League Winners For Fantasy Football 2025: Nico Collins and More WRs To Draft

Over the last several weeks, I've run through my WR rankings for 2025, as well as my overall draft strategy for the WR position in fantasy football drafts.

That leaves us with only one thing left—identifying the league winners in fantasy football drafts at the WR position.

Below are my 10 league-winning wide receivers for 2025, along with the write-ups from my WR strategy column, which break down what needs to happen to unlock that league-winning upside.

RELATED: Use code DWAIN for 20% off your FantasyLife+ subscription, where you can access my entire suite of Utilization data!

Wide Receiver League Winners For Fantasy Football

Nico Collins | Texans

Consensus ADP: 13.9 (Early Round 2)
Fantasy points per game (PPG): 17.8

Collins is a Tier 1 WR. He checks every box, and his underlying data screams two words: Julio Jones. This man simply shouldn't be going in Round 2 of fantasy drafts.

ESPN: Pick 16
Sleeper: Pick 14
RTSports: Pick 15
FFPC: Pick 17

GTFOH.

If you play on Yahoo, he goes pick 10, so sorry about that. But the rest of you folks drafting from pick six to 12 have a chance to land this BAMF in Round 2.

If you are drafting electronically, this is an immediate click with conviction. If you draft live, please have a celebratory dance prepared because you just scored.

Collins is a Round 1 fantasy talent going in Round 2 of drafts—he is a HIGH-PRIORITY pick.

Brian Thomas Jr. | Jaguars

Consensus ADP: 16 (Round 2)
Fantasy PPG: 16.5

Scoring 16.5 PPG as a rookie is pretty, pretty, pretty good. Since 2011, here is Mr. Thomas's peer group:

Ja'Marr Chase (18)
Justin Jefferson (16.9)
Malik Nabers (18.1)
Michael Thomas (17.3)
Mike Evans (16.3)
Odell Beckham Jr. (24.8)
Puka Nacua (17.6)

Expect a highly consolidated attack in Liam Coen's offense in Jacksonville.

Play 1: Throw it to BTJ.
Play 2: Throw it to Travis Hunter.
Play 3: Throw it to BTJ.
Play 4: Throw it to Travis Hunter.
Play 5: Throw it to BTJ.
Play 6: Throw it to Travis Hunter.
Play 7: Coach, Brenton Strange and Dyami Brown are feeling left out. Can we throw them a bone?

Thomas could finish as the WR1 in fantasyland in 2025. Run, don't walk, to your draft board if he is available in the middle of Round 2. This is a HIGH-PRIORITY target.

Drake London | Falcons

Consensus ADP: 20.8 (Round 2)
Fantasy PPG: 16.5

London is the cover boy for why we should pay attention to data points like target share, targets per route run, and yards per route run. All of those underlying components aligned more with historical WR1 and WR2 performers, but his offensive environment was so bad that he scored 10.8 PPG in his first two years before his Year 3 breakout (16.5 PPG).

Over his final three games with Michael Penix Jr., who is willing to push the ball into tight spaces, London flourished.

Imagine a frantic robot voice:

Small sample alert!

Still, I want to get on the record stating that Penix is a good fit stylistically for a big-framed possession receiver like London. Think Jay Cutler to Brandon Marshall. Marshall averaged 170 targets in two full seasons with Cutler. For those that aren't familiar with Cutler, think Jameis Winston.

London is in his prime and locked in as the primary option in the Falcons' passing game. He is a low-end WR1 with upside, should Penix go full Cutler.

Tetairoa McMillan | Panthers

Consensus ADP: 64.8 (Round 6)
Fantasy PPG: N/A

McMillan is my WR19 in the Fanasy Life rankings. The only reason my exposure through 100 drafts isn't higher: Underdog drafters are hip to McMillan.

I am right in line with ADP on Underdog, but McMillan offers MASSIVE value on every other platform. He is WR29 on average.

McMillan graded out highly in the Rookie Super Model. T-Mac hogged 30% and 34% of Arizona's targets in his final two seasons. His peers from the model beat a WR29 finish 65% of the time in Year 1.

McMillan is a PRIORITY TARGET, and I am willing to reach for him in Round 5 if I am aiming for two WRs from this group.

Xavier Worthy | Chiefs

Consensus ADP: 53.8 (Round 5)
Experience: Year 2 (Prime)
Fantasy PPG: 10.7

Worthy came on strong once given a full-time role. He barely played in Week 18 with starters resting, but in the other seven games from Week 14 through the Super Bowl, he averaged an 87% route participation and put up considerable numbers.

PPG: 19.0 (WR1-worthy)
Targets: 25% (WR1-worthy)
Air Yards: 21% (WR5-worthy)
YPRR: 2.13 (WR2-worthy)

He also averaged 1.1 rushing attempts per game over that stretch, as the No. 1 playmaker for the Chiefs. There was virtually no competition for targets outside of an aging Travis Kelce, who was offering very little after the catch when given opportunities.

We don't know how Worthy's numbers will look when Rashee Rice returns, but there is room for two valuable fantasy WRs with Mahomes. He is a high-end WR3 with upside.

Jameson Williams | Lions

Consensus ADP: 63.9 (Round 6)
Fantasy PPG: 13.8

In his first full season as a starter, Williams pulled down a WR2-worthy season. If you look up the definition of playmaker, you will find a picture of this man. He can attack every level of the field and score from anywhere. Jamo's 8.5 yards after the catch average doubled that of WRs with a similar aDOT since 2011 (4.2).

The Lions are a crowded offense, but they are also a high-quality unit. That insulates us from downside, given Williams' price tag of WR27. The thing we have to ask ourselves is, what if they expand his role? He has the skills to do more. Or what if injury opens the door for more?

Ask yourself this question: Do you want to live in a world where Jameson Williams isn't on your roster if he gets a 25% target share? I don't.

If it doesn't happen, no big deal—we drafted him as a WR3!

Williams is one of my favorite small-miss, big-hit bets on the board in 2025.

George Pickens | Cowboys

Consensus ADP: 63.3 (Round 6)
Fantasy PPG: 12.4

Pickens hasn't broken out with a massive fantasy season, but the underlying data maps to WR1 and WR2 historical finishers. Now he gets to play in a pass-friendly offense with Dak Prescott in Dallas.

Prescott will be the best QB Pickens has ever played with. In Prescott's last two healthy years, he averaged 272 passing yards and 2.2 TDs per contest. There is room for CeeDee Lamb as the No. 1 with Pickens as the No. 2, and Jake Ferguson as the No. 3 in this attack.

Going back to 2011, post-third-year breakouts have often (53%) been accompanied by a significant offensive environment change (i.e., a trade or QB change). Pickens is ripe for an eruption campaign.

Pickens offers underlying WR1 to WR2 traits and has a new lease on his NFL career. He is my third-most drafted WR (13%) inside the first seven rounds in 100 drafts.

Jaylen Waddle | Dolphins

Consensus ADP: 73.4 (Early Round 7)
Fantasy PPG: 9.7

Waddle has posted WR2 seasons in three of four years (15.5, 15.0, 13.6, 9.7 PPG). In 10 healthy games with Tua Tagovailoa last year, he averaged 12.4 PPG.

IN 2022 and 2023, his underlying data was robust.

First downs: 25%, 27% (WR2-worthy)
Targets: 21%, 23% (WR2-worthy)
YPRR: 2.59, 2.69 (WR1-worthy)

In an offense that subtracts Jonnu Smith and maximizes motion and play action, Waddle has outs for a rebound:

Tagovailoa remains healthy
Tyreek Hill hits the age cliff → Waddle becomes the No. 1

If both of those happen, he could offer a WR1 ceiling. Davante Adams had a similar profile heading into Year 5 and erupted onto the WR1 scene with a healthy Aaron Rodgers.

Waddle is a WR2 profile with WR1 upside that you get to draft as a WR3. He is my third-most drafted WR thanks to that combination.

Ricky Pearsall | 49ers

Consensus ADP: 91.9
Fantasy PPG: 8.5

The 49ers' receiving depth chart is in shambles, and their first-round pick from 2024 will get a chance to shine early. In his final two games, once in a full-time role, he averaged 23.8 PPG with a 22% target share. Pearsall is climbing rapidly in best ball drafts—he has climbed five spots in the last week.

If you need upside in your receiver room, Pearsall is a PRIORITY TARGET.

Emeka Egbuka | Buccaneers

Consensus ADP: 103.3
Fantasy PPG: NA

Egbuka is an excellent prospect. His camp buzz and the lingering Chris Godwin ankle injury have drafters frothing at the mouth. He is one of my most-drafted WRs (25%) thanks to price and a myriad of outs. That number was in the 30s, but Egbuka's ADP is up five spots over the last week. His price should rise even more with the news that Jalen McMillan is slated to miss significant time, paving the way for an even cleaner path to immediate production. Egbuka is a PRIORITY TARGET.