2025 Dynasty Football WR Rankings: Matthew Golden Rises, Luther Burden III Falls

The 2025 NFL Draft wasn't a particularly strong one for rookie wide receivers. It was loaded with talented running backs and tight ends. However, there is still plenty of talent to focus on for your fantasy and dynasty drafts this season. These are the top rookie wideouts in the 2025 class.

1 Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers

McMillan was my top wide receiver prospect in this draft, and found himself a nice landing spot. While there are still questions surrounding Bryce Young and the Panthers' offense as a whole, they are an ascending young offense, and Young showed drastic improvements in the back half of 2024. This big-bodied rookie isn't a burner, but he can dominate contested catches and create separation. His likelihood of being the top target on his team is also significantly higher than any other of the receivers in this class. He should be locked in as the top rookie pass-catcher in this class, and his ADP reflects that.

2 Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars

Hunter's value can drastically change from league to league depending on your scoring settings and his eligibility. If you are in an IDP league and he is CB eligible, Austin Jeanty is the only rookie who should be drafted ahead of him, and even at No. 1 overall, Hunter is tempting as a potential cheat code. Some leagues also award points to offensive players who score defensive points. This could also give his value a major boost. It's extremely important you research these details before making up your mind on him.

However, even if you don't get any "hidden" points from Hunter, he's still a solid rookie WR2 on as the likely second option in Jacksonville. The guys behind him are much closer in this situation, though. Nevertheless, the Jags gave a lot to move up and get him in the draft, and the investment suggests he could be more a 1b option than a clear distant WR2 behind Brian Thomas Jr.

Travis Hunter in his new threads 🔥@TravisHunterJr | @Jaguars pic.twitter.com/sBfgsH2zsS
— NFL (@NFL) July 14, 2025

3 Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers

Golden was my rookie WR2 as a prospect, just ahead of Hunter, somewhat in part due to Hunter's uncertainty with his role in the NFL during the pre-draft process. While I'm still very high on Golden's talent, and he didn't drop far, the Packers love to spread the ball around to their pass-catchers, creating a volatile week-to-week situation. With Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs also in their receiver corps, there is a chance Golden isn't even on the field this season in most two-wide sets. We will not in any way downplay his upside, but the unpredictability in Green Bay is also a concern, even with Christian Watson recovering from an ACL injury.

4 Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

You can make the case that Egbuka is as talented as any other receiver in this class. There is a clear tier drop-off after him. With that said, you may have to wait on Egbuka for a while before he hits his full stride. While Mike Evans is getting up there in age and Chris Godwin has injury concerns, Egbuka will still be competing with them for targets and will likely see a significantly smaller target share than both the proven vets. Jalen McMillan also should be taken into consideration. He played very well last season after the Godwin injury forced him into a larger role. The talent is there for Egbuka, and he will be a great NFL wideout. it's just a matter of how long you have to wait for him to get the targets he needs to reach his full potential.

5 Tre Harris, Los Angeles Chargers

Harris is set up to be the second target for the Chargers. Mike Williams' retirement on Thursday only strengthens that case. However, this will be a low-volume passing attack with a clear WR1 set in stone with Ladd McConkey. In my pre-draft rankings, I did have Harris as the WR5, but he does not have the same amount of talent as the receivers ranked ahead of him. This is the perfect spot for him, being that he's well behind the rookies ranked ahead of him and far safer than the guys being ranked after him.

Holdout over: Tre Harris has now agreed to terms and will sign his rookie contract, sources say. https://t.co/OAjzo2kuKJ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 17, 2025

6 Xavier Restrepo, Tennessee Titans

If Restrepo landed anywhere else, there is no way he'd be here at No. 6 as an undrafted free agent. Landing with his college quarterback at Miami whom he set records with, first overall pick Cam Ward, gives us so much more confidence that he could develop into a PPR asset in Year 1. This gives us confidence he will not only make the 53-man roster, but he could even end up serving as the team's slot receiver in three-wide sets as a rookie. Ward has talked about how happy he is to have him in Tennessee, and Restrepo could take on the same role he had in Miami as a chain-mover and security blanket.

7 Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears

As a prospect, Burden III was a high-risk, high-reward pick. The Bears are also not an ideal landing spot. They have a lot of mouths to feed, and second-year quarterback Caleb Williams is still a question mark as a good NFL quarterback. Both his upside and floor are sitting at extreme opposites on the spectrum. He is a gadget guy with big-play upside. We've seen some fantastic fantasy explosions from players like that and many who have disappointed and never lived up to expectations. Burden III is better suited for best ball formats rather than your normal redraft and dynasty leagues in 2025.

Two minutes of Luther Burden III high school highlights for your feed 🐻⬇️

Can’t wait to see what he can do as a #Bear 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zgjxpfjT0J
— SleeperBears (@SleeperBears) July 16, 2025

8 Jayden Higgins, Houston Texans

I wasn't as high on Higgins as a prospect as most experts, and his ranking here reflects that. He did find himself a nice landing spot in Houston, though. With Stefon Diggs gone and Tank Dell out for the year with a gruesome leg injury, Higgins has a shot to win the WR2 job this summer. Not many rookies are in a situation with that much opportunity this season. If CJ Stroud has a bounce-back year, Higgins could be a surprise breakout rookie.