Five mid-round wide receivers to target in fantasy football drafts

Tuesday marked the first practice where Coen gave Hunter snaps on both sides of the ball. The 22-year-old plans to play both ways in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and while his selection in fantasy drafts may be risky, his upside is impossible to ignore.

Ricky Pearsall | San Francisco 49ers

Pearsall, a 2024 first-round draft pick, finished his rookie year as the 49ers’ fourth-leading receiver, despite missing six games after being shot in the chest during the preseason. 

The 6-foot-1, 198-pound receiver caught 31 passes for 400 yards, matching teammate Deebo Samuel, who’s now with the Washington Commanders, with three touchdown catches. Samuel had 51 receptions for 670 yards last season, which should be replenished by Pearsall.

George Pickens | Dallas Cowboys

Dallas' defense could be pitiful if edge-rusher Micah Parsons holds out or gets traded to another team. The Cowboys would need to score more than last season’s 20.6 points per contest to win games, and that would mean more passes from a healthy Dak Prescott.

The club gave up a third-round pick to get the Steelers’ top pass-catcher, who should be on his best behavior playing on the last year of his rookie deal. The 24-year-old averaged 947 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons with Pittsburgh and should see plenty of single coverage opposite No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb.

Tetairoa McMillan | Carolina Panthers

The eighth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft could be just what quarterback Bryce Young and the league’s 30th-ranked passing game need in 2025. McMillan finished third in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with 1,319 yards last season after posting 1,402 yards in 2023.

He scored eight touchdowns each season, one fewer than 34-year-old receiver Adam Thielen and rookie Xavier Legette had combined in 2024. At 6-foot-5 and 212 pounds, look for McMillan to become Young’s favorite target and a player Coen uses often.

DeVonta Smith | Philadelphia Eagles

No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown missed four games in 2024 and hasn’t taken part in team drills since suffering another hamstring injury on Aug. 1. Smith may be the league’s most talented No. 2 receiver and could put up big numbers if Brown’s injury lingers.

Smith also missed four games last season but still managed a respectable 833 yards and eight touchdowns, one more than Brown. Catches aside, Smith’s abilities as a blocker help keep him on the field, where he could challenge Brown as Philadelphia’s top receiver in 2024.