We're inching closer to Week 1, which means draft season is around the corner. We started off with QB rankings two weeks ago, and Ian hit the running back rankings last week. So, what better place to pick up than with my 2025 wide receiver rankings?

2025 WR Rankings for Fantasy Football

My early WR1s for the 2025 season are listed below. To see our full suite of fantasy football rankings, customized to fit your exact league settings, visit our rankings hub.

Premium

Get $25 Guillotine League Credits When You Join FL+

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc tinciedunt, ex sit amet cursus gravida, dui mauris vulputate felis.

Claim Offer

WR1: Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals

• Consensus: WR1
• My Ranking: WR1

Look, it's Ja'Marr Chase's world, and we're all just living in it. We're betting on Joe Burrow and this Bengals offense to continue their high-scoring ways, and it feels like a no-brainer to have Chase as the WR1 in these rankings. No other non-quarterback scored more fantasy points per game than Chase last season at 23.7, and we can't forget the utilization … 

• Targets per game: 10.1 (1st)
• Catchable targets per game: 8.2 (T1st)
• Endzone targets per game: 1.1 (T2nd)

Oh, and how could I forget that Chase was only the sixth receiver in history to win the NFL Triple Crown, leading the league in receptions (127), yards (1,708), and touchdowns (17). We want Chase in all our leagues.

WR2: Justin Jefferson, Vikings

• Consensus: WR2
• My Ranking: WR2

Justin Jefferson has steadily been one of the best receivers in the NFL and always shows up for our fantasy teams. He ranks first in receiving yards per game at 96.5 and yards per route run at 2.64, and has been a top-five fantasy receiver in the last four seasons.

No Kirk Cousins? No problem in 2024. With Sam Darnold, Jefferson caught 103 passes and locked down 1,533 receiving yards while tying a career-high with 10 touchdowns. J.J. McCarthy is now the future for the Vikings, and while one could expect some production decline, I believe in McCarthy and the quarterback whisperer, Kevin O'Connell.

WR3: CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys

• Consensus: WR3
• My Ranking: WR3

CeeDee Lamb might be getting a little bit more company with George Pickens this season, but that doesn't scare any of our rankers as Lamb comes in as the consensus WR3 across the board.

Even though Lamb was banged up for his final seven games, he was still able to show why he's elite and finished with the seventh-most catches (101) and eighth-most receiving yards (1,194) among wide receivers. Fantasy Life has Lamb projected for 143 targets, 100 receptions, 1,240 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns. 

WR4: Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars

• Consensus: WR7
• My Ranking: WR4

I am much higher on Brian Thomas than consensus during this first pass of rankings, based not only on what he was able to accomplish last year, but also because this offseason set him up for more success.

With Mac Jones as his quarterback from Weeks 13-18, he operated as the WR2 in fantasy points per game behind Ja'Marr Chase. Now you have Trevor Lawrence coming back healthy and Liam Coen as the new head coach. I know first-year head coaches don't always pan out, but I'm specifically looking at what Cohen was able to do with Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay. The 2024 Buccaneers ranked third in passing yards per game, and Baker Mayfield's yards per pass attempt rose from 7.5 to 8.0.

Not to say Lawrence is the new Mayfield, but hopefully, Coen is able to get more out of the 25-year-old quarterback. I'm not worried about Travis Hunter taking away targets, and Lawrence is on track to be fully ready for the season after having surgery on his left AC joint back in December on his non-throwing shoulder.

Fantasy Life's projections have him sitting at 144 targets, 95 receptions, 1,285 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns. SIGN ME UP. 

WR5: Puka Nacua, Rams

• Consensus: WR4
• My Ranking: WR5

Puka Nacua was another receiver that got company this offseason, with Davante Adams joining in on the fun. But Nacua has been THAT guy for Los Angeles — after finishing as the WR7 in fantasy points per game during his rookie season in 2023, Nacua followed that up by being the WR4 in fantasy points per game last season. He missed four games due to a PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) sprain.

Look, Nacua is still the best receiver for the Rams … you all know that. When we look back at last year, he scored at least 18.1 PPR points in six of his final 12 games. Even with Adams in town, he's still projected for 147 targets, 106 receptions, 1,345 yards, and six touchdowns. 

WR6: Malik Nabers, Giants

• Consensus: WR5
• My Ranking: WR6

I really should have sent Malik Nabers a “Thank You” card for carrying some of my fantasy teams last year. Even when the Giants were being, well, the Giants, Nabers came through and was the focal point of that offense. He finished second in the NFL with 165 targets in 15 games (he was out with a concussion for two games). Nabers was the overall WR6 after locking down five top-10 weekly finishes.

I'm not worried about how good Nabers can be in 2025, I'm more worried about Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback. The number of starts Wilson makes this upcoming season will make or break Nabers. Yes, the Giants have one of the toughest schedules — their .574 opponents’ winning percentage is the highest in the NFL, but they did make good additions on the defensive side. Fantasy managers should hope Jameis Winston or Jaxson Dart comes in sooner rather than later to get the best out of Nabers.

WR7: Nico Collins, Texans

• Consensus: WR6
• My Ranking: WR7

The Texans were a mess last season, but Nico Collins still comes in as my WR6 based on the idea that he stays healthy and that C.J. Stroud performs closer to the 2023 version of himself. Collins has finished seventh and eighth in fantasy points per game over the last two seasons, and because of the five games missed last season, he finished as the overall WR26. However, with Stefon Diggs out of the picture and Tank Dell likely to miss the whole 2025 season, Collins is in a prime bounceback spot.

Even though the Texans added Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in the draft, we know that Collins will still be the top target in this offense as well. He led the Texans last season in targets (99), receptions (68), yards (1,006), and touchdowns (seven). Even if Stroud performs somewhere in the middle between his 2023 and 2024 seasons, it will be an upgrade, and Collins will be a huge beneficiary.

WR8: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions

• Consensus: WR8
• My Ranking: WR8

Amon-Ra St. Brown is in such a stable offense, and while the departure of Ben Johnson concerns me a little bit, it's hard for me to rank him lower than WR8. He's coming off of back-to-back WR3 finishes in PPR formats and has been extremely efficient. The Lions offense is also just one we want a piece of — they led the league with 227 offensive snaps in the red zone last season. 

The emergence of Jameson Williams brought his targets per game down to 8.3 (10.3 in 2023), so there can be some concern about increased target competition, but overall, St. Brown's floor is going to stay securely in WR1 territory.

WR9: Drake London, Falcons

• Consensus: WR9
• My Ranking: WR9

I don't know if Drake London and Michael Penix were in a book club or doing breakfast club before Penix became the starter in the last three games of the season, but damn they looked good together. He was not only targeted on 41% of his routes with Penix as his quarterback, but he finished with 23 red-zone targets overall, which was tied for the third-most among wide receivers. 

Regression from the slot probably should be expected. According to PFF, London's play out of the slot increased from 18.6% in 2023 to 39.6% in 2024, and his 11.0-yard ADOT was the second highest among receivers with at least 50 targets in the slot. The Falcons also did not add to their receiver room, giving London the runway for a huge 2025. I'm banking on more improvement from Penix with a full season ahead of him and buying into London's talent and role.

WR10: A.J. Brown, Eagles

• Consensus: WR10
• My Ranking: WR10

A.J. Brown felt like he was ready for liftoff again in 2024, but ultimately injuries made him miss three games, leading to a WR10 finish in points per game and a WR18 overall finish. The Eagles also did not need to utilize Jalen Hurts through the air as much last season — they finished dead last in pass attempts per game (25.7). Most are expecting a somewhat lighter workload for Saquon Barkley in 2025 and defensive regression with the Eagles playing a first-place schedule, which would all benefit Brown.

Listen, Brown is still an elite receiver. We're going back because in the past four seasons, he's never finished worse than WR15. He's wildly efficient, and in this offense, the targets will keep coming his way.

WR11: Ladd McConkey, Chargers

• Consensus: WR11
• My Ranking: WR11

Hand up, I did not expect the Chargers to perform the way that they did last season — they were almost a year early in my book. Still, it was great to see rookie Ladd McConkey absolutely dominate with 1,149 receiving yards while being so damn efficient. Fun fact: Per Next Gen Stats, McConkey ran only 24.6% of his routes last season vertically — only New England's DeMario Douglas and Buffalo's Khalil Shakir had lower rates. He lined up in the slot on 70.5% of his routes and 66.7% of his targets.

McConkey's 19.2 PPR points per game from Week 8 through the playoffs left him as the WR5 behind only Ja'Marr Chase, Mike Evans, Tee Higgins, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Chargers didn't do as much as I expected them to during free agency and plugging that WR2 hole, and while they did draft Tre Harris, McConkey is obviously still going to be the focal point of this offense.

WR12: Tee Higgins, Bengals

• Consensus: WR14
• My Ranking: WR12

The biggest win for the Bengals and Joe Burrow this offseason was locking down Tee Higgins, who will be signed now through the 2028 season. Yes, his health was a concern last season, but remember he erred on the side of caution because of the unknown with his contract situation (he didn't want to get hurt before getting paid). Still, the injuries are something taken into account with these rankings; Higgins has played in 12 games in each of the last two seasons, with several of those injuries being soft-tissue issues.

In healthy games in 2024, Higgins averaged 15.5 points per game (WR3 behind only Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson). Joe Burrow elevates everyone around him, and while there have been some defensive improvements, there haven't been enough to think that a full turnaround will happen in 2025.

Remember, no team had more total points scored and allowed than the Bengals (906) last season, and they lost four games despite scoring 33 or more points. This will continue being a high-powered offense that I want a piece of.

Premium

Get $25 Guillotine League Credits When You Join FL+

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc tinciedunt, ex sit amet cursus gravida, dui mauris vulputate felis.

Claim Offer