5 League-Winning Wide Receivers for Fantasy Football in 2025

When taking part in fantasy football drafts, it's crucial to target players in the early rounds that can provide a combination of consistent production and elite upside in the hopes of winning your league. At the same time, the difference between earning bragging rights in a fantasy league and looking forward to the next year can be determined by the success you have in the mid-to-late rounds of your drafts.

For the wide receiver position, we want to set our sights on pass catchers that can remain steady throughout the year and/or achieve league-winning status down the stretch. Without mentioning the obvious receivers in the early rounds, let's discuss a handful of wideouts that can help contribute toward a fantasy football championship in 2025.

Note: All ADPs (average draft position) come from FantasyPros' Consensus ADP for half-PPR leagues.

League-Winning NFL Fantasy WRs

Tetairoa McMillan, Panthers

Overall ADP: 63.3 (WR28)

As the No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Tetairoa McMillan has a severe lack of target competition upon joining the Carolina Panthers. Besides his size, McMillan has the makings of being an immediate contributor, and his production in college showcases his ability to be a go-to option through the air.

After posting 39 receptions for 702 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns as a true freshman in 2022, McMillan logged 84-plus receptions, 1,319-plus receiving yards, 8-plus receiving touchdowns, and 2.79-plus yards per route run (per PFF) in each of his final two seasons at Arizona, leading to him declaring early for the NFL. With the Panthers having a soon-to-be 35-year-old Adam Thielen leading the team in receiving a season ago, second-year head coach Dave Canales knew he needed someone like McMillan to pair with quarterback Bryce Young moving forward.

Along with Carolina's secondary receiving options Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker not having the profiles of No. 1 options in an aerial attack, we saw plenty of growth from Young in the latter part of last season. From Week 8 to Week 18 of last year, Young was the overall QB12 in fantasy, putting him slightly behind the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts during that span.

Since the 2018 campaign, there has been at least one rookie wideout to finish as the WR20 or better in half-PPR formats. To take it a step even further, there has been at least one first-year receiver to be WR7 or better in the final nine weeks of the season since 2019, so taking rookie wide receivers has been a fruitful strategy to deploy when trying to find league-winning upside.

George Pickens, Cowboys

Overall ADP: 66.3 (WR29)

Across his first three seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, George Pickens has delivered plenty of highlight-reel catches despite not having consistent quarterback play. While Pickens has been the overall WR37 or worse in fantasy football for two of his first three years, there's reason for optimism as he prepares to make his debut for the Dallas Cowboys.

Along with getting to play alongside star wideout CeeDee Lamb and get more one-on-one matchups in coverage, Dak Prescott is a signal-caller that can take advantage of Pickens' strengths as a vertical threat. Even with unreliable options under center throughout his tenure in Pittsburgh, Pickens has posted a catch rate of 53.3% or higher and a contested catch rate of 41.7% or higher on passes 20-plus yards in two of his three seasons.

Meanwhile, Prescott has been 11th or better in adjusted completion percentage on throws 20-plus yards down the field among quarterbacks with 10-plus deep passes since 2019. While switching from Mike McCarthy to Brian Schottenheimer at head coach could lead to some differences on the offensive side of the ball, we shouldn't expect a drastic change from the Cowboys being 1st in adjusted pace and 10th in pass rate over expected before Prescott suffered a season-ending injury in Week 9 of the 2024 season.

Prescott is just a year removed from being the QB3 in fantasy while he helped Lamb secure a WR1 finish in 2023, and even veteran Brandin Cooks was the WR15 from Week 8 to Week 18 during that same season. Instead of taking shots at Dallas' uninspiring running back room that consists of Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, and rookie Jaydon Blue, I'd much rather be aggressive in targeting the Cowboys' passing game in 2025.

Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins

Overall ADP: 72.0 (WR32)

I'll admittedly say that the vibes aren't great for the Miami Dolphins ahead of the upcoming season. However, most of the bad vibes are centered around All-Pro Tyreek Hill, which is why I'm fading the veteran wideout in favor of De'Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle this year.

It was certainly a forgettable 2024 season for Waddle, who registered career-worst marks in targets (83), receptions (58), receiving yards (744), and receiving touchdowns (2) en route to concluding the year as the overall WR46 and WR56 in fantasy points per game. That being said, Waddle was the WR23 or better in half-PPR points per game in each of his first three seasons in the NFL, and he's primed to bounce back in 2025 following the departure of Jonnu Smith.

Smith garnered plenty of underneath and intermediate looks that allowed him to create with the ball in his hands, leading to him pacing the Dolphins with 5.9 yards after the catch per reception (22nd-most among WRs and TEs in 2024). While Waddle generate only 4.1 yards after the catch per reception a season ago, he was 13th or better in yards after the catch per reception among wideouts with 50-plus targets in 2022 and 2023, proving he can be a lethal weapon in open space.

Regardless of what everyone thinks about Mike McDaniel as a head coach, he can still scheme up a dangerous offense, and Waddle still figures to be a focal point of the aerial attack -- especially after he signed a lucrative extension ahead of the 2024 season. Besides Hill potentially being a player Miami potentially considers trading at some point, the speedy wideout has also been dealing with an oblique injury that has kept him out of practice recently, increasing the chances of Waddle returning to positive usage this season.

Matthew Golden, Packers

Overall ADP: 106.0 (WR46)

Once again, rookie receivers have produced plenty of league-winning performances in recent years, so I want to take chances on quite a few of them in 2025. Another rookie wideout that has an opportunity to become the No. 1 receiving option in his respective offense is Matthew Golden of the Green Bay Packers.

Besides Golden being the first receiver the Packers took in the first round of the draft since 2002, Green Bay has been desperately trying to find a go-to weapon since trading Davante Adams ahead of the 2022 season. Even with Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, and Christian Watson creating a crowded wide receiver room, Golden has the skill set to immediately become Jordan Love's preferred pass-catching threat.

Despite Golden producing underwhelming overall numbers in college during his time at Houston and Texas, he balled out when it mattered most for the Longhorns last season. Throughout the four-game stretch where Texas faced Georgia, Clemson, Arizona State, and Ohio State in the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff, Golden totaled 19 receptions for 411 yards and 1 touchdown before running an impressive 4.29 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

Along with Golden showing off his strong hands with a 61.1% contested catch rate in 2024 despite measuring in at 5-foot-11 in the pre-draft process, he's been on the field in two-receiver sets during training camp, indicating that he'll be a full-time starter in Week 1. Even though Love has reportedly undergone thumb surgery on his non-throwing hand, his status for Week 1 doesn't appear to be in doubt, so it shouldn't negatively affect Golden's fantasy outlook.

Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers

Overall ADP: 114.0 (WR47)

As offseason programs began and the 2025 season neared, Emeka Egbuka became a rookie receiver that I became more and more interested in. Similar to McMillan and Golden, Egbuka carries first-round draft capital, and he'll be joining a Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense that should still be effective this season -- even if they take a slight step back following the departure of offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

During his four-year collegiate career at Ohio State, Egbuka totaled 205 receptions, 2,868 receiving yards, and 24 receiving touchdowns while also averaging 2.61 yards per route run and a 73.2% slot rate. Egbuka's usage out of the slot should make him a prime candidate to be Tampa Bay's primary slot receiver to begin the 2025 campaign due to Chris Godwin still recovering from a season-ending ankle injury he suffered last season that has required him to undergo multiple procedures.

In addition to Godwin's status for Week 1 being in doubt, quarterback Baker Mayfield has continued to hype up Egbuka, and there has been plenty of buzz around the entire league when it comes to the former Buckeye. Although it was an extremely small sample in the Bucs' first preseason game, Egbuka was lined up outside on all four of his passing-down snaps, so there's a good chance he's on the field plenty whenever Godwin is ready to return.

While Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan are also involved in Tampa Bay's passing attack, Evans is entering his age-32 season with hamstring injuries being a concern in each of the last four years, opening the door for the younger guys to get more run in hopes to keep him healthy.

Given his current ADP, Egbuka is looking like a steal in drafts, especially in leagues that reward bonus points for receptions.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.