When looking forward to the 2025 fantasy football season, the position that often brings the most intrigue to most fans is the Wide Receiver position. When we think about this position, I often break them down into archetypes. These archetypes are what I plan to break down for you this month, starting out with our “safe” tier of wide receivers.

What Makes A Safe WR?

When looking for a “safe” wide receiver, I probably think about this position differently than you do. While the elite tier of wide receivers is certainly safe, I think of this tier as more of your high-volume possession receivers, who tend to offer you a safe floor but have comparatively limited upside. These wide receivers may be boring, but these guys offer you the ability to make higher upside swings at other positions, as I, like many fantasy managers, like to balance out safety and upside.

 

 

 

Why High-Volume WRs Are Safe Picks

You may be saying to yourself, “Jake, I know guys who get a lot of targets are safe, why are you talking about this?” Well, let me answer that question for you. High target guys are extremely safe, because they can withstand changing situations more so than other WRs, because targets are earned. Target share, better described as the percentage of a team's passing plays that target a specific receiver, is one of the “stickiest” stats in the sport, meaning that it carries over more consistently than most metrics. 

Michael Pittman is a great example of the exact wide receiver I consider safe. When looking at Pittman’s career, he’s pulled between 111 and 156 targets each of the last four seasons, and his PPR PPG during that span has stretched between 10.4 and 15.6. While you may not think of Pittman as a potential game changer at the position, the consistent volume he offers you gives you safety at a volatile position. Even last season, when he was oft-injured and dealing with subpar QB play from Anthony Richardson and streaky play from Joe Flacco, Pittman still pulled a 24 percent target share and a 10-point per game floor. While these numbers were down from the year prior, where he pulled over 30 percent of his team targets and averaged over 15 points per game, Pittman was a consistent option that you could still plug into a lineup without major concern.

 

 

 

Draft Strategy for Safe WRs and Top Safe WR Targets

When it comes to drafting this type of wide receiver, I much prefer for these guys to be the WR2/3 or a flex option for my team. I don’t want to draft too many of this type of player, but these guys can consistently crack my lineups during bye weeks, as injury fill-ins, or as players to balance out some of the high upside guys that I may take. Let’s take a peek at a few WRs who meet this criteria.

DJ Moore

DJ Moore has consistently been a high target earner, who has often failed to reach the perceived upside of their talent. Moore earned a 24 percent target share back in 2019 and has not had a lower target share since. After his “breakout” season in 2023 with Justin Fields at the helm, where he scored 16.9 points per game, he fell back to earth with just 14 points per game this past season with Caleb Williams. DJM has been the epitome of a “safe” player in his career, and I expect that to continue as this Bears offense continues to evolve with Caleb Williams and new head coach Ben Johnson at the helm.

Jakobi Meyers

Jakobi Meyers once went 38 games straight without a touchdown catch, but has recorded high target shares since 2020 and has broken out in a big way. Since that 23 percent target share in 2020, he has not gone below 20 percent and continues to project for this level of targets with the new look Las Vegas Raiders, who feature Geno Smith at the helm. With Brock Bowers as the only likely target competition of note, Meyers projects for yet another year of high volume, and while the 10-14.5 PPG he has averaged over the last 5 seasons may be the peak, he fits this mold extremely well.

Zay Flowers

Flowers might be considered a disappointment by many, due to him having fallen clearly into this tier of safe wide receivers. Flowers pulled a 24 percent target share as a rookie, and while that jumped to over 25 percent in his sophomore season, he actually scored fewer points per game than he did as a rookie. Flowers is a safe, short target option for Lamar Jackson as he looks to build off the amazing season he had the year prior, and the 12 ppg floor Flowers has offered is the epitome of safe.