Sniping players in your drafts who break out the same year sets you up for great success. You find the players in the mid to late rounds who completely outperform their ADP, adding immense value to your team.
For wide receivers specifically, I have identified five players who are poised to break out and dominate their positions in drafts this year. I want to leave all of my drafts with these guys, as they will destroy fantasy this season.
Rashee Rice
Kansas City Chiefs
Last year would have, without a doubt, been Rashee Rice’s breakout year if it weren’t for the devastating LCL tear in week four. However, this injury may be a blessing in disguise in terms of fantasy for 2025.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense was a tad shaky in 2024, especially after Rice went down. This was a little surprising considering the offense is led by Patrick Mahomes, and rookie wideout Xavier Worthy had a great first season. It felt like Rice’s injury may have hindered this team’s success.
However, when Rice was healthy, the offense looked awesome. In the three games he played fully, Rice averaged just under 10 targets per game and 21.6 fantasy points per game. It truly looked like this was going to be Rice’s breakout season, and it felt like he was going to be a definite first-rounder in fantasy this year.
His injury and off-the-field issues, however, prevented this breakout. There is a good chance Rice gets suspended at the beginning of this season, thus pushing his ADP down in most platforms.
Because of this, I am drafting Rice every single time I see him in the fifth round. The potential return on investment of Rice is far more significant compared to other receivers in this range, and I am willing to take the chance on him.
If he misses the first three or four games, who cares? Fantasy championships are won in the back half of the season, and I fully expect Rice to go back to what he looked like at the beginning of last year.
Plus, there has been a lot of buzz around Chief’s training camp, saying that Rice is Mahomes’ favorite target. I am all in on Rice in 2025.
Tetairoa McMillan
Carolina Panthers
Tetairoa McMillan dominated college football during his stint with the Arizona Wildcats, putting up back-to-back 1,300-plus yard and 8-plus touchdown seasons. This led to him being drafted with the eighth overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2025 draft.
McMillan comes into Carolina lined up to be the true alpha in this offense that is looking to continue their strong stint in the second half of the 2024 season. Bryce Young took a step forward towards the end of the year, and I am hopeful about this offense in 2025.
The Panthers had their eyes set on bringing in a true wide receiver into this offense, justifying their draft selection. Because of this, I sense that they will want to run the offense through him. There really is no big target competition, and I think McMillan can have a 30% target share right away.
The skillset is there, and McMillan is in a solid situation with a growing offense and no target competition. Volume kills in fantasy, and that is exactly what McMillan is slated to have. Even if the offense is not top eight in the NFL, it is going to run through McMillan, making me all in on him in 2025.
Josh Downs
Indianapolis Colts
Josh Downs of the Indianapolis Colts has been my favorite player to talk about this offseason. Last year, Downs was top five in targets per route run, one of the most fantasy-relevant stats for receivers, and racked up a 26% target share.
The issue with this, specifically for Downs, though, was that his quarterback play was abysmal. Yes, he is getting a great amount of targets, but it doesn’t matter if the targets are awful.
Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones will be competing for the starting quarterback job in 2025, which doesn’t necessarily feel great. This justifies why Josh Downs' ADP is past the ninth round.
This ADP is super appealing to me. In my mind, it would take a major disaster for this offense to take a step back, considering how bad they were last year. Josh Downs was the WR 8 from weeks 4-11 last year, and with a more consistent offense, I feel great about Downs.
Downs is going to get targets. The Colts are going to be playing from behind, and whether it’s Richardson or Jones leading this offense, I sense that Downs is going to be the focal point receiver. The Downs breakout is bound to happen, and this year feels like it could be special.
Emeka Egbuka
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Emeka Egbuka has been dominating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ training camp. I have heard nothing but great things about what Egbuka has been doing this summer, and I think that he is going to be much better than people anticipate.
It was a little surprising when Tampa took Egbuka with their first-round pick in 2025, knowing how loaded that receiver room is. To me, though, there is much more to this than the surface.
In my mind, Tampa Bay selected Egbuka for two reasons. For starters, Chris Godwin’s injury turned out to be worse than what was anticipated. It was recently reported that Godwin had to undergo an additional surgery, making me question his health for 2025.
The other reason is that Mike Evans is getting close to being done. I understand he once again had 1,000 yards last year and is always a threat in the red zone, but the coaching staff of this team has recognized that Evans has taken a step back skill-wise.
Both of these reasons check out when questioning the Buccaneers' choice to select Egbuka. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has said nothing but good things about Egbuka, and I believe he is going to make an immediate impact for this offense.
Ricky Pearsall
San Francisco 49ers
After having a peculiar rookie season in 2024 (getting shot), Ricky Pearsall is looking to showcase why he was a first-round draft pick.
Pearsall had a great finish to the season, putting up 28.7 points in week 17 and 18.9 points in week 18. Besides those two weeks, though, he was irrelevant.
I believe this is going to change in 2025. The San Francisco 49ers' offense was bad last year compared to previous years, and they are most certainly looking to reclaim their dominance. Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey going down early with injuries certainly put a dent in this offense.
With those two studs reportedly on track to play in 2025, this offense is going to go back to its old self. McCaffrey has looked phenomenal in training camp, and if Aiyuk were to miss some time at the beginning of the season, Pearsall has a chance to stand out right away. Plus, Jauan Jennings is dealing with a calf injury while simultaneously requesting a trade.
There is a chance the stars align for Pearsall, and I am willing to take the chance on him, especially considering where his ADP is. In my opinion, it is absurd that he is being drafted after Jennings. Jennings has historically been a below-average receiver besides his 2024 campaign, which was most likely due to Aiyuk and McCaffrey being off the field.
If Pearsall is available in the ninth round of your draft, take a shot on him. History shows that players on good offenses produce more fantasy points, and that is exactly what Pearsall is slated to do.