It's never too early to look ahead, and we're already starting to plan for the 2025 Fantasy season. That's right, it's not even the Super Bowl yet, but we're already getting ready for the next Fantasy campaign.
With that in mind, here is the first look at our early 2025 wide receiver rankings. We're well aware that a lot could change with free agency and the NFL Draft.
But based on what just happened with the 2024 season, as well as what we think could happen this offseason, here are the top 12 wide receiver rankings for 2025 from members of our CBS Sports staff.
Jamey Eisenberg
1. Ja'Marr Chase
2. Justin Jefferson
3. Puka Nacua
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown
5. CeeDee Lamb
6. Nico Collins
7. Malik Nabers
8. Brian Thomas Jr.
9. A.J. Brown
10. Drake London
11. Rashee Rice
12. Ladd McConkey
Toughest player to rank: Rice has three things to monitor heading into the 2025 campaign. First, his health since he's coming off a knee injury that knocked him out of the 2024 season in Week 4. Second, could he still face a suspension for his involvement in a hit-and-run car crash in Dallas that occurred last March? Finally, will the Chiefs feature him on offense to the same degree with the emergence of Xavier Worthy? As long as he's healthy and not suspended, Rice has the chance to be a star, and he averaged 21.3 PPR points in three games before getting hurt. I plan to draft him in Round 2.
Player who just missed the cut: I'm probably going to be out on Mike Evans again if he's getting drafted in the first two rounds. He did great in 2024 with his 11th-consecutive season with at least 1,000 receiving yards and sixth season with double digits in touchdowns, and he averaged 17.2 PPR points. But he also missed four games with a hamstring injury, and Father Time could eventually catch up to him when he'll turn 32 in August. It's unlikely he'll be ranked as a top-12 wide receiver for me in 2025.
Dave Richard
1 Ja'Marr Chase
2 Justin Jefferson
3 Puka Nacua
4 Malik Nabers
5 Amon-Ra St. Brown
6 Nico Collins
7 Brian Thomas Jr.
8 CeeDee Lamb
9 Rashee Rice
10 A.J. Brown
11 Ladd McConkey
12 Mike Evans
Toughest player to rank: Brown will be 28 years old, and despite averaging just 0.3 fewer PPR points per game in 2024 than he did in 2023, the narrative will be that he's in an offense that's too run-heavy for him to keep up his big numbers. Evans will be 32, but the only thing that slowed him down in 2024 was a hamstring injury. Staying healthy is a concern for him, but he averaged over 17 PPR points for the second straight year with Baker Mayfield. He could make it three in a row, especially if Chris Godwin leaves in free agency.
Player who just missed the cut: There are a slew of receivers who won't be top 12 but could easily finish top five. I wouldn't put it past Jaxon Smith-Njigba being one of those wideouts. Once DK Metcalf got hurt going into Week 8, Smith-Njigba took over as Seattle's top target and averaged 19 PPR points per game through Week 17 (which happened to be a colossal dud). It's easy to see Smith-Njigba becoming a monster in his third year in 2025.
Heath Cummings
1. Ja'Marr Chase
2. Justin Jefferson
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown
4. Malik Nabers
5. CeeDee Lamb
6. Puka Nacua
7. Nico Collins
8. Brian Thomas Jr.
9. A.J. Brown
10. Tee Higgins
11. Terry McLaurin
12. Ladd McConkey
Toughest player to rank: Nabers is the toughest guy to rank in the top 12. He's been a top-seven wide receiver per game with Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito, and Drew Lock throwing him the ball. So I can't rank him any lower than that. But whether the Giants draft a quarterback or not, I have no idea how good his quarterback will be in 2025. If he gets league-average quarterback play he may challenge Chase and Jefferson.
Player who just missed the cut: Mike Evans just missed the cut, almost entirely because I am being an ageist. Evans has been a top-12 wide receiver in each of the past two seasons, and he's a near-lock for 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns. Still, he'll be 32 years old before he plays football again, and Father Time remains undefeated.
Adam Aizer
1. Ja'Marr Chase
2. Justin Jefferson
3. Puka Nacua
4. Nico Collins
5. CeeDee Lamb
6. Amon-Ra St. Brown
7. Malik Nabers
8. Brian Thomas Jr.
9. A.J. Brown
10. Mike Evans
11. Tyreek Hill
12. Drake London
Toughest player to rank: London is the toughest player for me to rank. The early returns with Michael Penix were very encouraging, and London had a whopping 39 targets in three games with Penix and went over 100 yards twice. He caught two touchdowns in Week 18 - granted without Darnell Mooney and in a great matchup - and finished as WR14 per game. He is capable of more with better quarterback play, and I'm wondering if he should be ranked ahead of Evans and Hill. The path is there for London to be a true Fantasy difference-maker in 2025.
Player who just missed the cut: We were waiting for a Jaxon Smith-Njigba breakout, and we finally got it. He closed the season on a tear, and this surge started with a DK Metcalf injury but continued even with Metcalf back. I think Metcalf will be better next season, but there should be no stopping Smith-Njigba's ascent. My concern is that he spends too much time in the slot (77.6 percent slot rate), and you don't typically see elite receivers with that kind of slot rate. He's not a true No. 1 alpha receiver, which is why I left him off the list.
Dan Schneier
1. Ja'Marr Chase
2. Nico Collins
3. Justin Jefferson
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown
5. Puka Nacua
6. CeeDee Lamb
7. Brian Thomas Jr.
8. Malik Nabers
9. A.J. Brown
10. Tyreek Hill
11. George Pickens
12. Drake London
Toughest player to rank: London was the toughest player I found ranking. It's a small sample size, but over the two games prior to Week 18 with Michael Penix at quarterback, London led the team in both target share and air yardage share -- and by a wide margin. However, the touchdowns continue to be difficult to come by. Penix has a ton of arm talent and was a rhythm passer at Washington. If they can take a jump in their rapport, London can finally lock in as a sure-fire WR1.
Player who just missed the cut: Garrett Wilson just missed the cut due to uncertainty at the quarterback position, whether or not he'll even be on the Jets, and whether or not he'll have to share targets with Davante Adams. We know for sure that he has the talent, but he has been a volume-dependent WR1 in the early years of his career.
Jacob Gibbs
1. Ja'Marr Chase
2. Puka Nacua
3. Justin Jefferson
4. Nico Collins
5. CeeDee Lamb
6. Amon-Ra St. Brown
7. Malik Nabers
8. Brian Thomas Jr.
9. A.J. Brown
10. Rashee Rice
11. Drake London
12. Mike Evans
Toughest player to rank: If Rice is not suspended, I would rank him as WR6. His placement here presumes a 2-4 game suspension. I have no idea what the outcome will be, and speculating on it felt pointless, so let's instead focus on Brown as the second-toughest to rank. I have Nacua ranked as the WR2 because the per-route data that he accumulated in his second season is historically elite. Brown's the only receiver who comes close to Nacua's numbers. Brown (3.04) and Nacua (3.57) are the only two to top 3.00 yards per route run. Brown has averaged 0.61 PPR points per route, Nacua (0.71) is the only other player above 0.60. And yet, both Nabers and Thomas averaged more Fantasy points per game as rookies than Brown did in 2024. Target volume just was not there for Philadelphia's receivers since the team did not need to pass. The Eagles were able to bully opponents on the ground, and I'm not sure that's going to change in 2025.
Player who just missed the cut: Jaxon Smith-Njigba took over as the WR1 for Seattle to close out his second season and finished as a top-10 Fantasy receiver, so I totally get it if expectations are high in Year 3. I simply feel more confident in the receivers who are ranked ahead of him. Evans averaged more Fantasy points per game than Smith-Njigba. London's game feels more refined and ready to support a target-hogging season, and I feel more confident in his offense taking a step forward in 2025. If Smith-Njigba is able to turn his Year 2 flashes into consistent high-level production in Year 3, the Fantasy results could be massive.
