Unearthing the best fantasy football WR sleepers and fantasy football WR breakouts can be the difference between a good roster and a championship roster in 2025. Savvy managers know that finding wide receivers who can outperform their draft position is one of the most reliable paths to fantasy football success. That’s why we’ve turned to our collection of FantasyPros Featured Pros experts, who have identified their favorite late-round sleeper WRs and breakout wide receiver candidates for the upcoming season. These players combine upside, opportunity, and draft-day value-giving you the best chance to outscore the competition and win your league.
- Fantasy Football Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- 2025 Best Ball Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Fantasy Football Sleepers: Wide Receivers
Which sleeper wide receiver candidate outside the top-40 in our half-PPR WR consensus rankings do you think has the most upside relative to his draft cost and why?
Ricky Pearsall (SF)
“Ricky Pearsall is a pretty compelling bet. He really popped the last two games of 2024, putting up stat lines of 8-141-1 and 6-69-1. Pearsall is athletic, and the 49ers spent first-round draft capital on him. Brandon Aiyuk has no timetable for a return after tearing multiple knee ligaments in the middle of last season, and I’m somewhat suspicious of Jauan Jennings‘ fifth-year breakout. Pearsall could very well be the top WR for the 49ers, who face one of the league’s easier passing-game schedules.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
“Ricky Pearsall. Slick Rick has been a standout at 49ers training camp, and it makes sense that he is well ahead of where he was last season. His rookie year was nearly lost to a gunshot wound, and he was playing catch-up throughout 2024. Even so, Pearsall ended last year on a high note from Weeks 17-18 with 14 catches for 210 yards and 2 TDs, averaging nine targets per game. With a full year under his belt, Deebo Samuel gone, Brandon Aiyuk rehabbing a torn ACL injury, and Jauan Jennings dealing with a calf injury, the signs are all pointing toward Pearsall playing a focal point in the 49ers’ offense in 2025.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
“Ricky Pearsall was who I went looking for in the top 40 as a breakout, only to find him at 41?! Everyone else ahead of him is hurt (Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings) or gone (Deebo Samuel), leaving the 49ers ‘ first-rounder from 2024 as the default top WR. With a rebuilt young defense, I expect San Francisco to be in quite a few higher-scoring matchups, and that means the offense has to score a bunch too. Pearsall was a top 15 WR in each of his three games as a rookie over five targets, and that feels like a low target per game threshold for 2025. Pearsall has WR1 upside at just a middling WR4 price.”
– Justin Frye (Pro Football Network)
Cedric Tillman (CLE)
“I swear it feels like everyone is forgetting the first four games for the Browns after the Amari Cooper trade. It was Cedric Tillman (not Jerry Jeudy) who was the top option in the passing game. With both Jeudy and Elijah Moore playing, Tillman averaged ten targets, six catches, 76 yards, and almost a touchdown per game. Yet, Jeudy is going 23 spots higher at the position, and six full rounds before him.”
– Michael Tomlin (Fantasy Six Pack)
Elic Ayomanor (TEN)
“Elic Ayomanor is being criminally slept on in 2025 fantasy football drafts, and savvy managers are about to cash in on this hidden gem! Despite being drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round, Ayomanor’s electric college stats-125 catches, 1,844 yards, and 12 touchdowns over two seasons at Stanford-showcase his potential as a true X-receiver with a 39% career dominator rating, the highest in his class. His 4.44 40-yard dash and 6’2″, 206-pound frame make him a nightmare for defenses, yet his ADP sits at WR80+ in most redraft leagues (WR84 in FantasyPros consensus rankings), a bargain for his upside in a Titans offense craving weapons. With rookie QB Cam Ward slinging passes and a thin receiver room behind Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett, Ayomanor could climb the depth chart fast, especially with his knack for big plays and willingness as a blocker on the edge. While his 12 drops since 2023 raise some concern, his contested-catch prowess (14/29 over two years) and ability to win vertically scream breakout potential. Grab Ayomanor late, and you might just be bragging about snagging a fantasy steal (think Puka Nacua) when he’s racking up points as Ward’s go-to guy.”
– Brandon Murchison (RotoBaller)
Marvin Mims Jr. (DEN)
“Marvin Mims Jr. is the WR58 in the rankings and my favorite high-upside target at the wide receiver position. He was the WR18 over the final six weeks of last season, averaging 15.2 half-point PPR fantasy points per game, a higher average than A.J. Brown (13.4), Tyreek Hill (12.2), and his teammate Courtland Sutton (12.7). More importantly, Mims is primed for a third-year breakout with an increase in volume, especially after the Broncos didn’t add a big-name pass catcher this offseason. According to Fantasy Points Data, he averaged a higher fantasy points per route run average (0.98) than Puka Nacua (0.75), Brian Thomas Jr. (0.54), Justin Jefferson (0.48), and Nico Collins (0.45) over the final six regular-season contests. Yet, Mims only had a 41.1% route participation rate, 33.5% lower than any of those four superstar wide receivers during those six weeks.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
DeAndre Hopkins (BAL)
“DeAndre Hopkins had an awful season by his standards last year and still finished as WR45. This year he’s ranked as WR71. He finally has a reliable quarterback in Lamar Jackson and will have the benefit of a stacked offense with Derrick Henry, who will force opposing defenses to try to stack him up at the line. He may not get back to his elite production from the past, but he will certainly do much better than his current WR71 ranking.”
– Trevor Land (FlurrySports)
Jayden Higgins (HOU)
“Jayden Higgins is listed as a starting outside receiver on Houston’s unofficial depth chart and has a clear path to early snaps in a rising offense. Drafted 34th overall in 2025, the 6’4″, 215-pound rookie out of Iowa State brings elite contested catch ability and red-zone upside, with a 55.6% contested catch rate and just a 2.2% drop rate across his college career. With Tank Dell out for the season due to a devastating knee injury and Christian Kirk profiling as a slot-first safety valve, Higgins could emerge as C.J. Stroud‘s primary perimeter target. He’s raw, but his physical traits and ball-tracking skills make him a natural fit for back-shoulder fades and high-point throws. At a half-PPR WR67 ranking, Higgins offers massive ROI if Stroud takes a step forward and the Texans lean into his size and skill set.”
– Lawrence Iacona (Gridiron Experts)
Emeka Egbuka (TB)
“I may just be falling into the preseason hype on Emeka Egbuka, but at least I’ll have fun doing it. Everything coming out of Bucs training camp is how good Egbuka has been. We know the Bucs’ offense can have two productive wide receivers based on the last couple of seasons, and with Chris Godwin possibly starting the season on PUP, this will give Egbuka early opportunities to have a significant role in this offense. Even with Godwin returning eventually, Egbuka can easily outplay his current ADP.”
– Joey Meinerding (Fantasy Dink)
“Perhaps I’m way off base here, but I’m not as confident as some of my fantasy peers about Chris Godwin’s surgically repaired ankle holding up. Emeka Ebuka’s smooth route running, football IQ, and YAC ability are a good recipe for him to outkick his current ADP at WR 48, especially on a Bucs team that likes to throw the rock with Baker the TD maker. And to all of the other drafters out there, if you smell a delicious, crispy aroma after Mark Ringo takes Emeka in your draft, that’s not your nose playing tricks on you. It’s a little bit of “eMake & Bake”. Doesn’t that catch phrase just blow your mind? That just happened! It rhymes. They’re both verbs. . .sort of. Haha!”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)
“The WR49 price on Emeka Egbuka is ludicrous at the moment. There is no Chris Godwin to speak of at camp, and he’s likely to remain on PUP to start the season. Mike Evans was phenomenal, but we witnessed the beginning of his decline last year. TE Cade Otton and the backs will eat into some of the total target pie, but Egbuka is in line to get a healthy and steady portion early on and beyond. Baker Mayfield continues to laud the young wideout, calling him “cerebral” and saying he can “play any wide receiver spot”. It looks like the rookie WR will see volume early, which should equate to a phenomenal first year as the potential #1 target in a pass-heavy offense… and he’s currently available in the 10th round of drafts.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)
“Emeka Egbuka – The all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards at Ohio State is drawing high praise at training camp. It isn’t just a few highlight catches (although he’s had those as well) – QB Baker Mayfield has raved about how Egbuka is “so cerebral” and “can play any receiver spot”. Between his ability to play all-around the field and Chris Godwin’s ankle injury, Egbuka should be on the field early and often in 2025. It was a bit of a head-scratching move when the Bucs spent their first-round pick on a WR, but they had a plan, and so far, it appears to be working. If all that wasn’t enough, in the research I’ve done, rookie WRs have historically been one of, if not the single best bet we can make in fantasy, eclipsing their ADP expectation by at least 2 points per game 37.5% of the time. I wrote an extra (No need to include if you don’t want, but figured since I wrote it, I’d include it) Ricky Pearsall – After averaging 15.4 Half-PPR points per game over the final three games of last season, Pearsall now finds himself in a position to potentially enter the season as the 49ers’ WR1. Between Deebo leaving, Aiyuk having no timeline to return from his ACL injury, and Jennings reaggregating a calf injury from earlier this offseason, very little is standing in the former first-rounder’s way. He also has contingent upside to become even more necessary to the offense should Kittle or McCaffery get injured. Coach Kyle Shanahan, known for being a straight-shooter, has praised Pearsall for his performance throughout camp. Combine all this with the easiest schedule in the league, and his WR42 price tag feels like pure upside.”
– Charlie Sisian (The Fantasy DC)
“Going as WR48 in drafts, I am sticking with the Ohio State WRs. Emeka Egbuka could emerge as the WR2 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to start the season, if Chris Godwin remains sidelined due to injury. Egbuka is expected to step into the slot role typically held by Godwin, who recorded 50 catches for 573 yards and five touchdowns through Week 7 last season. That production was good enough to make him the WR2 behind Ja’Marr Chase during that stretch! Egbuka has been turning heads in camp, and I had him ranked as my No. 3 rookie wide receiver coming out, just behind Travis Hunter and Tet McMillan. I’m fully aboard the Egbuka hype train, who has WR3/Flex potential for your leagues!”
– Brady Auer (BA Sports Podcast)
“I loved Emeka Egbuka’s tape coming out of Ohio St. He is a polished route runner with good size and speed. Reports out of Bucs camp have been glowing about this young wideout, and with the timetable for Chris Godwin’s return from an ankle injury uncertain, his role could be substantial from the get-go. With a current ADP of WR51, Egbuka is going to make a lot of fantasy managers happy this season.”
– Lee Wehry (FantasyPros)
Keon Coleman (BUF)
“The Bills badly lack quality in their wide receiver corps. With Khalil Shakir nothing but a small slot receiver and Amari Cooper and Mack Hollins out of town, Keon Coleman is the last man standing in an offense that badly needs a true alpha receiver. He has the potential to be a top ten receiver as Stefon Diggs was a few years ago in Buffalo.”
– Ben Wasley (The Fantasy First Down)
Quentin Johnston (LAC)
“Call me crazy, but Quentin Johnston at WR64 is my guy here. WR64 means he’s basically free and might even be on waivers after some drafts. I know that the team just re-signed WR Keenan Allen and already has a stud in WR Ladd McConkey, but Johnston could benefit from being overlooked by opposing defenses. He had hand issues last season, but I think that can be overcome with practice. Adding Allen brings a veteran presence, and that should benefit the entire WR room. Johnston could very easily finish as a top-40 WR and be flex-worthy when bye weeks start affecting roster decisions.”
– Andrew Hall (FantasyPros)
Matthew Golden (GB)
“Matthew Golden, ranked as WR53, has the most sleeper upside relative to his draft cost. As a first-round pick for the Packers, Golden brings elite athleticism and playmaking ability to a dynamic offense led by Jordan Love. His speed and ability to stretch the field could complement Green Bay’s existing receivers, potentially earning him a significant role if he capitalizes on early opportunities. With a near-undrafted ADP, Golden’s low cost offers WR2 upside in a high-powered passing attack. His potential to emerge as a key target makes him a high-reward flier in an offence surrounded by inconsistent and injury-prone pass-catchers.”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Sports Advice Network)
“The Packers have a collection of Wide Receivers, and their offense is not exciting. I understand the concerns. But Matthew Golden got first-round draft capital, and he is currently ranked between Keon Coleman and Christian Kirk. Jordan Love showed a lot of promise in 2023, but he stepped back during an injury-plagued 2024. I like Love as a bounce-back candidate, and if Golden ends up being the No. 1 WR on this offense, he’s coming at a great value.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)
Khalil Shakir (BUF)
“Khalil Shakir is a smart WR5 target with WR3 upside in one of the NFL’s top offenses. If you’re looking for a cheap piece of the Bills’ passing game, he’s the most underpriced option. He’s a great late-round PPR/half-PPR option with steady weekly floor and occasional spike-game upside. Undervalued WR3/FLEX option early if Coleman isn’t dominating snaps.”
– Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire)
Cooper Kupp (SEA)
“Cooper Kupp is joining a new team, getting a new QB, and he hasn’t finished a season since 2021, but outside the top 40 at WR, he still presents top 20 (or better) upside. The production per game isn’t quite at the elite level it once was, but he’s still productive on a per-game basis, and health concerns are baked into his ADP. Even with injuries last year, he was still on pace for over 1000 yards, 95 receptions, and 10 TDs.”
– Brandon ‘B_Don’ Myers (Razzball)
Dont’e Thornton Jr. (LV)
“Imagine getting a starting WR who is big (6’5”, 205 lbs) and fast (4.3 forty yard dash at the combine) at WR106 in your fantasy draft! You can, and that player is Dont’e Thornton Jr., rookie WR for the Raiders, who is already running with the first team offense! Being that he is a rookie, there will be inconsistencies as he is learning the NFL game. However, due to his size and the possibility that Pete Caroll could use him in a similar role that he used DK Metcalf in during his time in Seattle, which will reward owners who took a risk on this high-upside rookie!”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)
Kyle Williams (NE)
“Kyle Williams is free, and the Patriots are crying out for the speed that Williams brings to the table. While Williams will have to earn his snaps, the competition in the WR room in New England could see him get those meaningful snaps very quickly. It feels like Williams is one huge preseason game away from his draft stock soaring, meaning the opportunity to buy in for free could be rapidly closing. But for right now, Williams is a must-have late in drafts. ”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
