Yesterday we broke down the best wide receivers in the first four rounds of fantasy football drafts, kicking off our Betting News Fantasy Football series. Today we will select one receiver from rounds 5-7 and discuss their NFL fantasy value.
I know, I know. I’m the hockey guy at Betting News. I go by Gretzky Betzky, I host PUCK IT and I eat, breathe and sleep puck. But I’m also an AVID fantasy football nerd who is in two dynasty leagues, partaking in 5+ leagues annually and been addicted to being a fake GM for over 15 years now. In fact I won the Betting News staff fantasy league last season and came in second place in two other league. From draft day on I will watch player ADP like they are stock tickers, hunting down value. And while the NHL is snoozing, I’ll be contributing my NFL expertise in the fantasy football realm.
This will become an ongoing series where I highlight players who REEK of value in fantasy drafts. We aren’t talking about grabbing Ja’Marr Chase with the 1st overall pick, but instead we are going to be finding gems and value. Each article will feature a position within a range of draft rounds (we will always skip the 1st round). We will assume that these picks are for 12-team leagues with .5 PPR and will not be discussing in terms of Superflex. On top of that I’ll highlight a futures bet that corresponds with each player, all of whose odds can be found on BETONLINE.
So without further ado, let’s kick it off with NFL fantasy football 2025 mid-round value picks: the wide receivers. It’s mock draft season baby!!!
1. NFL Fantasy Round 5 Value Wide Receiver: Jaylen Waddle
Jaylen Waddle is due for a BIG bounce back making him a great option for fantasy
BUY THE DIP! Everything that could have gone wrong for Jaylen Waddle and the Miami Dolphins went wrong last season. Losing their dart thrower Tua Tagovailoa after only 11 games, the team struggled to move the ball and execute McDaniel’s system last season. By the end of the year the offense funneled through pass-receiving running back Achane and veteran tight end Jonnu Smith due to the inability to move the ball down the field outside of short passes.
So let’s chuck last season down the garbage disposal and grab value on this teams’ overlooked weapons. Waddle has hit 1,000 receiving yards in every season he has played in, outside of his outlier season last year. He averaged 83 receptions in those 1,000+ receiving yard seasons and had 18 touchdowns in those three seasons. In PPR formats Waddle has a 8th and 13th best finish under his belt. His knock has been his health the last two years, playing 15 and 14 total games.
The top dog, Tyreek Hill, is recovering from wrist surgery. While Hill is expected to be good to go, there is still a chance he will see less targets between these surgeries and his age. I would not be shocked to see an uptick in targets for Waddle, who has had 100+ targets in every season besides last year. This is a player who was drafted in round 3 and 4 in seasons past. I’m running to the podium to grab him in NFL fantasy drafts in the 6th round.
Jaylen Waddle 1,000+ receiving yards for +100 on BetOnline:
I’m buying the dip. Waddle has averaged 1,128 receiving yards in his first three seasons. Even when you factor in his down year of 744 receiving yards in 15 games he has averaged 1,032 receiving yards per season in his career. The Dolphins traded Jonnu Smith and I just don’t buy the idea that McDaniels will abandon schemes that have worked in the past, or get creative to find new ways to exploit defenses. At plus money, this bet feels fantastic to help build up bankroll at the end of the season.
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick
2. NFL Fantasy Round 6 Value Wide Receiver: Rome Odzune
The connection between Caleb Williams & Rome Odunze will only continue to grow
Round six in fantasy is an odd one. There are some upside running backs that are intriguing targets, but it is also a great spot to take a stab at a QB if you held off until this round. While most likely that will be the strategy I look to exploit, if you went QB/TE/RB heavy in early rounds there is some value for a WR3 or flex spot here. But you will have to hope to avoid the landmines sprinkled throughout this round. I just can’t trust the Browns or Saints QB’s so Jeudy and Olave will be on my do not draft list. Then there is the rookie Tet McMillian who could be a steal or a disappointment. To me my three options here are Jameson Williams, Addison or Rome Odzune.
While all three options are strong candidates to be solid WR3’s I believe Odzune has the most upside. Odzune didn’t quite live up to the hype in his rookie season, but still put up a respectful 34 receiving yards on only 54 receptions. However, the situation he was in was murky at best. The Bears deployed three different offensive coaches throughout the season, which was a hinder to both the rookie wideout and his rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. Odzune also faced competition for targets with vets DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.
The Bears were not happy with last seasons outcomes, and proved this by overhauling their staff. The addition of Ben Johnson as the headcoach could pay off in big ways for the offense. Johnson made stars of the Detroit Lions offensive weapons, and turned the Lions into quite possibly the best offense in the league over his tenure there. Now he gets a chance to revamp a Bears team who has a strong O-line and elite potential.
In NFL fantasy you want to find ways to stack value. Odzune is that option as he could have a huge breakout season with more experience play from both him and his quarterback all the while having one of the most offensively gifted minds in football drawing up the plays.
Rome Odunze over 1,000 receiving yards for +175 on BetOnline:
The value here is insane. There’s a chance this entire Bears offense takes a HUGE step under Ben Johnson. Time and time again wide receivers take big steps in their sophomore season. There were 21 wide receivers who had 1,000+ receiving yards last year, with another 9 WR’s with 900-1,000 receiving yards. I think Odzune has a chance to get to the 1,000 club.
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick
3. NFL Fantasy Round 7 Value Wide Receiver: Brandon Aiyuk
Brandon Aiyuk hurdles a tackler on his way to a touchdown.
The San Fransisco 49’ers have a top offense in the league, year in and year out. And while their top weapons are becoming older, such as Kittle and McCaffrey, this is a team run by offensive guru Kyle Shanahan,who seemingly can turn any NFL player into an offensive threat. This season I want to take advantage of some of the uncertainty around the team, by snatching up their key offensive players at a discount. And grabbing Aiyuk in the 8th round of fantasy drafts feels like highway robbery.
There is a major dose of recency bias with his ADP. He only played 7 games last season due to injury and a contract holdout. Aiyuk wasn’t able to record a touch down in those games, but did have a 7.96 YPT off of 47 receptions. Now with top receiver Deebo Samuel gone, Aiyuk has the chance to be the top receiving target for quarterback Brock Purdy. This is a player, afterall, who was the 14th and 15th ranked wide receiver in the two years prior, and now doesn’t have Samuel ahead of him, and Kittle could be seeing less targets than before.
Shanahan is still a major factor of why I will load up on Aiyuk shares. The team moved Deebo, who seemingly could execute any creative play Shanahan could dream up. I imagine with the emergance of Jennings that Aiyuk will find more plays drawn up for his speed and agility. Aiyuk could become not only a big play machine, but also a sneaky weapon for short yardage gains. With top running back CMC also coming off a major injury, Aiyuk could capitalize on drawn up plays from the backfield in red zone situations. While he has never had more than 8 touchdowns in a season, the stars are aligning for him to eclipse that.
If this all feels too good to be true, then you can at least factor in his injury for his low ADP. Just last week it was reported that Aiyuk could be playing by week one, but there is still a chance he starts the season on the PUP list and miss some time. But still, this Aiyuk could easily be your third or fourth receiver at this late in the draft, meaning you can miss those initial week. If you can snag him as your WR3 or Flex — you’re stealing upside. This is exactly the type of profile and value I am looking for in round 8 and beyond in NFL fantasy drafts.
Brock Purdy over 30+ Passing TD’s for +240 on BetOnline:
Unfortunately there are not any Aiyuk season long bets, until there is more clarity if he will start the season. But I’m leaning into the idea of a bounceback from quarterback Brock Purdy. He only had 20 passing touchdowns last year, along with 5 rushing touchdowns. But the entire 49’ers offense took a step back with elite running back CMC out for the season and Aiyuk missing the majority of the season. With these weapons back Purdy will have top end red zone targets once again. He had 31 passing TD’s two seasons ago with a healthy offensive. At nearly double your money, this bet is worth a look at .25u to .50u if you trust the bounce back.
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick
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