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Who Should I Draft for fantasy football in 2025? Fantasy Football outlooks for George Pickens, Davante Adams, Courtland Sutton and our expert advice on who to draft.
Navigating the middle round of your draft can play a significant role in you winning your league. This season, ample high-upside wide receivers are going in this range, but it is crucial to analyze each player closely, as some carry higher upside than others.
In this piece, we will look at two wide receivers who changed teams during the spring and a third wideout who was a league-winner down the stretch last season.
Be sure to check our RotoBaller rankings that will help you crush your leagues in 2025. Which wide receiver should fantasy managers target? Let's dive in!
George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys
RotoBaller PPR Rank: WR 28 Overall 51.0
NFFC ADP: WR 31 Overall 65.7
Pickens goes from a Steelers team that threw the ball just 229 times to wide receivers in 2024 to a Cowboys team that threw it 397 times to wide receivers. That's a significant difference.
The Cowboys have not only been top-3 in pass attempts per game in each of the last two seasons, but they also allowed the second-most points per game in 2024 (27.5). Essentially, they're going to throw the football.
Between veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, and rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, the running back room looks relatively bleak this season. That, in conjunction with the porous defense, should lead to a boatload of passing scripts for the Cowboys.
And Dak Prescott is fully healthy heading into training camp this season, or at least that's what he told reporters earlier this offseason.
So the situation is better. Now, what about the player himself? Well, Pickens has quietly become one of the more efficient and reliable receivers in the NFL over the last two seasons. Last season, despite being on an Arthur Smith-run offense, Pickens ranked 21st in expected fantasy points per game (14.2). Believe it or not, that was more than A.J. Brown!
But what about CeeDee Lamb? Yes, it's true, Pickens goes from being the clear-cut alpha in Pittsburgh to playing second fiddle to Lamb in Dallas.
But that's ok, just look at the numbers Tee Higgins has put up playing second fiddle to Chase all these years. Maybe Pickens will be even better now that he won't be the sole focus of opposing defenses. And the situation in Dallas bears a striking resemblance to the one in Cincinnati. Fast-paced with a high percentage of passing plays combined with a subpar defense.
Pickens has just 12 touchdowns on 293 career targets. He has never caught more than five touchdowns in a single season. That should change in 2025.
The highest-graded WR on go routes in 2024:
George Pickens - 95.6 🚀 pic.twitter.com/7bF4Oz0obe
— PFF (@PFF) June 20, 2025
In 2023, with a healthy Prescott, Cowboys pass-catchers saw 104 red zone targets. Compare that to just 57 red zone targets for Steelers pass-catchers in 2024. Just wait until Prescott realizes he has a deep-ball maven in Pickens. The sky is the limit for the fourth-year man going into a pivotal contract year.
- Written by Adam Koffler
Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams
RotoBaller PPR Rank: WR 14 Overall 25.0
NFFC ADP: WR 17 Overall 38.3
Not sure what kind of argument's even necessary for a time-tested fantasy alpha like Davante Adams at an ADP 38 price tag -- so here goes nothing. Even in what's being asserted by some as a letdown season, Adams still earned 141 targets for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns. Can anyone say buy the dip?
The Raiders should be truly ashamed of the quarterback product they put on the field for fans in 2024. The motley conglomeration of Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell, and Desmond Ridder combined for some of the worst team passing stats in the NFL: +0.10 EPA/attempt, 6.5 yards/attempt, 10.0 yards/completion, 19 TD:16 INT. Woof.
Sorry to drag Las Vegas through the mud there, but that level of incompetence under center will always result in cascading failures down the line. Amazingly, Adams pulled off the season he did -- and maybe even wilder, the Jets' version of Aaron Rodgers represented a marked upgrade.
To clear the air on Adams' utilization plus production after the move to New York, it's quite literally the same elite profile we've been paying top-15 overall prices for the entire time.
- 94.7% Route Participation
- 10.4 Targets Per Game
- 30.7% Team Target Share
- 6.1 Receptions Per Game
- 77.6 Receiving Yards Per Game
- 2.17 Yards Per Route
- 37.0% Team Air Yards
Now, the future Hall of Famer heads out to Hollywood to play with Matthew Stafford, a habitual wide receiver talent elevator. There's a case for Adams at the Round 2/3 turn, so he should be an auto-smash outside pick 30.
DAVANTE ADAMS WHEN YOU NEED HIM MOST
7 receptions
134 yards
2 TDs
34.4 fantasy points 🔥 pic.twitter.com/MK9HgG8lMH— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) December 15, 2024
- Written by John Laghezza
Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
RotoBaller PPR Rank: WR 20 Overall 41.0
NFFC ADP: WR 23 Overall 48.5
Both A.J. Brown and Davante Adams are at the top of my must-draft list, but since both are selected much higher than these names, I will push them to the honorable mentions section. Instead, I want to spotlight a wideout in Denver who recently got a contract extension.
On July 28, the Broncos announced they signed their top wide receiver, Courtland Sutton, to a four-year extension. Coming off of his best season as a pro, I still think he has an even higher ceiling in 2025.
Broncos and WR Courtland Sutton have reached agreement on a four-year, $92 million extension, per source. pic.twitter.com/BuTGpExY41
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 28, 2025
Last season, the Denver offense took some time to get going with rookie Bo Nix under center. But once the offense found its footing, Denver was one of the top offensive units in the sport. From Week 8 through 17, Sutton was the WR11 in PPR formats, averaging 17.6 PPR fantasy points per game. During this stretch, Sutton saw the 12th-most targets among all pass catchers.
With Nix entering his second year, you would assume that Sutton's ADP has Nix's growth baked into his price, right? In fact, the 29-year-old is being selected as the No. 23 WR off the board in NFFC drafts.
While the Denver run game figures to be much better with rookie RJ Harvey and veteran J.K. Dobbins, the only major option the team added to the pass-catching room was tight end Evan Engram. In the wide receiver room, Sutton stands at the clear top option over Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, Devaughn Vele, and rookie Pat Bryant.
If you fade the RB position, you could be sitting with Sutton as your WR3/top flex option, which will provide your team an incredible advantage. This is one of the best value picks you can make.
- Written by Andy Smith
Who Should I Draft Tool
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Who Should I Draft? Some common 2025 fantasy football draft decisions are regarding players like George Pickens, Davante Adams, and Courtland Sutton. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning teams in 2025. Draft your optimal fantasy football teams for 2025. 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! Make the right decisions.
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2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - George Pickens, Davante Adams, and Courtland Sutton. These are some common searches for 2025 fantasy football drafts.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
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Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2025? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
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