Though it may be the NFL offseason, it is never too early to begin thinking about the upcoming fantasy football season. With the new league year officially here as of March 12, players have begun to switch teams this offseason, which means it’s time to get a jump start on the 2025 fantasy football season.
At the wide receiver position, Ja’Marr Chase took home top honors as the overall WR1, surprisingly the first time he has hit that mark. Putting up career numbers in most major stats, Chase easily led the league with 17 receiving touchdowns, clearing second place by four scores.
Let’s jump into this position and see what our 2025 way-too-early outlook for the WR position predicts. Will Chase make it back-to-back seasons as WR1, will a different veteran option jump into the top spot, or will a youngster make a surprising climb up the list?
1. Ja’Marr Chase
Another season, another top spot held down by Chase, as he tops the 2025 fantasy football WR outlook – but with a caveat. Ongoing contract concerns between Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals make things a bit difficult to predict, but with recent updates saying things are much closer to a resolution, there is confidence that this won’t linger into the season.
As long as Chase isn’t occupied with negotiations – or worse, a holdout – he should be able to reclaim his top spot in the entire league. Being Joe Burrow’s favorite target certainly has its benefits, even if producing another 17-TD season might be asking for a bit too much.
2024 Rank: WR1
2. Puka Nacua
Puka Nacua is now the top wideout for the Los Angeles Rams, even with the addition of Davante Adams. With Cooper Kupp heading to the Seattle Seahawks, Nacua is in line to become Matthew Stafford’s favorite target, which has a ton of fantasy football upside.
Nacua’s rookie season saw him finish as the overall WR4, with injuries last season knocking him down to a WR2/3, so the potential for Nacua to thrive in the LAR offense is certainly there. Look for the Rams to filter a lot of targets to Nacua, while the slot workload will probably be handed to Tuta Atwell or someone else.
2024 Rank: WR26
3. Drake London
Even with the up-and-down quarterback play between Kirk Cousins and rookie Michael Penix Jr., Drake London easily put up the best season of his career. Hauling in 100 receptions for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns, London had eight games of double-digit targets, speaking to the offensive hierarchy in Atlanta.
With a full season of Penix Jr. upcoming, the Falcons’ offense should run a lot more smoothly, giving London a chance to build off his impressive 2024 season. Look for London to return on his early draft position for your rosters this upcoming season.
2024 Rank: WR5
4. Justin Jefferson
It isn’t easy to knock a superstar like Justin Jefferson down a few pegs in these positional rankings, but heading into next year with a big question mark at quarterback makes things tough. Even if J.J. McCarthy is handed the keys to the offense, having essentially a rookie holding down the starting job will make for some rough patches for Jefferson to endure.
But it’s hard to not have faith in Jefferson to overcome that issue, as he is one of the premier WR talents in the NFL. While he still is included in the top-5 of this outlook, next year might be a year of a slight decline for the LSU star.
2024 Rank: WR2
5. CeeDee Lamb
A full season of catching passes from Dak Prescott is what keeps CeeDee Lamb in the top-5 of this fantasy football wide receiver rankings, as do his three consecutive seasons of being a WR1. Even if the Dallas Cowboys bring in a WR this offseason to pair with Lamb, the former Oklahoma Sooner will remain the top target in an offense that is uber-reliant on Lamb’s production.
Look for Lamb to threaten for the overall WR1 spot this upcoming season, ultimately falling short. A bounceback season from Lamb that sees him suit up for the entire season would be a step in the right direction, as he was on pace for an even higher finish last season before sitting out the final two games.
2024 Rank: WR8
6. Amon-Ra St. Brown
A change at offensive coordinator will likely impact the efficiency of the Detroit Lions offense in 2025, and that will have a trickle-down impact on Amon-Ra St. Brown. With John Morton coming over from the Denver Broncos to become the new OC for Detroit, a learning curve will likely slow this offense down to start the year.
That isn’t to say that you should steer clear of St. Brown entirely, but you should temper some of your early-season expectations just a bit. St. Brown is still clearly the top wideout and Jared Goff’s favorite target (and that will continue), so one can safely pencil him in as a sure-fire, first-round choice.
2024 Rank: WR3
7. Malik Nabers
Malik Nabers made it through all of the QB issues last year with the New York Giants to post a WR1 finish, so imagine what he’d look like with even an average quarterback throwing him passes? While the quarterback position is still up in the air for NYG, if Nabers gets Jameis Winston, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, or even a rookie targeting him, he should be able to keep his WR1 status.
The Giants offense as a whole is nothing to be impressed by, meaning Nabers is the offense yet again. Look for Nabers to build upon his 109/1,204/7 rookie season as he heads into his second season.
2024 Rank: WR6
8. Nico Collins
Before missing five games last season, Nico Collins racked up three games of 100+ yards and earned at least eight targets in four, and the Houston Texans’ receivers group has even less talent than last year. The relationship between Collins and quarterback CJ Stroud is a strong one, and welcoming in Nick Caley as the team’s new offensive coordinator will help bring that connection to new heights.
Expecting Collins to return to his WR1 ways on a full-season basis is a safe bet, especially after he still crossed the 1K threshold even after missing five games. With a full season of work ahead for him, look for Collins to be hyper-targeted in the passing attack on his way to a WR1 season.
2024 Rank: WR23
9. Brian Thomas Jr.
2024 was the year of rookie wideouts, as Brian Thomas Jr. was the top finisher in the entire class as the overall WR4. Catching passes from Trevor Lawrence and Mac Jones last year, Thomas broke into the league and cemented himself as one of the top receivers of the future.
With Liam Coen now in town as the head coach for Jacksonville Jaguars, expect the workload for Thomas to become even bigger as he heads into his sophomore season. With Christian Kirk now in Houston and the duo of Gabe Davis and Dyami Brown next up on the depth chart, Thomas is in line to be Coen’s new Mike Evans, which is great news for fantasy football rosters.
2024 Rank: WR4
10. Jaxon Smith-Njigba
The final player in our 2025 fantasy football WR preview is Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who came into his own down the stretch last year for the Seattle Seahawks. With DK Metcalf traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tyler Lockett released from the team, it is now up to JSN and Kupp to hold down the WR group for Sam Darnold.
The Seattle offense has undergone a complete facelift this offseason, as they will have a new QB1, WR2, and offensive coordinator, with Klint Kubiak taking over for Ryan Grubb. Kubiak’s system looks to be a great fit for JSN to take that next step, as his system funnels a ton of work to receivers on deep balls, something that the former Ohio State product will likely be running a lot of if he is pushed into the Metcalf WR1 role next year.
2024 Rank: WR9
The post 2025 Way-Too-Early Fantasy Football Outlook: Wide Receivers appeared first on ClutchPoints.
