Latest news with #WideReceivers
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy Football: Keon Coleman headlines sleeper candidates at the WR position for 2025
Fantasy football managers are smarter than ever, so finding a player who's actually being slept on can be difficult. With that in mind, we're shifting our focus to late-round targets who could drastically outproduce their ADP in 2025. Over the next week, I'll shine the spotlight on my favorite sleeper candidates at every key fantasy position. Today, we're taking a look at wide receivers. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Justin Boone's Fantasy Sleepers Quarterbacks Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends (Aug. 8) Keon Coleman, Bills The Bills had a clear vision in mind when they drafted Coleman at the top of the second round last year… get Josh Allen a No. 1 receiver. When rookies first step on the field with their NFL clubs, you get a feel fairly quickly whether they have that immediate star quality, will need some time to develop or don't belong in the league. Coleman made headlines for his fun personality and quirky interviews, but it was evident last summer that he was a work-in-progress who would have to learn how to win in the pros. Prior to his debut, I projected a Rashee Rice-like rookie campaign for Coleman, where his production would start slow but ramp up towards a breakout in the second half of the season. Coleman's size and ball skills were enough to help him contribute right away, though, and he posted at least 50 yards or a touchdown in four of his first five outings. He appeared to be getting more comfortable in the process and in Weeks 7 and 8, put up back-to-back big performances with stat lines of 4-125-0 and 5-70-1 while earning seven targets in both games. Unfortunately, a wrist injury forced him out of Buffalo's Week 9 contest and he missed the next five weeks, before returning with mediocre results in the final month. Now healthy, the 22-year-old has been generating a lot of buzz from beat writers at Bills practices. He still has work to do in order to become a star wideout, but the connection with Allen has been stronger and more frequent. Last year's target leader Khalil Shakir is dealing with a high ankle sprain that's supposed to keep him sidelined for 4-5 weeks, which puts his availability for the opener in doubt. It also makes you wonder if Shakir will be 100% early in the season. The door is wide open for Coleman to assert himself as the Alpha receiver on this depth chart and to take a big step forward in fantasy. There aren't many receivers with double-digit touchdown upside who are on the board in the late rounds — don't let Coleman slip past you. He's a borderline breakout candidate that people continue to overlook. Rashid Shaheed, Saints Questions about the Saints' quarterback situation are likely responsible for keeping Shaheed's ADP in check. People might also be forgetting what he's accomplished over the last couple years. Before suffering a season-ending injury, Shaheed was the WR21 in fppg through five weeks in 2024, eclipsing 70 yards in four of his five appearances and finding the end zone three times. He flashed similar potential in 2023, when he posted six top-20 WR fantasy finishes despite being outside the top-50 at his position most other weeks. Consistency is not Shaheed's game. He's a boom-or-bust WR3/flex with matchup-winning upside as long as you can stomach the down weeks. Jayden Higgins/Christian Kirk, Texans Higgins and Kirk can be drafted in the 10th round or later (in Kirk's case, much later). However, Houston's passing attack is due for a bounce back after C.J. Stroud's disappointing sophomore season that saw them fall from fifth in passing yards to 15th. Offensive line struggles played a part, but it's difficult to overcome injuries to your entire receiving corps. Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs missed a combined 17 games. When healthy, Diggs was on pace for a 1,000-yard campaign and Dell for over 800 yards. Collins still finished over 1,000 yards despite sitting out five weeks. Not wanting to repeat that fiasco, the Texans went out of their way to add Kirk in free agency and Higgins in the draft. The rookie is a quality route runner, can win in contested situations and is poised to start across from Collins in Week 1. Kirk is three years removed from being the WR19 in fppg and was a top-30 option over the first 12 weeks of 2023 before injuries derailed each of his past two seasons. With question marks around Joe Mixon's health, the Texans may have to rely on the pass even more than usual in the opening month. Based on their actions this offseason, they seem prepared for that — making this a passing game worth investing in. Collins is the superstar in this WR room, but Higgins and Kirk should easily outproduce their ADPs and come with little to no risk. Depth WRs pushing for starting roles Jalen Royals, Chiefs — The Chiefs are another team that battled through receiver injuries a year ago. They're hoping to avoid that outcome this year with Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown and now Royals filling out the depth chart. The fourth-rounder has impressed in training camp and could become a favorite target for Patrick Mahomes. Royals will be the obvious replacement if/when Rice is suspended. If that stint goes well, Royals could push Brown for work in three-receiver sets moving forward. Adonai Mitchell, Colts — I'll admit, my belief in Mitchell's talent is one of the few areas where my analytical approach gets thrown out the window. As a prospect, it appeared to me that his skills would translate into a starring role in the NFL. Unfortunately, inconsistency buried him on the depth chart and led to an underwhelming rookie season. The good news is that Mitchell is lighting up Colts' camp, as well as joint practices with the Ravens. The 22-year-old has the ability to rise to the top of this depth chart if he continues to improve. I'll remain on this hill until his career is over. Pat Bryant, Broncos — We're getting into the deep cuts now. Bryant is a third-round pick who is making a strong case to at least be part of the receiver rotation in Denver this year. Courtland Sutton reaffirmed his No. 1 spot with a new contract recently, but behind him, it's a full competition for playing time. Marvin Mims Jr., Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin are far from established and Bryant has been earning consistent praise from beat writers. Even head coach Sean Payton compared Bryant to former Saints star WR Michael Thomas. Tory Horton, Seahawks — Behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks' receiving corps is not as locked in as it has been in previous years. Cooper Kupp is 32 years old and starting fresh with a new team, while Marquez Valdes-Scantling is facing serious pressure from Horton. The fifth-round rookie had his draft stock plummet due to a knee injury that cost him a significant chunk of his final college season. Prior to that, he delivered consecutive seasons with over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns. Now it appears he's regaining his form as a member of the Seahawks. Keep Horton on your late-round target list because he's going to be a factor into this offense in the near future. Justin Boone's Fantasy Sleepers Quarterbacks Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends (Aug. 8)
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Madden 26 ratings released: Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill, other offensive player ratings
Madden 26 is inching towards its release day by day now. As the release date of Aug. 10 begins to come around, Electronic Arts begins to put out the ratings of all positions in the NFL. A highlight position for NFL fans is the wide receivers group. Receivers make major highlight plays and their production is prominent in the league. Miami Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill is coming off a weaker season for his standards after eclipsing only 959 yards and six touchdowns on 81 catches. He will have Tua Tagovailoa back and their chemistry helped Hill reach almost 1,800 yards in 2023. Hill was not placed in the 99 overall club this year but his overall skill and production has him in the top 5 of wide receiver player ratings. Top 10 Wide Receivers Madden 26 Ja'Marr Chase - 99 overall Justin Jefferson - 99 overall Amon-Ra St. Brown - 96 overall Ceedee Lamb - 95 overall Tyreek Hill - 95 overall Terry McLaurin - 94 overall Mike Evans - 93 overall A.J. Brown - 93 overall Drake London - 91 overall Davante Adams - 90 overall Top 10 for all offensive groups Quarterback Josh Allen - 99 overall Lamar Jackson - 99 overall Joe Burrow - 97 overall Patrick Mahomes - 95 overall Matthew Stafford - 88 overall Jared Goff - 87 overall Justin Herbert - 86 overall Jalen Hurts - 86 overall Baker Mayfield - 85 overall Jayden Daniels - 85 overall Running Backs Saquon Barkley - 99 overall Derrick Henry - 98 overall Jahmyr Gibbs - 95 overall Christian McCaffrey - 94 overall Bijan Robinson - 92 overall Joe Mixon - 91 overall Josh Jacobs - 90 overall James Cook - 89 overall Jonathan Taylor - 88 overall Kenneth Walker - 88 overall Tight Ends George Kittle - 98 overall Travis Kelce - 93 overall Trey McBride - 92 overall Mark Andrews - 91 overall Brock Bowers - 90 overall David Njoku - 89 overall T.J. Hockenson - 88 overall Dallas Goedert - 87 overall Sam LaPorta - 86 overall Evan Engram - 85 overall Offensive Lineman Lane Johnson - 99 overall Trent Williams - 97 overall Penei Sewell - 96 overall Tristian Wirfs - 96 overall Jordan Mailata - 96 overall Quinn Meinerz - 95 overall Creed Humphrey - 94 overall Chris Lindstrom - 94 overall Laremy Tunsil - 94 overall Joe Thuney - 93 overall How much is Madden 26? The Standard Edition of Madden 26 will cost $69.99. The Deluxe Edition costs $99.99, and the MVP Bundle, which includes the Deluxe Edition of both College Football 26 and Madden NFL 26, is $149.99. You can preorder one of the deluxe or MVP editions to play Madden 26 on Aug. 7. What is the difference between the video game editions? When you pre order the deluxe edition or MVP Bundle of Madden 26, you receive more in-game bonus features than those who purchase the standard edition. You also can access the game seven days early than all players who did not buy the game or did not pre-order the deluxe or MVP edition. Here is a look at the different benefits of each edition: Standard Edition: Base game. No special bonus features Deluxe Edition: Seven days early access (Aug. 7-14), 4600 Madden points, early access solo challenges (Aug. 7-14), cover athlete elite player item, superstar legendary XP boost, franchise coach ability points and player card exclusive item. You also can receive a Season 1 elite player item if you pre-order by July 24. MVP Bundle: Receive all the deluxe edition bonuses and a copy of the deluxe edition of College Football 26. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Madden 26: Tyreek Hill rating, all offensive player ratings
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Indiana football position preview: Why Elijah Sarratt is one of Big Ten's best pass catchers
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football opens fall camp on July 30 as Curt Cignetti and crew look to build on the foundation they laid with an historic run to the College Football Playoffs. The Hoosiers were once again active participants in the transfer portal, but they also retained many of the key faces behind last year's success. We're taking a position-by-position look at the roster this week, starting with the wide receiver room. Indiana brings back its two most productive receivers while looking to add some fresh faces to fill out its two-deep. This staff has a history of identifying talent at the position — will they strike gold again in 2025? More: 'Phenomenal': Indiana football's season ticket sales for 2025 reach historic levels Meet Indiana football's wide receivers Returning players: Elijah Sarratt (Sr.); Omar Cooper Jr. (R-Jr.); Charlie Becker (So.); E.J. Williams (R-Sr.) Transfers: Tyler Morris (Sr.)*; Makai Jackson (Sr.); Jonathan Brady (Sr.) Early enrollees: Lebron Bond; Myles Kendrick Fall enrollees: Davion Chandler More: 'We are really playing for postseason opportunities': Indiana football's recent scheduling moves explained Why isn't Elijah Sarratt getting more national attention? Indiana football wide receiver Elijah Sarratt ranked No. 1 among FBS true juniors in receiving touchdowns (29), No. 2 in receiving yards (2,847) and No. 3 in receptions. Here are some other notable numbers — he has one reception in each of the games he's played in college (37) and 11 career 100-yard games. The competition he's faced has gone up each year, but he's improved his game at a faster pace. He went from earning FCS Freshman All-American honors at St. Francis (Pa.) to garner All-Conference honors the Sun Belt and Big Ten. Much of the attention Sarratt got during IU's run to the College Football Playoff came when he revealed his teammates had nicknamed him 'Waffle House.' It's an apt moniker, but there should be more focus on his impressive career trajectory and production. He's one of the most important players on IU's roster going into 2025. More: Indiana football: New turf installed at Memorial Stadium, Mellencamp Pavilion gets a makeover Indiana looking to homegrown talent to provide depth in the slot Indiana's coaching staff loaded up at slot receiver ahead of the 2024 season, and the move paid off with Myles Price, Miles Cross and Ke'Shawn Williams combining for 104 receptions, 1,1238 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. They were almost completely interchangeable — Williams seems to be the biggest red zone threat — with each of them developing a strong rapport with quarterback Kurtis Rourke. The Hoosiers had a ready-made recruiting pitch to potential replacements but initially only signed one transfer slot receiver (Tyler Morris). They only added a second (Jonathan Brady) because Morris suffered a season-ending knee injury during spring camp. Did the market change, or was it more of an internal shift in strategy? Or a combination of both? Cignetti talked about cross-training guys more than they did last year to build the depth they had last year. He could also lean on true freshmen a bit more, an option that gained a bit of traction after he praised early enrollees Lebron Bond and Myles Kendrick throughout camp. Bond fits the profile of his predecessors at the position as a former decorated sprinter in high school. Will Indiana football sophomore Charlie Becker jump the line? Indiana only has a handful of true sophomores on the roster, and only one of them plays on offense, a distinction that belongs to wide receiver Charlie Becker, a former three-star recruit out of Nashville, Tennessee. Becker's primary role was on special teams last season, but his size (6-foot-4, 204 pounds), athleticism (he won a series of state titles in track) and attention to detail positioned him to land a more prominent role in 2025 as one of IU's outside receivers. The Hoosiers had five receivers with 20-plus catches and 300-plus yards last year, and any hope they have of matching that number will mean Becker reaching those milestones. More: Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti: Opposing team offered Hoosiers player $1.5 million to transfer Projected depth chart for Indiana's wide receivers First Team: Elijah Sarratt, E.J. Williams Jr. Omar Cooper Jr. Second Team: Makai Jackson, Jonathan Brady, Charlie Becker Indiana football position preview roundup Secondary Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here. This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana football 2025 position preview: Wide receiver
New York Times
17-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The fantasy football wide receivers to draft … and those to avoid
Similar to our previous installment in the 'Draft Chasms of Doom' series focused on running backs, we see some steep declines in player value right at the top of the curve when we look at wide receivers. This is particularly true at the very top. So much so that the tiers in the graph below, which are based on some of the biggest drops in my Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) projections, somewhat misrepresent my evaluations of the very best WRs. Advertisement I believe there are only two truly elites at the position: Ja'Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson. The projections will always skew conservative, but those two have a higher and more attainable ceiling. That said, in this series we're mainly focused on avoiding big drops to a low floor. Here's what we mean. We're examining some of the biggest dips within my 2025 positional projections, the aforementioned 'Draft Chasms of Doom,' to show why smart drafting isn't simply selecting the next-highest-ranked player at a position of need. While rankings do illustrate player value, they don't necessarily showcase the difference in value, which can sometimes be vast. The graphs below depict those fall-offs (cliffs, Chasms of Doom, take your pick) and understanding them is essential to drafting deftly. If this is the year of the 'Hero RB' strategy, elite wide receivers may be available later in the first round than usual, which may allow managers to capitalize on the top receivers, particularly if those receivers are Chase or Jefferson, two receivers that project ahead of all but the very best running backs. There's also another very important takeaway for fantasy managers at this position as we move later in the draft. The drop from Amon-Ra St. Brown to Drake London (7.6 points) is among the bigger ones in the projections, but again, I truly believe there's a notable difference between Chase and Jefferson and the rest of the field. Personally, my next tier would break before Tyreek Hill because while the next 6 to 7 wide receivers after Jefferson have WR1 upside, risks and team situations create a tougher path. If I come out of my first three rounds with a Top 10 RB and two wideouts from the top two tiers shown here, I'd be giddy. If I have to dip into Tier 3 due to how the draft plays out, I will likely double down and get another high-end Tier 3 WR. Once the Tier 3 group is off the board — here or in my ranks — I'd probably head back to running backs, maybe even a quarterback or tight end, as the projections become super flat in Tier 4. The difference between WR23 and WR40 was 30 points last year, and we have seen a similar slow decline annually. Obviously, the charts end before the lottery tickets and high-upside fliers come into play, and I'll have my share of those. However, it's interesting to see how we can get overly attached to some of these WR4s (and WR5s) who have very small gaps among them. That same 30-point gap mentioned above also occurred between WR44 and WR64 last year, and is depicted similarly in the projections for 2025. I'm not pointing this out to say 'forget drafting any receivers after Tier 3,' but rather to express that this is the point in the draft that taking high-end bench RBs may be a good option. And if you are drafting a WR, don't fret if your favorite sleeper — Ricky Pearsall — goes before your pick. Instead of reaching two rounds over cost for your guy, aim for another player in a similar situation, or with a quick path to a starting job if something broke right. (Or, well, broke wrong for the wideout in front of them.) (Photo of Amon-Ra St. Brown: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
ESPN Names Florida's 'Area of Concern' Ahead of 2025 College Football Season
ESPN Names Florida's 'Area of Concern' Ahead of 2025 College Football Season originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Florida Gators are coming off a very up-and-down season in 2024. Finishing with an 8-5 record and a Gasparilla Bowl victory, head coach Billy Napier and Florida are looking to come back stronger in 2025, with hopes of a College Football Playoff berth. Advertisement Quarterback DJ Lagway is entering his second year with the Gators after an impressive freshman season. He went 6-1 as a starter, filling in for an injured Graham Mertz, throwing for nearly 2,000 yards and 12 touchdowns. Lagway's top two targets from a year ago are both gone after graduating, which has caused college football experts to question Florida's wide receiver group. Earlier this week, ESPN released its area of concern for Top 25 teams going into the season, naming the Gators' wideouts as their main concern. Oct 19, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (3) gestures with Florida Gators offensive lineman Knijeah Harris (77) and Florida Gators offensive lineman Austin Barber (58) after a first down against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images© Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images "One of the reasons Florida is expected to improve in 2025 is because of the talent that quarterback DJ Lagway brings," ESPN's Harry Lyles Jr. said. "But the Gators' top receivers from last season, Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike, left for the NFL." Advertisement Badger led the Gators with 806 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2024. He also topped Florida's receiving corps with 20.7 yards per catch. This was Badger's only season in Gainesville after transferring from the Arizona State Sun Devils. As for Dike, he moved to Florida last year from the Wisconsin Badgers and had a team-high 42 receptions for 783 yards and two scores. "Eugene Wilson III is back, but also coming off season-ending hip surgery," Lyles continued. "It will be up to Vernell Brown III, Dallas Wilson, Naeshaun Montgomery and J. Michael Sturdivant (UCLA transfer) to help establish themselves." Wilson played just four games last year due to injury, but promises to be the lead wideout for Lagway in 2025. Brown, Wilson and Montgomery are freshmen joining Napier's squad this year. Wilson and Brown were the No. 2 and 3 receivers in the country, respectively, by On3 and Rivals. Sturdivant was one of the top transfer receivers in the nation this offseason after spending the past two years with the Bruins. He combined for 912 yards and six touchdowns in two seasons at UCLA. Advertisement With this core of imposing wide receivers, it should be interesting to see how productive they are in Lagway's first year as a full-time starter. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
