6 Hot Take Candidates – Fantasy Football WR1 Overall in 2025
With the 2025 fantasy football season quickly approaching, now is a great time to start prepping for your upcoming drafts. Today, we’ll be breaking down 6 wide receivers who have immense upside for the upcoming 2025 NFL season. Specifically, these are candidates to potentially finish as the WR1 overall. Continue reading and check out these hot take candidates with their absolute ceiling being the WR1 overall in fantasy football. Keep in mind, many factors need to fall perfectly into place for this to happen.
Every fantasy football season, a new player seems to rise from the crowd and claim the throne as the WR1 overall. Sometimes it’s a household name doing what they always do. However, oftentimes it’s someone unexpected who takes advantage of opportunity, volume, or pure breakout talent. Overall, the 2025 season looks primed for one of those unpredictable years. I’ve got 7 names I think could realistically finish as the WR1 overall in PPR formats. Some are obvious, others might raise eyebrows. Let’s dive in.
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
Puka Nacua is my favorite to be the number one overall wide receiver in 2025. Nacua took the league by storm in his rookie season as a fifth-round draft pick. He continued his success and posted 18.8 points per game across the season. That average placed him second overall among wide receivers, trailing only Ja’Marr Chase, who totaled an unworldly 23.7 points per game.
This offseason, the Rams announced they would be moving on from former triple crown winner Cooper Kupp. Kupp was Matthew Stafford’s go-to guy for years. Moving forward, with Kupp gone, the Rams need to replace 8.33 targets per game.
While they added an aging Davante Adams, I fully expect Nacua to take two to three of those vacated targets per game. He already averaged over 9.5 targets a game in 2024. If that number climbs to around 12, Nacua will be among the highest-targeted receivers in NFL history. All in all, the sky is the limit for Puka in 2025.
Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Nico Collins started the 2024 season on fire, averaging 21.3 fantasy points per game through the first five weeks. Over a full season, that would’ve only trailed Chase. Unfortunately, Collins suffered a hamstring injury in Week 5 that sidelined him for five straight games.
When Collins returned, his production was up and down, which is common for wide receivers coming off mid-season hamstring issues. However, there’s no denying the fantasy football upsie that we’ve seen from Collins and CJ Stroud together.
Futhermore, with a full offseason to recover, I expect Collins to return to his pre-injury level. The Texans lost Stefon Diggs in free agency to the Patriots and lost Tank Dell to injury. Ultimately, the opportunity will be there for Collins to emerge as the alpha and make a real run at the WR1 spot.
Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
Ladd McConkey had a breakout second half to his rookie season. Over the final six weeks, he averaged 19 points per game in PPR leagues, a mark that would’ve made him the second overall wide receiver over a full season.
A major reason for his production spike was the increase in volume in the Chargers’ passing game. In Justin Herbert’s first nine games under coach Jim Harbaugh, he averaged 26.8 passing attempts per game. In the final eight games, that number jumped to 32.9. There’s a clear correlation between the increased volume and McConkey’s fantasy production.
Finally, with his ability to line up anywhere on the field, he’s become a reliable target for Herbert. He has the elite quarterback, he has the tools, and now he’s in an offense that’s leaning pass-heavy. McConkey is a must-own. In the end, I wouldn’t be surprised if he made a serious run at WR1 overall.
Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns
Jerry Jeudy was electric during the final seven weeks of the fantasy football season, averaging a massive 21.2 points per game. And that includes a dud 4-point performance in Week 16 against the Bengals.
Most people credit this run to the gunslinger style of Jameis Winston. However, it’s looking like Joe Flacco will be the guy in Cleveland for this year. Ultimately, that’s actually great news for fantasy football purposes. This is the same Flacco who made David Njoku and Amari Cooper fantasy playoff monsters just a season ago.
If you watched Jeudy play, it was clear he has elite receiver traits. His days in Denver are behind him, and he’s finally in a position to become the star wideout many expected when he came out of Alabama.
Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
Let’s not sugarcoat it, Marvin Harrison Jr. was one of the biggest disappointments in all of fantasy football last season. He averaged 11.2 points per game, finishing 43rd among wide receivers. That’s brutal considering he was a late first-round pick in many redraft leagues. So why is he on this list? One word: Potential.
Harrison Jr. is still one of the most talented wide receiver prospects we’ve ever seen. The Cardinals thought so too, using top-5 draft capital on him. Ultimately, if he can put it all together, he’s got 14-plus touchdown potential. Additionally, a high TD total is exactly what you need to climb to WR1. Don’t count Harrison Jr. out.
Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
Drake London had a solid 2024 season, finishing as WR21 on a points-per-game basis. A little underwhelming for a guy many were drafting in the second round. But when you look at total points, it gets more promising, he finished WR10 overall.
More importantly, the reason for optimism? His new quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. In three starts with Penix, London averaged 13 targets per game. Impressively, that kind of volume over a full season is borderline historic. Ultimately, targets tend to equal fantasy points. With that level of opportunity, London has a legitimate path to WR1 status.
DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers
Let’s keep this one simple. DK Metcalf was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. If Aaron Rodgers ends up in Pittsburgh, Metcalf will absolutely be in the WR1 conversation. Rodgers loves to push the ball downfield, and Metcalf is tailor-made for that big-play role.
If Rodgers plays in 2025, he’s going to want to make a statement, and the easiest way to do that is by hyper-targeting his new alpha receiver on deep balls. Metcalf is massively undervalued right now, and if the Steelers land Rodgers, DK could explode.
Conclusion
There’s no shortage of elite receivers heading into the 2025 fantasy football season. However, what makes it exciting is how wide open the WR1 spot really is. Some of these names, like Nacua or McConkey, have already shown flashes of greatness. Others, like Metcalf or Harrison, have all the tools and just need the right situation.
Overall, fantasy football is all about identifying breakout potential before it hits. If you’re drafting for upside, every single one of these guys deserves your attention. Ultimately, the WR1 crown is up for grabs, who’s taking it?
Trending Now
