2025 Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings: WR

Davante Adams suits up for the Rams for the first time, Jaxon Smith-Njigba eyes up new career highs across the board, and Garrett Wilson adjusts to life after Aaron Rodgers.

Other positions: Quarterback | Running Back | Tight End/Kickers/Defense

Week 1 Wide Receivers

WR Notes: No matter how convincing his 2024 alibis were, the fact is Tyreek Hill posted 840 fewer receiving yards than the year prior despite appearing in all 17 games. That probably goes beyond QB injury issues or a nagging wrist ailment. But is 80/1,200/10 still a possible outcome? Absolutely, and it keeps Hill in the low-end WR1 mix. … Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a dark horse contender to lead the league in targets. There is plenty of risk, too, in a run-first attack piloted by Sam Darnold, but JSN has the kind of inside-out skill-set that could go bonkers if he’s as far ahead of his target competition as it seemed over the summer. … Davante Adams was an ADP faller because of his quarterback’s back woes, but there hasn’t seemed to be any individual cause for concern with the superstar receiver, his age notwithstanding. Sean McVay’s Rams attacks have frequently supported two top-24 wideouts. Unless Matthew Stafford’s health issues are even more serious than feared, I see little reason for that to change in 2025. … Xavier Worthy closed 2024 strong and has a six-game runway via Rashee Rice’s suspension to take another step forward and never look back as the Chiefs’ No. 1 wideout. Here’s to hoping being Patrick Mahomes’ No. 1 receiver still means something.

Marvin Harrison Jr.’s rookie season wasn’t quite as calamitous as you remembered … is what I wrote before once again confirming, ok yeah, it was. He still has the right profile and is another year older and experienced in an offense running back its same 2024 cast of characters. In a year where so many rookies are getting rankings and ADP benefit of the doubt, MHJ deserves a top-24 do-over. … Jameson Williams broke out last season. Could he do so again? Still somehow only 24 years old, the Lions coaching staff indicated earlier in the offseason it believes JaMo still has room to grow. Diversifying his route tree while maintaining his game-breaking explosiveness, Williams could end up an ADP overperformer despite a skill-set that is not what you would traditionally look for in PPR leagues. … Emeka Egbuka’s positive drumbeat began the day he was drafted and has yet to cease. Sometimes a team just loves a player. Others, they are a perfect fit. Both those phenomena could be at work for Egbuka in Tampa.

Tetairoa McMillan now has the Panthers’ receiver corps almost entirely to himself. Hopefully that’s a good thing. The 6-foot-4 boundary behemoth was already going to be the focal point of enemy defenses. Now he’s the only player worth focusing on. That’s a lot of stress to place on a rookie’s shoulders. McMillan’s are admittedly broad. … The Browns’ 2025 skill corps is a moment-to-moment proposition. At this moment, Jerry Jeudy has the kind of quarterback in Joe Flacco bound to make him a viable WR2. Things will change fast in Cleveland. You don’t have to worry about that when setting your Week 1 lineups. … George Pickens’ 2025 case makes itself, but to recap: Finally in a real offense. Finally has a real quarterback. Finally no longer miscast as the No. 1 option. At least on paper, Pickens and CeeDee Lamb look like a terrifying yin-yang receiver duo in an offense that could lead the NFL in pass attempts. … Repeating last year’s WR14 finish would require Terry McLaurin scoring another 13 touchdowns after he previously never managed more than seven in five NFL seasons, averaging five. Of course, last year was also the first time he had a real quarterback. Still lacking major target competition, McLaurin should ultimately end up back inside the top 20.

The Bears’ targets allocation enters Week 1 as one of the fantasy season’s great unknowns. What is known is Rome Odunze’s hype stalled after an early-season push, while Luther Burden III is a useful player nevertheless likely to max out as a rookie gadget guy. That leaves DJ Moore for what seems like his 90th chance to run with top-20 status in fake football. … Zay Flowers had a strong rookie year and got a little bit better as a sophomore. Who is to say he can’t get a lot of bit better as a third-year pro. Even if he doesn’t, he is safely ensconced inside the top 30 at wideout. … Chris Olave is maybe the biggest injury risk in fantasy football and his quarterback absolutely stinks. He’s also for the first time in his career being drafted in a spot that leaves room for easily-achievable upside and acknowledges his downside. Olave could prove to be one of the windmill dunk selections of summer drafting season. … We just have to see what the Jags have planned for Travis Hunter. At worst, it should make for steady WR4 usage. At best, he could be in the top 24 by this time next month.

Ricky Pearsall profiles as more of an old fashioned WR2 in that his upside outcomes are unlikely to be built on the back of prodigious receptions totals. He needs down-field grabs and touchdowns. Thankfully for fantasy managers, the 49ers need those from Pearsall just as badly as we do. … Michael Pittman Jr. has turned into one of the most boring names in fantasy football, but there’s little debate he’s a dream target for risk-averse QB Daniel Jones. MPJ should answer the question “what if Wan’Dale Robinson were both kind of big and kind of actually good?” … Matthew Golden had a whiplash summer, with the narrative veering from “guaranteed bust” to “clear-cut Packers No. 1 wideout.” The truth, as always, is likely somewhere in between. I will say, the next weekly top-30 receiver Jordan Love produces will be the first. … The Bills’ receiver corps resembles a three-man backfield where every role is up for grabs. Each of Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Josh Palmer have top-48 cases. Shakir has the highest floor, Coleman the only real semblance of ceiling. … Don’t fight Keenan Allen city hall in Los Angeles.