Training camps are starting. Football is almost here. With that comes fantasy drafts. With the rise of points per reception leagues (PPR), the wide receiver position has become more important. We all know the top guys, but there is always value to be found on the opposite sides of the field. Often, the second or third receiver on a team can provide fantasy value. There are key matchups to watch in the training camp this summer as we get closer to the NFL kickoff.
Wide Receiver Training Camp Battles
Jalen McMillan vs Emeka Egbuka- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl back in 2020 and, since then, have just continued to reload. With four years of winning the NFC South, they continue to push for another trip to the big game. This year, they drafted Ohio State star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka to help bolster their receiving weapons. With solid starting options in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the training camp battle is at the third position—last year’s breakout Jalen McMillan vs Emeka Egbuka.
Jalen McMillan: McMillan was a rookie surprise last season. After a slow start, he had a massive back half of the season, filling in for an injured Chris Godwin. Coming off two solid years of college production, McMillan was liked by some but needed to get past the vets in front of him. He did last year. 2025 will be a question.
Emeka Egbuka: The Ohio State product played on teams with names that are dynasty stalwarts now. Even then, he was talked about as the best of the bunch. He lands on a team where he can shine just needs the opportunity.
Likely Outcome
This comes down to the roles these receivers will play. While similar in size, Egbuka has primarily played from the slot position. This is also where Chris Godwin has been the most successful. When the Bucs go to three wide sets, is it more likely that Godwin stays on the outside and the rookie moves into the slot, or that McMillan goes out wide, allowing Godwin to move to the slot? Based on the start of last season, the latter will be true. In the early weeks of the 2024 season, McMillan was out wide with Godwin in the slot. Egbuka will have to find his opportunities on four wide sets or wait for an injury.
Fantasy Impact
I’m sticking with McMillan as a late-round sleeper over Egbuka. While there is a new offensive coordinator in Josh Grizzard, I expect an offense similar to last year. Grizzard was the passing game coordinator under Liam Coen. With how good the team was, I don’t expect much to change. While Emeka Egbuka is a great dynasty option, he will have to wait a year behind Evans, Godwin, and McMillan.
The running game is still impressive with Bucky Irving and Rachaad White. Cade Otton is the odd man out in the passing game. He was only really fantasy relevant when both Godwin and Evans missed time. With a new receiver in town, Otton is someone I’m avoiding this season. Everyone wants to fade quarterback Baker Mayfield after a 41-touchdown year. With a new weapon, he has every reason to get close to repeating.
Xavier Legette vs Jalen Coker- Carolina Panthers
Are the Carolina Panthers a good offense? History has said no, but there are plenty of reasons to believe they are headed in that direction. Head coach Dave Canales was brought in last year to turn things around. Young quarterback Bryce Young looked solid, and he has a new weapon in first-round draftee Tetairoa McMillan. They still have veteran Adam Thielen, who will now be in a role to mentor the other young receivers.
Xavier Legette: The 2024 first-round pick got plenty of opportunities last year. He had eight games where he played on over 75% of the snaps. He dealt with a foot injury towards the end of the season but should be fully healthy heading into 2025.
Jalen Coker: Coker was an undrafted free agent last year. He not only made the team but stepped up in a big way late in the season. He finished out the final four games with 20 targets, catching 15 of them. In two of those games, he had over 50 yards, and added a touchdown in another. The Coke Heads, as they call themselves, were in full force and continue to beat the drum for him this season.
Likely Outcome
We have limited games where both Coker and Legette played together for the whole game. Throughout the season, Coker was mainly a slot receiver, running 61% of his routes from there. While Legette played primarily on the outside. He ran 69% of his snaps out wide. With McMillian now in the fold and taking an outside role, and Thielen still there, it would mean limited snaps for Legette. I think Legette can beat out Thielen for the number two spot, giving both him and Coker ample playing time.
Fantasy Impact
Obviously we want the guy who will play on two wide sets over a more dedicated slot receiver. While I don’t believe draft capitol means anything about a players abilities it does show how a team feels about them. So Legette will get more opportunities even if he struggles to produce. I like both of these receivers at their current ADP but you can’t roster both.
It comes down to team makeup. If you are looking for a higher floor, then you should be getting Legette. If you like having some boom/bust potential, then Coker is your guy. Coker averaged just shy of 15 yards per reception last year compared to Legette’s 10.14. If you scoop McMillan earlier in drafts, then both players are probably off your board.
Chuba Hubbard is a really good running back who should be the focus of the offense, as they won’t want to overwhelm Young in his third year. Lots of people have Ja’Tavion Sanders as a breakout tight end, but with so many mouths to feed at wide receiver, I just don’t see the targets being there. The Panthers threw the ball the 14th fewest times last year and were about the same in average passing attempts per game. Young had some rushing upside but will still only be a rotational guy in single quarterback leagues.
Travis Hunter (wide receiver) vs Travis Hunter (Defensive Back)- Jacksonville Jaguars
Listen, Travis Hunter is something special. Besides the fact that he has one of the most unique personalities we have seen in sports in a long, long time, as a player, he is special. We haven’t seen a player play both sides of the ball in a long time, and never seen one do it at the level and rate that Hunter did in college. While we expect Hunter to be a main player on offense, monitoring his snaps in training camp will be the true tell of how the Jags plan to use him.
Travis Hunter (WR)– While only playing two years at Colorado, Hunter put up numbers that rival some players’ four years. In his last season, he led his conference with 96 receptions and 15 touchdowns. Add to that 1258 yards, and he was a dynamic receiver who was able to do it all.
Travis Hunter (DB)– As a defensive back, Hunter was good but maybe not great. He had four interceptions and 11 passes defended. Both of those stats put him in the top 25 for all college defenders. He didn’t have a ton of tackles, but partly because he wasn’t targeted.
Likely Outcome
The Jaguars have two big holes on the team. One at the wide receiver two position and the other at cornerback. The Jags traded up to get Hunter and gave up a ton of draft capital to get him. I expect him to play mostly on offense. Parker Washington and Dyami Brown aren’t good enough to allow Hunter to play defense. Yes, Hunter is a massive upgrade over Jarrian Jones on the defensive side, but you can do more with safety help and mixed coverages to minimize that. Jones is better at his position than Washington or Brown is at theirs.
Fantasy Impact
Hunter remains an interesting player, especially if you play in a league that gives defensive points like the Scott Fish Bowl. Training camp will tell us what the split truly is. He can’t play both full-time. I still expect Brian Thomas Jr to be the main receiver on the team and Hunter to get a good number of looks. He’s worth drafting. We can’t forget Brenton Strange as a solid receiving option after what we saw from him last year and what Evan Engram was able to do.
Does Hunter being there upgrade Trevor Lawrence enough? Some analysts will say yes. Combined with Liam Coen now being there, Tlaw is a shoo-in for the top 10 at the position. I’m less optimistic and see his ceiling slightly lower. Still a value as a backup or the majority of a rotation between two guys.
The big question is, does the running game get going, and is there a player worth rostering? Travis Etienne is the only one I want right now. Training camp might change that as well. He should be the lead back. If the passing game clicks and the Jags can maintain a lead, they could run the ball a ton late in games.
Jayden Reed vs Matthew Golden
Have you heard that the Green Bay Packers haven’t drafted a first-round wide receiver in 20+ years until this year? It’s a story and a narrative that’s been talked up forever. Now they bring in Matthew Golden. He provides a new weapon for quarterback Jordan Love. While the Packers haven’t had a “top” receiver in a few years, could 2025 be the one to break the trend?
Jayden Reed: Reed has been the main guy for the team since coming into the league in 2023. Whether that’s because of skill or injury, or a mix of the two, remains to be seen. Reed has never really taken over in a game. He only had eight games with over five targets last year. He also only has one game with double-digit targets in his two seasons.
Matthew Golden: Golden has all the hype. The draft capital, the solid college production. The only thing he is missing is the prototypical NFL size. Training camp will allow him to build chemistry. He should be able to use his skills to make headway on the depth chart.
Likely Outcome
It’s more than likely that both Reed and Golden are playing a ton of snaps. Golden is primarily an outside receiver while Reed excels in the slot. This will allow the Packers to roll out creative lineups and formations. Who is the top target getter? I expect it to be Reed based on his NFL experience, while Golden learns what being an NFL receiver looks like. I envision it a lot like the Buffalo Bills last season with Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman.
Fantasy Impact
Currently, Reed and Golden are being drafted around each other. Reed has the experience, while Golden has the hype and perceived role. It will be interesting to see how much and where Golden plays in training camp. Currently, I’m taking Reed over Golden. Golden should be a fine flex play, but I believe Reed is a solid WR3 with upside. The way the Packers coaching staff finds creative ways to get Reed the ball can’t be ignored. He will have more opportunities because of that.
Love and running back Josh Jacobs are still great fantasy options. I’m out on any other wide receiver like Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, or Christian Watson when he returns from injury. Tight end Tucker Kraft is an interesting option. He had a good 2024 season but will likely regress some. Still viable as a fantasy tight end, just don’t expect massive production.
Christian Kirk vs Jayden Higgins
The Houston Texans were riding high two years ago when quarterback C.J. Stroud looked like the next great quarterback. 2024, however, was less stellar. Injuries at the wide receiver position didn’t help as Stroud looked to regress. The Texans went out and signed Christian Kirk in free agency and drafted Jayden Higgins to help bolster the receiver corps, with Tank Dell being injured and probably missing the whole season.
Christian Kirk: Kirk comes over after three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. While Kirk was never the superstar the Jags had hoped for, it was more due to injury and less about skill. He comes in with plenty of experience. It’s something the Texans have been missing since Brandin Cooks left in 2022 and Stefon Diggs got injured last season.
Jayden Higgins: With their first pick, even though it was early in the second round, the Texans selected Higgins. What confused most people is that his closest NFL comp was his now teammate, Nico Collins. Higgins had two solid seasons at Iowa State before getting drafted.
Likely Outcome
Like many of these, it comes down to roles and experience. Kirk has the experience. He should be the main guy opposite Collins on two-wide sets. It’s not the role he normally plays. Kirk has played the majority of his time in the slot position. Kirk and Higgins are both new to the team, so building chemistry with Stroud will be key. How fast Higgins can get up to speed with the NFL, the playbook, and Stroud will be a key to watch in training camp.
Fantasy Impact
With Kirk playing primarily in the slot, he will be a valuable fantasy asset. It’s a role we saw excel at over the past two years. From Stefon Diggs and Robert Woods in the past two seasons. I love drafting Kirk, especially since he is at a massive discount after an injury-shortened 2024 season and the rookie hype. Am I in on Higgins? Yes. He should have the Tank Dell role. While on the smaller size, Dell played a lot on the outside. That is where Higgins will be. He will have plenty of opportunities. Both Kirk and Higgins are solid flex plays this season.
Tre Harris vs Quentin Johnston- Los Angeles Chargers
Always the brides maid, never the bride. That sums up the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite having quarterback Justin Herbert its hard to come out on top in a division with Patrick Mahomes. The Chargers have done plenty to try to get over the hump. The brought in Jim Harbaugh to coach last season. The have now drafted a wide receiver early in the past three years. last years first rounder Ladd McConkey is locked in as the top option. Its just a matter of which young gun is running with him.
Tre Harris: Its hard to not look at three solid years of college production and not be impressed. Even more so with it being across two different schools. That is what Harris did and now gets the change to do that with Herbert and the Chargers.
Quentin Johnston: After an abysmal rookie year Johnston rebounded with a better sophomore campaign. He finished with eight touchdowns and 18.5% of the teams total targets. He still struggled with drops posting 7 last season and his overall drop percentage rose from 7% to 11%. He led the Bolts in red zone targets which helped him a ton
Likely Outcome
Johnston will have to be much better at catching the ball. If he continues to drop the ball in training camp, then Harris will see an increase in first team reps. Its currently Johnston’s job to lose and provided enough last year to go into training camp with it. Both Harris and Johnston play the big receiver outside role. So they will fight for snaps. I don’t believe Johnston can fix his hands and Harris eventually takes over
Fantasy Impact
We all know that Harbaugh wants to run the ball. He brought in Najee Harris and drafted Omarion Hampton this year. They have their own training camp battle. While they will still have to throw to stay in games Its not going to be the focal point if they can control things. Johnston’s touchdowns saved his fantasy production. The drops will still be an issue and Harris is very good. He is also the same size so could take away some of the red zone targets.
Having both of them certainly helps Herbert and McConkey. the size on the other side of the field frees up McConkey. The tight end remains up in the air (Tight end article) so there are plenty of targets to go around, even after the running backs get their carries.