Draft day is all about finding value and avoiding costly mistakes – and Average Draft Position (ADP) is one of the best tools to help you do both. By comparing where players are being drafted to their projected production, fantasy football managers can spot potential steals and sidestep landmines. To give you a winning edge for 2025 drafts, we’ve gathered 30 players experts draft and avoid at ADP from our collection of Featured Pros experts. This list highlights the players our analysts target at their current ADP so you can make smarter picks and build a championship-ready roster.
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Players Fantasy Football Experts Draft at ADP: Wide Receivers
Who is a player you’re TARGETING in drafts based on his current ADP (top-150) and why?
Calvin Ridley (WR – TEN)
“While Calvin Ridley is the WR32 and 71.3 overall in the ADP, the veteran is one of my favorite draft targets this season. Many believe he will be this year’s Terry McLaurin – a veteran having a career season thanks to a massive upgrade at quarterback. Last year, Ridley was significantly better with Mason Rudolph starting than with Will Levis. He averaged more half-point PPR fantasy points per game (12 vs. 8.9), a higher yards per route run (2.46 vs. 1.81), and nearly twice as many receiving yards per contest (84 vs. 49.8) with the veteran quarterback. Furthermore, the Titans let Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and his team-high nine receiving touchdowns from last season leave in free agency, replacing him with an over-the-hill Tyler Lockett and a pair of Day 3 rookies. Ridley has massive fantasy upside with Cam Ward under center and no meaningful target competition, making him a value as a mid-range WR3.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
“Calvin Ridley is going as WR30 in ADP (72nd overall), yet he has finished as WR27 or better in every season he’s played at least 13 games. I love targeting players being drafted near their floor rather than their ceiling. Ridley already seems to be building a strong connection with new QB Cam Ward. The two connected for three catches and 50 yards (accounting for 74.6% of Ward’s passing yards) in their first preseason game together.”
– Brady Auer (BA Sports Podcast)
“Calvin Ridley is a steal at his ADP. He’s turned in two straight 1,000-yard seasons and did it last year with Will Levis and Mason Rudolph as his quarterbacks. Now he gets to play with No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Ward, who likes to push the ball downfield. Ridley also has a chance to finish top 10 in targets, since the Titans don’t have any other prominent, established pass catchers on the roster.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
DK Metcalf (WR – PIT)
“I’m targeting Steelers’ wide receiver DK Metcalf at his current ADP of 48.0 (WR21) because he’s primed for a massive 2025 season with the Steelers’ revamped offense. Pittsburgh’s upgraded quarterback situation and aggressive passing scheme should maximize Metcalf’s elite athleticism and deep-threat ability, boosting his target volume. His physical dominance, speed, and red-zone prowess make him a steal at this mid-round price, with potential to deliver top-10 WR production. At 28, he’s in his prime, and his ADP feels undervalued for a player with his proven big-play upside. ”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Sports Advice Network)
Ricky Pearsall (WR – SF)
“I am all aboard the Ricky Pearsall train. Brandon Aiyuk will miss several weeks, and Jauan Jennings will miss time, too. Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Pearsall will see all the targets they can handle in the first half of the season and even beyond. His WR43 is a steal as we head into the thick of draft season. If the sophomore receiver can stay healthy, there is an easy WR3 finish to be had.”
– Zach Greubel (Gridiron Experts)
“After averaging 15.4 Half-PPR points per game over the final three games of last season, Ricky 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 WR43 price tag feels like pure upside.”
– Charlie Sisian (The Fantasy DC)
Jameson Williams (WR – DET)
“Jameson Williams at WR27 and 63 overall is a screaming value. Williams was WR19 in total points in 2024, despite missing two games due to a PED suspension and two other games under 10 scrimmage yards. Williams is a special athlete with a blue chip pedigree, and the departure of Ben Johnson brings a fresh set of eyes to playcalling. Williams can score on any play in an offensive environment that has established itself as worth targeting.”
– Jeff Bell (Footballguys)
Darnell Mooney (WR – ATL)
“Whatever Michael Penix becomes (QB finishes of 30, 25, and 4 in three starts to end the season), I would like to find out in the least devastating way possible. That means passing on London, who goes inside the Top 20 overall, and taking Darnell Mooney instead. Mooney has faded in drafts after a late July shoulder injury, an injury that he should be cleared from before the regular season. With eight 10+ point weeks, Mooney showed every week flex potential in his first season with Atlanta. He should thrive as the third option for Atlanta if Michael Penix is the answer. If Penix is not? I’ve only wasted a late pick finding out.”
– Seth Miller (Crossroads Fantasy Football)
Drake London (WR – ATL)
“Drake London. The Falcons’ superstar WR is routinely being selected in the back half of Round 2 as the WR9 (19th overall). But I would happily reach for Drake London in Round 1 if that were the only way I could guarantee him on my roster. He’s not even 24 years old yet, coming off a Year 3 performance featuring 100 catches, 1,271 yards & 9 TDs. And he’s got one fantasy cheat code working in his favor as well: red-zone targets. In 2024, Drake London had 23 red-zone targets (T-3rd in NFL) and 14 end-zone targets (Top-10). The Falcons’ WR leads the league in red-zone target rate over the last 3 seasons. And London wasn’t just a TD threat – he was a target hog. 3rd-highest target rate per route run (30%). And now he’s tied to QB Michael Penix Jr. With Penix under center late in the year, London had a 41% target rate on his routes. If Penix levels up in Year 2, look out for London.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
Jaylen Waddle (WR – MIA)
“The Draft Sharks ADP Market Index shows no player going at a stronger value point than Jaylen Waddle. His WR32 ADP basically ignores his first three pro seasons, when Waddle finished 21st, 13th, and 22nd in half-PPR points per game. Yeah, last year sucked. But what’s more likely: this 26-year-old already peaked, or he dealt with team issues at QB and play design in an outlier fourth year? I’ll go ahead and bet that Miami works to rebound Waddle’s usage this year. And the truly exciting part: Waddle’s age plus Tyreek Hill‘s (31) combine to increase the chances we haven’t even seen the young guy’s ceiling yet. And that Tua issue? That’s absorbed into his disrespectful ADP.”
– Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks)
Tetairoa McMillan (WR – CAR)
“Tetairoa McMillan at player overall 64 and WR28 is a crime. It is the Carolina Panthers, yes, but this is a receiver that has top-15 written all over him. He comes to an offense that has been in desperate need of an X receiver for Bryce Young. They now have that, and then some. McMillan should walk to 120-130 targets minimum in year one, and could stumble onto 8 TDs minimum by accident. McMillan, my WR19, is a steal at his current valuation.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
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