Wide receiver is arguably the most important position to draft in fantasy football leagues. There are super stars, sleepers and prospects who find themselves with great opportunity via volume based on a lackluster wide receiving corps or playing on a team with a bad defense.
Whichever strategy you prefer to use when drafting wide receivers, their production generally dictates how your fantasy football season will go. It’s imperative to find value on wideouts in later rounds, who are either flying under the radar or have enough talent to earn more targets as the season progresses.
Analyst Matt MacKay has his top wide receivers outside the current ECR Top 50 to target in fantasy football redraft leagues. Follow him on X at Matt_MacKay_ for additional fantasy football analysis.
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Fantasy Football Wide Receivers Outside the Top 50
Rashid Shaheed (NO): ECR 53
The New Orleans Saints made some big changes during this offseason but WR Rashid Shaheed remains part of their wide receiving corps in 2025. The former undrafted wide receiver out of Weber State has made explosive plays as a vertical threat for the Saints since 2022.
Now, he’s got second-round rookie QB Tyler Shough and head coach Kellen Moore to potentially elevate his production. Moore’s an offensive-minded head coach with plenty of experience, while Shough put up big-time numbers at Louisville.
In 2024, Shaheed averaged 11.0 fantasy points per game, finishing as the WR32. I expect WR2 to high-end WR3 production in 2025, especially with upgrades on offense. Chris Olave‘s injury history is also a factor here, which could create more volume for Shaheed.
Jalen McMillan (TB): ECR 65
Let’s stay in the NFC South and look at Tampa Bay’s second year wideout, Jalen McMillan. The Buccaneers lost OC Liam Coen to Jacksonville, while also opting to use their first round draft capital on Ohio State wideout Emeka Egbuka.
The loss of Coen and presence of Egbuka has created value on McMillan. Especially with WR Chris Godwin recovering from a dislocated left ankle suffered in Week 7 last season. While Godwin could be back on the field early in the season, McMillan will be the likely beneficiary of a slow return.
During his rookie season with the Buccaneers, the 2024 third-round wideout made some big-time plays. McMillan finished with 9.0 fantasy points per game as the WR46. This included a five week stretch of 14.2 to 20.5 fantasy points to end the 2024 season.
He’s got a great quarterback in Baker Mayfield and should be able to carry momentum from 2024 into 2025, even with more competition for targets in a new offense.
Joshua Palmer (BUF): ECR 71
The Buffalo Bills remained one of the best teams in the AFC in 2024, despite failing to win the conference. Star quarterback Josh Allen now has WR Josh Allen to target in his wide receiving corps, which feels like a great opportunity for the former Los Angeles Chargers wideout.
Palmer finished 2024 as the WR82 but fell victim to a Chargers offense that leaned into its rushing attack under first-year head coach, Jim Harbaugh. Rookie wideout Ladd McConkey became the favorite target for Justin Herbert, resulting in Palmer getting less than 10 targets in every game he played last season.
It’s a fresh start in Buffalo with an elite quarterback. The Bills don’t have an elite wide receiving corps. Palmer’s best season in the NFL came in 2022 and 2023, averaging between 8.3 and 8.8 fantasy points per game.
He should be able to average at least 10-12 fantasy points per game in Buffalo, playing alongside a mediocre wide receiving corps with a top-five quarterback who has a rocket arm.
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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for BettingPros and FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.