Some of the best fantasy football wide receivers don’t always come from the top of average draft position (ADP); yes, they’re predominantly towards the top-end of the ranks, but you’ll find a ton of undervalued receivers rise to the top thanks to a beneficial situation, a quarterback improving or even overachieving, or a host of other factors.
Last season, we saw a bunch of wide receivers that were drafted as WR3 options turn in WR1 seasons, like Brian Thomas Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ladd McConkey and Jerry Jeudy. They all finished as top-12 fantasy receivers, and thanks to the chaos of the NFL season, we’ll see a couple (or more) wide receivers who are drafted as a WR3 or later join them in 2025.
Identifying these situations and how they could lead to fantasy football goodness is the kind of scouting we want to do before our drafts commence from now until Week 1.
Let’s take a look at a few WR3 candidates that could turn in WR1 potential in 2025.
- More Fantasy Football Tips & Advice
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football WR3s With WR1 Potential
Chris Godwin (WR – TB) | ECR: WR27
Chris Godwin’s big question for the 2025 season is how he recovers after a dislocated ankle ended his season after just seven games. Will he be available for Week 1? We’ll certainly find out, but Godwin produced a career-best per-game pace in those seven games in 2024. We don’t have to worry about how he will assimilate into the Buccaneers’ offense because, despite being a free agent, he decided to sign a long-term deal to stay with Tampa Bay.
After a 2023 season which saw Godwin out wide for most of his snaps for the first time since his second season, he was a primary slot player last season and was on pace for career highs in yards per route run (YPRR) with a mark of 2.36 and targets per route run (TPRR) at a mark of 24.6%, plus his counting stats in this prolific Tampa offense. Of course, Mike Evans exists, as does Jalen McMillan and rookie first-round pick Emeka Egbuka, but Godwin is the clear second target for Baker Mayfield as long as he’s healthy.
Again, that big question: Will Godwin be ready for Week 1 in 2025? Head coach Todd Bowles hinted at the possibility of Godwin being available for the team if it had made a deep playoff run at the end of last season, so that’s a good sign for Godwin going forward for this season.
By the letter of the law, being WR27 in FantasyPros’ expert consensus rankings (ECR) means he’s a high-end WR3 in 12-team leagues. If he can keep the seven-game pace going from last season in this high-flying Tampa offense, he can be a WR1 again in 2025.
George Pickens (WR – DAL) | ECR: WR33
The entire George Pickens thesis has been flipped on its head over the past several weeks. From the end of the 2024 season up until the beginning of May, we were hard at work writing the eulogy for DK Metcalf and Pickens in this Steelers’ offense with an unnamed quarterback at the helm and everybody’s favorite offensive mastermind, Arthur Smith. Now, with Pickens traded to the Dallas Cowboys, he has a new lease on his fantasy life for 2025.
If Pickens wants targets, he’s going to get plenty of them. Not just that, but with CeeDee Lamb playing in the slot in 3-WR sets and then playing flanker when the formation condenses to two receivers, the offense is going to eat with Lamb and Pickens at split end, condensing targets in this Cowboys passing game. Pickens’ game is all about getting open down the field, and he’ll be able to do that with less attention paid to him.
George Pickens is the perfect addition for the Cowboys because he plays split end and CeeDee Lamb primarily plays slot/flanker. His addition doesn't disrupt the role for Lamb where he has thrived.
Same setup as Tee Higgins/Ja'Marr Chase or Mike Evans/Chris Godwin.
— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) May 7, 2025
In Dallas, we could see the targets shake out similar to the Philadelphia Eagles trio of receivers A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert. Even better, there will be a ton more passing volume than you could ever hope for in Philadelphia.
With the Eagles’ trio, the top two receivers combine for a large percentage of the targets, while the tight end is the clear third target, and then there is a huge gap between the rest of the pass-catching depth. Jake Ferguson fills this role admirably as an every-down tight end. As does the drop-off in receiving depth with Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin and the rest in Dallas.
Pickens’ fantasy football ADP should continue to climb steadily throughout the late spring and summer, but I’m happy drafting Pickens wherever I can get him in drafts if he’s going in the WR3 range. The best-case scenario for Pickens this season is that he and Lamb condense targets so much that they shut out Ferguson from most of the target-earning, and Dak Prescott stays healthy. Thanks to a run game that leaves a lot to be desired, the Cowboys’ offense will be extremely dependent on the passing game this season. That benefits Pickens for 2025.
Jauan Jennings (WR – SF) | ECR: WR41
Very quickly, we will find out if Jauan Jennings’ 2024 was a fluke or not. How this receiving corps shakes out even from Week 1 will determine the fates of the many pass-catching options in San Francisco. Will Ricky Pearsall be a slot-only player? Will Brandon Aiyuk be ready for Week 1? Who will get some of the schemed touches in the offense now that Deebo Samuel is in Washington? Will Demarcus Robinson factor into any of the immediate 49ers receiving plans as a new free-agent acquisition?
Last season, Jennings was 14th among all wide receivers with at least 150 routes with a 2.26 YPRR and was 14th in TPRR (25.7%) as well, earning a target on over 25% of his routes. He wasn’t just “third-and-Jauan,” he was first and second as well.
In 6 games with Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, George Kittle, and Brock Purdy on the field together:
Pearsall: 9.6 FPG / 17.6% first-read target share
Kittle: 14.2 FPG / 19.8% first-read target share
Jennings: 13.5 FPG / 31.3% first-read target share
Seems pretty simple!
— Ryan Heath (@RyanJ_Heath) March 26, 2025
Little fanfare was given to Jennings when he received a two-year contract last May that will keep him in San Francisco through this upcoming season. Jennings was a seldom-used third receiver for the 49ers who just kind of blended into the background in previous seasons, but unlike many receivers before him who have gotten paid and their production falls off, Jennings turned in by far his best season as a pro after getting some financial security.
Jennings is a fun redraft value with some ambiguity reflected in his mid-round ADP. Thanks to his efficiency last season, the price is right at WR41 to see if Jennings can take his 2024 season and give that a worthy encore in 2025. There’s enough ambiguity that if you draft him and the 49ers’ passing game doesn’t shake out optimally, you can cut him loose in managed leagues.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
Kevin Tompkins is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Kevin, check out his profile and follow him on Bluesky @ktompkinsii.bsky.social.
