If you’re in a PPR league, finding talent at the wide receiver position a bit later in drafts could be the difference between winning and losing the championship.
Even players going in the third round who are being drafted closer to WR20 that exceed expectations could completely alter the trajectory of your team.
Here, I’ll examine three wide receivers that, at the end of the year, have an excellent chance to grace that WR12 status or better in PPR leagues.
Let’s check them out.
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
The Next Fantasy Football WR1s
Tee Higgins (WR – CIN)
After a lot of offseason drama and not knowing whether or not Tee Higgins would return, he signed a four-year, $115 million deal to remain with the Bengals.
Now, he’s back as the Robin to Ja’Marr Chase‘s Batman, and yes, he could very well be a WR1 even with Chase looming.
Last season, Higgins caught 73 passes for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in just 12 games. Higgins finished as the WR19 with 212.8 PPR points from Weeks 1 to 17. He averaged 19.3 points per game, which was tied for the third-best mark in the league.
Higgins is back with a quarterback he knows in the same offense; there have been virtually no changes to the depth chart. If anything, the Bengals added more depth along the offensive line.
The key for Higgins is staying healthy. Based on his averages last season, he would’ve been a WR1 if he played just one more game. Let’s say he played three more. In that case, he would’ve been the WR4.
Get Higgins on your rosters.
Rashee Rice (WR – KC)
In 2024, Rashee Rice played just four games due to an LCL injury. In those four games, he caught 24 passes on 29 targets for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
This came just after Rice was involved in an incident where he was hit with eight felonies related to a high-speed hit-and-run case in March 2024. A suspension could happen, but the NFL has said a suspension won’t come until the criminal case has concluded. While the criminal case could happen and conclude during the season, no trial date has been set yet. There are civil cases set for January and March of 2026.
He’s the clear-cut No. 1 WR in a room filled with an aging Travis Kelce, an aging and recently injured Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy, who will serve as a competent WR2 in this offense. The number of players on the depth chart could impact his targets.
Purely from a fantasy football perspective, Rice could be on the field the entire season. He averaged 16.2 fantasy points per game last season, which was 14th in the league. Rice will have Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball.
If he’s on the field all 17 games or close to it, Rice could very well be a WR1 so long as he keeps getting targets.
Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR – ARI)
Marvin Harrison Jr. had some sky-high expectations as a rookie thanks to his No. 4 overall pick status and his namesake.
While he didn’t quite live up to it with 62 catches on 116 targets for 885 yards and eight touchdowns, remember, he was just a rookie and was gelling with quarterback Kyler Murray.
Now, Harrison enters his sophomore season, and the depth chart hasn’t changed.
It’s the same crop of receivers — Michael Wilson and Zay Jones. Tight end Trey McBride is still there, and the running back depth chart still has James Conner and Trey Benson.
Last year, Harrison was the fantasy WR34 overall and WR43 in points per game (11.2). With this selection, I’m relying on Murray and Harrison Jr. getting on the same page more.
There were 45 passes thrown Harrison’s way that were deemed uncatchable. That cannot happen if you want a receiver to be a WR1.
I’m banking on Harrison having a massive season alongside McBride.
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