Our Favorite Wide Receiver Picks In Every Round of Best Ball Drafts

Young's 6.0 career YPA (6.3 in each of last two seasons) and Carolina's consistent offensive underperformance—ranking 23rd or worse in total yards and points in all three of his seasons (32nd yards/29th points as rookie, 32nd yards/23rd points in 2024, 27th yards/27th points last year)—limits the ceiling for Carolina pass catchers including McMillan.

Harmon acknowledges CJ Stroud's playoff performance was a disaster, citing one of the worst EPA per dropback performances in the playoffs since 2007 (specifically his game against the Patriots); however, notes that in the regular season Stroud ranked between Patrick Mahomes and Sam Darnold in EPA per dropback, suggesting his perception is weighted down by playoff games and prime-time contests rather than regular-season performance; maintains Stroud is still good enough to support Nico Collins despite playoff concerns.

Matt Harmon is bullish on CeeDee Lamb as an end-of-first-round/early-second-round pick in best ball. Lamb posted a 26% target share in games where he played at least 45% of snaps, positioning him as a bounce-back candidate this year.

Matt Harmon questions whether Mecole Hardman is the clear WR1 for Tampa Bay in 2025, suggesting Chris Godwin could be the primary receiver despite age concerns. Positioned as a potential value play in the third-round range, Godwin is underpriced at current ADP given the uncertainty around Hardman's WR1 status, which came out strong early in the season but slowed down late.

Matt Harmon loves Chris Olave as a second and third-round wide receiver pick in best ball drafts. Olave is positioned alongside Nico Collins as an attractive option in the second round ahead of George Pickens. In the third round, Harmon identifies Olave as a preferred target when running back-heavy early, grouping him with DeVonta Smith as a strong pick. Harmon believes Olave could have an elite season and names him as his final answer for round three favorite pick in best ball drafts.

Matt Harmon explicitly rejects DJ Moore at his current fourth-round ADP price point, stating "I wouldn't take DJ Moore at this this price." Despite Moore being Buffalo's clear WR1 alongside elite QB Josh Allen, Harmon expresses skepticism about his fantasy upside at current ADP/expectations, suggesting he is not a believer in Moore's ceiling despite the favorable QB situation.

Matt Harmon ranks DeVonta Smith as WR11 and ahead of AJ Brown for fantasy this season. The departure of AJ Brown from the Eagles creates a significant target vacuum. Smith's ability to play X and slot, combined with his fit in both spread-and-shred and under-center play-action schemes, positions him as a league-winner candidate at current ADP. Harmon believes Smith fits the profile of a top-10 receiver emergence pattern (elevation + target vacuum + outside routes) and could come out gang busters and be an absolute game-changer at the wide receiver position. Smith is positioned as a preferred second-round pick ahead of George Pickens and as a favorable third-round option with quality upside alongside Chris Olave.

Matt Harmon expresses surprise that Nico Collins could outproduce Drake London this year despite London being drafted ahead of Collins in draft order. Harmon loves Drake London but cites uncertainty around the Falcons offense with Michael Penix Jr. as quarterback and Tatum Tonoa as a competing pass catcher. London offers more role safety relative to Collins due to his established role and despite missing games last year, but Harmon still prefers Collins given London's injury history and the uncertainty around the Falcons' offensive cohesion.

Matt Harmon positions Garrett Wilson as a fourth-round ADP player (around 40th overall) who will perform consistently year-to-year. Harmon notes Wilson "is just going to do the same thing every year until the end of time where like we know it could be better, but it probably won't be better, but it'll still be fine," making him acceptable as a fourth-round selection despite limited upside potential. Wilson has a path to WR1 upside if Gino Smith improves and Seattle's defense forces a pass-heavy offensive script, though this is dependent on QB play and defensive performance driving volume.

Matt Harmon views George Pickens as overpriced in the second round (ADP 23-24 on DraftKings) and a bust risk. His WR5 finish last year was inflated by games when CeeDee Lamb was unavailable; with Lamb healthy, Pickens' target share will decline. Additionally, there is meaningful roster uncertainty with Dallas—better than 50% but maybe 60% chance nothing happens and he stays—but the Cowboys have a history of contract drama and Pickens likely wants to be paid now, creating risk of trade or holdout. Harmon would be interested in Pickens at the end of the third round but not at current second-round prices, where Nico Collins, Chris Olave, and DeVonta Smith offer better upside. If everything aligns, Pickens has top-12 upside but is probably one of the safer picks as a 17-game WR2, with a lower ceiling than Collins' top-five projection.

Matt Harmon endorses Jamar Chase as the first WR off the board in DraftKings ADP and the consensus WR1. Chase is in an incredible spot in his career with Joe Burrow as QB; Harmon describes him as an unbelievable player who is awesome at football and should be the wide receiver one off the board.

Matt Harmon's charting analysis shows pleasant surprise with McMillan's performance despite a small four-game sample size and neck injury recovery. Profile comparisons to Jerry Judy's 2024 and Jameson Williams' 2024 seasons indicate he is a volatile deep threat with decent upside. However, his emergence adds depth chart crowding to Tampa Bay's WR room alongside Hardman and Godwin, which constrains his ceiling.

Matt Harmon ranks Jaylen Waddle at WR12 and is very high on him this year, placing him in the WR11–13 tier alongside DeVonte Smith and Lad McConkey. Harmon would draft Waddle over the entire fourth-round ADP group including Zay Flowers, Lad McConkey, Garrett Wilson, Tedo McMillan, DJ Moore, Luther Burden, DeVonte Adams, and Terry McLaurin, and feels great about that decision tier-wise. However, he wants to hear a positive Bo Nix training camp update before going 'balls to the wall' on Waddle conviction.

Matt Harmon moved Jefferson out of tier one last season due to QB play concerns but now believes it's time to get back in on him as a tier-one receiver. With Kyler Murray upgrade over JJ McCarthy, Harmon projects Jefferson back into top-five WR production; cites 73.1% success rate on nine routes (elite tier) and 82% success rate on comeback routes as evidence that Murray's boundary/vertical route tendencies align with Jefferson's elite metrics. Jefferson could produce Jamar Chase or JSN-level output in the back half of the first round with overall WR1 upside and could be the best player in all of fantasy football next year. He finished as WR24 last year and with a pulse after 17 games can't finish worse; Harmon prefers Jefferson over Amon-Ra St. Brown, citing much better floor and higher upside. In best ball, Jefferson at pick 9 offers strong value in the back half of the first round.

Matt Harmon assesses Kyler Murray as a clear upgrade over JJ McCarthy for Justin Jefferson's fantasy production, citing Murray's NFL experience, exposure to varied coverages, and proven ability to execute boundary and comeback routes (demonstrated with DeAndre Hopkins and attempted with Marvin Harrison). Murray is QB7 off the board on DraftKings and goes outside the top 100; if he starts 16-17 games, there is essentially a 0% chance he finishes as QB17 due to his rushing ability, making him strong value for stacking with Jefferson. Murray's hesitancy to throw middle-of-field routes is a real-life football concern for Minnesota's offense but less relevant to fantasy, where the Vikings will find ways to get Jefferson the ball on his elite-efficiency routes.

Matt Harmon ranks McConkey as the clear WR1 in the Chargers offense with a new role and huge target vacuum to fill, positioning him as the top-ranked WR in the third-round grouping ahead of Mecole Hardman, T. Higgins, and Zay Flowers. Harmon projects 100–110 catches, 1500 yards, and 8–10 touchdowns; he's investing heavily in McConkey for best ball tournaments where ceiling chasing is required, viewing him as the type of player who can 'shoot the moon' with that profile. Harmon expresses surprise at his ranking below Hardman and Higgins, calling him a must-take at this price.

Matt Harmon cannot recommend Malik Nabers at 34th overall due to significant knee injury concerns. Nabers suffered an ACL tear plus meniscus damage requiring a second cleanup surgery. Despite showing 98th percentile success rate versus press coverage and Jamar Chase-level upside if healthy, the injury severity and head coach John Harbaugh's characterization of the recovery as a 'grind and the slog' make him unrosterable in this range.

Matt Harmon notes that Mecole Hardman came out strong early in the season but slowed down late, raising questions about whether he is the clear WR1 for Tampa Bay given competition from Chris Godwin and Jaylen McMillan. However, new offensive coordinator Zack Robinson will play Hardman as the Z receiver with motion versatility, alternating between outside and slot. This role change is a much better fit than his outside on-ball usage last year, positioning him to flirt with WR1 production despite variables beyond the role change.

Matt Harmon projects Nico Collins as a top-five wide receiver if he stays healthy. Collins is a late second rounder with 23 overall ADP in 12-team formats and is described as an elite player at the position with tier-one wide receiver traits. The team's contract extension signals positive commitment. Collins is a 25% target share player with set-and-forget appeal, distinguishing him from supporting actors like Tank Dell, Jaden Higgins, and Jaylen Null in the Texans offense. Despite CJ Stroud's playoff disaster (one of the worst EPA per dropback performances in the playoffs since 2007), Stroud ranked between Patrick Mahomes and Sam Darnold in EPA per dropback during the regular season, making him good enough to support Collins. Harmon breaks ties in favor of Collins over Drake London in the second round despite London's role safety, citing Collins' injury history as a manageable concern relative to the upside differential. Collins' top-five upside contrasts favorably against George Pickens' top-12 ceiling despite similar ADP (23 vs. 24 on DraftKings).

Matt Harmon expresses no qualms with Puka Nakua as a first-round WR pick in DraftKings ADP alongside Jamar Chase and Jackson Smith-Njigba; he is part of the consensus big-three WR tier.

Matt Harmon views Terry McLaurin as a top-20 player rather than a top-24 receiver, citing no signs of decline despite last year's contract holdout and slow start. Harmon notes that McLaurin will move around more under new coordinator David Blau, which should provide a boost this year. With Jaden Daniels now healthier and entering year three, and a new offensive coordinator replacing Cliff Kingsbury, Harmon expects spike weeks given McLaurin's vertical ability on the boundary and the mathematical certainty that he'll run fewer straight-line routes in a spread offense. Harmon is overindexed on Ben Johnson offensive scheme players.

Matt Harmon identifies a path for McLauren to finish as WR1, though acknowledges it is unlikely; sees potential for elite-tier upside despite current ADP/expectations.

Matt Harmon views Zay Flowers as a zone-beating WR1 in the Ravens offense who looks excellent on per-route metrics and is underrated in real-life play. However, from a fantasy standpoint, Flowers has a capped touchdown ceiling as long as Derrick Henry is in the Ravens offense. Harmon is excited about the Ravens offense and Declan Doyle's impact as offensive coordinator, but Flowers does not have top-five receiver outcomes in his range like Lad McConkey does.