achilles tendon being in better shape.
10. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
On most other teams, you have to imagine that Brown would be higher on the list. But the Eagles ran the ball at the highest rate in the league last season, nearly three full percentage points higher than the next-highest team (the Baltimore Ravens). And that probably isn't about to change.
When AJ Brown showed the Steelers secondary why he’s the best WR in the NFL 🔥#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/se8YzsFlna
— The Eagle Times (@the_eagle_times) April 2, 2025
Volume is the only thing holding Brown back. He'd easily be a top-5 pick here, and is one of the most dominant WRs in the NFL, but on a team that has running back Saquon Barkley, quarterback Jalen Hurts, and an elite offensive line (the best in the NFL), they can get away with taking fewer risks and keeping the ball on the ground more.
Brown should finish as a WR1, but his ceiling is definitely capped by the elite rushing offense that the Eagles possess. It's frustrating having him on your fantasy team due to this, but in the second round, he's a fantastic pick in fantasy football drafts.
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