A strange thing happened in the last year in my Dynasty rankings. Almost every wide receiver from the 2024 draft class that matters for Fantasy Football lost value in their second season. This reverses a trend from recent years in which elite wide receivers broke out in their second year. Malik Nabers tore his ACL and fell from WR3 to WR8. Rome Odunze also suffered an injury, but his fall from WR16 to WR27 had more to do with his midseason swoon and the ascension of Luther Burden and Colston Loveland. Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR10 to WR18) and Brian Thomas Jr. (WR6 to WR24) also battled injuries and disappointing performances. So did Xavier Worthy (WR21 to WR40) and Ricky Pearsall (WR40 to WR42). Ladd McConkey (WR12 to WR20) mostly stayed healthy but got out-targeted by 33-year-old Keenan Allen and was worse on a per-game basis than Quentin Johnston.
The first question this brings up is whether this dip in value is permanent or temporary. In other words, was I too high on the 2024 rookie receivers last year, or am I too low on them now? The answer will come in the next 12 months, and I am sure it won't be the same for everyone. Once Nabers is fully healthy, I expect him to be a top-five wide receiver in Dynasty again. I am more confident in the longterm floor for McConkey than Harrison or Thomas, but I believe Harrison and Thomas still have more upside than McConkey. I am afraid Pearsall and Worthy may be completely off our radar a year from now. And I truly have no idea what to think of Odunze.
Remember, after Week 4 last year, Odunze was on pace for 85 catches for 1,258 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was the number three wide receiver in Fantasy points at that time. Then again, he was tied with Quentin Johnston at that point, and nobody thinks Johnston is an elite Dynasty receiver. Odunze's career 7.3 yards per target is mediocre, and his career 51.3% catch rate is downright bad. He has all the opportunity he needs heading into Year 3, and I think he has the talent, but at some point, we need to see that for more than a month.
Recently, I did a one-man mailbag on Fantasy Football Today Dynasty. We talked about Burden, Thomas, and more. Check it out:
The second question this brings up is whether we are about to see the same thing with the 2025 receivers. Burden, Emeka Egbuka, and Tetairoa McMillan are all inside my top 12 Dynasty wide receivers below. Will they stick? Burden's playing time concerns have been resolved with the departure of DJ Moore, and Head Coach Ben Johnson sure seems excited about him. Egbuka, similarly, lost target competition with Mike Evans going to San Francisco. Only McMillan has more competition than he did last year. He also has the biggest quarterback concern. Obviously, since I have them ranked as top 12 wide receivers, I am not expecting a similar drop in value. But all three need to justify the hype this season, or that is exactly what we will see. That is particularly true with what looks like an elite receiving class coming in 2027.
Here are my updated Dynasty Wide Receiver Rankings:
