Chasing upside is the name of the game when building a championship-winning fantasy football roster. Whether you’re looking for breakout stars, league-winning late-round picks, or high-risk, high-reward talents, targeting players with massive ceilings can be the difference between a good team and a great one. To help you identify this year’s top boom-or-bust candidates, we’ve gathered insights from our collection of Featured Pros experts. These analysts have pinpointed their favorite high-upside players for the 2025 fantasy football season. Check out the guys who could explode and become true difference-makers. Let’s dive into the expert picks.
- Cheat Sheets: DBro | Erickson | Fitz
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Fantasy Football Dynasty Rankings
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
2025 High-Upside Players
Jordan Addison (WR – MIN)
“Jordan Addison is a massive steal as the WR37 in the ADP despite facing a potential suspension. The former USC star was the WR21 as a rookie, averaging 11 half-point PPR fantasy points per game before finishing as the WR20 last year, averaging 12.1 fantasy points per contest. Furthermore, Addison had a higher fantasy points per route run average (0.39) than Tyreek Hill (0.37), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (0.35), and Garrett Wilson (0.33) last season (per Fantasy Points Data). More importantly, he has been a scoring machine, totaling 19 receiving touchdowns since entering the NFL, the fourth-most in the league behind Ja’Marr Chase (24), Mike Evans (24), and Amon-Ra St. Brown (22). There are several wide receivers with a higher ADP that I wouldn’t draft over Addison, including Chris Olave, Jerry Jeudy, and George Pickens.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
Jameson Williams (WR – DET)
“The WR comes with the most upside at his current positional half-PPR ADP is Jameson Williams. I think that this is the year that Williams finishes as at least an WR2, with an outside chance of finishing as a WR1, even in the presence of Amon-Ra St. Brown. Williams has been held back by injuries and off-the-field incidents, but this is the year that he finally puts it all together. The player that I would pass on with a higher ADP at his position is Tyreek Hill (WR-MIA). You are paying for a player who is now 31 years old and is coming off a sub-1000-yard season. And his QB, Tua Tagovailoa, is one tough hit away from another concussion and missed playing time.”
– Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire)
“I can’t stop taking Jameson Williams in my drafts as WR27 off the board. I understand he’s a boom-bust fantasy play who has just lost one of the best offensive coordinators in the league, but Williams still plays in a highly competent offense with a potent run game that will move the football. He’s also the most explosive wide receiver in the NFL. Fight me. Williams will win you weeks this season. On the other hand, I’ll pass on WR25 Zay Flowers. Flowers is an excellent talent, but he is ignored in the red zone. He’s fine at cost in PPR leagues, but in half-PPR, there is no ceiling here.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)
Calvin Ridley (WR – TEN)
“Calvin Ridley is a bargain at an ADP of WR35, No. 70 overall. Since missing the 2022 season due to a gambling suspension, Ridley has turned in two straight 1,000-yard seasons and hasn’t missed a game over that span. After trying to catch passes from Will Levis and Mason Rudolph last year, Ridley gets a QB upgrade with No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Ward, an aggressive downfield thrower. The Titans don’t have many other proven pass catchers on the roster, so Ridley should get a smorgasbord of targets. I’d pick Ridley ahead of Jameson Williams, Chris Godwin, Travis Hunter, and several other receivers with higher ADPs.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
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