Wide receivers are the backbone of your NFL DFS lineups. It’s a spot where you’ll need massive production if you’re going to take down a GPP, but it’s also a spot where you can save money on occasion. Some of the best values in a given week are likely to be found at the receiver position.
In this piece, I highlight wide receivers who stand out in our large suite of analytical fantasy tools, most specifically, our FantasyLabs Player Models. While the models are built for DFS contests, this is an all-purpose fantasy article with actionable information for all formats.
As news breaks throughout the week and we adjust our projections (powered by Sean Koerner), player ratings in our Player Models will change as the projections change. For updates, visit the models directly.
And don’t forget about the tools that FantasyLabs has to offer, like our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
Or you can just use our NFL DFS sims to effortlessly create advanced lineups.
Finally, make sure to check out all the projections available for purchase (Chris Raybon’s come included with a FantasyLabs subscription) within the FantasyLabs Models. Subscribers now have the option to purchase Derek Carty’s THE BLITZ from our Marketplace. Projections from One Week Season and Establish the Run are available if you’re a subscriber to those specific sites (our optimizer is a separate add-on feature).
You can also combine them to create your own aggregate projections:
Top NFL DFS Cash Game Options
Ja’Marr Chase ($8,100 DraftKings, $9,200 FanDuel)
Joe Burrow is officially back, and so is the Bengals’ offense. They’ve racked up at least 32 points in back-to-back games with Burrow under center, and there’s no reason they can’t continue to perform at an elite level moving forward.
Chase and Burrow were the best combination in fantasy last year, and they combined for seven catches and 110 yards in their first contest. Chase took a step back last week (five receptions, 44 yards), but he still has a very healthy 28% target share across both outings.
Last week’s game came with Tee Higgins back in the lineup, and Higgins racked up a 31% target share of his own. Unfortunately, Higgins will now be back on the sidelines in Week 15 after suffering a concussion.
With Higgins back out of the picture, the coast is clear for Chase to post monster utilization numbers vs. the Ravens. He’s had at least 11 targets in each of his past four games with Higgins sidelined, and ironically, two of those have come vs. the Ravens. He had 14 targets in Burrow’s return vs. the Ravens in Week 13, and he had a ridiculous 17 targets, 11 receptions, 264 yards, and three touchdowns sans Higgins vs. the Ravens last year.
Chase has historically done some of his best work vs. Baltimore regardless of who else is in the lineup. He had at least 44.3 DraftKings points in both contests vs. the Ravens last season, and he’s had at least 21.0 DraftKings points in seven of 10 career matchups. Overall, he owns an outstanding +4.43 Plus/Minus in that split (per the Trends tool).
The Ravens have allowed the 10th-most PPR points per game to opposing receivers this season, so it’s a great spot for another big Chase showing. He leads the position in projected Plus/Minus, while he’s second in projected ceiling.
Mitchell Tinsley ($3,100 DraftKings, $4,300 FanDuel)
Chase isn’t the only potential target for Cincinnati. Tinsley stands out as one of the better sources of value at the position.
Tinsley and Andrei Iosivas will serve as the complementary receivers for Burrow, with Iosivas likely seeing the majority of the snaps. The last time that Higgins was out of the lineup, Iosivas had a 96% route participation, while Tinsley was at 62%.
That said, Tinsley was the more heavily featured player. He was targeted on 26% of his routes run, good for a 19% target share overall. He finished with nine targets, though he managed to catch just two of them for 22 yards. His Average Depth of Target (aDOT) checked in at 15.9, and he handled 31% of the team’s air yards.
Tinsley also had an 18% target share and a touchdown in Week 12, when Chase was out with a suspension. He’s ultimately been a pretty reliable target-earner when the team has been shorthanded this season, and he trails only Chase in projected DraftKings Plus/Minus. Using him as your WR3 opens up plenty of flexibility to grab a couple of studs elsewhere.
Wan’Dale Robinson ($5,900 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel)
With Malik Nabers missing most of the season with an injury, Robinson has quietly turned into one of the biggest target hogs in the league. Since Week 9, Robinson has posted a massive 34% target share. That’s the same mark as Jaxon Smith-Njigba over that time frame, who has been the best receiver in fantasy this season.
The quality of Robinson’s targets isn’t the highest, especially with Jaxson Dart at QB. His aDOT since Week 9 is just 7.9 yards, and the only reason it’s that high is because of an outlier performance with Jameis Winston under center.
Still, Robinson had a 33% target share in Dart’s return last week, and he’s had double-digit PPR points in five of his last seven games alongside his rookie QB. That gives him a pretty reliable floor for his price tag, especially at just $5,800 on FanDuel.
The Giants are also squaring off with the Commanders this week, giving Robinson an elite matchup. Washington ranks dead last in pass defense EPA, and they’ve allowed the ninth-most PPR points per game to opposing receivers. With Dart operating more as a passer and less as a runner in his return to the lineup, Robinson could be poised for a solid showing.
Puka Nacua ($8,700 DraftKings, $9,700 FanDuel)
There is no denying which game stands out as the top fantasy target this week. The Lions and Rams will square off in Los Angeles in a game with a massive 55.0-point total. Ravens-Bengals is a distant second at 51.5, and the Rams lead the slate with a 30.5 implied team total.
The Rams are coming off 530 yards and 45 points last week vs. the Cardinals, and they’ve been elite offensively all year. Matthew Stafford has propelled the passing attack to the third-most yards per game, and no team has accounted for more passing touchdowns.
Nacua is the clear-cut No. 1 option in Los Angeles. Davante Adams has scored the most receiving touchdowns this season, but Nacua is the guy who moves the chains. He’s been targeted on a whopping 35% of his routes run this season, and he’s posted a target share of at least 33% in back-to-back games.
Nacua had been in a bit of a slump heading into last week’s contest, but he broke out with 11 targets, seven receptions, 167 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. He scored at least 22.8 DraftKings points in his first six full games this season, and before getting injured, he was the unquestioned top receiver in fantasy. While others have staked a claim to his throne since, there’s no denying Nacua’s appeal in this type of game environment. He has the top optimal lineup rate in Sim Labs for both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Now available: our NFL DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.
Top NFL DFS Tournament Options
Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($8,600 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel)
Smith-Njigba rounds out the trio of superstar receivers on this slate. While Nacua and Chase both have major positives working for them this week, things aren’t quite as rosy for Smith-Njigba. Specifically, his team is a massive 13.5-point favorite, so it’s unclear how much the Seahawks will actually have to throw.
That said, low volume hasn’t stopped JSN from posting huge numbers all season. The Seahawks rank 30th in Pass Rate Over Expectation, but Smith-Njigba makes up for it by earning targets at an astronomical rate. He has a 36% target share for the year, and those targets are of the highest quality. His average of 11.8 yards per target is the top mark among players with at least 42 targets this season, and he’s leading the league in yards per touch by more than 2.5 yards.
Smith-Njigba still has the highest ceiling projection at the position, and he’s projected for less ownership than both Chase and Nacua. That makes him an intriguing pivot for tournaments.
Nico Collins ($6,700 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel)
Collins doesn’t have the same price tag as the top receivers on this slate, but he’s not too far off from a utilization standpoint. He owns a 26% target share for the year, and he’s been at 30% in the two games since C.J. Stroud returned to the lineup. Collins has had at least 19.1 DraftKings points in both of those outings, and he even managed to rush for a touchdown two weeks ago.
Now, Collins gets a matchup vs. the same Cardinals’ defense that Nacua torched last week. The Texans’ offense obviously isn’t as explosive as the Rams’, but there’s no reason he can’t put together a big game. He stands out as an excellent option on DraftKings, where his $6,700 salary comes with a 92% Bargain Rating.
Amon-Ra St. Brown ($7,900 DraftKings, $8,600 FanDuel)
St. Brown might be one of the toughest guys in the league. It seemed like a certainty that he would miss last week’s game vs. the Cowboys, but he ended up powering through it. Not only that, but he was on the field for a full workload, posting a 97% snap share and 27% target share. He ultimately caught six passes for 92 yards, and while that wasn’t enough to return value, it gives him a solid “stock up” arrow moving forward.
His last game came on Thursday Night Football, so he had some extra time to rest up before his Week 15 matchup vs. the Rams. It’s another massive contest for the Lions, who are fighting just to get back into the playoffs in 2025-26. St. Brown wasn’t even listed on the team’s final injury report, so he should be all systems go.
St. Brown has now played in six games with a total of greater than 54 points, and he’s racked up at least 20.6 DraftKings points in four of them. One of the lone exceptions was last week, and he’s gone for 30+ in two of them.
The Lions might have to lean on their passing attack a bit more than usual this week as underdogs, giving St. Brown an excellent ceiling for his price tag. He’s not quite in the same tier as the top three receivers on this slate, but he’s not too far behind, either.
Contrarian NFL DFS Tournament Options With Upside
Rashee Rice ($7,700 DraftKings, $8,700 FanDuel)
Rice should be the most contrarian of the high-priced receivers. He’s projected for less than 8% ownership on DraftKings and 10.5% ownership on FanDuel in an absolute must-win game for Kansas City. Their playoff hopes are on life support, and a loss to the division-rival Chargers would all but eliminate them from contention.
The Chiefs still rank first in the league in Pass Rate Over Expectation, and Rice is the team’s clear No. 1 option. He has a 28% target share since joining the rotation in Week 5, and he had a massive 38% mark two weeks ago. He finished as the second-highest-scoring receiver that week, so he clearly has plenty of upside.
The downside for Rice this week is the matchup. The Chargers have been excellent against the pass and mediocre against the run, so they’ve allowed the second-fewest PPR points per game to opposing receivers. That said, the Chiefs simply can’t run the ball, so expect KC to try to attack them through the air.
Brian Thomas Jr. ($5,700 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel)
Thomas has been one of the biggest busts in fantasy this season. He had a historic rookie campaign, but he has been unable to get going in his sophomore season. He’s looked disinterested at times and has missed games with injury, and he’s currently WR45 in terms of PPR scoring.
However, Thomas made some progress last week. He was back up to a 94% route participation, and he finished with a 20% target share vs. the Colts. He responded with 11.7 DraftKings points, which was his top mark since Week 6.
Thomas could be looking at another solid showing this week vs. the Jets. New York has not been good defensively all season, and Jacksonville’s 27.5 implied team total ranks fourth on the slate.
Trevor Lawrence is expected to be the most popular QB on this slate, but Thomas appears undervalued at receiver. He’s projected for less than 6% ownership on DraftKings, but his optimal lineup rate is closer to 12%. Pairing him with his QB is a nice way to eat the chalk at quarterback while still diversifying your lineup.
Michael Wilson ($6,600 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel)
Wilson is one of the toughest players to value this week. On one hand, he has been a one-man wrecking crew with Marvin Harrison Jr. out of the lineup this season. He’s seen at least 15 targets in all three games without Harrison, and he’s responded with 36.5, 24.8, and 40.2 DraftKings points. He’s been the highest-scoring receiver in two of those weeks, and he was WR9 in the other.
However, Wilson will have to navigate the toughest possible matchup in Week 15. He’s taking on the Texans, who rank first in the league in pass defense EPA. They’ve allowed the third-fewest PPR points per game to opposing receivers, so they could be the team that finally slows him down.
Still, Wilson has some of the best volume in the league at the moment, so he still has plenty of upside in this spot. He also shouldn’t command as much ownership as he has in his previous games without Harrison, so he’s worth considering for tournaments.
Stefon Diggs ($6,000 DraftKings, $6,400 FanDuel)
As usual, Diggs makes an appearance due to his price tag on FanDuel. He has been underpriced on that site seemingly all season, and this week is no exception: his $6,400 price tag comes with a 98% Bargain Rating.
Diggs is coming off back-to-back clunkers, finishing with just seven total targets against the Giants and Bengals. However, he still owns the top target share on the team for the year, and he could be out for some revenge against his old team. He got to the Bills for 10 receptions and 146 yards in their first meeting this season, resulting in a season-high 22.6 FanDuel points. This game has the third-highest total on the slate, so it’s a solid spot for a potential Diggs bounce-back.
Pictured: Wan’Dale Robinson
Photo Credit: Imagn
