Free agency is almost here. Jobs will change, dollars will fly, and we will enjoy it–because what else is a football diehard supposed to do in March?

Today, we're answering the five biggest questions facing the free agent WR class:

  • Who still looks capable of working as a legit high-end WR1?
  • What receiver looks poised to command the biggest market?
  • Which WR could still be great, barring a strong recovery from injury?
  • Who should be considered the favorite to land on one of the Los Angeles teams?
  • What formerly great WR might be washed at this point?

As always: It's a great day to be great.

Looking for my breakdowns on the top free agent QBs and free agent RBs for 2025? Read here!

The Top 2025 Free Agent WRs In Fantasy Football

Older but far from forgotten: Davante Adams

  • 2024 receiving stats: 85 receptions, 1,063 yards, 8 TD (in 14 games)
  • 2024 advanced receiving stats: 2.05 yards per route run (28th), 27.2% targets per route run (10th)
  • Fantasy PPR points per game: 17.2 (WR10)

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.

Does this look like a washed WR to you?

While there has been some sign of decline when it comes to Adams' ability to separate, even a lesser version of the longtime stud is still pretty damn good relative to most players at the position.

Davante Adams "Open Score" since 2020:

  • 2020: 99 (1st)
  • 2021: 85 (6th)
  • 2022: 81 (8th)
  • 2023: 71 (15th)
  • 2024: 77 (14th)

33 next December, Adams doesn't profile as the same game-changing alpha he was three or so years ago; just realize the three-time All-Pro still appears to offer the sort of savvy route-running ability and underrated after-the-catch goodness to boost any passing game in the league.

Ideal landing spot: Chargers

A return out west to team up with anyone's idea of a great QB inside a passing game dying for a stud outside WR to pair with Ladd McConkey, is that something Adams might be interested in?

I sure hope so, because this pairing would be borderline erotic for real-life as well as (only to a slightly lesser extent) fantasy purposes.

Get the checkbook out: Chris Godwin

  • 2024 receiving stats: 50 receptions, 576 yards, 5 TD (in 7 games)
  • 2024 advanced receiving stats: 2.38 yards per route run (10th), 25.6% targets per route run (18th)
  • Fantasy PPR points per game: 19.7 (WR2)

Godwin was nothing short of excellent in 2024 before unfortunately dislocating his ankle in Week 7.

Godwin among 84 WRs with 50-plus targets:

  • Yards per route run: 2.36 (No. 10)
  • Targets per route run: 24.6% (No. 19)
  • Passer rating when targeted: 127.5 (No. 6)
  • PFF receiving grade: 85.7 (No. 10)
  • PPF points per game: 19.7 (No. 2)

The long-time Bucs WR turns 29 in February. Godwin's timetable for recovery is unclear, although Todd Bowles' assertion that he had a chance to be back for a late playoff run is intriguing. Dr. Deepak Chona believes Godwin will likely be playing in Week 1 of 2025, although WR ankle data favors a moderate dip that recovers midseason.

Last season proved that Godwin is still plenty capable of racking up production from the friendly confines of the slot when given the opportunity. Things were certainly going incredible to start the year: Ja'Marr Chase (138.1) was the only WR with more PPR points than Godwin (137.8) in Weeks 1-7 last season!

Ideal landing spot: Patriots

This is under the assumption that a return to Tampa Bay wouldn't be on the table. The Rams or Chargers would be hot too; honestly, Godwin's skill-set fits pretty well almost anywhere. Still, Drake Maye needs some additional help after working with the worst supporting cast in football last season, and the Patriots have all kinds of cap room to make New England awfully appealing.

Please chill out, Injury Gods: Stefon Diggs

  • 2024 receiving stats: 47 receptions, 496 yards, 3 TD (in 8 games)
  • 2024 advanced receiving stats: 1.84 yards per route run (34th), 23.7% targets per route run (28th)
  • Fantasy PPR points per game: 15.2 (WR17)

Diggs should be ready to return to the field during the early portions of the 2025 season. Here's to hoping his torn ACL won't drastically hinder him moving forward, as the longtime stud WR was still quite great at creating separation with the Texans last season.

Diggs' ESPN "Open Score" rating by year:

  • 2024: 83 (No. 7 among qualified WRs)
  • 2023: 69 (No. 19)
  • 2022: 83 (No. 6)
  • 2021: 93 (No. 3)
  • 2020: 84 (No. 5)

32 next November, it's certainly possible Diggs' best football is in the rear-view mirror. And yet, he still looked plenty capable of working as a quality No. 2 option at worst during the first two months of last season, and Fantasy Life's fearless leader, Matthew Berry, believes there's a real market out there for his services.

From Berry's fantastic 25 most interesting things he heard at the combine column:

“They (Houston) like him (Diggs) and want him back, but talking with a team source, despite Diggs being over 30 and coming off a serious injury, there’s a real market for Diggs out there. As a result, the team may not be able to bring him back. My source tells me it’s 50/50 if Diggs is back in Houston. But the point is… there IS a market for Diggs. Teams are WR desperate and there are not a lot out there in free agency. Plus, this year’s draft class doesn’t have the same caliber of superstars like last year with Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas, Marvin Harrison, and (at least at the time it was thought) Rome Odunze.”

Ideal landing spot: Packers

Houston would be fine too, but finally getting something close to a real No. 1 WR for Jordan Love would objectively be cooler. As Packers RB Josh Jacobs stated in early February, “I think we need a guy that's proven to be a No. 1 WR already.”

Kudos to the Packers for managing to hit on some talented young receivers in recent drafts, but at some point, a real investment might be needed here. After all, the Packers have the fifth-fewest 2025 dollars devoted to the position at the moment.

Going going, back back, to Cali Cali: Keenan Allen

  • 2024 receiving stats: 70 receptions, 744 yards, 7 TD (in 15 games)
  • 2024 advanced receiving stats: 1.37 yards per route run (64th), 22.3% targets per route run (38th)
  • Fantasy PPR points per game: 12.3 (WR34)

The 2024 season didn't start out so hot for Allen (perhaps due in part to a lingering preseason heel injury), but he actually put together a rather great stretch later on: Only five WRs scored more PPR points than Allen in Weeks 12-16. Arbitrary timeline? Absolutely, but it was still good to see flashes from the soon-to-be 33-year-old veteran.

Like most of these receivers: It'd make sense if Allen's best football is already in the rearview mirror. Still, Allen never exactly made his money by running past opposing defensive backs, so it'd make sense if his route-running prowess ages better than most; he was still in pretty good company last season when it came to his ability to demand targets despite having plenty of competition in Chicago.

 

Ideal landing spot: Rams

Allen has already revealed there are only three teams he'd be willing to sign with (Bears, Chargers, Rams). Either Los Angeles squad would likely be best for fantasy business relative to the rest of the league, but there's less overlap with the Rams, considering Ladd McConkey seems more at home from the slot.

Don't want to use the word washed, but: Amari Cooper

  • 2024 receiving stats: 44 receptions, 547 yards, 4 TD (in 14 games)
  • 2024 advanced receiving stats: 1.46 yards per route run (59th), 22.7% targets per route run (36th)
  • Fantasy PPR points per game: 8.8 (WR58)

2024 was not a good year for Mr. Cooper. Career-low counting numbers across the board went hand-in-hand with brutal efficiency marks: ESPN ranked Cooper 106th among 116 qualified WRs, while PFF receiving grades ranked him 60th.

That said, we're only one season removed from Cooper going for 1,250 yards with a combination of Deshaun Watson and Joe Flacco under center. 31 in June, Cooper isn't exactly a spring chicken these days, but perhaps more leniency should be given to a hand/wrist injury that seemingly impacted the long-time route-running maven throughout the second half of 2024.

There were certainly still some flashes of familiar excellence here down the stretch, although the idea that bigger and better things could be on the way might not be shared by all. Another note that Mr. Berry heard at the combine:

“What about Amari Cooper, I asked? A shrug. “He might be done.” The implication to me being that Cooper’s days as an elite WR1 might be over, not that he would be leaving Buffalo. I still expect that if anyone would be the focal point of the Bills’ passing offense, it would have to be Khalil Shakir.”

Ideal landing spot: Cowboys

Reunion szn! Teaming back up with Dak Prescott on a more affordable deal might just make a lot of sense for both parties. While Cooper likely won't be able to supply the same alphaness as he did in his previous tenure, he'd still be an upgrade over Brandin Cooks, and the familiarity with Dak could go a long way.

More Free Agent Wide Receivers To Monitor

Christian Kirk: The cap casualty has only played in 20 of a possible 34 games over the past two seasons, but before that set career-best marks across the board (84-1108-8) in 2022. 29 next November, Kirk should have another productive season or two in him before we should expect any sort of steep decline in ability. Landing somewhere like New England or Carolina would be pretty, pretty, pretty cool.

Tyler Lockett: Released on Wednesday, the longtime Seahawks stud averaged his fewest receiving yards per game (35.3) since 2017 last season. I'd love to see Lockett reunite with Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll in Las Vegas; just realize the 32-year-old veteran is far more of a WR3 than a top-tier pass-game option at this point in his career.

Diontae Johnson: Might have lost the opportunity to compete for a roster spot after seemingly blowing back-to-back auditions with the Ravens and Texans. That said: There's still a productive WR in there somewhere, as evidenced by his 8-122-1, 7-83-1, and 6-78-1 receiving lines with Andy Dalton under center last season.

DeAndre Hopkins: Looked poised to do big things in Kansas City with an 8-86-2 receiving line in his second game wearing red, but ultimately fell out of favor inside the Chiefs offense once Hollywood Brown got healthy. 33 come June, expecting WR1-worthy production from the artist known as Nuk is unrealistic at this point, but his 22nd-place finish in ESPN's "Open Score" indicates that the longtime baller might not be completely washed just yet.

Mike Williams: He recorded just 12 receptions in nine games with the Jets and just nine with the Steelers. While the longtime jump-ball specialist still made a handful of big plays, his contested-catch oriented skill-set was always going to have trouble fending off Father Time. Obtaining a top-three spot on a depth chart doesn't seem like anything close to a lock for the 30-year-old veteran.

Brandin Cooks: The 31-year-old veteran is fresh off career-worst marks in both counting and efficiency numbers. Things weren't going great for Cooks even before Dak Prescott got injured last season. His midseason knee infection obviously didn't help get things back on track; just realize it'd make sense if the former field-stretch specialist simply doesn't have the sort of juice these days to maintain a starting spot in three-WR sets.

Hollywood Brown: Antonio Brown's cousin unfortunately missed the bulk of 2024 due to a dislocated sternoclavicular joint. Fireworks didn't exactly follow, as the artist known as Hollywood posted relatively underwhelming 5-45-0, 4-46-0, 0-0-0, 3-35-0, and 2-15-0 receiving lines in his only five games with Kansas City. And yet, Brown worked as the PPR WR5 during the first six weeks of 2022, the last time that he was truly healthy. We’re talking about a 122-1,374-9 pace here — and the dude looked good while doing it. Patrick Mahomes had all sorts of good things to say about Brown last offseason; I still believe Brown is capable of putting up solid production with the Chiefs with just a little luck from the Injury Gods.

Darius Slayton: Has four seasons with 700-plus receiving yards to his name despite solely operating in the Giants' sad excuse for a professional passing game. Even in a down 2024 (39-573-2), there were more than a few flashes. At worst, Slayton possesses the sort of downfield ability to work as a solid No. 3 WR; don't be surprised if the relative lack of high-end free agent options at the position leads to a surprisingly high contract number here.

Demarcus Robinson: Caught a team-high seven scores last season–and looked good doing it! I love the idea of D-Rob returning to the Ravens this offseason to give them some cheap-ish depth at the position. Similar to his time in Los Angeles, Robinson wouldn't be expected to be more than a man-beater No. 3 WR to complement Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman. That sort of setup seems best for the soon-to-be 31-year-old veteran.

Mack Hollins: The vocal hater of soup, cats, and shoes caught a career-high five TDs last season and proved important enough to split time with the likes of Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman in Buffalo. Hollins' status as a large human being has always made him a plus blocker; he'd fit in nicely as a WR4 type somewhere like Denver, Pittsburgh, or Philadelphia.

Elijah Moore: Still somehow only 24 years old, Moore started to put together some quality performances with Jameis Winston under center, including 8-85-0, 6-66-1, and 8-111-0 games against the Ravens, Saints, and Broncos, respectively. Would it be the wildest thing ever if the Jets and Browns were the ones at fault here, and Moore found refuge in somewhere like Kansas City?

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: The 6-foot-3, 216-pound WR scored nine TDs last season, becoming the second WR in the last 30-plus years to catch nine TDs on 60 or fewer targets, and he was one of just 10 WRs in 2024 to average at least 2.25 PPR points per target. Maybe the man is simply good at football—I love the thought of him joining the Broncos.

Tutu Atwell: The pint-sized speedster might not be big enough to ever earn a full-time role at the professional level, but as Eleanor Roosevelt once said: "America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, bad-ass speed." The field-stretching specialist is an ideal WR4 for any vertically challenged offense; sticking with the Rams honestly makes a lot of sense.

Joshua Palmer: Plays like someone who spent the early part of their career watching Keenan Allen every day. While nobody will confuse Palmer as a top-two WR worth building around, averaging 571 receiving yards per season is no small feat. Similar to Darius Slayton, it wouldn't be overly surprising to see Palmer fetch some decent cheddar on the open market, considering the lack of high-end options out there.

Dyami Brown: The former third-rounder finally started to groove at the end of last season, as Brown posted 5-89-1, 6-98-0, and 3-42-0 receiving lines during the Commanders' playoff run. Now, Brown's career average of 12.4 receiving yards per game reflects the reality that we aren't exactly dealing with a sure-thing stud here; just realize Brown deep speed and decent hype as a prospect could result in a new deal elsewhere under the pretense that teams believe they can be the ones to fix him.

Noah Brown: One of my favorite random stats from the 2024 NFL season is that Justin Jefferson led the league in yards drawn on defensive pass interference penalties ... and Noah Brown was second. Brown has proven capable of producing solid enough numbers with the Cowboys (34.7 receiving yards per game), Texans (56.7), and Commanders (41.2) during the last three seasons; he'll likely continue to stick around somewhere as a quality depth piece.

Greg Dortch: Small? Yes. Occasionally awesome after the catch? Also yes. While last season's 37-342-3 receiving line was undoubtedly disappointing for truthers such as myself, the former undrafted free agent did still manage to work as Next-Gen Stats' third-ranked WR in yards after the catch over expected per reception. I STILL BELIEVE.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling: Hilariously seemed to be unlocked by Derek Carr after mostly disappointing alongside Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen during the first six-and-a-half seasons of his career. 31 next October, MVS isn't someone likely to break out in a major way in 2025 or beyond, but expect someone to offer a one-year deal in the hopes that he still has a few more deep TDs in his bank.

Tim Patrick: Didn't play in 2022 or 2023 due to ACL and Achilles injuries, but wound up emerging as the Lions' No. 3 WR down the stretch of 2024. Of course, a season-long 33-394-3 receiving line isn't something to really write home about, but as a longtime Patrick superfan: Hell yeah, man.

KaVontae Turpin (RFA): The Cowboys placed a second-round tender on their special team star and gadgety offensive weapon, meaning in all likelihood, he'll still be wearing a star on his helmet in 2025. Either way, Turpin is electric in space and perhaps someone who could surprise if ever given the opportunity to handle a real full-time role one of these days.