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3 days ago
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Fantasy Football: What makes a first-round bust? Examining the RB and WR positions over the years
By Jennifer Eakins, 4for4 As drafters, we expect our first couple of picks to be automatic, players who will sit atop any roster at the end of the season. Their contribution should be impactful, one that can be counted on every time they take the football field. Of course, it wouldn't be fantasy football without an early-round player getting injured during the preseason or the first couple of weeks of the regular season, sending them to the sidelines for a significant amount of games, or even ending their entire season before it even began. Sadly, those premature injuries are an inevitable part of the game, something fantasy owners really can't do anything about. But what about the guys who are drafted within the first few rounds who just don't pan out as expected? That significant drop in points can easily be a difference-maker throughout the season, considering those players' projections were among the top in the league. If we could somehow predict which players forecasted among the first two rounds would falter, or produce much less than their expectations, we could get an edge on the competition and save ourselves some heartache along the way. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] When examining the characteristics of an early-round bust, I decided to look at players selected in Rounds 1 and 2 from 2015–2024, in an attempt to find any correlations in their seasons. For this article, only WRs and RBs were used, as their sample size is much larger in these rounds, plus elite QBs and TEs very rarely bust unless they're off the shelf due to injury. In order to get candidates with true fantasy failures, all players must have been on the field for at least 10 games that season, eliminating players with significant injuries. To qualify as a bust, players must have ended the season at least 10 spots below their positional average draft position and/or posted at least 100 points below their projected output. Running Backs Busts (2015-2024) Just 17 backs fit the criteria outlined above from 2015 through the 2024 season, with two coming from last year. Poor Offensive Lines, Lack of Targets, or Just Not Very Good? Looking back at 2015, three RBs earned a spot at the early-round-underperformer table: Eddie Lacy, C.J. Anderson, and Jeremy Hill. Lacy's ADP was an inflated 1.04 right after Adrian Peterson, Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell that season. What should have been an RB3 scenario ended with just 758 rushing yards and five total touchdowns — enough to finish as the RB45 in half-PPR points per contest. The Packers' offense was mediocre, finishing 15th in total offense and 27th in yards per play. Perhaps their offensive line was to blame, as Aaron Rodgers was sacked 46 times in 2015, the fifth-most in the league. Lacy's target deficiency may have also played a part in his underwhelming numbers. With only 28 total, he ended 2015 as the 51st-most targeted RB in the NFL, something a top-tier RB rarely finds success with. Anderson was on the Super Bowl-winning Broncos offense in 2015, yet ended the season as the RB47 in half-PPR points per game. Coming off a year where he posted RB10 numbers, Anderson's ADP was 1.11, the sixth-highest at his position. What went wrong for the third-year back? It appears as though Denver's porous offensive line could have played a part here, as the tandem of Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler were sacked 39 times, the 13th-most in the NFL, inhibiting Anderson from gaining any ground. He also only averaged 11.8 touches per game, 42nd among RBs that season. Hill is an interesting one, as he led his offense in rushing yards and was 13th in total touches among RBs, but posted a pedestrian 3.6 rushing yards per attempt. The Bengals were first in the AFC North with a 12-4 record and ranked seventh in total offense in the league. Is it possible he just wasn't that good at football? I'm going with yes. Lamar Miller was the only RB in 2016 to bear the bust moniker. As the fourth RB off the board at 1.10, Miller ended the season as the RB18 in half-PPR points per game. Once again, a rough offensive line that allowed the 22nd-most sacks came into play. Having Osweiler under center didn't exactly help either. Surprisingly, Miller's 21.4 touches per game were among the most in the league in 2016, yet he couldn't get it done with a mediocre 4.0 rushing yards per attempt. Like the others, his targets were on the low end, ranking a disappointing 34th among backs that season. In 2017, we saw two RBs not meet the expectations of their elevated ADPs. Jay Ajayi was drafted at the start of the second round, with an ADP of 2.02. He played for two different teams, after being traded from the Dolphins to the Eagles midway through the season. In Miami, Ajayi averaged 19.7 attempts per game only to be reduced to 10 per contest in Philadelphia. Offensive line was not an issue for either team. It appears that a lack of targets could have been his downfall. With only 34 total targets on the season, Ajayi ranked 46th at his position, as he was thrown to nearly 80 times fewer than the RB target leaders. In turn, he tumbled 29 spots in positional ADP and put up more than 100 half-PPR points fewer than projected at the start of to Hill above, DeMarco Murray's slide seems to be more of a lack of elite talent, as opposed to a system issue. The Titans ranked 15th in rushing and 19th in total offense in 2017, clinching a wild-card spot with a 9-7 record. We can blame some of Murray's lack of production on his target share, as he ended the season as the RB20 in overall targets; however, he led Tennessee's backfield, nearly tripling the number of targets that sophomore Derrick Henry saw. In 2020, Clyde Edwards-Helaire shot up draft boards after Damien Williams opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID concerns. Based on Andy Reid's history of featuring lead backs, it was all systems go for CEH as the RB9 during draft season. The rookie did lead the Chiefs in total touches with 217 (15.5 per game) but didn't live up to expectations in fantasy land. We certainly can't blame the Chiefs' offense, as they posted the most yards and the sixth-highest point total of any unit in the league. The 23-year-old's 4.4 yards per attempt was 27th among ball carriers, and his rushing yards after contact ranked 19th. He wasn't awful, but he just wasn't worthy of a mid-second-round pick. In 2021, there was just one guy on a really bad offense, Saquon Barkley, and CEH was back in the mix for the second straight season. I'll start with our repeat offender, Edwards-Helaire, as he ended the season 15 positional spots below his ADP and nearly 100 half-PPR points behind backfield mate Darrel Williams. CEH missed seven games due to injury, but when on the field, didn't really shine either as a runner or pass-catcher. In fact, when he returned late in the season, the Chiefs gave more work to journeyman Jerick McKinnon, who out-touched CEH 33 to 17 during the postseason, presumably the most important games of the year. The Giants were a complete disaster in 2021, dysfunctional in every sense of the word. Barkley managed to play 13 games but was much less involved in the passing game than in his previous seasons, with just 57 targets, compared to 73 and 121 in the past. While definitely a bust as the RB34 in half-PPR points per contest, Barkley shouldn't field all of the blame for the brutal season, as the New York O-line was among the bottom of the barrel in nearly all statistical categories, including 31st in blown block percentage. In 2022, we added three RBs to this not-so-illustrious list. Jonathan Taylor was the 1.01, and with that, he was obviously the first RB off draft boards. Two major factors led to Taylor's bust campaign, the first being an ankle injury the 24-year-old nursed for the majority of the season, which eventually led to surgery at the end of January. Taylor managed just 861 yards and 11 touchdowns in 11 contests, but was also running behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. The combo of Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger, and Nick Foles was sacked 60 times, which was second among offenses for a total of 422 yards (1st). Najee Harris probably should not have boasted such a high ADP heading into 2022, as he entered the season with a Lisfranc issue and was rushing behind 4for4's 27th-ranked offensive line. His QB situation wasn't ideal either, with Mitch Trubisky and rookie Kenny Pickett duking it out to replace Ben Roethlisberger. It was a disaster of inefficiency for Harris in 2022 as he posted a mere 3.8 yards per carry, 1.6 yards before contact per carry, and 1.7 yards after contact per carry. In the second half of the season, as Pickett improved, Harris' fantasy output did as well, as he posted RB7 numbers in half-PPR points per game with 14.2 from Weeks 10-18. The 2022 season was a roller coaster for D'Andre Swift and his drafters as he started out white hot, but got hurt after Week 3 and upon return in Week 8, was in the opportunity doghouse and never regained the featured-back role. The 24-year-old was actually efficient when he had the ball, ending fifth in yards per carry and seventh in rushing EPA per carry, but his lack of touches — just 10.5 per game as RB49 — and just five end zone appearances killed his draft value. The following year in 2023 brought three more additions to the early-round RB bust list. The Chargers' offensive line wildly underperformed, which didn't do Austin Ekeler any favors, and he had a rough year in terms of production. An ankle sprain in Week 1 sidelined the RB for three weeks and likely hindered his volume and output for the remainder of the season. Upon return in Week 5, Ekeler saw just 16.2 touches per game (23rd among RBs) and never eclipsed 67 rushing yards with an average combined yards per game of 69.2. LA was 24th in rushing attempts on the season with the 25th most ground yards. We all had such high hopes for Bijan Robinson in his rookie season that he was being drafted in the first half of Round 1 by September. Former Atlanta HC Arthur Smith had his fingerprints all over this "bust" as Robinson sat 27th among RBs in touches per game (15.3), and he was also 37th in rushing attempts within the red zone, while teammate Tyler Allgeier sat 23rd in that last category. It should be no surprise to see Tony Pollard on this list. Given the reins to the Cowboys' backfield prior to the season, he was the eighth RB off draft boards in the second round, yet ended as the RB22 in half-PPR points per contest. Pollard's inefficiency took him down in 2023, as he saw the second-most red zone opportunity behind only Christian McCaffrey (83), yet scored on just five of those 72 looks. As a Cowboy in 2023, Pollard ended 20th in rushing yards per game and 29th in yards after contact per carry (among RBs with a minimum of 70 carries). Last year, only two backs fit the criteria for this article. Breece Hall was coming off an RB7 campaign in half-PPR scoring on a per-game basis, and his ADP rocketed up to RB2 as the fourth overall selection in 2024. The Jets ranked 25th in total offense and had the 31st rushing offense in the NFL. New York's O-line didn't exactly help things, as Rodgers was sacked 40 times, which was the ninth most, but Hall himself deserves some blame for the down year, as he posted just 4.2 yards per attempt (29th), the lowest of his career. His yards after contact (YAC) were a site-friendly 444, which came out to 2.1 per attempt, 20th among backs in both metrics. Not surprisingly, after reading all that, Hall ended as the RB18, with just 13.3 half-PPR points per tilt. Travis Etienne was a huge disappointment in 2024, checking in a whopping 37 positional spots lower than his draft stock. He dealt with both shoulder and hamstring issues early in the season, but after missing Weeks 7-8, he played the remainder of the schedule. His inefficiency last year was glaring as the Jags averaged just 1.8 yards after contact per attempt, which was below the league average of 1.9, and he posted just .48 fantasy points per touch, which sat 97th among NFL RBs last season. Etienne had a mere three broken tackles on rushes in 2024, a number that sits below QBs Will Levis and Daniel Jones. So yeah, he wasn't great. The Jets drafted another tackle early this year, which should help Hall, but rumors of a committee have been circulating all offseason. A report from The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt from mid-June indicated that the Jets don't have an obvious passing option after Garrett Wilson outside of Hall, which could also mean a top-15 workload in 2025. Yahoo ADP has him as the RB14 at pick 35, which seems like an accurate price tag. Etienne's draft stock has fallen significantly in 2025, thanks to his inefficiency in two straight seasons, plus the presence of Tank Bigsby and rookie speedster Bhayshul Tuten. There's still plenty of time for the hierarchy in the RB room to shake out, and Etienne could end up as the Jags' RB1, but for now, he's being drafted as a fantasy RB3/4 as Yahoo's RB39. Wide Receiver Busts (2015-2024) There were 20 wideouts who earned the chance to hear Maury Povich say "You are not a WR1" from 2015-2024, and here's a look at how they potentially got there. Bad Offenses, Bad QBs, and Straight-Up Bad Play Randall Cobb, who was the seventh WR off the board at 2.04, is the lone receiver bust in 2015. Instead of a top-10 finish, the Packers' WR ended the year as the WR27 in half-PPR points, averaging just 10.2 per game. Despite having arguably one of the greatest QBs in the NFL under center, Green Bay's passing offense ranked 25th in 2015, with Rodgers personally sitting as the QB30 in yards per attempt and 26th in completion percentage. Can we blame Cobb's slippage on the poor play of Rodgers in 2015? I think I just did. His wideout didn't exactly help, though, as Cobb posted a paltry 51.8 reception yards per game, and his 61.2% catch rate was 124th among pass-catchers. Four WRs didn't make the grade in 2016: DeAndre Hopkins, Allen Robinson, Brandon Marshall, and Alshon Jeffery. One thing all four have in common? Brutally bad offenses. In Hopkins's case, the Texans actually won the AFC South and a playoff game, but still managed to end the season ranked 29th in both team and passing offenses. Osweiler's 2.9% TD rate was just two away from dead last among QBs, and he had the basement spot in yards per attempt. Even with Nuk's insane talent, one can't overcome dreadful QB play. While not in the same situation when it came to his team's end-of-season result, Robinson met the same fate in the QB department. The Jaguars went 3-13 in 2016, with the NFL's 25th-ranked team offense. Even all the garbage time theatrics couldn't elevate Blake Bortles from his post as the third-worst QB both in yards per attempt and completion percentage. A-Rob dropped 28 spots from his WR6 ADP to where he eventually finished the season in half-PPR points per game as the WR34. The Jets were a smidge better record-wise in 2016, yet still struggled offensively. With Ryan Fitzpatrick as the signal-caller, New York's team offense ranked 30th, with the 27th-ranked passing offense. The NFL's journeyman extraordinaire sat within the bottom four of almost all passing categories from 2016, including yards per attempt, adjusted yards per passing attempt, TD rate, and completion percentage. Marshall was the seventh WR off the board at 2.01 and brutally finished as the WR56 in half-PPR points per tilt. His output was nearly 100 points fewer than projected for a wideout at his ADP. It seems Jeffery was also a casualty stemming from a poor Bears QB committee in 2016. The insipid trio of Matt Barkley, Brian Hoyer, and Jay Cutler combined for a 3.2% TD rate, good enough for 24th among QBs that season. While Jeffery did miss four games due to a banned substance violation, he was still at the lower end of the league in production when on the field. His 4.3 receptions per game ranked 48th, while his 55.3% catch rate came in at a disappointing 157th among receivers. In 2017, we saw another four WRs within the top 10 taken at their position who failed to finish in that same elite category. Mike Evans is sort of a head-scratcher, as the Bucs' passing offense was ranked fourth in the NFL in 2017. He was the top fantasy producer in his offense, yet he ended the season as the WR20 in half-PPR points a game. Jameis Winston missed three games but was fairly effective while on the field, ranking within the top 10 in the majority of QB statistical categories. Evans seemed to have gotten in his own way in 2017, as his 52.2% catch rate was 182nd among pass-catchers. Also, despite finishing 11th at his position in targets, he averaged only 4.7 receptions per game. Jordy Nelson had Brett Hundley tossing the rock for 11 games, translating to a 25th-ranked passing offense for the Packers in 2017. While on the field, Hundley was the fourth-worst in TD rate, second-worst in yards per attempt, and ranked 23rd in completion percentage. Rodgers' numbers were up to par for his standard of play, but that can only go so far in just seven games. Nelson didn't exactly make lemonade from the Hundley situation, as his catch rate was a disappointing 60.2% (130th among pass-catchers). His drop from WR6 to WR53 was a huge one, as his final output was over 100 PPR points fewer than projected during draft season. People are still arguing if Dez Bryant's fall stemmed from a sophomore slide by QB Dak Prescott or simply a loss in step from the veteran wideout. Prescott's numbers were serviceable, ranking 13th in completion percentage, 19th in yards per attempt, and 16th in total passing yards. However, Bryant's numbers weren't so favorable. His 52.3% catch rate ranked 179th among all pass-catchers, while his 12.1 yards per reception ranked 59th. The targets were there, as Bryant posted WR12 numbers in that department, but in the end, he finished as the WR24 in total half-PPR points — 15 spots away from his draft-day ADP. Amari Cooper ended the season 22 spots from his WR10 ADP, with an 81-point differential than projected at the start of 2017. What went wrong for the third-year wideout? Derek Carr's back injury affected him more than he let on, and their 23rd-ranked offense suffered as a result. Carr sat in the lower half of the league in nearly every statistical category, which makes it tough for a WR to achieve elite fantasy status. Cooper was also second to Michael Crabtree in targets with 96 and fourth on the Raiders' offense in target rate per snap. His 50% catch rate didn't exactly help him, as it put him 190th in the league among receivers. After taking 2018 off, three wideouts were deemed busts in 2019 based on our criteria. Falling 58 spots from WR5 to WR63, JuJu Smith-Schuster broke many fantasy hearts in his first year as the Steelers' top dog. He was unable to stay healthy, which didn't help, but the 23-year-old was the victim of a really bad QB bounce, having to catch passes from Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges for all but two contests. Pittsburgh was 27th in total offense and ranked 31st in passing, which is tough to overcome for any WR. The hype was pretty massive surrounding Odell Beckham Jr. and the Browns heading into 2019, and as a result, OBJ was an early second-rounder as WR6. Cleveland's offense did not produce as expected due to a myriad of reasons, with a subpar offensive line certainly among them. They ranked 23rd at the end of 2019, and their ineptitude had a hand in the Browns' offense ending as the 22nd-ranked passing offense. Baker Mayfield also took a step back, which didn't help, posting a 59% completion rate (30th in the NFL) and a 4.1% TD rate, which was in the lower third of the league. Thielen dropped from WR10 in ADP to a WR48 finish in half-PPR per contest scoring. He was only in a uniform for 11 games due to a soft-tissue injury as well as an ankle laceration, but the Vikings went way run-heavy on the season (fourth in the league) even when he was in the game. His catch rate of 62.5% was 135th among pass catchers, which was not ideal. The 29-year-old was a disappointment for those who spent a late second-round pick on him as Thielen failed to crack 100 half-PPR points all season long. Barely qualifying due to injury and only hitting the field 10 times, Hopkins fell 14 WR spots from his WR4 ADP in 2021. His team WR1 status and volume took a monster hit from 2020 to 2021, as he saw 10.0 targets per contest in 2020 to Christian Kirk's 5.6, which dipped down to 6.4 in 2021 with Kirk seeing a similar 6.3 balls per tilt. DK Metcalf shouldn't necessarily shoulder too much blame for his down 2021 season, as Russell Wilson spent Weeks 6-8 on IR due to a surgically repaired finger and was never really the same upon his return. Seattle was 31st in the NFL in pass attempts and 29th in completions, and subsequently, Metcalf's fantasy production took a dive from 14.4 half-PPR points a game in 2020 to 12.2. Just one WR made this column from 2022, and it was 2021's WR2 in both overall half-PPR points and per-game, Deebo Samuel. The addition of Christian McCaffrey took away Samuel's hybrid role in the 49ers' offense, and his volume took a hit, along with his production. The 27-year-old's yards per catch dropped from 18.2 in 2021 to 11.3, and he battled ankle, knee, and hamstring issues on his way to 632 yards on 56 receptions, with another 42 rushes for 232 yards. Bad QB play was the name of the bust game in 2023 for Garrett Wilson, as he was being drafted with the assumption that Aaron Rodgers would be on the field for more than three minutes. Instead, he caught balls from the vanilla trio of Zach Wilson, Trevor Siemian, and Tim Boyle. With a 25% target share and 43% air yards share, which sat second in the NFL, Wilson flashed potential. Jaylen Waddle posted over 1,000 yards on 104 targets in 14 contests in 2023, but only found the end zone four times all season. He wasn't a huge disappointment, but did finish 13 positional spots below his WR11 ADP, so he counts for this study. Speaking of bad QB play, Tyreek Hill tops the list of WR busts from 2024. Well, we can't blame it all on Tua Tagovailoa, but he was injured for six contests and had the lowest air yards per attempt (5.8) in the NFL last season. Hill did suffer a wrist injury in Week 1 that lingered, but he only had three contests with over 100 receiving yards last year and ended as the WR32 in half-PPR scoring on a per-game basis. The Cheetah is now 31 years old, but he's still speedy, and Tagovailoa is healthy, so sleeping on him could be a mistake. Recency and age bias have depressed Hill's ADP to 38th as the WR17. We have a repeat offender alert as Wilson is here again, this time with Rodgers as his QB all season long. He did post career highs in receptions (101), receiving yards (1,104), and receiving touchdowns (7), but did have to compete with Rodgers' bestie Davante Adams for targets. If the Jets lean very run-heavy, which is the expectation, we could see Wilson here for a three-peat, but it's unlikely simply because his ADP is currently outside the top 24 as the WR16 (41st), but he does have the potential for fantasy WR2 output under this new Jets' coaching staff as the clear WR1. I would like to point out what I wrote in this very column last June, before I get into this next guy. Marvin Harrison Jr. will likely have an incredible NFL and fantasy career and may even be solid for rosters in 2024, but with an ADP of 15, he's the highest rookie WR we've seen drafted maybe ever, despite landing in an Arizona offense that's 22nd in projected points this season. The Cardinals attempted 555 passes in 2023, which sat 24th among the league's offenses, and were 29th in pass rate over expected (PROE) and 30th in pass percentage when in neutral game script. Harrison would have to be an absolute beast with a huge step forward (or backward to 2021) from Kyler Murray to return his current draft capital. Yes, I am fully tooting that horn of mine, but Harrison didn't even come close to paying off for drafters, as he finished as WR41. The then-rookie was used as a field stretcher to open things up for TE Trey McBride. This was great for the Arizona offense, but Harrison's utilization was rough for any meaningful production. MHJ has put on some muscle mass this offseason, which should assist in contested catches, and hopefully they get him more involved in the intermediate and short stuff in 2025. Harrison is Yahoo's WR20 at pick No. 44. Potential 2025 Busts I know it's sacrilegious to go against CMC, but I'll take my chances. Yes, he's "fully healthy" after bilateral Achilles tendonitis and a PCL sprain in his knee, and yes, the 49ers have fewer weapons than they have had in previous years. However, we won't get any coach or trainer to say that he's not having great workouts or is not going to be his old self in 2025. That's a wait-and-see thing for all of us. CMC will be 29 at the start of the season, and he's seen a lot of wear and tear on his body with a whopping 1,871 career touches in eight seasons. I liked him a lot better earlier this summer when he was a second-rounder, but after healthy camp reports are making the rounds. McCaffrey is leaving boards at the first/second-round turn as the RB6. Bottom Line When drafting a running back in the first few rounds, which seems on trend again for this season, be sure to check out their offensive line. It's tough to produce if the offense can't get a play off and their quarterback is on the ground. Also, targets matter. They always matter. Wideouts are only as good as the quarterback throwing them the ball, regardless of freakish talent. Sure, athletic ability can get them so far, but to count on the numbers expected from an early-round draft pick, the signal-caller under center is certainly a factor. Look for solid quarterbacks in respectable offenses. Let your league mates grab the big names in not-so-great situations and instead focus on players who are set up for success, not only physically, but by the competency of their teammates.
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4 days ago
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- Yahoo
The top 15 NFL wide receivers 25-years-old and under
The wide receiver position is absolutely loaded in both fantasy football and reality. It's so hard to put together any sort of position ranking list without feeling like you left someone off or slighted a really good player or two. And yet, I'm going to give it a shot … and I'll absolutely feel the aforementioned regret, shame, etc. After pouring hours into charting a ton of the guys drafted the last few years for Reception Perception, I decided to sit down and rank the top 15 wide receivers who are currently 25 years old or younger heading into training camp (not including rookies). [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Note: These are not simply fantasy rankings. Instead, this is how I view these guys as pure individual NFL players removed from the context of their situations. 1) Ja'Marr Chase In last year's version of this piece, I wrote that 'Ja'Marr Chase hasn't necessarily had that 2022 Jefferson or 2023 Lamb season quite yet' but he had every part of the skill set needed to do it and could indeed 'have that type of campaign as soon as this season.' Sure enough, that's exactly what happened, as Chase essentially ran away with the 2025 Triple Crown, leading the sport in catches, yards and touchdowns. Chase is an undeniably explosive player; he might be the best bet among all NFL wideouts to snag a short reception and take it to the house. However, he's always been well undersold as a route runner, technician and overall craftsman. I've spoken with him over the years about his intention to master all three wide receiver positions and win from every alignment. That was well expressed in 2024, as he took a career-high 32.2% snaps from the slot. 2) Puka Nacua Puka Nacua didn't disappoint one bit in his follow-up to a record-breaking 2024 rookie season. While he missed some time with a knee injury, he was the most efficient wide receiver in the NFL when he played. He led all wide receivers with 200-plus routes in successful targets per route run (23.5% of routes), yards per route run (3.57) and first downs per route run (17.7% of routes). There's a healthy gap between Nacua and the second-place finisher in each category. While we all agree that Nacua benefits from playing with Matthew Stafford in Sean McVay's offense, he is not a creation of his surroundings. His 91st percentile success rate vs. zone coverage and 92nd percentile success rate vs. press in Reception Perception help confirm that. Nacua was already an after-catch demon, playing with rare power at the receiver position, but he made significant strides as both a separator and ball-winner in tight coverage in 2025. Overall, based on his film, I'm comfortable saying that Nacua made the leap into the Tier 1, elite group of NFL wide receivers. 3) Amon-Ra St. Brown It's tough to argue against the production of Amon-Ra St. Brown. Among this cohort of receivers, he ranks first in successful target rate (64%) and second in first downs per route run (13.9%) since 2022. He's been a hyper-efficient player who has carried a large burden of the targets in one of the NFL's best offenses. St. Brown is one of the best power slot receivers in the NFL, if not the best. Knocking him down too far in your rankings because of alignment is outdated thinking. St. Brown also deserves tremendous credit for improving as a separator against man and press coverage on an incremental basis every single season of his career. At worst, he's the first option among the NFL's second tier of receivers. 4) Malik Nabers Malik Nabers was a walking, talking, explosive-play machine back at LSU and he largely brought every bit of that to the NFL field. Frankly, he was even more impressive as a technician than I expected right out of the gate. Some of his outrageous 2024 volume numbers (targeted on 31% of routes) are a reflection of a poor surrounding cast but his talent is commensurate with a player who should get the football as much as possible. It was a close call between Nabers and Ladd McConkey in terms of the best rookie wide receiver at beating man coverage last season. Those are the types of players we want to be super bullish on going forward. His ability to survive a poor rookie-year landing spot is a testament to his separation skills and big-play ability with the ball in his hands. On that note, I spoke with Nabers earlier this year and was quite impressed with his detailed approach to winning after the catch. Someone with his athletic traits paired with such a strong sense of the work and craftsmanship of the position can push to be one of the best wideouts in the NFL in due time. 5) Drake London Drake London exploded for a major breakthrough third season and showed off his multi-layered skill set. After being deployed as a near-exclusive X-receiver in his first two seasons under Arthur Smith, London took career-high snaps in the slot and off the line of scrimmage in his first season with a new Rams-based coaching staff. Zac Robinson and Co. really weaponized London's separation skills by putting him in motion and getting him work from multiple alignments. We got to see his strong ability over the middle on quick-hitters with Kirk Cousins through most of the season and then were reminded of his elite traits as a ball-winner on deeper, out-breaking routes with Michael Penix Jr. at the close. Hopefully, we see the best of both worlds come together in Penix's first full season as the starter in what's a well-constructed passing game. London should be viewed as an already established star player, considering he's right alongside Ja'Marr Chase in this cohort in yards per route run (2.10 to 2.18) and successful targets per route run (both 14.2% of routes). However, there's another level to jump in his game and he's a dark-horse bet to lead the NFL in targets this year. 6) Ladd McConkey While this doesn't mean he will be the top guy over the long term, as you can see based on my ranking here, Ladd McConkey was the best rookie wide receiver on film last season. It wasn't just tape; McConkey was productive as the clear lead dog in the Chargers' passing game. Among this cohort of players, his 3.01 yards per route run vs. man coverage ranks second behind only Nacua since 2022. Even better, his 84.4% success rate vs. press is currently the sixth-best mark in the Reception Perception full history database (2014 to present). Don't you dare call him a slot-only player. He has all the skills needed to be considered a true No. 1 receiver. He is extremely quarterback-friendly as a technician, wins contested catches and is a menace with the ball in his hands. The only question about McConkey's future is whether his body can survive the full-season punishment a featured player on a good offense can expect to go their way. He suffered through several dings as a rookie and had injury issues in college. Otherwise, the sky is the limit. 7) Brian Thomas Jr. Brian Thomas Jr. was the fourth wideout drafted among the 2024 class but he could easily go down as the best among the group. Thomas was outrageously good in a bad situation as a rookie and put in his best work, both in the box score and on film, late in the season. He has a unique skill set among NFL receivers because he has the size and speed — along with the press- and man-coverage-route chops — to win out at X-receiver on a full-time basis. However, he was dynamic on designed touches with the ball in his hands, averaging 10 yards per target on screens last year. In Year 2, Thomas finds himself paired with a play-caller who should be able to weaponize his special traits from multiple alignments. He needs to be a bit more consistent settling down and running routes with timing against zone coverage but that's a normal critique for rookie wideouts. I have full faith that Thomas has all the tools in the kit to be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL for a long time. 8) Garrett Wilson Garrett Wilson was just rewarded by the New York Jets with a massive new contract extension, and he's, without question, worth every penny of that deal. Wilson embodies the rotten situational luck often placed upon receivers drafted in the 2022 class. Each season in the NFL, Wilson has been saddled with bottom-barrel quarterback play and/or some of the worst-designed offenses we've seen in recent memory. Still, he's been incredibly productive and has gotten better each season on an individual basis. The Justin Fields pairing is a question mark for his fantasy outlook, but Wilson's worth among NFL receivers is beyond reproach at this stage. Wilson is an elite separator and can run any route on the tree. Even more notable, he took a big step in the contested-catch game last season, as he routinely had to adjust in-flight to passes behind or above him at the catch point. Those are the qualities that make him a true No. 1 receiver. After he spent most of the last two seasons tethered at X-receiver, only running mostly go, slant and out routes, I'm excited to see him with more dynamic deployment under OC Tanner Engstrand, who was the passing-game coordinator in Detroit. 9) Chris Olave Since he entered the league in 2022, Chris Olave ranks sixth amongst this cohort in yards per route run (2.22) and sixth in first downs per route run (11.1% of routes). Fantasy football players seem to think Olave is more of a theory than an actualized player but that's just simply not true. He's been an extremely productive wideout since he was drafted by New Orleans. Olave is a fantastic route runner and a dangerous separator down the field. While there are some areas where he can improve his game, the issues for Olave have largely been outside of his control: an archaic offense in 2022/2023, his wayward chemistry with Derek Carr and, of course, serious concussions. He played extremely well as the X-receiver in Klint Kubiak's offense last season but I'm excited to see how he's deployed in a more versatile way with Kellen Moore. DeVonta Smith took a career-high 47.5% snaps in the slot last year under Moore and posted his most efficient season to date. I can envision a similar outlook for Olave if concussion issues don't rear their ugly heads again this year. 10) Josh Downs The next three names, all of whom were drafted in the 2023 class, are really tight but give me Josh Downs at the top of the group. The Colts wide receiver trailed only Nacua and Nabers among this cohort in targets per route run (29.4% of routes) and was fifth in successful targets per route (15.1% of routes). Throwing the ball to Downs produced good results and provided some of the few highlights in an otherwise downtrodden Indy passing game last season. Downs is such a positive force in the offense because he's a dynamic separator at all three levels, and against both man and zone coverage. He is truly one of the best route runners at the position. Additionally, he's an excellent ball-winner in tight coverage and has been such dating back to his UNC days with QB Drake Maye. He's more like a Tyler Lockett-type of player than your typical popgun slot merchant. Downs needs a better offensive environment to really put it in the box score but he's a fantastic young wide receiver whom the Colts need to put a premium on featuring in their passing game. 11) Jaxon Smith-Njigba Jaxon Smith-Njigba took a major step forward in Year 2 from a production standpoint. The reality is that he was always a good player; the per-route metrics from his rookie season were a false flag and were impacted because he played behind two great receivers — Lockett and DK Metcalf. JSN has always been a fantastic receiver when working against man coverage and the Seahawks finally weaponized that last season. He led all wide receivers with 4.96 yards per route run against man coverage from Week 10 on. Smith-Njigba's ability to win against man coverage and the condensed nature of Klint Kubiak's offense should ease any concerns about him taking more reps outside in Year 3. I'd like to see him improve as a tackle-breaker with the ball in his hands to put the final touches on his case as a true No. 1 receiver in what should be a breakthrough third season. 12) Rashee Rice Rashee Rice was only in our lives for a brief moment last year but he was excellent in his role with the Chiefs. I said after his rookie season that if he was going to maintain high volume with this play style and pre-snap deployment, he would need to become an elite zone-beater. It wasn't a full season but he turned in a 99th percentile success rate vs. zone coverage mark in Reception Perception. Over the last two seasons, he ranks second among this cohort in yards per route run (2.56) and third in first downs per route run (12.6% of routes). Some of that is inflated because of the small sample (he's 42nd among the group in total routes run), his unique role and playing with Patrick Mahomes, but his unique blend of speed and power also does a ton of heavy lifting. Right now, Rice profiles very similarly to JuJu Smith-Schuster's early career run with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's not a bad place to be but I'm hoping to see signs of growth against man coverage this season and beyond so that he can walk further down the power-slot receiver archetype, a la St. Brown. Rice's rookie season Reception Perception profile did carry some similarities to St. Brown's Year 1 showing. 13) Marvin Harrison Jr. Marvin Harrison Jr.'s rookie season was a disappointment relative to lofty expectations based on his pre-draft hype and his fantasy football ADP. However, when viewed in isolation, he was a good starting-level NFL X-receiver as a rookie. That's not nothing; it's a difficult gig, especially in this offense. I expect offensive coordinator Drew Petzing to make a more concerted effort to increase MHJ's reps in the slot and off the line of scrimmage in 2025. Harrison is a much better separator than credited, especially when breaking off man coverage routes over the middle of the field. His quarterback needs to find him more effectively in those moments in Year 2. For Harrison's part, he needs to work on coming back to the ball, in addition to playing with more physicality and cleaner attack techniques at the catch point. Overall, I'm still optimistic about Harrison's chances to develop into a star-caliber player on his own, even if there are big outstanding questions about his deployment in Arizona and match with Kyler Murray. 14) Zay Flowers Zay Flowers held down this exact same spot in last year's version of this piece. He enjoyed a strong second season, during which he improved in several key areas. Flowers gets his share of schemed touches but showed growth against press coverage and remains one of the better zone-beaters. He and Lamar Jackson were much more in sync for downfield shots, and Flowers made defenses pay. Flowers is still a bit mistake-prone at the catch point and can get a little loose on the details of his routes against man coverage. Those are some of the areas he needs to take another step to launch further up this list and be considered a true No. 1 wide receiver. He is, however, a really good player who has made the Ravens' pass offense better because of the layups his quick separation ability brings for Jackson. 15) George Pickens Just like Flowers, George Pickens is also ranked in the same position as he was last season. I will note that it was a close call between him and the first three names in the 'just missed the list' section below and I wouldn't argue if you prefer any of them to the former Steelers wideout. Even if he wasn't a consistent player all through the course of last season, 2025 was still the best season of Pickens' career when viewed in isolation. He improved dramatically as a separator against man coverage, especially on quick stop routes and slants. He's the perfect fit for what was a vacant X-receiver gig in Dallas prior to his arrival. As long as Pickens is locked in, he could have a 2024 Tee Higgins-like season; one of the most productive No. 2 receivers in the league across from a versatile alpha wideout. Just missed the list, in order Jayden Reed didn't take a step forward as an individual player in Year 2, but he didn't regress, either. His frustrating production was mostly due to the offense's run-heavy nature after Jordan Love's injury and some confusing deployment. I still have plenty of hope for a true breakthrough season for Reed because he's an excellent separator and has improved in the contested catch game. He needs to address the drop issues from last season. Jameson Williams took a big step forward in his third NFL season. He's not a perfect player but was dangerous as a run-after-catch weapon on digs, slants and crossers. His speed shows up more in his ability to run away from people than it does on go routes on the outside. Jordan Addison is an excellent option as the No. 2 receiver across from Justin Jefferson. He took a step forward as a ball-winner in tight coverage. His production might take a hit if this offense is a little bit less dangerous through the air with J.J. McCarthy set to start in the NFL for the first time. Rome Odunze is someone I'm willing to bet on as a big riser up this list in future seasons, if not as soon as this year. He was in the same tier of prospects as guys like Nabers and Harrison but was stuck in a uniquely miserable situation as a rookie. His play as a rookie was more than acceptable, much better than the per-route zealots will let you believe — they made the same mistake with JSN. He should be the X-receiver of Ben Johnson's offense and could lead this team in receiving. Rashod Bateman is a long-time personal favorite of mine. I still hold out hope that he can offer a real boom season at some point in his career. Even after multiple challenging injuries, his individual talent level is not far off from some guys ranked above him on this list. Khalil Shakir emerged as a great answer in the slot for the Bills. He's a tough and rugged runner after the catch with good hands and instincts for zone coverage. Xavier Worthy looks like a useful player for the Chiefs' passing game but it'll be interesting to see where his role settles with Rice coming back. Hopefully, some of those missed deep shots from early last season connect in 2025 because that's where he's at his best as a separator. Ricky Pearsall doesn't have a case for this list based on a nearly lost rookie season after an August shooting. However, he was so fantastic as a man-coverage-beating receiver down the stretch of last season that I want to include him in the hopes he takes a big jump in Year 2. He's someone I'm betting on.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 Fantasy Football: The top 15 WRs 25-years-old and under
The wide receiver position is absolutely loaded in both fantasy and reality. It's so hard to put together any sort of position ranking list without feeling like you left someone off or slighted a really good player or two. And yet, I'm going to give it a shot … and I'll absolutely feel the aforementioned regret, shame, etc. After pouring hours into charting a ton of the guys drafted the last few years for Reception Perception, I decided to sit down and rank the top 15 wide receivers who are currently 25 years old or younger heading into training camp (not including rookies). Advertisement [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Note: These are not simply fantasy rankings. Instead, this is how I view these guys as pure individual NFL players removed from the context of their situations. 1) Ja'Marr Chase In last year's version of this piece, I wrote that 'Ja'Marr Chase hasn't necessarily had that 2022 Jefferson or 2023 Lamb season quite yet' but he had every part of the skill set needed to do it and could indeed 'have that type of campaign as soon as this season.' Sure enough, that's exactly what happened, as Chase essentially ran away with the 2025 Triple Crown, leading the sport in catches, yards and touchdowns. Advertisement Chase is an undeniably explosive player; he might be the best bet among all NFL wideouts to snag a short reception and take it to the house. However, he's always been well undersold as a route runner, technician and overall craftsman. I've spoken with him over the years about his intention to master all three wide receiver positions and win from every alignment. That was well expressed in 2024, as he took a career-high 32.2% snaps from the slot. 2) Puka Nacua Puka Nacua didn't disappoint one bit in his follow-up to a record-breaking 2024 rookie season. While he missed some time with a knee injury, he was the most efficient wide receiver in the NFL when he played. He led all wide receivers with 200-plus routes in successful targets per route run (23.5% of routes), yards per route run (3.57) and first downs per route run (17.7% of routes). There's a healthy gap between Nacua and the second-place finisher in each category. Advertisement While we all agree that Nacua benefits from playing with Matthew Stafford in Sean McVay's offense, he is not a creation of his surroundings. His 91st percentile success rate vs. zone coverage and 92nd percentile success rate vs. press in Reception Perception help confirm that. Nacua was already an after-catch demon, playing with rare power at the receiver position, but he made significant strides as both a separator and ball-winner in tight coverage in 2025. Overall, based on his film, I'm comfortable saying that Nacua made the leap into the Tier 1, elite group of NFL wide receivers. 3) Amon-Ra St. Brown It's tough to argue against the production of Amon-Ra St. Brown. Among this cohort of receivers, he ranks first in successful target rate (64%) and second in first downs per route run (13.9%) since 2022. He's been a hyper-efficient player who has carried a large burden of the targets in one of the NFL's best offenses. St. Brown is one of the best power slot receivers in the NFL, if not the best. Knocking him down too far in your rankings because of alignment is outdated thinking. St. Brown also deserves tremendous credit for improving as a separator against man and press coverage on an incremental basis every single season of his career. At worst, he's the first option among the NFL's second tier of receivers. Advertisement 4) Malik Nabers Malik Nabers was a walking, talking, explosive-play machine back at LSU and he largely brought every bit of that to the NFL field. Frankly, he was even more impressive as a technician than I expected right out of the gate. Some of his outrageous 2024 volume numbers (targeted on 31% of routes) are a reflection of a poor surrounding cast but his talent is commensurate with a player who should get the football as much as possible. It was a close call between Nabers and Ladd McConkey in terms of the best rookie wide receiver at beating man coverage last season. Those are the types of players we want to be super bullish on going forward. His ability to survive a poor rookie-year landing spot is a testament to his separation skills and big-play ability with the ball in his hands. On that note, I spoke with Nabers earlier this year and was quite impressed with his detailed approach to winning after the catch. Someone with his athletic traits paired with such a strong sense of the work and craftsmanship of the position can push to be one of the best wideouts in the NFL in due time. Advertisement 5) Drake London Drake London exploded for a major breakthrough third season and showed off his multi-layered skill set. After being deployed as a near-exclusive X-receiver in his first two seasons under Arthur Smith, London took career-high snaps in the slot and off the line of scrimmage in his first season with a new Rams-based coaching staff. Zac Robinson and co. really weaponized London's separation skills by putting him in motion and getting him work from multiple alignments. We got to see his strong ability over the middle on quick-hitters with Kirk Cousins through most of the season and then were reminded of his elite traits as a ball-winner on deeper, out-breaking routes with Michael Penix Jr. at the close. Hopefully, we see the best of both worlds come together in Penix's first full season as the starter in what's a well-constructed passing game. London should be viewed as an already established star player, considering he's right alongside Ja'Marr Chase in this cohort in yards per route run (2.10 to 2.18) and successful targets per route run (both 14.2% of routes). However, there's another level to jump in his game and he's a dark-horse bet to lead the NFL in targets this year. 6) Ladd McConkey While this doesn't mean he will be the top guy over the long term, as you can see based on my ranking here, Ladd McConkey was the best rookie wide receiver on film last season. It wasn't just tape; McConkey was productive as the clear-lead dog in the Chargers' passing game. Among this cohort of players, his 3.01 yards per route run vs. man coverage ranks second behind only Puka Nacua since 2022. Even better, his 84.4% success rate vs. press is currently the sixth-best mark in the Reception Perception full history database (2014 to present). Advertisement Don't you dare call him a slot-only player. He has all the skills needed to be considered a true No. 1 receiver. He is extremely quarterback-friendly as a technician, wins contested catches and is a menace with the ball in his hands. The only question about McConkey's future is whether his body can survive the full-season punishment a featured player on a good offense can expect to go their way. He suffered through several dings as a rookie and had injury issues in college. Otherwise, the sky is the limit. 7) Brian Thomas Jr. Brian Thomas Jr. was the fourth wideout drafted among the 2024 class but he could easily go down as the best among the group. Thomas was outrageously good in a bad situation as a rookie and put in his best work, both in the box score and on film, late in the season. He has a unique skill set among NFL receivers because he has the size and speed — along with the press- and man-coverage-route chops — to win out at X-receiver on a full-time basis. However, he was dynamic on designed touches with the ball in his hands, averaging 10 yards per target on screens last year. Advertisement In Year 2, Thomas finds himself paired with a play-caller who should be able to weaponize his special traits from multiple alignments. He needs to be a bit more consistent settling down and running routes with timing against zone coverage but that's a normal critique for rookie wideouts. I have full faith that Thomas has all the tools in the kit to be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL for a long time. 8) Garrett Wilson Garrett Wilson was just rewarded by the New York Jets with a massive new contract extension, and he's, without question, worth every penny of that deal. Wilson embodies the rotten situational luck often placed upon receivers drafted in the 2022 class. Each season in the NFL, Wilson has been saddled with bottom-barrel quarterback play and/or some of the worst-designed offenses we've seen in recent memory. Still, he's been incredibly productive and has gotten better each season on an individual basis. The Justin Fields pairing is a question mark for his fantasy outlook, but Wilson's worth among NFL receivers is beyond reproach at this stage. Wilson is an elite separator and can run any route on the tree. Even more notable, he took a big step in the contested-catch game last season, as he routinely had to adjust in-flight to passes behind or above him at the catch point. Those are the qualities that make him a true No. 1 receiver. After he spent most of the last two seasons tethered at X-receiver, only running mostly go, slant and out routes, I'm excited to see him with more dynamic deployment under OC Tanner Engstrand, who was the passing-game coordinator in Detroit. Advertisement 9) Chris Olave Since he entered the league in 2022, Chris Olave ranks sixth amongst this cohort in yards per route run (2.22) and sixth in first downs per route run (11.1% of routes). Fantasy football players seem to think Olave is more of a theory than an actualized player but that's just simply not true. He's been an extremely productive wideout since he was drafted by New Orleans. Olave is a fantastic route runner and a dangerous separator down the field. While there are some areas where he can improve his game, the issues for Olave have largely been outside of his control: an archaic offense in 2022/2023, his wayward chemistry with Derek Carr and, of course, serious concussions. He played extremely well as the X-receiver in Klint Kubiak's offense last season but I'm excited to see how he's deployed in a more versatile way with Kellen Moore. DeVonta Smith took a career-high 47.5% snaps in the slot last year under Moore and posted his most efficient season to date. I can envision a similar outlook for Olave if concussion issues don't rear their ugly heads again this year. Advertisement 10) Josh Downs The next three names, all of whom were drafted in the 2023 class, are really tight but give me Josh Downs at the top of the group. The Colts wide receiver trailed only Nacua and Nabers among this cohort in targets per route run (29.4% of routes) and was fifth in successful targets per route (15.1% of routes). Throwing the ball to Josh Downs produced good results and provided some of the few highlights in an otherwise downtrodden Indy passing game last season. Downs is such a positive force in the offense because he's a dynamic separator at all three levels, and against both man and zone coverage. He is truly one of the best route runners at the position. Additionally, he's an excellent ball-winner in tight coverage and has been such dating back to his UNC days with Drake Maye. He's more like a Tyler Lockett-type of player than your typical popgun slot merchant. Downs needs a better offensive environment to really put it in the box score but he's a fantastic young wide receiver whom the Colts need to put a premium on featuring in their passing game. Advertisement 11) Jaxon Smith-Njigba Jaxon Smith-Njigba took a major step forward in Year 2 from a production standpoint. The reality is that he was always a good player; the per-route metrics from his rookie season were a false flag and were impacted because he played behind two great receivers. JSN has always been a fantastic receiver when working against man coverage and the Seahawks finally weaponized that last season. He led all wide receivers with 4.96 yards per route run against man coverage from Week 10 on. Smith-Njigba's ability to win against man coverage and the condensed nature of Klint Kubiak's offense should ease any concerns about him taking more reps outside in Year 3. I'd like to see him improve as a tackle-breaker with the ball in his hands to put the final touches on his case as a true No. 1 receiver in what should be a breakthrough third season. 12) Rashee Rice Rashee Rice was only in our lives for a brief moment last year but he was excellent in his role with the Chiefs. I said after his rookie season that if he was going to maintain high volume with this play style and presnap deployment, he would need to become an elite zone-beater. It wasn't a full season but he turned in a 99th percentile success rate vs. zone coverage mark in Reception Perception. Over the last two seasons, he ranks second among this cohort in yards per route run (2.56) and third in first downs per route run (12.6% of routes). Some of that is inflated because of the small sample (he's 42nd among the group in total routes run), his unique role and his playing with Patrick Mahomes, but his unique blend of speed and power also does a ton of heavy lifting. Advertisement Right now, Rice profiles very similarly to JuJu Smith-Schuster's early career run with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's not a bad place to be but I'm hoping to see signs of growth against man coverage this season and beyond so that he can walk further down the power-slot receiver archetype, a la Amon-Ra St. Brown. Rice's rookie season Reception Perception profile did carry some similarities to St. Brown's Year 1 showing. 13) Marvin Harrison Jr. Marvin Harrison Jr.'s rookie season was a disappointment relative to overly lofty expectations based on his predraft hype and his fantasy football ADP. However, when viewed in isolation, he was a good starting-level NFL X-receiver as a rookie. That's not nothing; it's a difficult gig, especially in this offense. I expect offensive coordinator Drew Petzing to make a more concerted effort to increase MHJ's reps in the slot and off the line of scrimmage in 2025. Advertisement Harrison is a much better separator than credited, especially when breaking off man coverage routes over the middle of the field. His quarterback needs to find him more effectively in those moments in Year 2. For Harrison's part, he needs to work on coming back to the ball, in addition to playing with more physicality and cleaner attack techniques at the catch point. Overall, I'm still optimistic about Harrison's chances to develop into a star-caliber player on his own, even if there are big outstanding questions about his deployment in Arizona and match with Kyler Murray. 14) Zay Flowers Zay Flowers held down this exact same spot in last year's version of this piece. He enjoyed a strong second season, during which he improved in several key areas. Flowers gets his share of schemed touches but showed growth against press coverage and remains one of the better zone-beaters. He and Lamar Jackson were much more in sync for downfield shots, and Flowers made defenses pay. Advertisement Flowers is still a bit mistake-prone at the catch point and can get a little loose on the details of his routes against man coverage. Those are some of the areas he needs to take another step to launch further up this list and be considered a true No. 1 wide receiver. He is, however, a really good player who has made the Ravens' pass offense better because of the layups his quick separation ability brings for Jackson. 15) George Pickens Just like Flowers, George Pickens is also ranked in the same position as he was last season. I will note that it was a close call between him and the first three names in the 'just missed the list' section below and I wouldn't argue if you prefer any of them to the former Steelers wideout. Advertisement Even if he wasn't a consistent player all through the course of last season, 2025 was still the best season of Pickens' career when viewed in isolation. He improved dramatically as a separator against man coverage, especially on quick stop routes and slants. He's the perfect fit for what was a vacant X-receiver gig in Dallas prior to his arrival. As long as Pickens is locked in, he could have a 2024 Tee Higgins-like season; one of the most productive No. 2 receivers in the league across from a versatile alpha wideout. Just missed the list, in order Jayden Reed didn't take a step forward as an individual player in Year 2, but he didn't regress, either. His frustrating production was mostly due to the offense's run-heavy nature after Jordan Love's injury and some confusing deployment. I still have plenty of hope for a true breakthrough season for Reed because he's an excellent separator and has improved in the contested catch game. He needs to address the drop issues from last season. Jameson Williams took a big step forward in his third NFL season. He's not a perfect player but was dangerous as a run-after-catch weapon on digs, slants and crossers. His speed shows up more in his ability to run away from people than it does on go routes on the outside. Advertisement Jordan Addison is an excellent option as the No. 2 receiver across from Justin Jefferson. He took a step forward as a ball-winner in tight coverage. His production might take a hit if this offense is a little bit less dangerous through the air with J.J. McCarthy set to start in the NFL for the first time. Rome Odunze is someone I'm willing to bet on as a big riser up this list in future seasons, if not as soon as this year. He was in the same tier of prospects as guys like Nabers and Harrison but was stuck in a uniquely miserable situation as a rookie. His play as a rookie was more than acceptable, much better than the per-route zealots will let you believe — they made the same mistake with JSN. He should be the X-receiver of Ben Johnson's offense and could lead this team in receiving. Rashod Bateman is a long-time personal favorite of mine. I still hold out hope that he can offer a real boom season at some point in his career. Even after multiple challenging injuries, his individual talent level is not far off from some guys ranked above him on this list. Advertisement Khalil Shakir emerged as a great answer in the slot for the Bills. He's a tough and rugged runner after the catch with good hands and instincts for zone coverage. Xavier Worthy looks like a useful player for the Chiefs' passing game but it'll be interesting to see where his role settles with Rashee Rice coming back. Hopefully, some of those missed deep shots from early last season connect in 2025 because that's where he's at his best as a separator. Ricky Pearsall doesn't have a case for this list based on a nearly lost rookie season after an August shooting. However, he was so fantastic as a man-coverage-beating receiver down the stretch of last season that I want to include him in the hopes he takes a big jump in Year 2. He's someone I'm betting on.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 Dynasty Trade Value Charts — Justin Boone's fantasy football running back breakdown
Justin Boone won the FantasyPros Most Accurate Expert Award in 2019 and has eight top-10 finishes in the competition. He now brings his rankings acumen to the Yahoo Fantasy audience after recently joining the team as an analyst. All year long, he'll be updating his dynasty trade value charts in this space, while providing insights when major moves happen. Advertisement [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] These charts are based on 12-team PPR leagues and should be used as a guide to compare players and build trade offers. So bookmark this page and check back whenever you're working on your dynasty rosters. And be sure to follow the links below to see his latest dynasty rankings and values at every position. Dynasty Rankings & Trade Values (PPR) QB | RB | WR | TE | Rookies | Draft Picks Running Backs Dynasty Rankings & Trade Values (PPR) QB | RB | WR | TE | Rookies | Draft Picks
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 Dynasty Trade Value Charts — Justin Boone's fantasy football wide receiver breakdown
Justin Boone won the FantasyPros Most Accurate Expert Award in 2019 and has eight top-10 finishes in the competition. He now brings his rankings acumen to the Yahoo Fantasy audience after recently joining the team as an analyst. All year long, he'll be updating his dynasty trade value charts in this space, while providing insights when major moves happen. Advertisement [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] These charts are based on 12-team PPR leagues and should be used as a guide to compare players and build trade offers. So bookmark this page and check back whenever you're working on your dynasty rosters. And be sure to follow the links below to see his latest dynasty rankings and values at every position. Dynasty Rankings & Trade Values (PPR) QB | RB | WR | TE | Rookies | Draft Picks Wide Receivers Dynasty Rankings & Trade Values (PPR) QB | RB | WR | TE | Rookies | Draft Picks
