A surprise happened last year in the ranking of my Majesty. Almost every wide receiver from the 2024 draft class that matters in Fantasy Football lost value in their second season. This reverses the trend of recent years where elite receivers start in their sophomore year. Malik Nabers tore his ACL and fell from WR3 to WR8. Rome Odunze was also hurt, but his drop from WR16 to WR27 had more to do with his midseason concussion and the rise of Luther Burden and Colston Loveland. Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR10 to WR18) and Brian Thomas Jr. (WR6 to WR24) have also battled injuries and disappointing play. So are Xavier Worthy (WR21 to WR40) and Ricky Pearsall (WR40 to WR42). Ladd McConkey (WR12 to WR20) has remained healthy but out-targeted 33-year-old Keenan Allen and was worse per game than Quentin Johnston.
The first question this raises is whether this dip in value is permanent or temporary. In other words, was I the highest of 2024 rookie receivers last year, or am I the lowest of them now? The answer will come in the next 12 months, and I’m sure it won’t be the same for everyone. Once Nabers is fully healthy, I expect him to once again be a top-five wide receiver for the Dynasty. I have more confidence in McConkey’s long-term floor than Harrison or Thomas, but I believe Harrison and Thomas still have a lot more upside than McConkey. I’m afraid that Pearsall and Worthy may be completely off our radar a year from now. And I really don’t know what to say about Odunze.
Remember, after Week 4 last year, Odunze was on pace for 85 catches for 1,258 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was the number three wide receiver in Fantasy points at the time. Then again, he was tied with Quentin Johnston at the time, and no one thinks Johnston is an elite Dynasty receiver. Odunze’s career 7.3 yards per target is average, and his 51.3% catch rate is terrible. He has all the opportunity he needs going into Year 3, and I think he has talent, but at some point, we need to see that over a month.
Recently, I did a one-man post bag on Fantasy Football Today Dynasty. We talked about Burden, Thomas, and more. Check it out:
The second question this raises is whether we will see the same thing with the 2025 receivers. Burden, Emeka Egbuka, and Tetairoa McMillan are all within my top 12 wide receivers below. Will they stick? Burden’s playing time concerns have been addressed with the departure of DJ Moore, and head coach Ben Johnson seems happy with him. Egbuka, likewise, lost target competition with Mike Evans to San Francisco. Only McMillan has more competition than last year. He also has major quarterback concerns. Obviously, since I ranked them as top 12 receivers, I don’t expect the same price drop. But all three need to live up to the hype this season, or at least that’s what we’ll see. That’s especially true for what looks to be an elite receiving class coming into 2027.
Here are my updated Dynasty Wide Receiver Ratings:
