It’s not that much of a stretch to say that the wide receiver position is the most abundant in all of fantasy football, with far more fantasy-relevant options than any other position. While this could change with the elite 2025 rookie running back class on its way into the NFL, at this moment, there are plenty of wide receivers to be rostered in dynasty fantasy football.
This means that there are plenty of sleepers at the position, so heading into the 2025 season, it may be time to take a look at which wide receivers could be the biggest breakout names of the next NFL season. We’ll be using the dynasty rankings from the KeepTradeCut website for this list. Hopefully, you can trade for a few of these players in the offseason to put your dynasty team closer to a championship in 2025! Let’s get to the list.
Jerry Jeudy - CLE
KTC Ranking: WR35
I don’t think enough people realized how insane of a 2024 NFL season that Jerry Jeudy had. In his fifth season, the veteran wide receiver set career-high marks in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. With quarterback Jameis Winston under center, Jeudy put together an absolutely absurd stretch of performances, including a 235-yard outing as well as multiple games with 100+ receiving yards. According to FTN Fantasy, Jeudy has also logged 1,611 air yards, which is 4th in the NFL this season.
At just 25 years old, Jeudy will likely enter the 2025 NFL season as the Browns’ top wide receiver. Cleveland is bound to sign a competent quarterback in free agency as an insurance policy in case probable starter Deshaun Watson isn’t able to turn things around. If they end up signing a solid veteran or keeping quarterback Jameis Winston for another season, which would be the best-case scenario for Jeudy, the Browns could easily see another career year from the former first-round pick.
After being ranked 36th in the Week 17 Fantasy Trading Room WR Rankings, Jeudy finished with 18 targets (career-high), 12 receptions, and 94 receiving yards. If the Browns are able to find a decent quarterback in 2025, Jerry Jeudy could end up finishing as a top 20 wide receiver yet again.
Jalen McMillan - TB
KTC Ranking: WR46
Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan has taken on a larger role in the team’s offense over the last few weeks, playing over 75% of the team’s offensive snaps in four out of his last six games. He has truly taken over as Tampa Bay’s second option in the passing game in the absence of Chris Godwin, who was unfortunately lost for the season in Week seven.
McMillan has caught a whopping seven touchdowns over his last five games, which is extremely impressive, especially for a rookie. I have no doubt that McMillan will retain a large role in this offense even if Chris Godwin re-signs with the team this offseason. It’s also worth noting that ever since McMillan started to see an increase in targets in Week 14, he has not finished outside the top 20 at his position.
If Godwin decides to go elsewhere, McMillan will likely skyrocket in value, particularly in dynasty formats. The rookie wide receiver has registered at least five targets and 50 receiving yards in each of his last four games, so this doesn’t appear to be any sort of fluke. If Jalen McMillan can continue to gain the trust of quarterback Baker Mayfield, he will take on an even bigger role in 2025.
Xavier Worthy - KC
KTC Ranking: WR30
Ever since the Kansas City Chiefs traded up in the first round to select rookie wideout Xavier Worthy, expectations for the former Texas Longhorn have been sky-high. Unfortunately, Worthy didn’t meet those expectations to start out the 2024 NFL season, only posting 50+ receiving yards one time during the first 10 weeks of the year.
However, since Week 11, Xavier Worthy has been far more involved in Kansas City’s offense, registering at least five targets and 40 receiving yards in each of his last seven games (Excluding week 18/DNP). As if that’s not enough, the rookie wideout has garnered 31 targets over his last three games, firmly establishing himself as one of Kansas City’s top playmakers.
Worthy’s athleticism, particularly his speed, give him an incredibly high ceiling. If he can maintain a high amount of volume after fellow Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice returns from injury next season, Xavier Worthy could end up being one of 2025’s biggest breakouts at the wide receiver position.
Rashid Shaheed - NO
KTC Ranking: WR53
New Orleans wide receiver Rashid Shaheed started off the 2024 season at a ridiculously fast pace, amassing 338 receiving yards in Weeks 1-5. He made a habit of being on the receiving end of long touchdowns, posting three scores in that same span. Shaheed was one of the NFL’s top big-play threats before going down for the season in Week six with a season-ending knee injury.
If he and the Saints offense can return to form under a new head coach in 2025, Shaheed could pick up exactly where he left off. The speedy wideout was also drawing a lot of targets early in the season, seeing 41 targets in six games. If New Orleans opts to not draft a receiver, Shaheed could continue to make big plays with a lot of volume coming his way. His ceiling makes him a legitimate top 40 wide receiver at best, so if you can trade for Rashid Shaheed, now is the time to do so.
Ricky Pearsall - SF
KTC Ranking: WR41
As expected, when rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall returned from his six-week absence to start the 2024 season, it took a while for him to gain some momentum. This wasn’t a big surprise, as the rookie unfortunately sustained a bullet wound in the offseason. However, Pearsall had a breakout performance in Week 17 versus Detroit, posting 8 receptions for 141 receiving yards and a touchdown, and finishing inside the top 10 at his position.
There have been plenty of rumors surrounding San Francisco wide receiver Deebo Samuel this season amid a relatively unproductive year for the wide receiver. If Samuel, who was ranked outside the top 30 in the Week 17 Fantasy Trading Room WR Rankings, were to part ways with the 49ers this offseason, it could pave the way for Pearsall to play a larger role in 2025, possibly leading to a true breakout season for the 2024 first-round pick.
We’ve seen plenty of evidence that the San Francisco offense can sustain multiple fantasy-relevant players in the past, so if Pearsall can take some strides in the offseason, he could easily have a fantastic year in 2025 and develop into the weapon that the team drafted him to be. The talent is there, Pearsall just needs the opportunity to be one of this offense’s top targets for a full season. He could emerge as a top 20 option at his position in 2025, so if you can trade for him, you should do so without hesitation.