The NFL season is here, and several fantasy football wide receivers may be overvalued. Of course, there will likely be surprises, too. However, it’s Week 1 for 2025, and here are our fantasy football wide receivers rankings.
Of course, the league has its no-brainers. At the head of the list for Week 1 is the No. 1-ranked wide receiver in the league. Ja’Marr is good, and he has a good matchup against the Cleveland Browns. But what about the rest of the list? Which receivers will get off to a good start? Who will step forward and who will get off poorly?
Let’s dive into things and see how things shake out for these opening contests.
Top fantasy football wide receivers for Week 1
Chase is the gold standard at the wide receiver position. He swept the receiving triple crown in 2024 and looks to be primed for another big season. Can the Browns slow him down?
Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II seems excited about the challenge, according to beaconjournal.com.
“Oh yeah, we'll definitely have fun out there,” Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II said Sept. 1. “Every time we go against them. Like I said, our strengths are their strengths. So it's always a fun game.
“I mean, we'll definitely both get our share against [Chase],” Newsome said. “What makes him great is, first, is just the yards after catch. He's a big, strong, physical, fast player, so that's a guy that you got to find a way to get on the ground. But I'm super excited for that matchup. Just going from rookies to now, year five, that's a guy that I've loved competing against.”
Also at the top of the Week 1 list for receivers is CeeDee Lamb. He should be able to punish the Eagles now that he has an attention-distracting running mate in George Pickens. Look for Lamb to cut loose for a high-reception game, although he might fall short of 100 yards.
Moving into the No. 3 spot is Minnesota Vikings’ star Justin Jefferson. This will be his debut with rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy running the show.
McCarthy said he’s happy to have Jefferson at his disposal, according to a post on X by SiriusXM NFL Radio.
“The way he moves is extremely freaky. @Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy on what makes All-Pro WR Justin Jefferson such a special player.”
Sleeper wide receivers for Week 1
Looking for a bargain? The best place may be the Eagles’ A.J. Brown. He’s a little lower on the list because he’s been banged up in the preseason. However, the Cowboys’ defense will likely fall short in the pass-rush department in their first game without Micah Parsons. That will give Brown a chance to make plays down the field, and likely get into the end zone.
Also, don’t sleep on Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Cardinals. Experts have him rated too far down the list. The Cardinals will look to get him off to a quick start because of the connection issues with Kyler Murray in 2024. They will feed Harrison, who should have plenty of catches and yardage, along with at least one score and maybe two.
Bust wide receivers for Week 1
Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Lions could fall short of expectations. This is especially true if Parsons is able to play in Week 1. The Packers could put a ton of pressure on Jared Goff and move the Lions’ passing game down a notch or two.
Of course, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said his offensive line is ready for the task at hand, according to NFL.com.
“I feel really good about it,” Campbell said of the offensive line. “I also know we're not done, they're not done, and that's encouraging. (And) I see that in a good way, like, there's so much growth left to take place. So that's pretty exciting. Well, they better be ready because it's coming.
“The problem is not getting too excited too early right now. Division opponent at Lambeau, nationally televised game. I mean, this is – we love this stuff, we live for this, so this is good, this is exciting. Listen, any win sets you up for the season, helps you. And that's really what it's about.”
Fantasy Football WR rankings for Week 1
1. Ja’Marr Chase, CIN (at CLE)
2. CeeDee Lamb, DAL (at PHI)
3. Justin Jefferson, MIN (at CHI)
4. Brian Thomas Jr., JAC (vs. CAR)
5. Malik Nabers, NYG (at WAS)
5. A.J. Brown, PHI (vs. DAL)
6. Nico Collins, HOU (at LAR)
7. Drake London, ATL (vs. TB)
8. Ladd McConkey, LAC (vs. KC)
9. Puka Nacua, LAR (vs. HOU)
10. Marvin Harrison Jr., ARI (at NO)
11. Xavier Worthy, KC (at LAC)
12. Tyreek Hill, MIA (at IND)
13. Amon-Ra St. Brown (at GB)
14. Mike Evans, TB (at ATL)
15. Tee Higgins, CIN (at CLE)
16. Davante Adams, LAR (vs. HOU)
17. Terry McLaurin, WAS (vs. NYG)
18. Courtland Sutton, DEN (vs. TEN)
19. Zay Flowers, BAL (at BUF)
20. George Pickens, DAL (at PHI)
21. Ricky Pearsall, SF (at SEA)
22. Deebo Samuel, WAS (vs. NYG)
23. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, SEA (vs. SF)
24. Garrett Wilson, NYJ (vs. PIT)
