Fantasy Football Breakout WRs: Ladd McConkey, Brian Thomas Jr, & Calvin Ridley Among WRs to Outperform ADP
The secret to winning fantasy football does not come from your top picks — it'll come from your value picks. Players like Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson are for sure worth the top picks in fantasy football, but finding players like Ladd McConkey, Brian Thomas Jr., and Calvin Ridley will win you your fantasy leagues. Their ADP's are respectable, but we will look into why they should be rated even higher. These are your league-winning targets at wide receiver.
Ladd McConkey
You are looking and a crisp, route-running weapon. McConkey comes into this season ready to repeat his 1,100 Yard, 7 TD season. As the Chargers look to overtake the Chiefs as AFC West champions, McConkey will be a key piece.
Mike Williams decided to retire earlier this month and usage for McConkey expands even further. In 2024, McConkey commanded a target share around a whopping 34%. His connection with Justin Herbert has become seamless and the ceiling is sky-high for Ladd. As he sits on an elite offense, McConkey can absolutely hit 1,400 yards and double digit touchdowns within reason. His support staff includes a legendary coach in Jim Harbaugh, an elite NFL QB in Justin Herbert, and a quality offensive-line and run game to expose defenses.
My Prediction: WR7 | Current ADP: WR11
Brian Thomas Jr.
Brian Thomas Jr. is once again an elite wide receiver from LSU, or as some like to say, Wide Receiver U. While Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr. received all the rookie hype, Thomas put on his own show down in Jacksonville — 133 Targets, 87 Catches, 1,282 Yards and 10 touchdowns.
Now that Jacksonville turns to a new, more trusted coaching staff, Brian Thomas Jr. should only get better. Liam Coen worked magic with the Buccaneers last season. They finished 3rd in the NFL in total offense with the first year OC. While I am not sure how good of a head coach Coen will become, I am sure that he will have Trevor Lawrence throwing non-stop dimes to Brian Thomas Jr.
My Prediction: WR5 | Current ADP: WR7
Calvin Ridley
Calvin Ridley is a sure-fire top tier WR in the NFL. Unfortunately for him, injuries and situations have made his last few seasons fall below his ceiling. With a rising Tennessee offense, I expect Ridley to have a breakout season at his position.
The Titans offense includes: A great offensive, Super Bowl-partaking mind in Brian Callahan, a new rookie star in Cam Ward, 1k Yard Tony Pollard at RB, a great supporting WR in Tyler Lockett, and a much improved offensive line. Last season, this offense gave Ridley a whopping 42% target share. With a better offense, the usage is huge for Ridley.
#Titans Cam Ward —->Calvin Ridley pic.twitter.com/rmk03qn9HG
— Kayla Anderson (@KaylaAndersonTV) July 30, 2025
My Prediction: WR8 | Current ADP: WR30
These are some opinions that I aim to leverage in my fantasy football drafts. When they succeed, I will have multiple tier-1 WRs on my roster. That is a league-winning strategy.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.