Utilizing tiers in fantasy football provides several strategic advantages beyond simple rankings. Rankings are linear, but tiers group players of similar value together. This helps you recognize when there's a big drop-off in talent, so you don't overreact to slight differences in rank. For example, suppose multiple wide receivers are left in a tier but only one player in the current running-back tier. In that case, you're more likely to take the running back before that tier is eliminated.
We'll cover every positional tier as the offseason moves on; today, we wind up with wide receivers.
RELATED: See Quarterback Tiers and Value Picks here.
Cliff's Notes
13 Value Picks at Wide Receiver
- CeeDee Lamb, DAL
- A.J. Brown, PHI
- Garrett Wilson, NYJ
- Mike Evans, TB
- Jameson Williams, DET
- George Pickens, DAL
- DeVonta Smith, PHI
- Travis Hunter, JAX
- Jakobi Meyers, LV
- Rome Odunze, CHI
- Ricky Pearsall, SF
- Emeka Egbuka, TB
- Rashid Shaheed, NO
9 Wide Receivers to Avoid at ADP
- Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET
- Tyreek Hill, MIA
- Marvin Harrison Jr., ARI
- Rashee Rice, KC
- DJ Moore, CHI
- Zay Flowers, BAL
- Jordan Addison, MIN
- Cooper Kupp, SEA
- Jerry Jeudy CLE
15 Sleeper Wide Receivers to Target Late
- DeMario Douglas, NE
- Jalen McMillan, TB
- Keenan Allen, LAC
- Adam Thielen, CAR
- Joshua Palmer, BUF
- Dyami Brown, JAX
- Calvin Austin III, PIT
- Jalen Coker, CAR
- Jalen Nailor, MIN
- Andrei Iosivas, CIN
- Jermaine Burton, CIN
- Tory Horton, SEA
- Jalen Royals, KC
- KaVontae Turpin, DAL
- Dont'e Thornton Jr., LV
2025 Wide Receiver Tiers
Elite WR1
- Ja'Marr Chase, CIN
- CeeDee Lamb, DAL **VALUE PICK**
Elite skill combined with likely high-volume pass offenses. Barring injury, the #1 overall wide receiver will be one of these two.
Chase had nearly 500 yards and five scores in the two games against Baltimore, and even if you take those two out, he was the #1 wide receiver last year. We are watching a special connection between him and Joe Burrow that will go down as one of the best quarterback to wide receiver connections in NFL history.
Lamb was banged up last year and lost Dak Prescott to a season-ending injury, but he still managed to be a top 10 wide receiver. This year, he'll have the most dynamic running mate of his career in George Pickens, while playing in an offense that will likely have to lean pass-heavy by necessity.
Strong WR1
- Justin Jefferson, MIN
- Malik Nabers, NYG
- Puka Nacua, LAR
- Nico Collins, HOU
- A.J. Brown, PHI **VALUE PICK**
- Brian Thomas Jr., JAX
- Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET **AVOID AT ADP**
- Drake London, ATL
- Garrett Wilson, NYJ **VALUE PICK**
Take in that list of players in or approaching their peak years. The next generation of great receivers is here.
Jefferson was quiet (for him) for most of 2024, but finished strong and has produced through lots of quarterback transitions in Minnesota. There will be another one this year to J.J. McCarthy, and the offense will be more run-heavy with inexperience at the helm. Jefferson is a little overrated in drafts. We have to take a small leap of faith that his camp hamstring injury is as mild as Kevin O'Connell is suggesting. As long as Jefferson practices in full before Week 1, we should be able to put this behind us.
Nabers transcended the Giants' quarterback play to put up a top 6-8 season as a rookie. Russell Wilson and Jaxson Dart don't exactly represent upgrades, but there's always a chance that Jameis Winston gets to start a significant number of games. Nabers' ADP is closer to his ceiling than his floor, but he's the receiver with the best chance to join Chase and Lamb in the elite WR1 tier via elite target volume.
Collins lost five games to a hamstring injury last year and was brought down by an inept Texans pass offense, but he still was top 10 on a points-per-game basis. The offense has nowhere to go but up, so there's upside to taking Collins in the late first.
Nacua looked like a wasted pick when knee issues wiped out the first half of his season, but only Ja'Marr Chase was more productive in the second half of the season. Stafford missing camp with a back issue isn't a good thing for Nacua, but Jimmy Garoppolo can unlock most of his value. His arrow is still pointing up, and he could easily finish in the top 3 this year.
Brown missed three games with a hamstring injury, and his targets per game dropped off along with the Eagles' team passing attempts, so he was a slight disappointment as a first-round pick who returned low WR1 value. His ADP has dropped a half-round to match the value he returned in 2024, so Brown is a solid redraft investment with a chance for unexpected upside if the Eagles aren't running away from the competition as often. It is a little chilling to hear about hamstring issues in camp for Brown, even if they are minor, but he is still a comforting name to click in the second.
Thomas was a revelation down the stretch with Mac Jones and a lame duck coaching staff, so we should have even higher expectations with Trevor Lawrence and Liam Coen. Travis Hunter will keep Thomas from getting the boosted target volume he got during that spree, but he can also loosen up coverages to give Thomas runways to bigger plays. Thomas should be available in the late first, and he's got a better range of outcomes than a typical late first round pick.
St. Brown had fewer big plays in 2024 than he did in 2023, but he still lived up to his mid-first ADP with a top-five finish among wide receivers in PPR leagues. He did this even while the Lions' pass attempts dropped significantly and a #2 threat at wide receiver emerged in Jameson Williams. He's still a rock-solid pick in the early second, but new offensive coordinator John Morton seems to be more intent on featuring Williams.
London is being drafted where he was last year, when expectations were high with Kirk Cousins taking over. Save for one big Thursday night game vs. Tampa Bay, he didn't exactly break out, although he still very much looked the part of an NFL #1 wide receiver. He and Michael Penix Jr. were producing well in their three games together, including a Week 18 10-187-2 outburst against Carolina.
Wilson is going a round later than he did last year, even though Justin Fields might be the best quarterback for his fantasy stock that he has played with in his NFL career. Fields and Wilson were teammates back at Ohio State, and Fields fueled DJ Moore's most productive season when the two were together in Chicago. Wilson is one of the best value picks early at wide receiver.
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