Top Team Wide Receivers Sliding in Fantasy Football Drafts: Jakobi Meyers, Jauan Jennings and More

Wide receiver is the most available position in fantasy football. In 2024, every team used 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, and three receivers on the field) more often than any other offensive personnel grouping except for Baltimore, who used 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends, and two receivers) about three percentage points more often than 11.

That means most often, NFL teams have three receivers on the field, essentially making the third receiver a starter on offense. Multiply that by 32 teams, and there are 96 wide receivers who are starters. That's why I am so confident in finding fantasy-relevant receivers in fantasy football.

Some teams have two highly sought-after fantasy receivers who rank among the top 30 at the position, pushing the top receiver on other teams outside of that fantasy starter level. Top options at every position are intriguing fantasy players, though, so finding those guys outside of the established targets can bring upside if the offense overperforms and/or if that receiver or his quarterback improves.

Let's look at six teams whose top wide receiver is being drafted outside of the top 35 at the position according to our FantasySP standard scoring ADP rankings. Past fantasy scores and rankings are from FantasyPros.

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Buffalo Bills – Khalil Shakir WR44 and Keon Coleman WR51

There were calls for Buffalo to add a top receiver this offseason, but they come back with much of the same group as they had in 2024, swapping out Amari Cooper (acquired mid-season) and Mack Hollins for Joshua Palmer in the third spot.

Shakir was WR40 last year in standard scoring and Coleman WR60. Palmer was WR75. It seems on paper like critics of the lack of moves could be right. There is also hope for improvement from the young receivers, though, with Palmer maybe creating more of a veteran presence.

Shakir is entering his fourth season and will play the whole year at just 25 years old. He set career highs in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns in 2024, most of those far ahead of where he has been before. His average yards per catch fell from around 16 yards to just 10.8, but that's partly a factor of catching so many more passes.

Coleman represented the big play more than anything else, averaging 19.2 yards per reception. The other numbers were pedestrian in 13 games: 29 receptions on 57 targets, 556 yards, and four touchdowns. While Shakir is smaller at 6'0 and 190 pounds, Coleman is a more prototypical 6'4 and 215 pounds. He has a better chance of emerging as a true WR1, while Shakir is a better WR2/3 player.

Shakir presents the higher floor and Coleman the higher ceiling in 2025. They are both fine to draft in the range at which they are rated, in the 10th-12th rounds. There are a few others on this list in that same region who I would probably rather draft, but the two Bills receivers could both outplay these draft slots. I'd rather have Coleman because of his bigger ceiling and because he's available a round or two later.

Green Bay Packers – Matthew Golden WR42 and Jayden Reed WR46

Green Bay has a similar outlook to the Bills in that they have a veteran with a higher floor (Reed in this case) and a younger player who looks more like a WR1 and holds a higher ceiling (Golden). Which player you prefer depends on if you're looking for more of a wild card or trying to get steadier backups on your bench.

Reed was rated among the top 30 fantasy receivers last year and seen as the de facto WR1 for the Packers. He finished between WR20 and WR30 in both standard and PPR scoring, so it's curious to see him fall this far in ADP. Reed had fewer receptions, targets, and touchdowns in 2024 than in his rookie season, but he increased his yardage by jumping from 12.4 yards per catch to 15.6; he went the opposite way from Shakir, seeing less targets with more explosion.

Golden doesn't have the size advantage, as both he and Reed are listed around 5'11 and 190 pounds, but his speed and explosion have some expecting him to rise to that top level, a big reason he was a first-round pick. It might take him a year or two to become the top option, but Golden has another level to him that no other Packer receiver does.

Like with the Buffalo guys, I'm fine with both receivers where they are ranked. I prefer the higher ceiling of Golden, but if Reed slips, he could provide a steadier presence.

Indianapolis Colts – Josh Downs WR48 and Michael Pittman WR49

Another duo of receivers ranked in the same range, and another set that features a more veteran player and a younger option. Pittman is entering his sixth season and will turn 28 in October, while Downs just turned 24 and is starting his third season. They offer much different skill sets, like the dynamic between the Buffalo receivers.

Pittman is listed at 6'4 and 223 pounds, that prototype WR1. Outside of his 13-game rookie season in 2020, Pittman set career lows last season in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He went from being thought of as a true WR1 to a fringe fantasy starter in deeper leagues between last year and this year.

Quarterback play is a major concern: Daniel Jones will start the year under center, and Anthony Richardson Sr. waits behind him if they need a change. Neither QB can match precision and explosiveness, each more adept in one area or the other, so Pittman will have to overcome to get back to the 1,000-yard club.

Downs is the smaller, faster player at just 5'9 and 170 pounds. He was very consistent in his two seasons in terms of stats, finishing with the same numbers near 70 receptions on 103 targets for 800 yards and 3.5 touchdowns. Those are fine WR2 numbers, but there are questions on whether he can reach that top level given his lack of size.

This is a case of two players with probably a lower floor and ceiling than the previous two groups because of the questions around their quarterback. Grabbing either guy in the 12th round or later is fine because someone has to catch passes, but the presence of rookie tight end Tyler Warren might also steal some targets, leaving both players with questionable value. I slightly prefer Pittman between the two.

Las Vegas Raiders – Jakobi Meyers WR40

We finally get a few teams with a single top guy standing out. These are the players I am generally more interested in because they feature someone who is a level above his teammates and has reason to expect more targets. Two years ago, this same exercise pointed to Nico Collins as a guy I coveted for the same reasons, and he broke out with 80 catches, nearly 1,300 yards, and eight touchdowns.

I'm not expecting Meyers to do that, but he is the clear top wide receiver on the Raiders and should get plenty of targets. He set career highs with 129 targets, 87 receptions, and 1,027 yards last season while scoring four touchdowns. The receiver group doesn't look much different, though rookie Jack Bech could make an impact, and there has been buzz around third-year player Tre Tucker.

The real target vulture is tight end Brock Bowers, who led the Raiders last season in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He's likely to do the same again this year. That essentially pushes Meyers into a WR2 role, but I still like his chances of outplaying this WR40 ADP; he was WR19 last year in standard scoring and is in much the same position but with a better quarterback. Meyers is a good value pick.

New England Patriots – Stefon Diggs WR39

So much for Diggs revolves around his return from injury. He tore his ACL in Week 8 last year and hasn't played in the preseason, though he has practiced. He could be ready for Week 1, but there are at least some questions around how ready he is. That combined with his age is concerning.

Diggs will turn 32 late in the season, so his return is a little tougher than it would have been five years ago. He was on pace for about 100 catches and 1,000 yards last year before going down, and he's a former unquestioned top receiver; it's easy to see the upside and a return to top form, and that makes this pick intriguing. I'm all for taking a little risk when there is big upside after Round 10, and Diggs is going in the ninth round, which is close enough to consider.

I prefer Meyers, Golden, and the San Francisco receivers (we'll talk about them more in a minute) around that area, but Diggs isn't a horrible pick, just one I'm not making in many mock drafts.

The guy in New England I would really rather have is Efton Chism III, a player who is going undrafted (and was undrafted in this year's real draft). He has gotten a ton of buzz all the way back to rookie minicamp, and he stood out in both preseason games he played, finishing with six receptions, 50 yards, and a touchdown in Week 1 and six receptions, 71 yards, and a touchdown in Week 2, both times leading the team in all categories.

He had a small injury concern but looks ready to go for Week 1 of the regular season after sitting out the final preseason game. With New England having a less-than-stellar wide receiver room, Chism is a savvy pickup with one of your last picks to fill out your bench and could become a weekly starter, particularly in PPR leagues.

San Francisco 49ers – Ricky Pearsall WR43, Jauan Jennings WR45, and Brandon Aiyuk WR50

San Francisco has been the envy of every quarterback recently, stacked with skill players that have made it fair to wonder how Brock Purdy will perform now with less around him on the outside. Deebo Samuel Sr. is in Washington, and Aiyuk will begin the season on IR after a major knee injury of his own last year; we've been given a target of Week 6 for his return, according to coach Kyle Shanahan, but that's a very rough estimate.

George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey are still around as two main focuses of the offense, and McCaffrey seems healthy (though that's always a question). Until Aiyuk comes back, and maybe even for a few weeks after his return, the top receiver spots will have to be filled by Pearsall and Jennings.

Jennings has operated as the WR3 much of the past few years, showing big flashes at times. He broke out last season, totaling 77 catches on 113 targets, 975 yards, and six touchdowns. Each of those numbers nearly matched the total he had over his first three seasons combined. With the chance to be the de facto No. 1 receiver, I like his odds of showing out early in the season, making him a good fantasy option.

Pearsall was a first-round pick last year, but his preseason and beginning of the season were thrown into flux because he was shot while being robbed in broad daylight. In 11 games, Pearsall caught 31 of 46 targets for 400 yards and three touchdowns. He will be thrust into a bigger role this year simply by virtue of guys being hurt, traded, or suspended (free agent signing Demarcus Robinson is out for the first three games after a DUI).

San Francisco's offense has been top-tier for the past few seasons with Purdy at the helm, and with such an innovator as Shanahan, I expect things to work out even with less talent around. I love the thought of Pearsall and especially Jennings in the 10th round or later and see them as great value picks.

I have also ended up with Aiyuk on my team in a lot of mock drafts because he is available with a late-round pick or for $1 in auctions and could be right back in the position of a top receiver when he returns. That return date is questionable, and it's certainly possible that he doesn't look anything like himself this season, but the upside is too good for virtually no cost, especially if you have an IR spot in your league. You can always drop him later if needed.