5 Fantasy Football Late-Round WR1 Candidates: Wide Receiver Value Picks and Sleepers for 2025

Dave's fantasy football WR1 candidates for 2025 fantasy football. His later-round wide receiver drat values and sleepers with top-12 upside, including Michael Pittman Jr.

Regardless of the size or skill level of your fantasy football league, there are core strategy elements that always remain the same. Finding quality wide receivers is one of them. This allows you to balance out your roster and thus focus on other areas of your team once the season begins.

However, it’s equally important that you try to identify potential sleeper wide receivers available later in your draft. This can give you a significant advantage over your league mates, as you've found a high-end producer without having to pay an expensive price.

So, which wide receivers going in the later stages of drafts should you be targeting? Let’s take a few minutes to discuss. Here are five late-round wide receivers with WR1 upside that you should select in your 2025 fantasy football draft.

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Khalil Shakir - Buffalo Bills

ESPN ADP: 108.5 Overall

Shakir is coming off a career-best season in 2024. He set career highs across the board, catching 76 passes for 821 receiving yards to go along with four touchdowns.

Khalil Shakir stretches the ball across the goal line! Bills take their first lead of the game.

📺: #AZvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/LMasqfFKmV

— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024

Shakir was subsequently rewarded with a four-year, $60.2 million contract. Unfortunately, fantasy production was a bit hard to come by, as he only finished the season as the PPR WR37.

While that relegated Shakir to flex-territory in 2024, there is reason to believe he could become an even bigger part of the Buffalo offense in 2025. For starters, Buffalo’s decision to extend Shakir speaks volumes to how the team values him. He has consistently improved every year of his career and has established a strong rapport with quarterback Josh Allen. Shakir also finished third in the NFL in yards after catch (YAC) in 2024. It would be beneficial for Buffalo to continue finding ways to get the ball in his hands.

Buffalo’s offense is crowded with Shakir, Keon Coleman, Dalton Kincaid, Joshua Palmer, Curtis Samuel, and Elijah Moore in the mix for targets. However, upon closer examination, there may not be as much competition for Shakir as it initially appears.

Coleman struggled to consistently separate from defenders last year and was more of a big-play merchant. Kincaid took a major step back in 2024 and has yet to look the part of a dominant tight end since entering the league. Palmer, Samuel, and Moore are decent players. None have ever posted a huge statistical season, though, and we probably know what they are at this point.

There is a world where Buffalo’s other receivers flounder, and Shakir’s role continues to grow. He has posted an astounding 75.8% catch rate in his career and could be a PPR monster if more volume comes his way.

Shakir is a perfect target as a WR3 or flex play as he offers gamers a safe PPR floor with upside for more.

Ricky Pearsall - San Francisco 49ers

ESPN ADP: 119.2 Overall

The 49ers selected Pearsall with the 31st pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. It was an eyebrow-raising move as the team still had Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel Sr., and Jauan Jennings on the roster. Fast forward to the present day, and Samuel is no longer on the team, Aiyuk is rehabbing a major knee injury, and Jennings has issued the team an ultimatum regarding a new contract.

Maybe San Francisco was preparing to move on from several of these players and drafted Pearsall with an eye toward 2025. Either way, Pearsall is lined up for a potentially massive role in San Francisco’s offense. His rookie year stats won’t blow you away. However, he finished the 2024 season on a high note and was a clear focal point in the 49ers' passing game to close the season.

Ricky Pearsall against the Lions:

• 8 catches
• 147 total yards
• 7 first downs
• 1 touchdown

Here’s a look at his breakout game pic.twitter.com/waH1YQZK1g

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) December 31, 2024

We often see second-year receivers make big statistical jumps. Pearsall could be the next one, as there’s a real possibility he begins the season as San Francisco’s WR1. The lead receiver in a Kyle Shanahan offense has been one we’ve always chased in fantasy football. It’s just rarely been as cheap as Pearsall’s current ADP.

That means gamers need to take advantage and make Pearsall a priority late-round pick in all formats.

Michael Pittman Jr. - Indianapolis Colts

ESPN ADP: 124 Overall

Fellow Colts' receiver Josh Downs has been a popular sleeper pick this year. While I wholeheartedly agree with this take, Pittman is a great value in drafts as well. He is coming off a poor 2024 season, during which he posted a 69-808-3 line across 16 games.

This was certainly disappointing for managers who invested in Pittman last year, as he would only finish the season as the WR48 in PPR points per game. However, it’s worth noting that Pittman battled a serious back injury last year. Indianapolis initially wanted to shut him down for the season, but Pittman played through the pain and finished the year.

A back injury is extremely painful to play through. This undoubtedly hurt Pittman’s explosion/ability to separate against defenders. He is now reportedly healthy entering 2025, but his quarterback situation is admittedly not great. Daniel Jones will likely take over for Anthony Richardson Sr. as the team’s starter at some point during the season. While Jones isn’t exactly Steve Young, he’ll be a breath of fresh air compared to Richardson.

Jones should give this passing game a much safer floor than what we saw in 2024. Before last year, Pittman had finished as a top 20 PPR receiver in three straight seasons. He was a bust last year, but his current ADP feels like an overcorrection.

Pittman is a great target as a WR3 or flex play in running back-heavy builds, as he’s proven he can return WR2 production.

Luther Burden III - Chicago Bears

ESPN ADP: 166.1 Overall

Burden has been dealing with a soft tissue injury since Chicago selected him 39th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. He was originally projected to be a first-round pick but fell due to concerns about his route-running and effort.

Burden was utilized heavily as a slot receiver during his time at the University of Missouri. This makes him a potentially intriguing selection in fantasy football drafts because his new coach in Chicago, Ben Johnson, has a history of prioritizing slot receivers in his offense.

Amon-Ra St. Brown rose to stardom as the slot receiver in Johnson’s offense with the Detroit Lions. Burden is dynamic in the open field with the ball in his hands. Given Chicago reportedly wants to emphasize the quick passing game this year, it’s possible Johnson hand-picked Burden to function as his next elite slot/short area wide receiver.

You never want to hear concerns about effort/route-running, and it’s not ideal that Burden has missed time this offseason due to a soft tissue injury. Offseason reps for rookie receivers are critical. This could mean Burden gets off to a slower start compared to other rookie wide receivers we’ve seen in the past. However, the scheme and talent fit here are too good to ignore.

Burden is worthy of a pick in the last few rounds of your draft. There is serious upside here if he and the Chicago offense hit the ground running.

Kyle Williams - New England Patriots

ESPN ADP: 167.8 Overall

Williams is an incoming rookie who played collegiately at Washington State University in 2024. He was selected by New England in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft and has an opportunity for immediate playing time.

The rookie profiles best as a slot wide receiver. That is noteworthy because of the history of success slot receivers have had in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ system. If Williams is the team’s slot receiver to begin the year, he could emerge as a valuable asset in PPR leagues.

New England did sign veteran receiver Stefon Diggs to a big contract this offseason. However, he turns 32 years old during the season, is coming off a major knee injury, and has made some questionable off-field decisions this offseason. If Diggs’ play declines further, then we could be looking at a scenario where Williams emerges as the team’s WR1.

The Patriots need to find a true WR1 for sophomore quarterback Drake Maye. Williams might be in a position to capitalize on this opportunity. All of this means that Williams makes for a great flyer pick at the end of drafts.

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