Everyone loves finding draft-day steals. Whether it’s an overlooked veteran in a new situation or a speedy WR2 with room to grow, value is everywhere if you know where to look. Here are three wide receivers who are poised to outperform their current ADP in 2025 fantasy drafts.
Darnell Mooney, WR Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons WR Darnell Mooney quietly finished as WR31 in half-point ppr scoring last year. Commanding a staggering 92.9% snap rate, Mooney hauled in 64 receptions for 992 yards and 5 TDs in 2024. That was while splitting QB reps between Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. With Cousins on the bench, and Penix assuming the starting job for the 2025 season, Mooney has a very legitimate chance to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving for the first time since 2021.
Penix is a pocket passer with a powerful and accurate arm, and throws one of the prettiest deep balls in the NFL — great for a speedster like Mooney.
The Falcons did not bring in any competition at wide receiver in free agency, and TE Kyle Pitts continues to fail to live up to his rookie year hype. Not to mention, Falcons wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard talked up Mooney and the team’s 2025 plans for him. “We’re going to lean on him a lot more than we did last year and see where that goes.”
Mooney is all but guaranteed the team’s WR2 spot behind WR Drake London, and has a very realistic high-end WR3/flex ceiling in fantasy. The 27-year old should be even more comfortable in his second year in OC Zac Robinson‘s offense and will surely outperform his current ADP of 96th overall (WR44).
Stefon Diggs, WR New England Patriots
The Patriots made a splash this offseason by signing WR Stefon Diggs to a three-year, $69 million deal, aiming to revive a passing game that finished last in the league in 2024. While Diggs turns 32 in November and is coming off a torn ACL, he’s still one of the NFL’s most proven wideouts when healthy. He recorded six straight 1,000-yard seasons before 2024 and looked like his usual WR1-self with the Texans early last year—posting 496 yards and 3 touchdowns on 47 catches through Week 8, good enough for WR10 in fantasy.
New England clearly sees Diggs as a key piece in their rebuild. He’s expected to be the top target for rookie QB Drake Maye, with only unproven names like Kendrick Bourne and Demario Douglas competing for looks. That gives Diggs a relatively safe fantasy floor as a WR3, with the potential to creep into WR2 territory if he regains form.
The biggest concern is availability. Initial reports suggested he may not be ready to return to action until Week 4, but Diggs claims he is ahead of schedule — a sentiment that Patriots WR coach Chris Hogan echoed last month. “It’s earlier, I think, than most people expected coming back from an ACL injury. I love the way he’s looking running routes and cutting,” Hogan told Patriots reporters at the team’s June mini camp.
Diggs did have a concerning boat scandal video surface over Memorial Day weekend, but the lack of action by the NFL suggests he most likely will not receive any serious reprimand. Injury concerns coupled with his off-the-field incident have dropped Diggs’ ADP down to WR45 (89th overall). But that dip creates value for savvy drafters. If he’s fully healthy by October, Diggs could easily outproduce his current cost—and finally give the Patriots their first 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019.
DK Metcalf, WR Pittsburgh Steelers
With George Pickens traded and 214 targets vacated, DK Metcalf steps into the clear No. 1 WR role in Pittsburgh—and gets a major quarterback upgrade in Aaron Rodgers. Metcalf finished 2024 as the WR32, but that number doesn’t reflect how strong he looked early. Through Week 7, he ranked top five in targets, yards, and air yards before a knee injury derailed his season. When he returned, the Seahawks had shifted to Jaxon Smith-Njigba as their WR1, and Metcalf’s production took a sizable hit.
Now, Metcalf gets a fresh start. He has four top-25 fantasy finishes in six seasons, leads the league in end zone targets since entering the NFL, and has missed only three games in his career. It’s no question Metcalf is one of the most physically dominant wideouts in the league — just look at the 5-year, $150 million contract Pittsburgh handed him.
There are still questions about OC Arthur Smith’s offense and whether the Steelers will throw enough to support a high-end fantasy wide receiver, but Smith has hinted he is willing to lean more into the passing game. “We didn’t bring Rodgers in here and sign Metcalf for all that money to go run the wishbone … you try to play to the strengths of your team.”
Rodgers has a long history of locking onto his WR1, most recently funneling 114 targets to Davante Adams in just 11 games last year. If Metcalf can command anywhere close to that kind of attention, he’ll easily outperform his current ADP (45th overall, WR22). Metcalf has a solid WR2 floor with the upside to flirt with fringe WR1 output.
