Drafting wide receivers has become the single most important decision in fantasy football. With the modern game leaning pass-heavy, the top wideouts often decide who contends and who collapses in your league. However, that also means the cost of missing on a receiver is brutal. A bust at the position can sink your season faster than any whiff at running back or quarterback. And in 2025, a handful of big names carry serious red flags.
Preview of the 2025 NFL fantasy football season
The 2025 NFL season is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing in recent memory. The defending champion Philadelphia Eagles are poised to defend their crown with Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts leading the charge. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers usher in a bold new era with Aaron Rodgers throwing to DK Metcalf. Elsewhere, the Kansas City Chiefs face questions after years of dominance, the Jacksonville Jaguars look to rise behind their dynamic young offense and rookie sensation Travis Hunter, and the Baltimore Ravens enter what feels like a make-or-break campaign.
In fantasy football, no position carries more weight than wide receiver. Miss on a wideout, and your season could be sunk before it starts. Just ask the managers who spent premium picks on Tyreek Hill or Marvin Harrison Jr last year, only to watch them underperform. Unless you lucked into breakout stars like Brian Thomas Jr, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, or Ladd McConkey, climbing out of that hole was nearly impossible. With that in mind, it’s critical to spot potential pitfalls early.
Here are five receivers who may not live up to expectations in 2025 — and could wreck your draft if you’re not careful.
Tyreek Hill may not live up to his price
Tyreek Hill is still an electric playmaker, but fantasy football is about value. His average draft position remains sky-high despite a decline in both production and efficiency. According to NextGen Stats, his yards per catch plummeted from 15.1 to 11.8. The decline in his yards after the catch, which was just 306 last year compared to 690 in 2023, is especially concerning for a receiver whose fantasy ceiling has long been tied to explosive plays.
Adding to the concern, Hill’s target share dipped from 37.8 to 24.1 due in part to Jonnu Smith’s role in the passing game. Though Smith is now gone, Hill enters the 2025 season at 31 years old, which is often when wideouts begin to slow. Drafting him as a top-three wide receiver feels more like paying for past production than forecasting future performance.
Terry McLaurin could slide in Washington
Terry McLaurin is a beloved fantasy football option. However, managers must separate affection from production risk. He’s coming off a career-best season of 267.8 fantasy points. That said, sustaining that level at age 30 is far from guaranteed. The warning lights are flashing.
The Washington Commanders also added Deebo Samuel Sr this offseason. That further complicates McLaurin’s target share. His ADP has already slipped to 37.2. It's a sign that drafters are cautious. Sure, McLaurin will still be a useful fantasy football player. However, the ceiling he showed last year may prove to be his career peak rather than a new norm.
Tee Higgins remains overpriced
Tee Higgins is a talented wideout in an elite offense, but he’s still the second option behind Ja’Marr Chase in Cincinnati. That caps his ceiling no matter how efficient he plays. Aside from one standout year in 2024, Higgins has yet to consistently deliver elite fantasy football numbers. Durability has also become a concern with 10 games missed across the last two seasons.
Despite those red flags, his ADP sits at 29.0. That makes him the WR13 in most drafts. That price point assumes a level of consistency that Higgins has never demonstrated. Drafting him that high requires betting against both his injury history and Chase’s dominance in target share. It’s a steep cost for a player who could just as easily end up outside the top 20 wide receivers.
DJ Moore faces new competition
At first glance, DJ Moore looks like a safe pick. He’s posted at least 95 receptions in back-to-back seasons and remains a reliable veteran presence. However, when you dig into the details, the risks become clearer. Moore recorded career lows in yards per route run (1.44) and yards per touch (9.3) in 2024. He fell short of 1,000 yards despite nearly 100 catches.
The Bears’ passing attack also looks crowded. Promising sophomore Rome Odunze is pushing for a bigger role. Chicago also added two premium rookies in Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III. Some insiders even suggest Odunze could emerge as Caleb Williams’ true No. 1 target this year. Moore is still solid, but his efficiency is declining. The volume may not be there to offset it.
Jerry Jeudy could regress in Cleveland
Jerry Jeudy finally saw the volume fantasy football managers had long hoped for in 2024. He racked up a career-high 145 targets. Much of that came in seven games with Jameis Winston under center, where he averaged 10 targets per contest. Without Winston, however, Jeudy’s targets fell to 7.6 per game. That's a major drop-off.
Now in 2025, the Browns’ offense looks different. Winston is gone, while Cleveland welcomes back Cedrick Tillman and adds Diontae Johnson. That’s a lot of mouths to feed in an offense that isn’t guaranteed to be pass-heavy. Expect Jeudy’s target volume to normalize downward, making him a risky bet at his current price.
Looking Ahead
Wide receiver busts can be devastating, and these five names all come with more downside than their ADP suggests. Tyreek Hill’s aging curve, Terry McLaurin’s contract concerns, Tee Higgins’ inflated draft slot, DJ Moore’s declining efficiency, and Jerry Jeudy’s likely regression all make them dangerous picks in 2025. Avoiding these potential landmines could be the difference between contending for a title and spending the season scrambling for waiver-wire miracles.
