- WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams: Nacua makes a strong case for being the NFL’s best wide receiver.
- WR Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs: Kansas City’s No. 1 wide receiver is already a 2025 PPR WR1 candidate entering his second NFL season.
- 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF's best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes
As detailed in “Exploring the framework of 2024’s WR1s,” 2024 points-per-reception (PPR) WR1 “age, PFF receiving grade, total targets, first-read targets and yards per route run (YPRR)” proved to be highly correlated with WR1 performance. Positive offensive environments and skillset-based player usage can notably enhance player performance but are not inherently necessary to achieve a WR1 outcome in the Weeks 1-17 PPR scoring environment. “Among all offensive environment, target and efficiency metrics, PFF receiving grade and age show the strongest correlation with 11 players being 25 years old or younger and/or grading out as one of the top 12 players among 36 NFL wide receivers with at least 449 receiving snaps in Weeks 1-17.“
The article below details six 2025 PPR WR1 candidates based on the framework explained above. All players included in this article finished outside the position’s top 12 in the Weeks 1-17, 2024 fantasy football season.
WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua should be considered a shoo-in 2025 PPR WR1 thanks to his Weeks 1-17, 2023 PPR overall WR5 finish and his 2024 high-volume offensive role, league-best per-play efficiency and Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay’s fantasy-friendly offensive tactics. The 23-year-old Nacua’s 92.6 PFF receiving grade ranks No. 1 overall among 79 NFL wide receivers with at least 350 receiving snaps.
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