2025 NFL Draft Rookie Fantasy Fallout: Wide Receivers (Part 2)
WRs are the core of dynasty teams, so hitting on a 2nd round rookie pick can swing your outlook! With that said, we will break down another set of WRs here; analyzing potential usage and the affect on their new teammates.
I will be hitting on the WRs for the 2025 NFL Draft Rookie Fantasy Fallout series, now hitting the 2nd rounders! You can find breakdowns on the other positions (and first round WRs) here!
2.34: Houston Texans – Jayden Higgins, Iowa State
After a disappointing 2024, the Texans needed to bolster their offense around C.J. Stroud. They patched the OL in Free Agency and their 2nd pick, but added another weapon first. Higgins is a polarizing prospect, with elite athletic ability, size, and numbers while having sub-par metrics. Higgins has the look of an X-receiver, but that is not what his profile projects. Thankfully, Houston was one of the few spots that would not force him out of position (thank you, Nico Collins!). Higgins fits best in the power-slot or breaking-flanker role; which he will be able to play across from Collins. He is not the same player as Xavier Leggette, but this season projects to be similar (~50/500/5). He comes in as a borderline dynasty WR3/4.
Even with top-35 draft capital, Higgins will not threaten Nico Collins’ status as the alpha WR in the near future. At worst, another big athlete has to deter some defensive focus from Collins. He will challenge for the number 2 receiver role behind Christian Kirk, but should at least start 2025 as the 3. Higgins’ presence is good for QB C.J. Stroud, giving the young star another dynamic weapon. If the OL cannot be immediately fixed, adding more weapons is a way to circumvent the issue! There is one more receiver who is relevant to discuss, but that will be tabled until the next edition. The commitment to Stroud is an overall plus that we see from Higgins.
2.39: Chicago Bears – Luther Burden III, Missouri
Like Houston, Chicago vastly underperformed in 2024 and bolstered their OL in Free Agency. After upgrading their offensive staff, the Bears upgraded their weapons through the draft. Burden replaces Keenan Allen and pairs with fellow rookie Colston Loveland. Burden is a spectacular athlete, but needs coaching to turn a poor 2024 into the star potential he showed in 2022/2023. He is the clear 3rd WR this season, but with rumors that D.J. Moore could be on the outs, he has a path to be WR1/2 for Caleb Williams in 2026 and beyond. Burden should not be relied on for weekly starts in 2025, projecting similar to Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s rookie year. It will look different as a wildly different player, but around 650 scrimmage yards and a few touchdowns as a rookie WR3 tracks. Dynasty-wise, Burden ranks within my top-40, with top-20 potential.
Burden gives Caleb Williams another high-potential weapon, giving more room for error for his fantasy development. In 2024, the weapon volume was a massive issue, but Burden (and Loveland) will not command the WR1 target-share that Keenan Allen did. A young, talented corps will give a variety of targets that can be utilized depending on scheme/opponent rather than forcing to proven veterans. Rome Odunze’s status should not be altered much, as a top-10 pick and pure X-reciever. D.J. Moore is in a hairier spot, however. He is the top dog for now, but if his demeanor is truly a concern for this staff he may be onto team #3 sooner rather than later. Moore is still talented and proven enough to trust for now, but Burden (who I compared to Moore) could be an immediate replacement. This is a great look for a young, talented offense!
2.55: Los Angeles Chargers – Tre Harris, Ole Miss
Harris was not one of my favorite prospects in this class, but he fell into a perfect situation. Despite being lower on him than most, Harris fits well as a vertical-X as a secondary option on a team with an elite QB. Harris will replace Quentin Johnston in that role, with similar explosiveness and talent but reliable hands. In 2025, Harris projects to land somewhere on the Keon Coleman-Rome Odunze scale. He could land with 40-60 receptions for 500-700 yards and a few touchdowns. Today, he will be outside of my top-50 WRs, but if he can grow and be utilized well, he has the talent to be a high-end WR3 in my mind.
The Harris selection shows a continued goal of supporting superstar QB Justin Herbert. His fantasy stock rises as he gets another weapon who he can rely on. Harris will be able to make plays in ways that other receivers have failed in the past. Herbert has not had a reliable second option for years (factoring in that one of Mike Williams and Keenan Allen was almost always injured). Having a secondary option is a benefit for sophomore star Ladd McConkey as well. Having another threat will take attention and pressure away from him allowing for easier looks. The addition of Harris has similar benefits for fellow rookie Omarion Hampton, spreading the field. The biggest loser here is Q.J., as Harris expects to step directly into his role and steal most of his targets.
2.58: Las Vegas Raiders – Jack Bech, TCU
There was a concern that Vegas did not have enough weapons for new QB Geno Smith. They responded with “Bech Please!” (sorry…) Bech looks to take over as the 2nd target for the Raiders behind Brock Bowers. He is an interesting fit in the offense, fitting mostly as a power-slot, similar to Bowers. He gives another target option over the middle of the field, where he should see a good amount of targets from Smith. His rookie season shouldn’t project as prolifically as Rashee Rice, but he could be in that ballpark. His dynasty outlook is hard to gauge, but he should be around WR50 today.
Bech’s presence in the offense ensures that Jakobi Meyers will be an outside player; mostly in the X-role. Meyers is good at all WR roles, but the X make him more boom-or-bust for fantasy. Geno Smith is a good fit with Meyers, but his overall dynasty value has to drop. Brock Bowers remains the TE1 (or 2, if you are feeling spicy about Trey McBride), not really changing his outlook. It is great to see another weapon to take pressure off of Bowers. However, Bech playing a similar role will be interesting. All the weapons are an interesting fit, but all are a good sign for Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty. This offense could sneak into the top 10, with a variety of good-to-top-level weapons.
Thank you for taking the time to read this installment of “2025 NFL Draft Rookie Fallout”!
I hope you enjoyed it and took some information from it, planning out how to approach the 2nd round WRs and their new teammates. You can find my future work here, and feel free to reach out to me directly @JoeLow63 on Bluesky, X, or in Discord where you can also find and follow @FantasyInFrames !