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Who should I draft for fantasy football in 2025? Fantasy football outlooks for Dont'e Thornton Jr., Dontayvion Wicks, Rashod Bateman and our expert draft advice.
Finding late-round wide receivers can significantly boost your fantasy team. If you took a chance on Nico Collins and Puka Nacua during the 203 season pre-draft process, you likely secured a fantasy championship. Last season, rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was typically picked past the first 120 picks and finished as a WR1.
In this piece, we will take a look at one rookie receiver in Las Vegas and two veteran wideouts who have flashed high upside at times but have yet ot ttuly breakout.
Be sure to check our fantasy football rankings that will help you crush your leagues in 2025. Which running backs should fantasy managers target? Let's dive in!
Dont'e Thornton Jr., WR, Las Vegas Raiders
RotoBaller PPR Rank: WR 74 Overall 180.0
NFFC ADP: WR 80 Overall 250.6
Dont’e Thornton Jr., a fourth-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2025 NFL Draft, is a high-upside sleeper for dynasty rookie drafts, thanks to his rare physical tools and a landing spot ripe with opportunity. Standing at 6’5” with a 78.5-inch wingspan, Thornton led the FBS in 2024 with an eye-popping 25.4 yards per catch on 26 receptions for 661 yards and six touchdowns at Tennessee, per Sports Info Solutions, showcasing his elite deep-threat ability.
His 4.30 40-yard dash (No. 2 in the 2025 WR class) and 23.7 mph top speed (No. 2) at the NFL Combine, coupled with an 89 athleticism test score (No. 6), highlight his game-breaking potential. Despite modest college production due to Tennessee’s run-heavy offense (75th in passing yards per game), Thornton’s 75% contested catch rate and 23% touchdown-to-catch ratio (No. 1 in class) demonstrate his ability to win in high-leverage situations.
Dont’e Thornton has otherworldly long speed and acceleration for a 6’5” WR.
He just straight up runs away from guys… the 4.30 40 isn’t surprising if you watched him this year. pic.twitter.com/UHZ1M53x5n
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) March 1, 2025
In Las Vegas, he joins a Chip Kelly-led offense with Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, where his speed could stretch defenses, freeing up underneath targets and creating big-play opportunities.
Thornton’s sleeper appeal is amplified by his long-term outlook in a Raiders offense that may evolve beyond 2025. With Meyers’ contract expiring in 2026 and potentially being out after this season, Thornton could climb the depth chart as early as Year 2, especially if he flashes as a rookie. His 9.85 Relative Athletic Score (RAS), ranking 59th among 3,816 WRs since 1987, underscores his freakish athleticism, while his 18.7 mph speed at 10 yards (No. 1 in class) shows explosive burst off the line.
Though his 26 receptions in 2024 and limited route tree raise concerns about immediate volume, his 96.4 PFF receiving grade on deep targets suggests he’s a vertical threat who needs only a few touches to make an impact.
For fantasy managers, Thornton’s combination of elite metrics, a high-octane offensive scheme, and a murky WR depth chart outside of Meyers and Bowers makes him a sneaky late-round target. He is worth a stash in deeper formats as he could eventually carve out a role later in the season.
- Written by Brandon Murchison
Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers
RotoBaller PPR Rank: WR 99 Overall 239.0
NFFC ADP: WR 86 Overall 261.05
Many fantasy managers expected Wicks to take a step in his second season after posting 39 receptions for 581 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie. Instead, Wicks posted a slightly worse stat line (39 receptions for 415 yards) despite seeing nearly 20 more targets in his second season.
4 plays showing why the Packers keep Dontayvion Wicks on the field despite his league-worst drop rate.
He’s a competitor. pic.twitter.com/JzGCvDyKCd
— Daire Carragher (@DaireCarragher) November 29, 2024
The biggest problem for the 2023 fifth-round pick has been his drops. Wicks has dropped 12 passes (9% of his targets) through two seasons. His struggles as a pass catcher, combined with the Packers’ drafting of Matthew Golden, have caused Wicks’ ADP to drop to WR86 before the 2025 season.
There are advanced metrics that suggest that Wicks can beat his ADP, especially if he can become more reliable as a pass catcher. Wicks’s route win rate (47.9%) ranked 26th among all qualified wide receivers in 2024. Additionally, he’s shown the ability to succeed against man coverage (35.5%-win rate in 2024, 31st). He also had a 0.30 target per route run rate (TPRR) last season, which ranked ninth among all wide receivers in the NFL who played at least eight games.
Jordan Love isn’t afraid to spread the ball around to his weapons, which means any player who can get on the field has a chance to put up solid statistics. We can assume that Matthew Golden will be one of the wide receivers on the field for two receiver sets. The other is up for grabs between Wicks and Romeo Doubs (assuming Green Bay continues to use Jayden Reed strictly in the slot).
- Written by Dan Fornek
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
RotoBaller PPR Rank: WR 56 Overall 126.0
NFFC ADP: WR58 Overall 145.7
Last season, Rashod Bateman flashed some of that talent that earned him the 27th overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft as the Ravens' wideout produced six double-digit fantasy weeks between Week 5 and Week 15. In that 10-game stretch, Bateman produced 510 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 29 receptions, averaging 11.6 fantasy points.
Ravens signed WR Rashod Bateman to a contract extension. pic.twitter.com/9W916hSx6i
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 5, 2025
This offseason, the Ravens added DeAndre Hopkins, who should pencil in opposite Zay Flowers in three receiver sets, allowing for Bateman to move into the slot, where he posted a 0.324 separation score, second to Kalif Raymond, and significantly higher than he managed when lined up out wide (0.183). Against man coverage, only Flowers and Ladd McConkey created more separation than Bateman's 0.282 mark.
Now, continuing with the slot production, Bateman averaged a remarkable 4.00 yards per route run, 0.23 targets per route run, and a win rate of 23.5% per Fantasy Points Data. The addition of Hopkins to this receiver's room is a positive for Bateman, who is coming off a career-best season that saw Bateman accumulate 756 receiving yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season.
According to The 33rd Team, in 2024, 77.8% of Bateman's receptions (35 of 45) yielded either a first down or a touchdown, the most among any pass catcher with more than 40 catches. Bateman, A.J. Brown, and Darnell Mooney were the only players to top 75%.
In the playoffs, fantasy managers caught another glimpse of what could be catching six of seven targets for 90 yards and finishing both playoff contests with a touchdown grab. In those contests, Bateman's average depth of target was 15.1 yards, he earned a 20% first-read target share, and he accounted for 106 air yards, the 14th-most.
He is an intriguing depth WR to add to your bench in the late rounds of the draft, as he possesses very strong underlying metrics that could open the door for a productive season.
- Matt Donnelly
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Who Should I Draft? Some common 2025 fantasy football draft decisions are regarding players like Dont'e Thornton Jr., Dontayvion Wicks, and Rashod Bateman. 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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