13 Wide Receivers Experts Love to Draft (Fantasy Football)

When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable fantasy football wide receivers our experts are higher on than the consensus rankings. And you can check out which experts are higher or lower than our expert consensus rankings using our Fantasy Football Rankings Comparison Tools.

Fantasy Football Draft Targets: Wide Receivers

Let’s dive into players our experts like more than the expert consensus rankings.

Wide Receivers to Target

Players Andrew Erickson Drafts

Andrew Erickson’s Rank	Player	ECR	Diff.
19	Xavier Worthy KC – WR	26	7.0
21	Tetairoa McMillan CAR – WR	36	15
22	Jaylen Waddle MIA – WR	30	8
28	Calvin Ridley TEN – WR	35	7
36	Jayden Reed GB – WR	43	7

Players Derek Brown Drafts

Derek Brown’s Rank	Player	ECR	Diff.
10	Davante Adams LAR – WR	18	8.0
17	DeVonta Smith PHI – WR	24	7
18	George Pickens DAL – WR	34	16
19	DK Metcalf PIT – WR	25	6
22	Tetairoa McMillan CAR – WR	36	14

Players Pat Fitzmaurice Drafts

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Rank	Player	ECR	Diff.
21	Tetairoa McMillan CAR – WR	36	15.0
35	Stefon Diggs NE – WR	44	9
39	Ricky Pearsall SF – WR	45	6
52	Marvin Mims Jr. DEN – WR	63	11
54	Matthew Golden GB – WR	65	11

Calvin Ridley (TEN)

Calvin Ridley quietly returned solid value in 2024, topping 1,000 yards and leading the NFL in air yard share (48%). He surged late in the year, averaging 11.6 points per game (WR26) after DeAndre Hopkins was traded. With Nick Westbrook-Ikhine gone and No. 1 pick Cam Ward stepping in, Ridley remains the clear WR1 in Brian Callahan’s offense. He’s never finished worse than WR26 in a healthy season, making him a strong bet to beat his ADP again in 2025.
– Andrew Erickson

Tetairoa McMillan (CAR)

A 6-foot-5 receiver who topped 1,300 receiving yards in each of his last two college seasons? Yes, please. And now Tetairoa McMillan seems poised to immediately become the Panthers’ No. 1 receiver after Carolina took him with the eighth overall pick in the draft. Tet is a classic X receiver — although he can also be a matchup nightmare as a big slot receiver. He has a planetary catch radius and good, strong hands. A smooth mover for a big receiver, McMillan has advanced route-running chops. He has a good feel for attacking zone coverage, and he’s no shrinking violet when asked to go over the middle. Mike Evans comparisons are inevitable because of McMillan’s height. The comp that makes more sense to me is Tee Higgins, who’s 6-4. Like Higgins, McMillan comes down with more than his fair share of contested catches, but both players have much more to their games than just the ability to high-point the football.
– Pat Fitzmaurice

Xavier Worthy (KC)

Xavier Worthy broke out down the stretch in 2024, posting at least four catches and 40+ yards in 10 straight games while scoring 12 total touchdowns (9 receiving, 3 rushing) on the year. From Week 11 on, he averaged over 2.0 yards per route run and 14.6 fantasy points per game – WR8 production over that span. He also ranked 10th in red-zone targets and finished the regular season as the WR21 from Weeks 11-17. With Rashee Rice facing an injury recovery and potential suspension, Worthy is in line to step into a featured role in Kansas City’s offense. Locked in as WR17 in projections, Worthy’s arrow is pointing way up heading into 2025.
– Andrew Erickson