Fantasy Football: 3 Rookie Wide Receivers To Outperform ADP

It used to take a rookie wide receiver more than a year to become fully integrate into an offense. But that’s not the case anymore and hasn’t been for the last several years across the NFL.

With that in mind, every smart fantasy football manager will target a rookie receiver late in the draft. The risk is low but the reward is potentially very high. It’s just a question of picking the right one.

Here are three rookie receivers who have the potential to outperform their very early average draft positions from Fantasy Data. Managers will have to target one of them in the middle rounds while the other two are potential deep sleepers.

Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina, 67 ADP

It seems odd to have the second receiver selected in the draft on a list of wideouts who could outperform their ADP. McMillan may be the first receiver off the board in dynasty formats this fall.

But based on his current ADP, McMillan is ranked the No. 32 overall receiver. That’s a low ranking if McMillan becomes the top receiver in Carolina’s offense as a rookie, which he is more than capable of doing.

Last season, McMillan led the Big 12 with 1,319 receiving yards on 84 catches. The Panthers didn’t have a single receiver with even half that total in 2024.

Even if McMillan doesn’t become Carolina’s top receiver, he has the potential to be a valuable fantasy contributor as a red zone threat. Standing at 6-foot-4 with 10-inch hands and a 78-inch wingspan, McMillan scored 26 receiving touchdowns in 37 college games.

How early fantasy managers target the Panthers rookie wideout, though, could very well depend on how much they trust quarterback Bryce Young to take a significant step forward in 2025.

Jayden Higgins, Houston 170 ADP

Higgins won’t go unnoticed in dynasty formats, but in re-draft leagues, he’s a candidate to be a WR5. His current ADP projects him to be a 15th-round pick.

Houston will have to replace Stefon Diggs this season and could be without Tank Dell as well as he continues to recovery from knee surgery.

Higgins plays a similar style to Nico Collins, who is projected to be Houston’s top wideout to open 2025. That’s not ideal for Higgins managers because the Texans could look to find a more complimentary receiver to play opposite Collins.

But if Christian Kirk plays the primary slot role, Higgins will have an opportunity for outside receiver snaps to open camp if Dell hasn’t returned. Higgins had 87 catches, 1,183 receiving yards and nine touchdowns at Iowa State last season.

Jalen Royals, Kansas City, 234 ADP

It’s never a bad idea to stash a Patrick Mahomes receiver. That’s particularly the case when managers can land the wideout around the 20th round in 12-team formats.

That’s what Royals’ ADP potentially offers fantasy managers.

There’s a reason, though, for his low ADP. There could be four receivers ahead of Royals on the Chiefs depth chart when camp begins – Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Managers will have to follow Royals' progress this summer before confidently drafting him. But it’s worth noting that Rice is recovering from a knee injury.

The Chiefs drafted Royals in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He had 15 receiving touchdowns in 13 games with Utah State during 2023.

Last season, he had 55 catches for 834 receiving yards with six touchdowns.