The 2025 Season is in the books. For dynasty players, it’s a time to sit back, take stock, and see how players fared. Over the next couple of months, I’ll be looking back at the 2025, 2024, and 2023 classes by position. I’ll be evaluating if their stock rose, remained the same, or dropped over the course of the season. Now could be the time to sell high, buy low, or hold on to a winning hand. Today, I begin with the Class of 2023 Wide Receivers.
Stock Up
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
About: JSN was the top target on the top team in the NFC. The Seahawks won the Super Bowl, and JSN was named Offensive Player of the Year. It’s hard to do much better than that, as he exploded in his first season without D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. He’s one of the best receivers in the league and in fantasy, where he was WR2. He’s about to get a big payday and is a lock for your Dynasty roster.
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
About: Nacua slipped in the NFL draft and in rookie drafts, but he comes at a huge premium now. The Rams bet on Nacua, sending Cooper Kupp packing. He rewarded them by finishing as WR1 and helping the Rams get to the NFC Championship Game. He’s a top option in Dynasty.
Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
About: Down the stretch, Wilson caught fire as the Cardinals figured out their offense. Jacoby Brissett was the answer Kyler Murray wasn’t providing, and Wilson stepped up and showed WR1 potential while Marvin Harrison, Jr., dealt with injuries and inefficiency. Is Harrison still the better receiver? Possibly, but Wilson looked like the better fit. With the Cardinals changing coaches and searching for an upgrade at quarterback, Wilson has a chance to show up big in 2026 as well. He’s a sneaky buy-low for me.
Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars
About: Speaking of buy-low candidates, I think Washington could be on the verge of a big step forward in 2026. He showed flashes for the Jaguars in 2025, and the team seems to be re-making its receiver group. Brian Thomas, Jr., appears to be on the trading block. Meanwhile, the Jaguars plan to let Travis Hunter focus on playing cornerback. All that opens up more targets, seemingly for Washington, which stepped up in 2025.
Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots
About: Boutte was limited by injuries in a young Patriots’ offense. That held him to just 33 receptions, but he had a career-high six touchdowns. He looked like a decent deep threat for Drake Maye and an emerging Patriots’ offense. It’s unclear what will happen with Stefon Diggs, and the Patriots seem to be in the market for receivers, but Boutte showed he’s a good fit and a decent deep threat in this offense. That helps him retain week-to-week flex value.
Stock Neutral
Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
About: Flowers probably doesn’t excite you, but if he’s on your roster, he’s a set-it-and-forget-it WR2 option. He finished as WR7 this season. That’s probably higher than you want to count on, but he’s a solid producer and a solid No. 1 option for Lamar Jackson. The Ravens are turning over the coaching staff and scheme, but Flowers remains a great option in fantasy and the top pass-catching option for the Ravens.
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
About: The biggest challenges for Downs are health and passing volume. He finished as WR44 in 2025. It wasn’t a great finish, but it left him as a reliable Flex option. The Colts still have a long-term question at quarterback and questions at receiver, but even the emergence of Tyler Warren didn’t erase Downs’ value. He’s in that WR35-50 range.
Xavier Hutchison, Houston Texans
About: Receiver remains a question in Houston beyond Nico Collins. Christian Kirk was there in 2025, but he’s a free agent. The team returns rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylen Noel, and Tank Dell could return after missing 2025 with an injury. But there, amid the chaos, was Hutchison. He had a modest 35 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns. But he looked like a valuable contributor and is part of an unsettled group that makes up a wide-open depth chart. If you have him, I’d hold him this off-season. If he’s a free agent, he’s worth a stash.
Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers
About: As he has been since being drafted, Wicks is a steady if unspectacular contributor to the Packers. But there’s more hope this off-season as Romeo Doubs hits free agency. It doesn’t seem like the Packers will bring him back, which should free up more targets. Wicks has consistently stepped up when called upon and could be in line for a steadier role in 2026. That makes him an interesting hold this off-season.
Stock Down
Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers
About: Johnston was a high draft pick who just never quite panned out. We’ve seen flashes the past two years with Jim Harbaugh as coach, but not enough consistency. Johnston doesn’t look like a good fit and struggles to stay on the field. It’s possible that new Offensive Coordinator Mike McDaniel can get something out of him, but I’m cutting my losses. If I find a trading partner with interest, I’m moving on.
Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings
About: Sometimes, no matter how talented a player is, their off-the-field issues make them too big a risk. Addison seems to be in trouble lately. His latest charges were dropped, but it’s part of a troubling trend that keeps him off the field. In addition, the Vikings’ offense is a mess, particularly at quarterback. Even the great Justin Jefferson fell short of WR2 production last season with J.J. McCarthy. Will it improve? It’s certainly possible. But I’m getting out of the Jordan Addison business.
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
About: Reed wants to be the Packers’ alpha receiver. He wants to be paid like an Alpha receiver. The problem is that we don’t get consistent production. Reed struggled to stay healthy in 2025 and struggled to be relevant week-to-week when he was on the field. The Packers have a lot of guys, but Reed is more talk than action. That’s not great for the Packers, and it’s not great for fantasy. I don’t think Reed gets a big extension from the Packers, either, which could leave his fantasy future in question after 2026. I’m moving on this off-season.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
About: This falls into the Jordan Addison category. Rice has tremendous talent on the field and plays on an offense with Patrick Mahomes. But he’s struggled to stay out of trouble off-the-field. This off-season, he’s dealing with abuse allegations from a girlfriend. We don’t know how it will play out—or if the allegations are even true—but it’s part of a pattern. It seems like the Chiefs are looking for options and upgrades in the receiver group, and if I roster Rice, I’m doing the same.
Marvin Mims, Denver Broncos
About: The Broncos moved up to snag Mims in Sean Payton’s first draft. He’s shown flashes of big-play ability and has been a consistent special-teams star, but that doesn’t help in fantasy. He is the fourth-best option behind Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, and Pat Bryant on his own team, and the Broncos are hunting receivers this offseason. Mims doesn’t have week-to-week fantasy value. He’s moving into roster clogger territory.
Tank Dell, Houston Texans
About: Dell made an impression as a rookie, then suffered a gruesome injury. He started to heat up in his second year, then suffered a gruesome injury. He missed all of his third season and now returns after more than a year away to an uncertain offense and receiving group. What does Dell have left? Does he still have chemistry with C.J. Stroud? It’s possible, but he’s not a player I’m counting on in 2026.
Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns
About: Tillman is a deep threat for a team that desperately need big play production at receiver. But Tillman is yet another player in this group who has been derailed by injuries. In addition, his quarterback situation is unsettled, and his offensive scheme isn’t promising. Tillman is a roster clogger option that doesn’t hold much trade value. And it could get worse if the Browns bring in a receiver or two this offseason.
Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders
About: No team had worse depth at receiver than the Raiders, and that was even before they moved on from Jakobi Myers. The team had issues at quarterback, but even still, you would have expected Tucker to take a step forward. It didn’t happen. His situation isn’t likely to improve this offseason. I’m not sure he even needs to be rostered.
Matthew Fox is a die-hard NFL fan and Broncos’ homer. He’s a member of the FSWA. You can find more from him on Twitter @knighthawk7734 or as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast, a part of the Campus2Canton Network.
