Christian Kirk and 6 More Sleepers at Wide Receiver

First, let's talk about average draft position (ADP).

ADP shows where players are typically being selected across many fantasy drafts, giving you a sense of the consensus value for each player. Our Consensus ADP takes this a step further. We combine the ADPs of several sites into one. We also only allow sites with quality ADP to be factored into the overall ranking.

RELATED: See 6 Underrated Wide Receivers here
RELATED: See 9 Overrated Wide Receivers here

We asked our staff to compare wide receiver ADP with our projections to identify wide receivers available late in your draft who should outperform their draft position.

Seven sleeper wide receivers quickly gathered interest. See what our staff has to say about each player.

Sleeper WR Christian Kirk, Houston Texans

• Current ADP: WR55
• FBG Projections: WR51

Bob Harris: The Texans acquired wide receiver Christian Kirk in an offseason trade with Jacksonville. He brings the team a solid veteran option with great hands.

In 93 career games (77 starts with the Cardinals and Jaguars), he had 404 catches for 5,176 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns. He sat out 14 games over the past two seasons because of an abdominal injury and broken collarbone, finishing with a combined 84 catches for 1,166 yards and four TDs in 20 games over that stretch.

Kirk joins a receiving corps in Houston led by Nico Collins, but that lost Stefon Diggs in free agency and will be without Tank Dell, who is expected to miss the 2025 season as he recovers from a serious knee injury. The Texans added a pair of receivers -- Iowa State teammates Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel -- in April's draft, but healthy Kirk -- who Collins referred to as a "slot magician" -- should play a prominent role in this passing attack.

With Collins going at the Round 1/2 turn in early drafts, taking a late-round flyer on Kirk as your WR4 or WR5 could yield a viable starting option. 

Jason Wood: The fantasy community has a long history of overvaluing rookies, especially early in draft season, and it's happening again in Houston. There's more buzz around Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel than there is for veteran Christian Kirk. That's a mistake.

The Texans traded for Kirk early in the offseason, and head coach DeMeco Ryans has consistently maintained that Kirk will be the full-time starter opposite Nico Collins. Unless he gets hurt, Kirk will be on the field as the No. 2 target for a team desperately trying to rebound after its receiving corps was decimated in 2024.

Kirk doesn't have league-winning upside, but his current ADP suggests he's little more than a backup option. That simply doesn't reflect reality. He's a reliable veteran set to play a key role in a high-volume passing offense, and that kind of role is always undervalued in drafts.

Matt Waldman: If you're going to talk about Christian Kirk, then a good place to begin is Chris Godwin. One of the most impressive wide receivers no one talks about, Godwin can play all three wide receiver positions like a high-end starter. 

Godwin has the contested-catch timing, strength, and mobility against tight-man coverage to win at the boundary. He's a strong ball carrier, and he has excellent route skills. 

If Godwin were more explosive, the resemblance to Ja'Marr Chase would be more apparent. Most only see him as Mike Evans' sidekick.

Kirk isn't as physical as Godwin or Chase, but his versatility is similar. He's fast enough to win outside. He tracks the ball in the vertical game like a boundary specialist, and he's an adept route runner. 

Kirk has not worked with an excellent passer in his prime. Kyler Murray has only supported more than one fantasy-productive receiver once in his career. Trevor Lawrence has endured multiple coaching regimes and bad offensive lines for the entirety of his NFL tenure.

Even so, Kirk delivered a 1,100-yard, 8-score campaign with Lawrence. If C.J. Stroud is merely a highly billed facsimile of Lawrence this year, Kirk should deliver the same production opposite Nico Collins.

Julia Papworth: Never a sexy pick, Kirk has been trying to get some back of the pizazz and draft clout he had after finishing WR11 in 2022, on the back of 1108 yards receiving and eight touchdowns. Last year was a bust, with a broken collarbone sidelining him halfway through the year.

He now has a chance to rebuild in Houston, having been traded from Jacksonville in the offseason. With Tank Dell out, Kirk stands a strong chance to be the main man in the slot. C.J. Stroud loved to target the slot when Dell was out there, and Kirk could reap the benefits of that position on the field.

Following Nico Collins, who will always get his, Kirk will be battling two untested rookies, Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, for targets, and we have yet to see how they will transition to the NFL.

Always known for his solid hands, Kirk has always boasted at least a 61% catch percentage, with 76% in his 2021 season with Arizona. There is little chance Kirk could become the WR1 in Houston past some injuries, but he is the type of guy to take a late-round flier on at this ADP.

Ryan Weisse: Christian Kirk isn't going to be a league-winner, but he doesn't need to be at his current cost. He's virtually free in fantasy drafts and has a real chance to return value. Kirk's 2024 season in Jacksonville was cut short after eight games, but in that stretch, he was averaging six targets per game while playing behind Brian Thomas Jr. His role in Houston looks nearly identical—this time behind Nico Collins, with a clear path to being the team's second-most-targeted receiver.

Outside of Collins, there's no real competition in the Texans' wide receiver room. If Kirk sees six or seven targets per game, he's looking at roughly 100 to 120 targets over a full season. That's more than enough volume to matter in fantasy, especially tied to a quarterback like C.J. Stroud.

With similar volume in 2022, Kirk topped 1,100 yards and scored eight touchdowns. That may be his ceiling, but a 1,000-yard, six-touchdown campaign is well within reach.

Kirk is a known name with very little buzz, but the role, offense, and potential are all there. At his current draft price, he's the kind of late-round receiver who could quietly become a weekly flex.

Maurile Tremblay: Christian Kirk arrives in Houston at exactly the right moment for fantasy managers chasing upside. With Stefon Diggs now catching passes in New England and Tank Dell likely to miss all of 2025 after a catastrophic multi-ligament knee injury, well over 200 targets from last year's roster have evaporated.

Early minicamp reports suggest that Kirk has already become C.J. Stroud's favorite target, noting multiple chunk-play connections between the two during team drills. That budding rapport pairs with an expected quarterback bounce-back under first-year coordinator Nick Caley, whose background with the Patriots and Rams has leaned on quick, option-route concepts that have historically funnelled volume to savvy slot operators like Kirk.

We know he can cash in on that workload: in 2022, he turned 133 targets into 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns, finishing as a fringe WR1 in most formats. The collarbone that ended his 2024 season is fully healed, and beat writers say he hasn't missed a rep this spring.

Houston's 2025 schedule is fantasy-friendly, featuring multiple shootout-prone AFC South matchups that could boost Kirk's weekly ceiling. A clear runway to starter-level volume, proven big-play chops, and an ascending quarterback make Kirk one of 2025's most intriguing sleeper bets.

Sleeper WR Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants

• Current ADP: WR67
• FBG Projections: WR52

Tipp Major: Whenever I hear Wan'Dale Robinson's name, I can't help but sing it like an old blues singer—da-dada-da! Last season, he was incredibly frustrating in fantasy football from a PPR perspective, averaging under 10 yards per catch in 14 games and only 3.54 yards per catch (YPC) against divisional opponents in Weeks 7, 9, 13, and 18.

Fast forward…

The pressure is boiling, and Coach Daboll knows it. Adding veterans Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson to support "Young Dart." With these experienced quarterbacks, Robinson has a better chance of succeeding.   Wilson loves to throw deep; he also utilizes slot receivers. With a receiver like Malik Nabers, the middle of the field could be open, like the neighborhood corner store for Robinson.

Wilson is set to start the season as the Giants' quarterback, which bodes well for Robinson. If Jameis Winston plays, it shouldn't hurt Nabers and Robinson's value. The Giants have a strong defense but the weakest offense in the division, though improvement is expected.

With an ADP in the high sixties for wide receivers, Robinson is a solid flex option. Skip names like Josh Downs, Adam Thielen, or Michael Pittman Jr., and consider queuing up Robinson instead.

Ryan Weisse: Wan'Dale Robinson quietly finished as a top-40 fantasy wide receiver in 2024, and yet he's being drafted like an afterthought. That disconnect presents an opportunity.

Robinson saw 140 targets last season, good for the 10th-most among all wide receivers. His production wasn't eye-popping, with just 699 yards and three touchdowns, but some of that can be attributed to poor quarterback play. He still managed to catch 93 passes, proving his reliability underneath.

The Giants' wide receiver room didn't change much this offseason. Malik Nabers is the number one, and beyond that, it's still just Robinson and Darius Slayton. Robinson will continue to operate out of the slot, where he should remain second in line for targets.

Even if his volume drops slightly, there's reason to expect better efficiency. The Giants upgraded their quarterback room, and that should help convert more of Robinson's short-area work into meaningful yardage and scoring chances.

You're not drafting Robinson for his ceiling, but rather the safety of his role. He's a high-floor flex play with room to outperform his ADP. If he even comes close to repeating last year's target volume, he'll be one of the best late-round values available.

Maurile Tremblay: Wan'Dale Robinson already proved he can command volume, turning 140 targets into 93 receptions and a 22 percent share of the Giants' passing game last year despite one of the league's least efficient quarterback rooms.

Now the inputs around him have shifted in ways that make that workload both more valuable and likelier to grow. Russell Wilson signed a one-year deal to start in New York behind an upgraded offensive line and has drawn rave reviews for his touch and deep-ball accuracy. He completed 54 percent of his throws 20 or more yards downfield in 2024, and Robinson himself called Wilson's passes "like a pillow" during OTAs.

Wilson's presence pairs with Mike Kafka's return to play-calling for an offense that already passed on 58 percent of snaps last season, seventh-highest in the league.

Robinson's greatest strengths are his ability to separate and his prowess in contested catches. He also finished top 10 among wideouts in forced missed tackles after the catch. So any uptick in target depth or accuracy should convert catches into real yardage.

Entering the final year of his rookie deal and playing opposite coverage-magnet Malik Nabers, Robinson offers the classic sleeper mix of entrenched volume, ascending quarterback efficiency, and latent big-play upside.

Sleeper WR Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers

• Current ADP: WR68
• FBG Projections: WR58

Jason Wood: The Chargers added rookie Tre Harris and brought back veteran Mike Williams in the offseason, which signals their desire to improve Justin Herbert's targets. Given Ladd McConkey's emergence as the clear alpha, those moves would argue against Quentin Johnston's long-term future.

While that's a logical assumption, Johnston isn't going to hand over the starting job easily. Williams is likely a non-factor unless pressed into a role, given his ineffectiveness for other teams in recent seasons. It's rookie Harris who probably controls whether Johnston will maintain fringe value or not. However, Johnston was WR44 last year, which is significantly higher than his current ADP.

Ben Cummins: As much as many drafters likely want Quentin Johnston to go away after the Chargers invested a second-round pick in Tre Harris and a fifth-round pick in Keandre Lambert-Smith, do not expect that to happen. Johnston has had a disappointing beginning to his NFL career when factoring in his first-round draft capital, but that doesn't take away the 55 receptions for 711 yards and 8 touchdowns he produced last season.

Johnston is tall (6-foot-2) and can jump (40.5" vertical and 11'2" broad) and stylistically is a perfect outside wide receiver to complement the team's star and mainly slot receiver, Ladd McConkey.

Johnston is projected to be the number two receiver for Justin Herbert, but even if he falls behind Harris or Lambert-Smith, his extremely affordable ADP would still make sense.

In this scenario, as the technical number three receiver, Johnston would still play on the outside in basically all three wide receiver sets, since McConkey lined up in the slot 70.2% of the time in 2024 and almost exclusively lines up there in three-receiver sets. There is more upside than downside built into this cost.

Andy Hicks: Quentin Johnston gets a bad rap due to his slower development than is otherwise expected from young wide receivers in the modern era. His profile fits more with the classic third-year breakout from times gone by than immediate 1,000-yard seasons.

Johnston isn't the finished product, and this offseason is vital for determining the rest of his career. If things click into place as they did with Jameson Williams for Detroit last year, in this third year, Johnston will make his current ADP look ridiculous.

If there is no improvement, then he may have a career similar to that of his new and old teammate, Mike Williams. Never as good in total as he is in patches. At his current price, it seems silly to pass on Johnston. The Chargers aren't going to run the ball 1,000 times.

Justin Herbert was around the league average for pass attempts, and the team lacks strong targets at running back and tight end. Johnston has been overtaken by the modern rookie receiver template in Ladd McConkey, but there is plenty of ball to go around to get starting production from a clear number two. Johnston is the clear pick for that slot.

Sleeper WR Tyler Lockett, Tennessee Titans

• Current ADP: WR86
• FBG Projections: WR64

Jason Wood: The Titans drafted Cam Ward first overall, and if the current front office and coaching staff want to keep their jobs, they'll build the entire preseason around giving Ward the best foundation to succeed quickly. A quick glance at Tennessee's depth chart suggests that veteran free agent Tyler Lockett will play a pivotal role.

Calvin Ridley is clearly the alpha, but are you going to bet on Van Jefferson or a pair of fourth-round rookies playing bigger roles than Lockett? Unlikely. Lockett is no longer a threat to deliver top-25 fantasy value. Still, he's sure-handed, a precise route runner, and positioned to play the majority of snaps alongside a rookie quarterback who will need reliable short and intermediate options.

Lockett may not be flashy at this stage of his career, but the opportunity and role give him sneaky value in deeper leagues and best ball formats.

Gary Davenport: Fantasy football managers can be a heartless lot—kind of like Cruella De Ville only without the bizarre urge to murder puppies (Seriously. Disney. What the what?) Once a player hits a certain age (especially if he's coming off a down season), it's off to the home for Bingo Night and weekly Mah Jong tournaments with Estelle Costanza.

That's where Tyler Lockett has been banished, in part because of his age (32), in part because of his irrelevance a year ago and in part because he's now in Tennessee, where just about everyone is irrelevant in fantasy.

But all of two years ago, Lockett flirted with 80 catches and 900 yards on the way to a WR34 finish in PPR points. He posted four straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2019-2022. Yes, Calvin Ridley would appear to be the clear No. 1 wide receiver in Nashville, but the rest of the depth chart isn't especially imposing (Van Jefferson? Treylon Burks? Two Day 3 rookies?).

If Lockett does win the No. 2 wide receiver job and rookie Cam Ward is even marginally competent under center, Lockett could be a fantasy WR4—and he's essentially free.

Ryan Weisse: Tyler Lockett's days as a weekly fantasy starter may be behind him, but he's not done contributing, and he's a bargain in drafts. After finishing outside the Top 60 wide receivers in 2024, most fantasy managers have written him off as a fading veteran. But context matters. In Seattle, Lockett had clearly fallen to third on the depth chart behind DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That's not the case in Tennessee.

Lockett should open the year as the starting slot receiver, and his main competition for targets is fellow 30-year-old Calvin Ridley. Ridley should lead the team, but there's enough volume in this system for a second wide receiver to matter.

Tennessee's new offense is an offshoot of the one run in Cincinnati, where we've seen two receivers succeed together. With rookie Cam Ward taking over at quarterback, this offense should look a lot more functional than it did in 2024.

You're not drafting Lockett for league-winning upside. But in full PPR formats, his target volume and role make him a solid depth pick with weekly flex potential. At his current cost, there's little downside and just enough upside to be worth a late-round flier.

Sleeper WR Adam Thielen, Carolina Panthers

• Current ADP: WR64
• FBG Projections: WR49

Bob Harris: Thielen, who hadn't eclipsed the 1000-yard mark since his 2018 campaign with the Minnesota Vikings, hauled in 103 receptions for 1,014 yards and three touchdowns while appearing in all 17 games in 2023, his first season in Carolina.

Even with Bryce Young's rookie struggles -- the youngster threw 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a 59.8 completion percentage that year -- Thielen finished the season as WR18. The veteran wideout was limited to just 10 games in his second season with the Panthers after suffering a hamstring injury during a Week 3 win over the Raiders.

But after returning in Week 12, Thielen proceeded to post 50-plus receiving yards in five of the Panthers' last seven games. He finished the year with 48 catches, 615 yards, and five touchdowns. Thielen was WR12 over that seven-game stretch, with an improved Young emerging as an effective distributor of the ball.

Even with first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan joining the receiving corps, it's hard to go wrong landing a player with Thielen's potential as a WR5 or even WR6. Even if he falls short of his 2024 performance, there's still ample value to be had here.

Julia Papworth: I've always been Team Thielen, and why not, as he has often surprised drafters, giving value where one didn't expect it. Injury has been the one thing that dampens his results, understandable for an older wide receiver.

In 2024, Thielen missed seven games due to a hamstring injury, but still managed 615 yards receiving in the ten games that he played. With quarterback Bryce Young coming on near the end of the season, Thielen boasted his best finish of the season in Week 17, finishing as WR5 with 110 yards and two touchdowns.

The pressure comes off a bit with the addition of potential alpha wide receiver rookie Tetairoa McMillan, which could give Thielen that extra rest he needs to make it through a complete season. Thielen won't be boasting 100-yard games very often, but averaging 6.2 targets a game is especially great in a PPR league.

The familiarity between Young and Thielen is palpable, and I expect that security blanket relationship to continue. At his current ADP in the 60s, I will always take a shot at Thielen.

Sleeper WR Ray-Ray McCloud III, Atlanta Falcons

• Current ADP: WR96
• FBG Projections: WR60

David Zacharias: It's doubtful Ray-Ray McCloud III is on many people's radar as a starting fantasy receiver. After all, he's 29 years old and sits behind Drake London and Darnell Mooney on Atlanta's wide receiver depth chart. If McCloud's PPR ADP (WR8 range, around the 21st round overall) is any indication, it's more likely he won't be making many fantasy rosters. He's essentially a free square pick-up.

So what's the case for burning a roster spot for McCloud?

1. Zac Robinson was named Atlanta's offensive coordinator in January of 2024. McCloud logged 981 offensive snaps last season, which was 86% of the Falcons' total. His 2024 receiving yards (686) nearly equaled the total for his first six NFL seasons (768). Coincidence?
2. In Atlanta's final game of 2024, with Mooney sidelined, McCloud was a clear second target behind Drake London.
3. McCloud is Atlanta's kick returner. Does your league reward kick return yards?
4. Motivation. McCloud is in a contract year.
5. Head Coach support. Raheem Morris said, "Ray-Ray has shown tremendous growth this past season ... We expect him to take another step forward in 2025."

McCloud makes a fine late-round stash, especially as injury insurance for London or Mooney.

Sleeper WR Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals

• Current ADP: WR77
• FBG Projections: WR62

Jeff Blaylock: Michael Wilson offers deep-threat upside as a flex starter, bye fill-in, or injury replacement. A third-round pick by the Cardinals in 2023, he became an immediate starter as an outside receiver opposite Marquise Brown. He posted three games with more than 75 receiving yards that season, but had only one such game in 2024. Wilson has finished as the WR61 in point-per-reception (PPR) scoring each season.

His lack of fantasy production was not because he was on the sidelines. Though he was the Cardinals' third option in the passing game last season, Wilson ran 469 routes, ranking 32nd among all wide receivers. He has the talent and opportunities to become a fantasy asset.

Arizona appears satisfied with Wilson as their starting Z receiver. They did not draft a wide receiver this year. The most notable addition at receiver was Simi Fehoko, whose blocking skills might secure him some playing time, but not at the cost of the pass-catchers. Fehoko has six career catches in four NFL seasons. 

Wide receivers with lots of playing time are seldom available in late rounds of fantasy drafts, but those who are worth more than the draft capital needed to select them.