Fantasy Football Today 2025 Draft Prep: Sophomore wide receiver fun facts, Breakouts, Sleepers, Busts and more

The FFT team breaks down the excitement surrounding the 2024 rookie WRs heading into Year 2

By Dan Schneier

Feb 27, 2025 at 9:30 am ET • 2 min read

USATSI

As we roll through the calmer side of the 2025 offseason heading into The Combine, Free Agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, the Fantasy Football Today team tackled the 2024 rookie wide receiver class as they head into Year 2. Sophmore wide receivers are some of our favorite breakout picks in any given year, but you'll also find sleepers and busts. The sleepers come from those who didn't show out in Year 1 and the busts come from those receivers who built expectations they can't return. Adam Aizer kicked things off by breaking down some of the most interesting fun facts and stats surrounding the 2024 rookie class prior to Year 2:

Fun facts about the class

Marvin Harrison Jr. and Xavier Worthy averaged the same amount of Fantasy Points per game! That's partially because Worthy had 20 carries, 104 yards and three touchdowns rushing and Harrison Jr. did not have a carry.
Jalen McMillan had eight receiving touchdowns on 58 targets. Since 2014, 15 rookie WRs have caught eight or more touchdowns but none had fewer than 84 targets until McMillan. However, Gabe Davis had seven touchdowns on 62 targets as a rookie.
Yards Per Route Run leaders since 2014: Odell Beckham (2.75); AJ Brown (2.68); Justin Jefferson (2.66); Puka Nacua (2.60); Ja'Marr Chase (2.51); Brian Thomas Jr. (2.46); Chris Olave (2.42); Rashee Rice (2.41); Ladd McConkey (2.40); Tyreek Hill (2.38).
After that, the YPRR leaders are: Christian Watson, Tank Dell, Malik Nabers, Juju Smith Schuster, Kadarius Toney, Hunter Renfrow and Drake London. The fact that McConkey cracked the top-10 syas a lot.

Top-5 Sophomore WRs

Dave Richard's Top-5:

Malik Nabers
Brian Thomas Jr.
Ladd McConkey
Xavier Worthy
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Jamey Eisenberg's Top 5:

Malik Nabers
Brian Thomas Jr.
Ladd McConkey
Xavier Worthy
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Though Jamey and Dave are aligned, Jamey feels like his WRs ranked 3-5 could change as the offseason rolls forward but both analysts feel confident in their top-two remaining the same.

Can Thomas Jr. be truly special?

Adam pointed out that Thomas Jr. found a lot of his production in the last four games of the season. The breakout came with Mac Jones. Before Trevor Lawrence's injury, he was WR21 per game in PPR. Evan Engram's injury also coincided with the change from Lawrence to Jones. However, new Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has already said this winter that the offense will run through Thomas in 2025. Thomas was in elite company on a yards per route run basis as a rookie as well. Lawrence and Thomas will build on their rapport as the offense runs through Thomas and the uncertainty at quarterback for the Giants gives BTJ the edge over Nabers.