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Fantasy football wide receiver (WR) sleepers, value picks for the middle rounds of 2025 drafts including Ricky Pearsall, Emeka Egbuka, Matthew Golden, Keon Coleman, Jayden Higgins.
Welcome back RotoBallers! We are back with more fantasy sleepers to help you crush the middle rounds of your upcoming fantasy drafts. Today, we focus on the wide receiver position with our middle-round fantasy football wide receiver (WR) sleepers and draft values for the 2025 season. In this article we'll be taking a look at Ricky Pearsall, Emeka Egbuka, Matthew Golden, Keon Coleman and Jayden Higgins.
There is plenty of value to be had in the middle rounds for wide receivers, especially if your league requires you to start three. During the middle rounds, managers can afford to take some risks on a variety of different players, ranging from forgotten veterans to players returning from injuries. It's essential to have at least a handful of sleeper targets at each position heading into your fantasy football drafts, no matter the format. Here are some wide receivers for you to consider selecting during the middle of the draft this season.
Our editors have hand-picked these specific NFL players for your draft prep enjoyment. Usually only available to Premium subscribers, the outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2025 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today and start reading all 300+ of our 2025 player outlooks, along with many other premium articles and tools available exclusively in our 2025 Draft Kit.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
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Ricky Pearsall, 49ers, Fantasy Football Outlook
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall's rookie season didn't start how anyone envisioned. After a hamstring issue popped up in training camp, delaying his development, the 24-year-old was the victim of a shooting, taking a bullet to the chest in an altercation in August. He'd recover and eventually make his way to the field, but it took him a bit to get going.
Even with former teammate Deebo Samuel Sr.'s down season and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) missing the remainder of the year with an ACL injury after Week 7, the Florida product took some time to find his footing at the NFL level.
Ricky Pearsall averaged 20.3 fantasy points per game over the last 2 games of the 2024 season.
The only other healthy/non-suspended WRs on the 49ers combined for 2 total catches in 2024. pic.twitter.com/rvBDSIdLnA
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) August 21, 2025
However, he ended the campaign with a bang, compiling 14 receptions, 210 yards, and two touchdowns across the final two weeks (18 targets). It's a different story in 2025, as Samuel Sr. is gone – shipped to Washington – and Aiyuk is still recovering from his knee injury. That firmly places Pearsall in the conversation of one of San Fran's top three pass-catchers alongside fellow wideout Jauan Jennings and tight end George Kittle.
A healthy Christian McCaffrey will get his fair share of opportunities as a receiver. Still, the second-year pro should get work in two-wide sets as long as Aiyuk is sidelined, and potentially even after if he shows out early. Pearsall will have a chance to succeed this season and could exceed expectations in an efficient 49ers offense, which can only stand to be a boon for him. He ranks as RotoBaller's PPR WR41 and is ranked 75th overall.
Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers, Fantasy Football Outlook
Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka could have a huge breakout in Year 1. He'll join a WR room with great talents in future Hall-of-Famer Mike Evans, the excellent Chris Godwin (ankle), second-year pro Jalen McMillan (neck), and another rookie in WR Tez Johnson.
With Godwin expected to start the season on the PUP list as he continues to recover from a broken ankle and McMillan likely out until Week 9 with a severely sprained neck, a lot of targets have suddenly opened up in Tampa Bay's receiver room. Godwin played primarily in the slot last season. Egbuka profiles mostly as a power-slot WR and should be the Bucs WR2 opposite Evans until Godwin returns.
So Chris Godwin has yet to even jog on his surgically repaired ankle…
And Jalen McMillan is set to miss half the season with a severely sprained neck
Being in on Emeka Egbuka is longer a choice
pic.twitter.com/Fy0sddkyQf— Chris O'Brien (@17gamepace) August 20, 2025
His early-season volume will increase with both McMillan and Godwin sidelined. Evans is also aging, but doesn't appear to have slowed down yet. With the increased target share and injuries to Tampa Bay's receiving core, Egbuka's fantasy stock has skyrocketed, coming in as WR32 in the latest RotoBaller redraft rankings.
Matthew Golden, Packers, Fantasy Football Outlook
Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden was the first WR selected by the Green Bay Packers in over 20 years. He'll join an offense with a great head coach, Matt LaFleur, and a smattering of underwhelming pass-catchers. Still, it's hard to project what will happen with this offense.
For one, the team adopted a massively run-heavy approach in 2024, especially toward the end of the season. Green Bay ran the ball over 50% of the time, good for the third-heaviest run scheme in the league, and the most for any team without a hypermobile quarterback. The Packers spread the ball around way too evenly for the liking of fantasy managers who had any of their pass-catchers on their rosters as well.
Matthew Golden #GoPackGo
Amazing at camp as Clear WR1 especially after Reed injury
💥Elite separator
💥Elite burst 4.29 40 time
💥Quick Release & feet
💥Nuanced route tree with no wasted movementsUpside to be Rookie WR1 in 25🚀 pic.twitter.com/R3itql0A02
— Dynasty Dad (@DynastyDadFF) August 18, 2025
From Weeks 12 through 17, Packers QB Jordan Love only completed an average of 16 passes per game. With running back Josh Jacobs, tight ends Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave, and WRs Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Mecole Hardman on the roster, with Christian Watson likely to return from injury at some point, we could see another miserable committee.
However, Reed might not be ready for Week 1 as he is dealing with a foot injury. Golden has impressed in training camp and is building a great rapport with Love. Golden is ranked as RotoBaller's WR44, and that rank could rise as he continues to have an impressive offseason for the Packers.
Keon Coleman, Bills, Fantasy Football Outlook
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman is entering Year 2 with a chance to take over as the top wide receiver in the offense. Despite speculation that the Bills would add a pass catcher, they doubled down on their in-house options and re-signed Khalil Shakir.
The team demonstrated through their actions that they trust what they already have. Some of Coleman's efficiency metrics were solid despite only recording 556 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2024. He received 10 red zone targets, and he was fourth in the league in yards per reception at 19.2. He only caught 29 of 57 targets, but despite his 10 red zone targets, many of his targets were downfield.
Dion Dawkins full answer on Keon Coleman:
"He's going to be special... This is Keon's time, you'll see it."#BillsMafia #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/qMcw8RbJiU
— Dan Fetes (@danfetes) August 20, 2025
Additionally, Coleman only caught four of his red zone targets. In other words, there is a lot of room to improve, and the Bills will likely scheme better looks for Coleman now that he has been in the building for a full year.
Coleman is currently ranked by RotoBaller as the WR50, which is roughly in line with his ADP. He is a great player to take a flyer on given the potency of the Bills' offense and the talent of quarterback Josh Allen.
Jayden Higgins, Texans, Fantasy Football Outlook
Rookie Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins is stepping into a golden opportunity. Higgins was drafted with the No. 2 pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. With wide receivers Tank Dell (knee) and Stefon Diggs dealing with injury and departing in free agency, respectively, the Texans had a massive void to fill opposite No. 1 option Nico Collins.
Like Collins, Higgins is a 6-foot-4 athletic freak. He ran a 4.47 40-yard dash and provides the Texans with a combination of a deep threat and red zone target. Higgins was relatively productive over the last couple of seasons in the NCAA. In 2024, he recorded 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns on 87 receptions. He is a volume king with serious touchdown upside.
Lots of slot work for Jayden Higgins so far this preseason. Finding mismatches there is probably his best bet of hitting as a rookie pic.twitter.com/YYBgp3WJq8
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 20, 2025
The Texans' wide receiver room is crowded, but Higgins is clearly the second-most talented among the bunch. Additionally, new acquisitions Jaylin Noel and Christian Kirk are slot players and should not compete with Higgins for playing time. As such, Higgins could be the No. 2 option for a good quarterback in C.J. Stroud in Week 1.
Having a player like Collins on the other side of the field will open lanes for Higgins at every level. This is a player who could easily finish as a WR2 this season. Considering that he is currently being drafted outside of the top 50 at the position and RotoBaller has him ranked as WR53, he could be an immense steal in fantasy drafts, as he should be, at minimum, a flex option throughout the season.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Looking for more draft values and sleepers? Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who Should I Draft tool for 2025 drafts for Ricky Pearsall, Emeka Egbuka, Matthew Golden, Keon Coleman, Jayden Higgins. Our free Who Should I Draft? tool will help make your fantasy football draft decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to draft... all free!
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