Bet on High Draft Capital Wide Receivers in 2025. Three Players to keep on Your Radar.

In the last ten years, the story of wide receivers drafted in the top 10 has wildly shifted.

After the likes of Kevin White (2015) and Corey Davis, Mike Williams, and John Ross (2017), NFL teams pulled back. For three drafts, no wide receiver went in the top 10. Some of that drought was due to team needs and prospects, but it was also fallout from the lack of production from those once “can’t-miss” prospects. Only Williams managed a decent career. The rest? Out of the league.

But that trend flipped on its head in 2021. Ja’Marr Chase, drafted fifth overall, shocked the fantasy world by finishing as the WR5 as a rookie – despite being drafted as the WR29 (7th round). Right behind him, Jaylen Waddle crushed expectations, finishing as WR16 after going off the board as WR44. High draft capital receivers were back, and they were paying off immediately.

Five wide receivers have been drafted in the top ten since the class of 2021, three of which hold glaring value ahead of the 2025 fantasy season. Draft these players at ADP, and if your draft has already passed, keep them on your radar for buy low positions throughout the season.

Drake London

London, drafted 8th overall in 2023, was thrown into the fire early, catching passes from Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder during his first two seasons. Despite his alpha profile and unquestioned talent – he commanded a 29% target share as a rookie – he managed just 8.4 fantasy points per game because of poor quarterback play. He was also plagued by Arthur Smith’s scheme, forced into static routes and rarely schemed into easy looks.

Everything changed last season. London played a much larger percentage of snaps from the slot, was used in motion far more often, and finally began seeing those “layup” targets that keep drives alive. The result: his efficiency finally matched his talent. He posted another 29% target share, the same as his rookie year, but this time with competent quarterback play, he exploded into a WR6 finish. The targets, the red-zone looks, the ability to separate – they were always there. The difference was who was throwing him the ball and how he was used. So, with all this baked into his high draft price of an early second-rounder this year, let's lay out why it’s worth the pick, and how he is a dark horse to finish top three at the position.

London averaged 9.2 targets per game last season, finishing third in total targets and fourth in receiving yards. He has missed just one game in three seasons, is the unquestioned receiving alpha in Atlanta, and dominates the Falcons’ passing game. Volume is king in fantasy football, and London has one of the safest workloads in the league. At the very least, he’s a locked-in WR1. However, what excites me most isn’t London’s safety – it's his upside. And that upside is tied directly to rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 

In Penix’s three starts last year, London posted target totals of 8, 15, and 18, averaging 19.4 half PPR points per game. Small sample, yes, but the message was clear: Penix is not afraid to hyper-target his star receiver, especially downfield. That mindset mirrors what he did at Washington, where he ran one of the most explosive passing offenses in college football. In 2023, Penix threw for over 4,600 yards and 36 touchdowns, averaging more than 320 yards per game. He was top five nationally in completions of 20+ yards, with one of the highest average depths of target (ADOT) among Power 5 quarterbacks. 

Last year, Atlanta had just handed Kirk Cousins $180 million in free agency before selecting Penix 8th overall, one of the biggest shocks of the draft. Clearly, Atlanta saw something in this guy. Like Bo Nix, who entered the league with over 60 college starts, Penix isn’t a raw project. He played six years of college football, putting up massive production. That seasoning makes him far more prepared to succeed early than the average QB with only three starts under his belt. With an improved offensive line, his aggressive downfield style is the exact formula to unlock Drake London’s full potential and elevate him into the Chase/Jefferson/Lamb tier of fantasy wide receivers.

The Falcons have the 12th-easiest strength of schedule according to ESPN, with Drake London being the biggest beneficiary because of very few elite cornerbacks scheduled to face. Additionally, their win total is set right in the middle at 8.5, and their defense isn’t great. What does that mean? They have to win games on offense. Bijan is a superstar, establishing a great running game that defenses are forced to key in on, which opens the door for Michael Penix and Drake London to make plays and win games. Drake London is not just a safe WR1 in fantasy; he could be the overall WR1. He has season-long favorable match-ups, he’s going into year two with his offensive coordinator, the volume is already elite, the talent is unquestioned, and now he finally has a quarterback whose play style fits him perfectly. Draft London with confidence.

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Keeping chronology going here, the following draft class delivered three wide receivers taken inside the top 10. Malik Nabers exploded onto the scene, finishing as the WR7, while Rome Odunze matched his ADP but turned in a largely underwhelming campaign. Marvin Harrison Jr., meanwhile, despite joining an exclusive group of just six rookie receivers in the past decade to post 850+ yards and 8+ touchdowns, became one of fantasy’s biggest busts of the year. 

Considered one of the most elite wide receiver prospects in NFL history, expectations were through the roof last year, and his poor fantasy results relative to the preseason hype were not a miscalculation of talent. No. Instead, it was a miscalculation of coaching and scheme. With a talent as special as Marv, the statistics clearly show he was misused, and after a full offseason to reassess their mistakes, I expect the Cardinals to deploy him differently – elevating him into far more consistent WR1 production than his shaky rookie season. 

There’s always the chance Arizona’s coaching staff fails to adapt, leaving Marv’s true potential untapped. That’s what makes him a riskier pick – but at his current ADP, it’s one worth taking. Remember, this was a player who, as a rookie, was drafted in the first round of fantasy leagues. That’s virtually unheard of for a rookie wide receiver, but his raw talent, draft pedigree, and a landing spot with no real competition for targets fueled the hype. I avoided him last year because the cost was too steep – but now, with a consensus ADP in the 4th round, the upside is far more appealing.

Among his draft-class peers, Malik Nabers is a 1st-rounder now, Brian Thomas a 2nd, and Ladd McConkey a 3rd, yet I still believe Marv can finish above them all. His week-to-week consistency wasn’t there last season, but the flashes were undeniable. He finished as the overall WR1 in just his second career game, ranked top 5 in win rate vs. man coverage, and top 15 vs. zone.

Arizona didn’t draft him to be a complementary piece to Trey McBride. They drafted him to be their No. 1 target – and the usage already shows that for the end zone and their downfield attack. He commanded 45.7% of the team’s end-zone targets and a 42.7% share of air yards. So what went wrong? He wasn’t used enough in the short-passing game, and his catch rate sat at just 54.4%, despite possessing one of the lowest drop rates in the league.

The problem wasn’t Marv – it was the scheme. At Ohio State, he was double-teamed constantly, yet thrived thanks to creative usage: slot snaps, motion, and designed touches. Arizona, instead, pigeonholed him as a deep-ball specialist, giving him a static route tree, no schemed looks, and no easy completions. Combine that with Kyler Murray’s off-script style, often scrambling and leaning on players short or in the middle of the field (McBride), Marv sat downfield drawing safeties, making his fantasy outlook on the season predictable inconsistency. 

The good news? This can change. Is it guaranteed? No. But the Cardinals invested top-5 draft capital in Marv, they’re a playoff contender, and they have every reason (and the analytics) to realize he was misused. OC Drew Petzing enters year three, and the offense already leaned more pass-heavy in the second half of last season. Similar to the Falcons, with a favorable strength of schedule, an 8.5 win total, and a bottom-half defense, Arizona must lean on its offense to compete. That means more opportunities, and smarter opportunities, for Harrison.

They made no major offseason additions at wide receiver. Why? Because they know they already have the guy. Zach Gershman reported on August 18th that Kyler and Harrison are operating with a greater rapport ahead of the 2025 season. Year two wide receivers are always a smart bet, as experience with your quarterback and play caller can prove meaningful. At worst, we should see a bump in schemed usage; at best, Marv takes the leap toward true WR1 status. Add in the fact that he’s bulked up with 20 pounds of muscle, has proven durability (only one missed game in college, none in the NFL), and the path is clear: Marv is a potential league winner at his current price. 

Tetairoa McMillan

Now we come to our third and final player: Tetairoa McMillan, the newest wide receiver taken inside the top 10 of the NFL Draft. To close this article, I want to re-emphasize the central theme – top 10 drafted wide receivers have consistently delivered in fantasy football. That alone is one of the many factors working in McMillan’s favor. But the biggest point here is value: you can get him in the 6th round on some platforms. You’re not drafting him to be your WR1 – or even your WR2 in some cases – you can draft him as a flex with legitimate top 10 overall upside, the kind we’ve already seen from Chase and Nabers when elite talent meets a massive target share.

McMillan is a versatile player who brings more to the table than just size and athleticism. He ranked 3rd in his draft class in forced missed tackle rate and showed he can operate from the slot as well as on the outside. In the preseason, Bryce Young targeted him on a massive 36.5% of his routes, a clear sign that the chemistry is already there. With Adam Thielen gone and Jalen Coker sidelined for 4 weeks by injury, McMillan is stepping into a situation ripe with opportunity. Don’t let Marvin Harrison Jr. 's letdown last year scare you off — McMillan is coming at a discounted price because of it, and both he and Marv project as values in 2025 drafts.

A big factor: the Panthers’ defense is bad. Last year, they allowed the most points in NFL history. While they may not finish dead last again, this unit is far from the league’s elite. For fantasy, that’s good news. Carolina will often be trailing, forced to push the ball downfield and pile up pass attempts. With that in mind, they invested in McMillan, drafted to be their alpha WR1.

Like Drake London before him, McMillan’s fantasy ceiling is being suppressed because of concerns about the quarterback situation. But let’s be clear – Bryce Young isn’t nearly as bad as the narrative suggests. After returning from his benching last season, he finished as QB17, and from Week 12 on, the Panthers were a top-half offense in points per game. Young also supported Adam Thielen as a relevant fantasy option in 2023, feeding him more than eight targets per game. As a former No. 1 overall pick, Young still has the pedigree and talent to take a step forward, and his own breakout would certainly coincide with McMillan’s.

McMillan profiles as a prototypical X receiver at 6 '5, 219 pounds. In college, he excelled against both zone and man coverage – bullying CB1s on the outside and finding soft spots in the defense. He also had one of the lowest drop rates in the country, showcasing reliable hands to match his physical dominance. Now, he enters a system run by second-year head coach Dave Canales, who has a proven track record of funneling opportunities to his X receiver. As Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator, Canales made it a priority to feed Mike Evans, and just last season he elevated Diontae Johnson into fantasy relevance – finishing as a top-12 receiver in three of four games before being traded to Baltimore. Upon his departure, that role was handed to Adam Thielen. It's clear Canales values that alpha position, and McMillan is tailor-made to fill it, which is why Carolina jumped at him with the 8th overall pick.

With minimal risk and the upside of a true breakout, McMillan is one of the best value picks in the middle rounds, carrying league-winning potential if the Panthers lean into his role as their offensive centerpiece. McMillan did suffer a hamstring injury, but he returned to practice just a week ago and is in line to play this Sunday. Re-injury risk exists, but this contributes to his discounted ADP. If he’s there for you in the 6th, even the 5th, don’t hesitate to take him.