Finding that one wide receiver who can change the course of your fantasy football season is every manager’s dream. These league-winning wide receivers can outperform their draft position, deliver consistent weekly production, and carry your team through the fantasy playoffs. To help you identify the best options for 2025, we’ve gathered insights from our Featured Pros – a collection of the most accurate and respected fantasy football experts in the industry.
Our analysts have evaluated player situations, offensive schemes, target shares, and historical trends to pinpoint the wide receivers most likely to deliver game-changing value this year. Whether you’re looking for an elite WR1 to anchor your roster or a mid-to-late round steal with breakout potential, this list highlights the players who can give you a decisive edge over your competition.
Let’s dive into the league-winning wide receivers for 2025 that our Featured Pros believe can help you bring home a fantasy football championship.
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Fantasy Football League-Winning Wide Receivers to Target
Which WR outside the Top 30 in our consensus half-PPR ADP has the most league-winning upside?
Christian Kirk (HOU)
“After a down year, people seem to be down on the Texans’ offense. I believe better days are coming, I mean, the O-line can’t be any worse, right? While I never loved Christian Kirk as a WR1 for a team, he should be a great WR2 for the Texans. His ADP is currently below WR60 around guys like Marvin Mims Jr., Kyle Williams, Xavier Legette, etc., and I believe he should be in the Stefon Diggs, Josh Downs area.”
– Brandon ‘B_Don’ Myers (Razzball)
Calvin Ridley (TEN)
“Going right on the border of WR30 with my answer for this one, Calvin Ridley. I have him as my WR21, and he’s currently off the board as WR32. Brian Callahan is not a coach who wants to ground and pound. He wants to air it out, and he has his QB now. The days of Tennessee being bottom 3 in pass/run ratio are gone with Vrabel. The best WR by a wide margin in Tennessee right now is Calvin Ridley, and he’s currently going behind a bunch of WR2s on their own team.”
– Brandon ‘B_Don’ Myers (Razzball)
“While Calvin Ridley is the WR32 in the ADP, the veteran is one of my favorite draft targets this season because of his upside. Some 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. Imagine how well Ridley will play with Cam Ward under center and no meaningful target competition.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
“Calvin Ridley will be the unquestioned WR1 for Cam Ward this season and could easily go on a “2024 Terry McLaurin” type of run in 2025. Calvin Ridley had to suffer through horrible quarterback play last year en route to a WR36 finish in fantasy points per game. Among 85 qualifying receivers, Ridley finished 78th in catchable target rate. He finished 31st in target share and receiving yards per game, 32nd in yards per route run, and 33rd in separation and route win rate (per Fantasy Points Data). He was the WR28 in expected fantasy points per game. If Cam Ward can hit the ground running, Ridley could see a big boost in his stat line in 2025 as a top 15 option at wide receiver.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
“Calvin Ridley. He’s topped 1,000 yards in each of the last two years and hasn’t missed a game over that stretch. And after playing with Will Levis and Mason Rudolph last year, Ridley now gets top play with No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Ward, who’s not shy about challenging defenses downfield. With the Titans not having many (or any) other credible pass catchers, we could see Ridley match or exceed the 143 targets he had with the Falcons in 2020.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Jaylen Waddle (MIA)
“Call me crazy, but I still think Jaylen Waddle has a lot of room for explosive value at his current WR33 ranking. Tyreek Hill will be the clear number one, but if anything happens to him, Waddle launches into WR1 territory. Even with Hill on the field, Waddle should get lighter coverage and be able to open the field for Tua and the Dolphins, which will be necessary. I’m fine leaning on Waddle as my WR3 in any draft, but I’d be fine taking him as my WR1 if I decide to load up on the other positions first.”
– Andrew Hall (FantasyPros)
“I just can’t quit Jaylen Waddle even after he struggled immensely last season, averaging just 9.0 half-PPR points per game in 2024 (WR56) with Tua Tagovailoa. But he still posted the same number of 100-yard games as Tyreek Hill with Tua – with fewer targets and more yards per target (11.0 vs. 8.0). Waddle also finished strong with 9+ targets in three of his final four games, two 99+ yard outings, and over 13 PPG in that span. He’s still just 26 years old, with three 1,000-yard seasons already under his belt to start his career. If Tyreek Hill continues on the decline or falls out of favor in Miami after quitting on the team last season, Waddle’s primed to emerge as the league winner from this team. The Jonnu Smith trade to Pittsburgh vacates 111 targets to the Steelers, suggesting that Miami will get back to featuring Waddle as a focal point of the offense.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
“Jaylen Waddle is an easy bounce-back bet. He was the 6th overall pick of the 2021 draft and opened his NFL career with a trio of top-22 finishes in PPR points per game. Waddle is in his prime at 26 years old and will find more targets available this season with the departure of Jonnu Smith. If Tyreek Hill doesn’t rebound, Waddle could emerge as Miami’s No. 1 WR — and a top-12 fantasy WR.”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks)
Rome Odunze (CHI)
“You know Rome Odunze — the 9th overall pick of the 2024 draft — isn’t short on talent. Now, with a year alongside Caleb Williams and a major schematic upgrade from HC Ben Johnson, a breakout season looks possible. We’ll see how much rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden factor in, but injury situations limited the impact of both guys this offseason.”
– Kevin English (Draft Sharks)
“Rome Odunze will be a steal at his current WR37 valuation. Going into his second year in an offense that was broken in 2024, Odunze has the chance to hit the reset button with new HC Ben Johnson now calling the plays. Caleb Williams will be better in 2025, and Odunze will be a part of that. Odunze has 1,000-yard upside written all over him, and that’s at the cost of drafting him as a WR4. Fantasy managers should be all over that in drafts.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
“Rome Odunze is going to take a giant leap this year and help teams reach their championship dreams! He is currently ranked WR37/83 overall and by the end of the year will be in the discussion as a fringe WR1, if not in the WR1 category. Gone are the days of the abysmal Chicago Bears offense, thanks to the hiring of the offensive genius from Detroit, Ben Johnson. The Bears’ offense, led by Caleb Williams and their top receiver, Odunze, will benefit from the regime change and be discussed as one of the top offenses in the league. Odunze will easily reach 1,100 yards and 8-10 touchdowns, which will reward teams who drafted him as a WR4 or FLEX play.”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)
Stefon Diggs (NE)
“Stefon Diggs is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last year. Normally, I’d steer clear of players coming back from reconstructive knee surgery, but the word on the street is that Diggs is ahead of his recovery timeline. Diggs is in a better situation, too. He left Houston and is now the top target in New England. If Diggs can stay in head coach Mike Vrabel’s good graces (aka not be an off-the-field distraction), and his knee continues to improve, he’s a bargain with his current ADP at WR 40.”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)
Emeka Egbuka (TB)
“Let’s keep the beat going for Emeka Egbuka. Over the last few seasons, the clearest path to league-winning upside is taking the value on a first-round receiver who is attached to a good offense. Everything out of camp has been incredibly positive about Egbuka. One of the most notable takeaways from camps is when veteran players answer questions with an irrelevant tangent, hyping up a rookie. That’s exactly what Baker Mayfield has done to rave about the Bucs’ new receiver. Ebuka is a true NFL-ready prospect with the fundamentals to be a star, much like Ladd McConkey last year. It’s not the flashiest skillset, but buckle up for him to quickly become a favourite target of Baker’s.”
– Ellis Johnson (FantasyPros)
Chris Olave (NO)
“Chris Olave is going as WR35 and is easily the cheapest of any receiver who figures to lead their team in targets. The reason for his suppressed ADP is surely the combination of the Saints’ uncertainty at quarterback and his struggles with concussions last season. These two risk factors are baked into his current price, which is well below his floor. Olave has the potential to be a WR 1/2 and is being priced like a bottom-of-the-barrel WR3. He’s free money!”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Sports Advice Network)
Ricky Pearsall (SF)
“With Deebo Samuel in Washington and Brandon Aiyuk still rehabbing, the 49ers’ WR1 is up for grabs. Both Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall have excellent value, but the receiver with true league-winning upside is Pearsall. Jenning’s boom potential is undeniable, but consistency in volume leans towards Pearsall. Pearsall’s 2024 was hampered, but he broke out in the final two games with 14 receptions on 18 targets for over 200 yards and two touchdowns. 2024 was just a taste of what Pearsall has to offer.”
– Tera Roberts (OddsChecker)
Jerry Jeudy (CLE)
“From Week 8 till the end of the season, Jerry Jeudy broke out. He tied Justin Jefferson as the WR8 at 15.1 half PPR points per game and delivered one of the biggest games of the season in Week 13. While Cleveland is full of quarterback questions, there is little doubt that Jeudy is entrenched as the top receiver. A WR34 price tag makes weathering those quarterback questions worthwhile, and Joe Flacco being announced as the Week 1 starter could create a value shift for Jeudy. Kevin Stefanski has consistently created fantasy value in his tenure, and Jeudy has shown a Top 10 ceiling.”
– Jeff Bell (Footballguys)
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