Fantasy Football 2024 WR Exit Interview: You should expect the position to bounce back in 2025

(Exit interviews: quarterback | Run back | Wide receiver | Tight end)

It wasn’t a great year for the wide receiver position at the top of the league this season, and that was reflected in the fantasy football rankings.

The WR12 in 2023, Deebo Samuel Sr., scored 213.7 points. Only seven players have surpassed that mark this season. Ja’Marr Chase averaged 20 points per game, leading the league by a wide margin. The WR2 in points per game was Chris Godwin, who hasn’t played in months, and his 16.1 mark has been bettered by seven running backs this season.

Of the top 20 non-quarterback scorers in fantasy football this season, 14 were running backs.

In fact, I wrote about this topic a little less than a month ago to examine why there has been a lack of dominant wide receiver performances this season. I won’t rehash all of the points raised in this wide-ranging article, but the “too long no read” conclusion was simply a streak of bad luck at the position in 2024. Typically, the assumption is that workhorse running backs will suffer serious injuries over the course of the season. This season everything turned on its head as many fullbacks stayed healthy while some of the game’s best and most productive fullbacks missed large stretches of action. There’s really no deeper culprit in the game.

You can bet that the ADP will overreact to a bearish year in 2025.

Current trends around the league suggest that the running game is becoming more important, and as long as backs stay healthy next season, especially now that some elite talent is housed in premier rushing ecosystems, they can continue to benefit from that reality. However, that doesn’t mean wide receiver is any less important than in past seasons.

5 position hits

LSU freshmen

Both Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers were considered two of the best picks to be made this season. Thomas in particular provided a ton of value considering he was only a fringe top-100 pick and was often the third pass catcher taken by his own team for most of the summer. He also saved his best work for the end of the season.

Nabers experienced some dry spells this season as the offensive line fell apart after Andrew Thomas went on IR and Daniel Jones was released. However, Nabers showed tremendous upside when it came to scoring goals and was exactly the type of specialized talent that could thrive in a shaky offense with poor quarterback play. He has a chance to move up 2025 draft boards if the Giants find the right passer to pair with him.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

JSN’s second season was a great reminder not to react over the results of the rookie year. Although he didn’t have a stellar performance in his first NFL season, that was easily explained since he played with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, two experienced wide receivers. In 2024, he quickly passed both of them and was one of only eight wide receivers to catch 100 passes. JSN finished this season as a WR10 and landed outside the top 40 receivers in drafts over the summer. He’s the type of divider and intermediate monster I want to bet on in the coming years.

Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers

Another newcomer makes it to the list. Ladd McConkey was an immediate impact player in his first year for a Chargers team that desperately needed an above-average receiver. McConkey has mastered that baseline and then some. After being selected as WR44 in the draft this summer, he ended up being a top 12 scorer at that position. It still feels like he doesn’t get enough credit for having a truly special season as a rookie, averaging 3.01 yards per route run vs. man coverage.

McConkey dominated hard coverage and won on all three levels. He seems like an obvious future superstar at the position.

Terry McLaurin, Washington commanders

Terry McLaurin finally had the season he was not only capable of but always deserved as Washington found a franchise quarterback. Jayden Daniels and McLaurin had an instant connection on downfield passes outside the numbers. The veteran receiver scored 13 touchdowns this season, second only to Ja’Marr Chase among wideouts. Concerns about low passing volume for a struggling rookie and a lack of understanding of how good McLaurin really was made him a great value at his 67th overall ADP in 2024.

Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos

That final spot was narrowly between Courtland Sutton and his former teammate Jerry Jeudy, both of whom came fairly late in even the deepest drafts and finished as top-15 scorers. Ultimately, I gave Sutton the credit because he finished slightly better (WR13 to WR15) and was more relevant over the course of the season, while Jeudy had a massive month of excellence. Sutton was the Broncos’ only skill position player not used in a rotation this season. His game as an over-the-middle route runner in the intermediate zone overlapped perfectly with the way Bo Nix likes to throw the football.

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5 position errors

Deebo Samuel Sr., San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers wide receiver was in the top 30 in overall ADP, but finished outside the top 40 in scoring at his own position. The film was fitting for the production downturn, as Samuel didn’t look nearly as explosive in space as he usually did, and his struggles to prevail against human coverage were more pronounced than ever. There’s a good chance 2024 will be his final season with the 49ers.

Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

After a dominant 2023 season and with CeeDee Lamb sitting out his contract, Tyreek Hill seemed like the obvious choice for WR1 overall in the summer. He left the field as the second overall player on average behind Christian McCaffrey. Given the high costs, it was a painful season for Hill.

Sure, he didn’t have Tua Tagovailoa under center for most of the season, but between Weeks 8 and 16 (when Tua returned and before he missed the last two games), Hill averaged 12.1 points per game. This was good for WR24 during this time. However you break it down, it’s been a disappointing season for the budding 31-year-old speed receiver, who sounds like he’s ready to play for a new team.

Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals

I argue that Marvin Harrison Jr. didn’t have a “bad” rookie season, but there’s no doubt that he didn’t live up to extremely high expectations. Harrison was selected as the WR9 in the draft and never came close to that value. It was just a bad idea to put a rookie receiver that high, no matter what his pedigree predicted. If we’re going to split the blame for why he’s been so inconsistent this season, then everyone deserves a piece from the coaching staff, Kyler Murray and Harrison himself. If you want to bet on him in year two, you certainly should do so at a much lower ADP can do after losing so many in 2024.

DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

In the first month of the season, it looked like Metcalf would be one of the right answers in fantasy. That didn’t last. He struggled with a few injuries but was also narrowly outplayed by the aforementioned Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Seahawks’ offense went a little smoother as they ran the passing game through JSN when the No. 1 read and left some of Metcalf’s volatility behind them. He finished the season as a WR32 in 15 games, well below his WR18 ADP. I think there is a chance he could be traded this offseason.

Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

I’m not going to sit here and blame Pittman for a bad season, because it was clear that playing through what turned out to be a fracture in his back hampered him greatly at points this season.

Still considered a significant fantasy bust, he finished 16 games as the WR43 after being selected as the WR21. It was always going to be difficult for Pittman to live up to those expectations with Anthony Richardson under center. The fact that the coaching staff abandoned some of the quick passes and instead turned to longer-developing route concepts that relied on Richardson’s arm strength hurt Pittman even more. Pittman should bounce back individually in good health in 2025, but in Indy the offense is still crowded and there isn’t much clarity at quarterback.

Way too early wide receiver rankings for 2025

1. Yes’Marr Chase

2. Justin Jefferson

3. Puka Nacua

4. Amon-Ra St. Brown

5. Nico Collins

6. CeeDee Lamb

7. Brian Thomas Jr.

8. AJ Brown

9. Drake London

10. Ladd McConkey

11. Malik Nabers

12. Jaxon Smith-Njigba