Ricky Pearsall, Khalil Shakir Lead 2025 Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Sleepers

Khalil Shakir, Jakobi Meyers, Ricky Pearsall, and Emeka Egbuka are flying under the radar but are poised to crush their current 2025 fantasy football rankings.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) reacts against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Every fantasy football season, there are players who fall through the cracks in our rankings. Players who get overlooked who far exceed their preseason expectations. These are the wide receivers who are going to far outperform their current rankings. Every one of these wideouts is currently ranked outside of the top 36 in ECR on FantasyPros, and is currently being viewed as less than a WR3 in 0.5 PPR scoring format. 

Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills

ECR: 39

Shakir has established himself as Josh Allen's go-to receiver. While it's unlikely he gives you big blowup games, this is a great flex option who is going to give you consistent production and a safe floor week after week. Despite missing two games last year, he still saw triple-digit targets. If he continues to develop and build off 2024, he is a guy who can push towards 100 catches, 1,000 yards, and more than five TDs. You won't be getting a league winner when you draft Shakir; nevertheless, you will be getting a reliable option with PPR upside who you can plug in every week and bank on a floor of four catches and 60 yards, and a ceiling of 10 catches, 120 yards, and a touchdown.  

Top players with the most designed read targets last season:

1) DJ Moore - 41 targets
2) Khalil Shakir - 26 targets

WR1 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/irfhZ43xrd

— BillsMuse (@BillsMusee) July 13, 2025

Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders

ECR: 40

Meyers inexplicably continues to go overlooked. In 2024, he missed two games and still finished as the WR23 overall. He caught 87 of his 129 targets for 1,027 yards and four TDs. In 2023, he scored 10 TDs. With a better quarterback in Geno Smith and little competition added for targets, there is room for Meyers to improve this season and very little reason to expect him to take a step back. Regardless of how you feel about Geno Smith, he's proven that he's a significant upgrade over anyone the Raiders were running out under center last season. The addition of rookie running back Ashton Jeanty should also help the passing attack. Other than that, this is going to be a passing attack dominated by Meyers and Brock Bowers. Meyers will be better, not worse, this season.   

Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers

ECR: 45

Either or possibly both of Jauan Jennings or Pearsall is going to have a monster season. Deebo Samuel is gone, and it looks like Brandon Aiyuk is destined to start the season on the PUP list. We are going with the younger and cheaper Pearsall. This is a 2024 first-round pick who got off to a slow start last season after being shot in the chest a week before the season started. It's understandable that he wouldn't explode out of the gates after getting a late start to the season. However, in his final two games of the year, the team turned to him as their top option on the outside, and he caught 14 of 18 targets for 210 yards and two TDs. He was also given two carries. We are taking this as a preview of what's to come this season. You can get Pearsall cheap, and he has legitimate WR1 upside.     

Ricky Pearsall pic.twitter.com/UWdJzi16AF

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) July 10, 2025

Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

ECR: 54

The Bucs' first-round rookie is being overlooked and has the opportunity to be a breakout star. This is a player who was a top-three prospect at his position in this year's draft. He lands on a team with one of the highest scoring passing offenses in the league, which features Chris Godwin, who is expected to start the season at less than 100% and Mike Evans, who will be 32 years old prior to Week 1. We are betting on the talent with Egbuka and trusting him to beat out Jalen McMillan. One of those two players is going to be a breakout star, and our money is on the ultra-talented rookie receiver.