Ian Hartitz compiles his Wide Receiver Tiers and Rankings for Fantasy Football ahead of the 2025 NFL season. 

You: It's entirely too early to rank and tier WRs ahead of the 2025 season.

Me: So what?

Presenting: My way-too-early breakdown of the fantasy WR landscape ahead of next season.

A few ground rules:

AND THAT'S IT. As always: It's a great day to be great.

Tier 1: League-winning ballers

WR1: Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase

One cool stat: Chase just became the fifth WR to capture NFL triple-crown receiving honors in the last 50 years, joining 2021 Cooper Kupp, 2005 Steve Smith, 1992 Sterling Sharpe, and 1990 Jerry Rice. Pretty decent company!

Offseason storyline to watch: What will the historically cheap Bengals do about their pair of disgruntled star WRs? Chase chilled for most of training camp before ultimately suiting up in Week 1, while Tee Higgins is an unrestricted free agent. Cincy has the league's eighth-most effective cap space ($44.2 million) ahead of 2025; here's to hoping they at least manage to lock down arguably the best WR in the game for the long term.

WR2: Vikings WR Justin Jefferson

One cool stat: Jefferson's 96.5 career receiving yards per game is good for the highest mark … ever.

Offseason storyline to watch: Who will be the Vikings' QB? It doesn't really matter that much considering how productive Jefferson has been with Sam Darnold (88.4 receiving yards per game), Kirk Cousins (97.9), and even Nick Mullens (119, lol) under center, but there is at least some potential for J.J. McCarthy to go through some first-year hiccups. Even then, this passing game is in rather great hands with QB whisperer/head coach Kevin O'Connell.

WR3: Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb

One cool stat: Lamb has racked up 1,100-plus yards with 6+ TDs in four of his first five seasons. The only other WRs to do that in the Super Bowl era? Randy Moss (5/5) and Justin Jefferson (4/5). Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

Offseason storyline to watch: What will the post-Mike McCarthy Cowboys offense look like? Brian Schottenheimer was the team's offensive coordinator over the past two seasons, but didn't call plays. There was a pretty stark difference in Schotty's passing volume compared to his previous stops:

  • Jets OC (2006-11): Averaged 21st rank in total pass attempts
  • Rams OC (2012-14): 23rd
  • Seahawks OC (2018-2020): 24th
  • Cowboys OC (2023-24): 6th

It's not like Lamb can't still provide WR1 fantasy goodness in more of a run-first offense; just realize a dramatic shift in play-style and additions of more qualified WR competition than we've seen post-Amari Cooper could lead to a targets per game total closer to what we saw from Lamb with Cooper (7.2) compared to without (10).

WR4: Rams WR Puka Nacua

One cool stat: 489 players have at least 100 targets since 2015 … and Puka ranks first in both yards per route run (2.92) and targets per route run (31.4%). First!

Offseason storyline to watch: Will Matthew Stafford still be the Rams' QB next season? Stafford restructured his contract last July, effectively turning his deal into a one-year stint by giving up many 2025 guarantees. Nacua's YAC-goodness and unrivaled ball skills along the sideline should keep the fantasy floor high even with a less-proven QB under center (Sean McVay also helps), but remember: God only makes so many WR-friendly gunslingers like Stafford.

WR5: Texans WR Nico Collins

One cool stat: Collins is one of just five WRs to average north of 85 receiving yards per game over the past two seasons. The other four players are ranked above Collins in this very article.

Offseason storyline to watch: What will the Texans do to replace Collins' WR friends? Stefon Diggs is coming off a torn ACL and is a free agent. Tank Dell's torn ACL includes additional ligament and meniscus damage as well as a dislocated kneecap. 

WR6: Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

One cool stat: Our one true Sun God averaged more EPA per target (+0.67) and posted the position's highest catch rate over expected (+11.7%) among all WRs with at least 65 targets last season (Next-Gen Stats).

Offseason storyline to watch: St. Brown spent the last three years of his career thriving in Ben Johnson's well-schemed offense. New OC John Morton was with the Lions and Johnson in 2022, so St. Brown could still earn a big-time target share. Just realize it's possible losing the wunderkind could at least knock ARSB off his perch as the league's all-time No. 2 WR in catch rate (75.4% behind only Michael Thomas at 76%).

Tier 2: Please give us a good QB

WR7: Jaguars WR BrIan Thomas Jr.

One cool stat: BTJ just had one of the most efficient rookie seasons of the last decade.

Most yards per route run by a rookie WR since 2015 (min. 50 targets):

Offseason storyline to watch: Will BTJ still be featured to an extreme amount alongside a fully healthy supporting cast? Wild but true: Thomas had 63 targets in the first 11 weeks of the season (6.1 per game) compared to 70 in the final six games (12) … which coincided with each of Trevor Lawrence, Christian Kirk, and Evan Engram all being sidelined for the heavy duration of game action.

WR8: Giants WR Malik Nabers

One cool stat: Nabers' average of 18.2 PPR points per game is good for the third-highest mark by a rookie WR EVER behind only Odell Beckham Jr. and Randy Moss. The man is a BALLER.


Offseason storyline to watch: Who will be QB1 in New York? There were some fun moments for Nabers at all stages of his rookie campaign, but there were some relative lows, too.

Nabers receiving yards per game by QB:

WR9: Falcons WR Drake London

One cool stat: Worked as the overall PPR WR9 with Kirk Cousins under center… and the WR3 with Michael Penix.

Offseason storyline to watch: How will Penix progress in Year 2? His highs were very fun, but his -4.4% completion percentage over expected was the sixth-lowest mark among 47 qualified QBs. The brief partnership was awfully productive; just realize 7.4 yards per attempt on a 58.1% completion rate doesn't exactly scream no-doubt sure-thing.

Tier 3: Ballers … with some competition

WR10: Eagles WR A.J. Brown

One cool stat: The NFL's leader in ESPN's "Open Score" receiver rating meant to help quantify separation ability in 2024 … A.J. Brown. The Eagles' No. 1 WR didn't put up as gaudy of counting numbers as usual in 2024 due to an early-season hamstring injury, but his 11.1 yards per target (1st) and 2.99 yards per route run (2nd) reflect the reality that we're still talking about one of the game's very best pass catchers here.

Offseason storyline to watch: Will the Eagles look to orchestrate a more pass-first offense? Probably not. They have won the league's second-most games since Nick Sirianni took over in 2021 after all; just realize it wouldn't be the worst thing for Brown's target ceiling if someone in charge of the Eagles offense found a way to not lead the league in dropback rate under expected (-7%).

WR11: Commanders WR Terry McLaurin

One cool stat: McLaurin scored at least 15 PPR points in a whopping 12 games last season. The only WRs with more: Justin Jefferson (13) and Ja'Marr Chase (13).

Offseason storyline to watch: Who will the Commanders bring in to complement the artist known as Scary Terry? WRs Olamide Zaccheaus, Dyami Brown, and Noah Brown are all hitting free agency, and it'd make sense if the front office spends up on the position thanks to having the league's third-most effective cap space entering 2025. McLaurin is certainly good enough to still make the most out of whatever opportunities are thrown his way, but consider: McLaurin ranked only 35th in target share (23%) last season among all WRs.

WR12: Chargers WR Ladd McConkey

One cool stat: There are second-half booms and there are second-half BOOMS: McConkey's 19.2 PPR points per game from Week 8 through the playoffs was good for WR5 status behind only Ja'Marr Chase, Mike Evans, Tee Higgins, and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Offseason storyline to watch: Similar to McLaurin, McConkey also simply might have to grapple with more target competition inside an otherwise great situation next season. The team's third-leading target-earner Joshua Palmer is an unrestricted free agent, and Los Angeles has the league's sixth-most effective cap space. At least the Chargers did post a more than respectable +2% dropback rate over expected (tied for seventh!) once Justin Herbert was actually healthy following the team's Week 5 bye.

WR13: Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

One cool stat: JSN was the WR40 in preseason ADP before finishing as the overall PPR WR9. That +31 increase was the largest jump up the ranks of any WR inside the position's top-45 players.

Offseason storyline to watch: Ex-OC Ryan Grubb was at least partially responsible for JSN out-targeting DK Metcalf 137 to 108 last season (in 2 extra games to be fair); we'll see if Klint Kubiak has the same plan in mind. Additionally, Seattle could feasibly start looking at life after Geno Smith—AKA the league's No. 1 QB in completion percentage over expected (+4.7%) since taking over the starting job in 2022.

WR14: Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill

One cool stat: Last season Hill finished outside the position's top-50 PPR performers on six separate occasions. In 2023, he didn't finish worse than WR38 even once, while in 2022 he had just two finishes worse than WR25.

Offseason storyline to watch: Will Hill still be in Miami? Or was his post-Week 18 trade request simply frustration? Fantasy's WR1 in PPR points per game (21.9) during the 2022-23 seasons is clearly capable of balling the hell out with Tua Tagovailoa in Mike McDaniel’s offense; there are certainly worse situations for the soon-to-be 31-year-old to work out of ahead of 2025.

Tier 4: No. 1 WRs in good offenses

WR15: Buccaneers WR Mike Evans

One cool stat: Evans has racked up 1,000 receiving yards in all 11 of his career seasons. The only other player to accomplish that feat 11 times? Mr. Jerry Rice.

Offseason storyline to watch: Will the Bucs re-sign Chris Godwin? Evans' longtime sidekick is coming off a dislocated ankle and turns 29 in February. Evans worked as the PPR WR15 in Weeks 1-7 WITH Godwin and then the WR2 in Weeks 12-18 without. That's a pretty great floor-ceiling combo; just realize the absence of the Bucs' high-end slot WR could push Evans up into the top 10.

WR16: Ravens WR Zay Flowers

One cool stat: Flowers racked up 100-plus yards in five separate games last year–tied for the highest mark in the league alongside Puka Nacua, Terry McLaurin, Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, and A.J. Brown.

Offseason storyline to watch: There really doesn't seem to be much of a crucial concern here other than the Ravens potentially adding newfound target competition. Even then, Flowers' joystick-like movement skills will always have a welcome home in this well-schemed Todd Monken-led attack. Baltimore will probably continue to spread the ball out while embracing the run–the league's reigning third-ranked scoring offense is operating just fine after all–but I maintain Flowers has legit top-10 production ability should a larger role ever come to fruition. 

WR17: Broncos WR Courtland Sutton

One cool stat: Sutton's infamous Thursday night goose-egg in Week 7 featured *zero* targets. But after that? Bo Nix's No. 1 WR averaged 18.2 PPR points per game during the rest of the regular season (WR10), thanks in large part to an absurd league-high 49% air-yard share.

Offseason storyline to watch: Are the Broncos and Sutton still on good terms? He skipped practices during OTAs last year before eventually reporting for mandatory minicamp; it'd make sense if the 29-year-old veteran looks to really cash in after a career-best 2024 campaign.

WR18: Bears WR D.J. Moore

One cool stat: Moore easily led all WRs in receptions (38) and receiving yards (234) on screen passes last season. Marvin Mims (26-227) was the only other WR even close.

Offseason storyline to watch: Will the presence of Ben Johnson change the pecking order in this passing game? DJM had a team-high 140 targets, quite a bit ahead of Keenan Allen (121, free agent) and Rome Odunze (101); enhanced efficiency would need to come hand in hand for Moore if the offense starts to 1.) Increase the run-game volume like Detroit, and 2.) Starts to perhaps facilitate more of the passing game through the 2024 NFL Draft's ninth-overall pick.

Tier 5: Great WRs, but where are they playing?

WR19: Jets WR Garrett Wilson

One cool stat: Wilson is one of just 10 players in the Super Bowl era to gain at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of the first three seasons of their career. Note that he reached the mark in each season before getting the luxury of a 17th game. This is good company!

Offseason storyline to watch: Is Wilson serious about wanting out of New York? The rising fourth-year talent hasn't officially requested a trade, but there have been reports that Wilson could want out if Aaron Rodgers returns at QB. The decision of A-aron and the presence of Davante Adams go hand in hand here.

WR20: Bengals WR Tee Higgins

One cool stat: Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase combined for 27 receiving TDs last season–seven more than the next-most productive duos (20 from Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz, as well as Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman).

Offseason storyline to watch: Where will Higgins sign? Returning to Cincy would allow for more potential WR1 goodness, but what would happen if someone like the Giants gave him a bag? Or the Raiders? Higgins' talent and likely pay day will align him as a high-end target earner wherever he lands; just realize the right spot could get him far closer to the WR1 borderline.

WR21: Jets WR Davante Adams

One cool stat: It took Adams a bit to catch his groove with Aaron Rodgers, but things actually went quite nicely down the stretch. Overall, only Ja'Marr Chase (151.3) and BrIan Thomas (137.2) scored more PPR points than Adams (136.6) during the final six weeks of 2024.

Offseason storyline to watch: Will Adams still be on the Jets in 2025? The $38.25 million cap number is HUGE for the 32-year-old veteran, and New York could save over $36 million against the cap with just over $2 million in dead money with a post-June 1 cut or trade. Like with Wilson, a lot of this will likely come down to what the team decides to do with Aaron Rodgers.

WR22: Saints WR Chris Olave

One cool stat: Since entering the NFL, Olave ranks 13th in yards per route run (2.22) and 14th in targets per route run (26%) among 105 WRs with 100-plus targets. Pretty, pretty, pretty good company.

Offseason storyline to watch: Who will Olave be catching passes from in 2025? Derek Carr in New Orleans? A newfound rookie in New Orleans? Or somewhere else entirely? Obviously, Olave is a baller when healthy, but the Saints' self-created cap hell could make the idea of signing the 24-year-old talent to a nine-figure deal a bit of a stretch.

Tier 6: Boom-or-bust studs

WR23: Seahawks WR DK Metcalf

One cool stat: 2024 really was a tale of two seasons for Metcalf. He worked as the WR14 in PPR points per game (15.7) with a solid 23% target share during the first seven weeks of the season. However, from Weeks 11-18 after returning from injury? 10.7 PPR points per game (WR43) and a 20% target share. 

Offseason storyline to watch: Will the Seahawks deploy a more run-first approach under new OC Klint Kubiak? The Saints were AWESOME in their memorable two-game start to 2024, but then again that featured Derek Carr throwing the ball only 23 and 16 times, respectively. Jaxon Smith-Njigba emerged as the legit No. 1 target down the stretch of 2024; Metcalf will be more of a boom-or-bust WR3 without the benefit of at least a neutral approach on offense.

WR24: Lions WR Jameson Williams

One cool stat: Williams has caught 6 TD passes on balls thrown 30-plus yards in the air since joining the Lions in 2022. The rest of the team combined has five during that span. Davante Adams (10), Rashid Shaheed (9), Tyreek Hill (8), and Ja'Marr Chase (7) are the only players across the league with more.

Offseason storyline to watch: Will the Lions finally make a real push for a No. 3 WR? The change in playcaller also matters, but I'm more intrigued to see if Detroit might fancy an upgrade over the likes of Tim Patrick and Kalif Raymond. This is already a crowded enough offense–Jamo can't afford to lose any of his already-minuscule 6 targets per game.

WR25: Steelers WR George Pickens

One cool stat: It's safe to say Pickens is the king of the go-ball: He has a league-high 32 receptions and 1,004 yards on go-ball-oriented targets since entering the league in 2022.

Offseason storyline to watch: Choose your fighter:

  • Who will Pickens be catching passes from in 2025 and beyond?
  • Will the team finally add some real target competition in free agency or through the draft?
  • Are Mike Tomlin and Co. growing especially tired of Pickens', ahem, antics?

WR26: Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

One cool stat: The artist known as Maserati Marv was the only WR with at least 25% of their targets coming on go routes in 2024 (min. 70 targets). Maybe mix in a crossing route from time to time and see what happens?

Offseason storyline to watch: Will Kyler Murray and Co. look to make Marv the actual No. 1 pass-game option in this offense? It was borderline shocking to see Trey McBride (147 targets) so severely out-target Harrison (116) even while playing one less game; failure to further tap into the 2024 NFL Draft's No. 4 overall pick's skill-set could (again) would leave him as more of a boom-or-bust WR3.

Tier 7: Overqualified No. 2 WRs

WR27: Eagles WR DeVonta Smith

One cool stat: Smith and teammate A.J. Brown combined for a 60% target share last season—the highest mark among any WR duo in the league.

Offseason storyline to watch: See AJB’s offseason storyline above.

WR28: Vikings WR Jordan Addison

One cool stat: The offseason is all about making cool arbitrary cutoffs in order to supply a shocking metric. Here's an example:

Highest scoring WRs in total PPR points during Weeks 9-17:

  1. Ja'Marr Chase (218.9)
  2. Amon-Ra St. Brown (186.4)
  3. Puka Nacua (180.3)
  4. Justin Jefferson (173.2)
  5. Jordan Addison (161.7)

Offseason storyline to watch: See JJ up above.

WR29: Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers

One cool stat: Meyers returned from injury in Week 8. He then proceeded to score the 16th-most PPR points of any WR during the final 10 games of 2024. His total was just 0.3 fewer than Drake London and 6.9 more than A.J. Brown even with all three playing the same amount of games!

Offseason storyline to watch: Who will be playing QB for the Raiders in 2025? Meyers has proven capable of putting up perfectly fine numbers over the last two seasons despite mediocre QB play (to put it nicely), but things can always get worse—particularly with the Pete Carroll-led Raiders likely embracing the run more than usual.

WR30: Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle

One cool stat: Waddle's rank in yards per reception by season among all WRs with 50-plus receptions:

  • 2021: 9.8 (46/49)
  • 2022: 18.1 (1/51)
  • 2023: 14.1 (14/50)
  • 2024: 12.8 (24/50)

It would be a lot cooler if 2025 looks more like 2022.

Offseason storyline to watch: Will Tyreek Hill still be in Miami? Or was his post-Week 18 trade request simply frustration? Waddle has proven capable of supplying some booms as the passing game's second banana, but WR1 upside would be firmly back on the table with a legit 150-target ceiling.

WR31: Rams WR Cooper Kupp

One cool stat: Kupp's "Open Rating" separation metric and rank by year:

  • 2021: 76 (13th)
  • 2022: 55 (56th)
  • 2023: 47 (72nd)
  • 2024: 32 (107th)

Injuries have certainly played a role, but yeah: Not great!

Offseason storyline to watch: Will Kupp still be on the Rams next season? 2024 wasn't all bad; he worked as the overall WR4 in PPR points in Weeks 8-14 after all. Still, Kupp was a rumored trade candidate last season, turns 32 in June, and he has a $29.78 million cap number for 2025.

Tier 8: One BIG question away from sky-rocketing up

WR32: Chiefs WR Rashee Rice

One cool stat: Rice played only three full games in 2024 before unfortunate friendly fire took him out of action for the season. His rank in PPR points? No. 2 behind only Malik Nabers. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

Offseason storyline to watch: When will Rice actually be available to play between his recovery from knee surgery and a potential suspension? There's upside WR1 potential here with full health and availability, although both factors are rather massive IFs ahead of 2025.

WR33: 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk

One cool stat: Aiyuk's yards per route run and rank among all qualified WRs by season:

  • 2020: 1.74 (37/59)
  • 2021: 1.7 (31/50)
  • 2022: 1.92 (22/54)
  • 2023: 3.06 (3/59)
  • 2024: 1.76 (41/96)

Maybe, just maybe, one of those is an outlier.

Offseason storyline to watch: Aiyuk had surgery to repair a torn ACL *and* other damage in November. This could complicate an early-season return; otherwise Aiyuk would be firmly in the WR2 conversation.

WR34: Titans WR Calvin Ridley

One cool stat: Ridley racked up an NFL-high 1,096 unrealized air yards in 2024 just one season after finishing fourth in 2023. While drops have played a role, Will Levis and Mason Rudolph combined to post the league's fifth-highest "bad throw rate" per Pro Football Reference.

Offseason storyline to watch: Will the Titans actually manage to get a legit QB? Or will Ridley be forced to (again) deal with less-than-stellar performance under center? Maybe Ridley's WR1 highs from 2020 are fully in the rear-view mirror—he is 30 after all—but it'd certainly be a lot easier to find out for sure with a true splash at QB.

WR35: Browns WR Jerry Jeudy

One cool stat: Jeudy had some pretty stark splits last season:

The man basically put up identical numbers to Puka Nacua during the latter stretch!

Offseason storyline to watch: As is the case with many of these No. 1 WRs on bad teams: Who will be chucking Jeudy the rock? Watson would be really bad, while the return of Jameis Winston could quickly sky-rocket the ex-Bronco talent.

Tier 9: Betting on a boom, red flag be damned

WR36: Bears WR Rome Odunze

One cool stat: Odunze ranked 11th in yards per route run (1.18) and 10th in passer rating when targeted (82.7) among 12 rookie WRs with at least 50 targets last season.

Offseason storyline to watch: What sort of plans does Ben Johnson have for the 2024 NFL Draft's ninth-overall pick? A big slot role a la Amon-Ra St. Brown would be borderline erotic, but it's always risky trying to cross-compare X's and O's choices when dealing with different Jims and Joes.

WR37: Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy

One cool stat: Whether it was the inability to stay in bounds, a case of the butterfingers, or a bad pass from No. 15, The Chiefs' rookie speedster just never quite managed to get on the same page with Patrick Mahomes when it came to downfield heaves. Overall, the duo hooked up on just *one* of 10 targets thrown at least 30 yards downfield.

Offseason storyline to watch: Who will fill out the Chiefs' WR room? Rashee Rice's return is clouded by recovery from injury and a potential suspension, while both Hollywood Brown and DeAndre Hopkins are free agents. Worthy had a nice stretch run to end the regular season, but that was after essentially three months of meh performances.

WR38: Packers WR Jayden Reed

One cool stat: Reed became just the first man without the last name Samuel to lead all WRs in rushing yards since 2018.

WR leader in rushing yards:

Offseason storyline to watch: Will the Packers look to truly upgrade their WR room? Matt LaFleur's willingness to not embrace a "true" No. 1 WR has resulted in Reed being the de facto top option more weeks than not; making a real splash at the position could hurt the ceiling scenario here.

WR39: Bills WR Khalil Shakir

One cool stat: Shakir's ability to break tackles and rack up yards after the catch was basically topped by only  Ja'Marr Chase in 2024.

 

Offseason storyline to watch: Will the Bills' "everybody eats" mantra from 2024 persist into 2025? It'd probably be better for Shakir if the team continues to largely bypass more of a true high-end WR1.

WR40: 49ers WR Deebo Samuel

One cool stat: Deebo's yards after the catch above expected per reception (Next-Gen Stats): 

 

  • 2020: +4.4 (No. 1)
  • 2021: +5.2 (No. 1)
  • 2022: +2.6 (No. 3)
  • 2023: +3.9 (No. 1)
  • 2024: +2.3 (No. 7)

Offseason storyline to watch: Will San Francisco still be home for Deebo? It's tough to imagine another offense getting more out of the longtime RB/WR hybrid, but then again it remains shocking that Samuel couldn't do more with his opportunities in 2024 despite the extended absences of both Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey.

WR41: Saints WR Rashid Shaheed

One cool stat: Nobody has more receiving TDs on passes thrown 30-plus yards downfield than Mr. Shaheed (7) over the past two seasons.

The man was a LOT of fun to watch.

Offseason storyline to watch: When will Shaheed be fully recovered from meniscus surgery? The field-stretching specialist was making all kinds of big plays prior to being injured last season; a quick recovery would seemingly (again) cement Shaheed as the offense's clear-cut No. 2 WR.