As we head towards the 2025 NFL regular season, some of the most exciting members of the rookie class are those who will play wide receiver. In the first round, four were drafted (including one at No. 2 overall, who can also play cornerback), and there were two more taken within the first seven picks of the second round. Below, I’ll examine five rookie wide receivers who could have a massive fantasy football impact this season you should consider drafting.
Let’s dive in.
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Impact Fantasy Football Rookie Wide Receivers
Tetairoa McMillan (WR – CAR)
This one is fairly obvious as the Carolina Panthers and quarterback Bryce Young finally get a No. 1 WR in Tetairoa McMillan.
Of course, outside of McMillan, the roster has some question marks with Adam Thielen aging and the team hoping to see more from Xavier Legette. Nonetheless, McMillan should see plenty of targets and opportunities.
McMillan is 6-foot-4 and weighs 219 pounds. Some may worry about his speed, but he’s a great route runner and does well after the catch.
With Young as his quarterback, it’s fair to wonder how many touchdowns he’ll score.
In 12 starts last year, Young threw 15 touchdown passes. The good news is that seven of those came in the final three games of the season, so perhaps there’s momentum for this season.
Either way, McMillan could be an 80-reception candidate as a rookie simply based on this depth chart and assuming the Panthers will be trailing in games a fair bit.
Travis Hunter (WR, CB – JAX)
Like Tetairoa McMillan, this is another obvious one.
Travis Hunter can play cornerback, and while I think we may see some of that, we were told by the Jaguars brass shortly after he was drafted that he’ll be used on offense.
He’ll line up opposite Brian Thomas Jr., creating true one-on-one matchups on each side for both players.
Having a player like Thomas opposite you will take targets and opportunities away, but there’s not much more competition outside of that.
Yes, the Jaguars signed Dyami Brown, but I think they’ll try to use him more down the field.
Hunter should see plenty of action out of the slot, which will also help him bring in receptions.
The Jaguars are also pretty much doing the equivalent of “punting” on the tight end position, as we sometimes do in fantasy football with Brenton Strange as their top guy.
With second overall draft capital, Hunter should see plenty of production, assuming he focuses on offense this season.
Jack Bech (WR – LV)
Yes, there have been reports that Jack Bech has been working primarily with the second-team offense, but that was nearly a month ago.
As the season draws near and actual games begin to be played, I’m not sure how the Raiders leave Bech off the field, especially considering their current group of receivers.
Right now, Tre Tucker appears ahead of Bech for one of the outside receiver roles.
Tucker has played two NFL seasons and has 66 career catches. Yes, he did catch 47 passes for 539 yards and three touchdowns last year, which shows some promise, but why draft Bech with a top-60 pick?
The team does have Brock Bowers and will run plenty more with Ashton Jeanty in the backfield, but in terms of wide receivers, there’s a great argument to be made that Bech is the No. 2 WR, besides perhaps Jakobi Meyers.
I think Bech will find his way onto the field and show why he was a top-60 pick. He’s a do-it-all type of receiver with excellent speed and will make an impact.
Kyle Williams (WR – NE)
Similar to Bech, Kyle Williams enters a Patriots depth chart where the opposing talent isn’t exactly threatening.
The team signed Stefon Diggs to be the No. 1 WR, but he’s coming off a torn ACL.
There’s also Mack Hollins, who they signed, but he wasn’t exactly a “game breaker” with Buffalo last season, catching 31 passes for 378 yards and five touchdowns.
Williams was drafted in the third round and is probably the most explosive receiver they have on the roster.
Last season, Williams saw 24 targets and caught 14 passes on throws that went 20+ yards downfield. He averaged 32.4 yards per catch on those deep passes.
Additionally, Williams led all receivers with at least 100 targets in yards after the catch per reception (8.4).
Williams’ 590 yards after the catch were sixth among all receivers with at least 100 targets.
Drake Maye will want to push the ball down the field, and I believe Williams will benefit from that.
Jalen Royals (WR – KC)
To me, Jalen Royals felt a bit overlooked in the draft, ultimately landing with the Chiefs in the fourth round.
The Chiefs have leaned toward the run more in recent years, but the depth chart isn’t exactly unfavorable to Royals.
Tight end Travis Kelce is aging, and the projected starting three receivers are Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown.
Royals would likely play the spot held by Brown, who dealt with numerous injuries last season.
Royals has plenty of experience with the deep ball, catching 14 out of 29 targets of passes that sailed 20+ yards in 2023. That season, he had 15 touchdowns, with 12 of them on these deep throws.
The rookie Chiefs wideout may have to overcome some depth chart woes, but Royals is an intriguing late-round add or player to watch for on the waiver wire.
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