The NFL has a third straight 10-game main slate lined up for Sunday afternoon. With 20 teams in the player pool, there are plenty of options to consider at receiver, and with so many major injuries at the position in the last few weeks, several players will be getting a chance to step up. In this post, we’ll dive into the fantasy football sleeper options at wide receiver who can make a huge difference in your DFS fantasy football lineups, but still have a very affordable DraftKings salary.
The fantasy football sleeper plays at wide receiver in this post each week can be excellent values for DFS contests, and they can also be sneaky plays in your season-long league since they are in line to exceed expectations and many are still on the waiver wire. Earlier this week, I highlighted my top-30 starters at wide receiver. In this list, we’ll focus on players outside those 30 who still bring a high ceiling.
Week 7 Fantasy Football Sleeper WR picks (analysis below)
- Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears ($4,300)
- Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers ($4,000)
- Arian Smith, New York Jets ($3,500)
- Van Jefferson, Tennessee Titans ($3,200)
- Chris Moore, Washington Commanders ($3,000)
Week 6 Results:
- Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers ($3,900; 3.1 FPTS)
- Ryan Flournoy, Dallas Cowboys ($3,600; 6.3 FPTS)
- Isaiah Bond, Cleveland Browns ($3,700; 2.9 FPTS)
- Tez Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($3,200; 11.5 FPTS)
- Ben Skowronek, Pittsburgh Steelers ($3,000; 0.0 FPTS)
Whether you’re looking for value plays in your DFS contests like the NFL $2.75M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st] or looking for a last-minute addition from the waiver wire, here are my top five fantasy football sleeper wide receivers for Week 7 of the 2025 season:
Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears ($4,300)
Burden and the Bears are coming off a big win on Monday Night Football against the Commanders. In that game, the rookie led Chicago’s wide receivers with four catches for 51 yards.
Burden’s salary for this week’s contest came out before his big game, and the rookie could be ready to step into a larger role for the Bears. He is still playing only limited snaps but is definitely showing a strong connection with Caleb Williams ($5,800). He had his four targets last week while playing only 15 snaps.
Coach Ben Johnson looks focused on scheming Burden into the game plan, and if that remains the case, he should be able to deliver value against the Saints, who have allowed eight touchdowns in six games to wide receivers. The Patriots’ receivers had three touchdowns last week in New Orleans and boosted the average production of receivers against the Saints defense to 10.7 catches for 143.7 yards per contest.
With D.J. Moore ($5,200; hip/groin) able to play even though he was hospitalized after last week’s game, Burden doesn’t have a clear path to playing time behind Moore, Rome Odunze ($6,600) and Olamide Zaccheaus ($3,700), but his upside is high enough to take a flier at this bargain salary. Zaccheaus has played ahead of Burden all season, but if the rookie can earn some extra snaps and targets, he could really take off in this week’s matchup.
Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers ($4,000)
Coker will have a much clearer path to playing time but is also a boom-or-bust fantasy football sleeper as he makes his season debut against the Jets.
As an undrafted rookie, Coker had 32 catches for 478 yards and a pair of touchdowns, finishing as one of the team’s top receivers. After getting significant fantasy buzz after a breakout preseason and training camp, Coker is finally ready to make his season debut after sustaining a quad injury just before Week 1 and landing on IR. The timing was especially rough for the Panthers, since they had just traded Adam Thielen to Minnesota to open up playing time for him. Coker has an extremely high ceiling since he’ll be the No. 2 receiver for the Panthers and has shown plenty of playmaking upside in the past.
He’s a high-risk play this week since his snap share in return from injury is uncertain, but if he is ready for a full game-day workload after a few weeks of full practices, he could be the bargain that breaks the slate this week.
Arian Smith, New York Jets ($3,500)
On the other side of the Panthers-Jets matchup, I wrote up Smith in a separate post for DK Network earlier this week. The rookie is set for potentially a huge role with Garrett Wilson ($6,500; knee, doubtful) likely unavailable. Josh Reynolds ($4,200) and Allen Lazard ($3,400) are both expected to be available and will take some targets, but they don’t have the big-play upside that Smith brings.
The fourth-round pick from Georgia only has four catches all year on six targets for 24 yards, but he brings boom-or-bust upside. Smith is a “swing for the fences” play, but if he gets loose for a big play or two, he could be an outstanding bargain option.
Van Jefferson, Tennessee Titans ($3,200)
The Titans ruled Calvin Ridley (hamstring) out for this week’s matchup against the Patriots. Elic Ayomanor ($4,200) is also a high-upside play, as highlighted earlier this week, but Jefferson could also step up as a great play with a salary just over the minimum.
Last week, Jefferson stepped up with four catches on six targets for 75 yards and 11.5 fantasy points. He played 75% of snaps in that game against the Raiders after playing under 40% of snaps in each of his other five games this season.
Jefferson outproduced Ayomanor last week, and showed he still has the ability to break big plays this preseason against the Vikings:
The Patriots have been a slightly above-average matchup for receivers this year, and if you are looking for a contrarian way to attack the Ridley absence, Jefferson is a bargain option with a high ceiling that is worth considering.
Chris Moore, Washington Commanders ($3,000)
The Commanders were on the other end of the Bears’ big win on Monday night, but the fact that the salaries were released before that game keeps the Commanders’ wide receivers in play as potential fantasy football sleeper options. In that game last Monday, Chris Moore stepped up with 13.6 fantasy points on three catches for 46 yards and this impressive touchdown.
The Commanders will need Moore to step up again since Terry McLaurin (quad) is out for a fourth straight week, Noah Brown (groin/knee) is on IR, and Deebo Samuel Sr. ($6,200; heel, questionable) could also be limited or out. Tight end Zach Ertz ($3,800; shoulder/calf) is also listed as questionable, so there should be work available for pass-catchers to step up and produce. Even if Samuel plays and is at less than 100%, Moore is a solid complementary option to consider at the minimum salary.
Moore is a journeyman who has played for four teams in his career, starting with the Ravens as a fourth-round pick in 2016. He played for the Texans and Titans before joining the Commanders, and he has been getting plenty of playing time over the last several weeks. Last week was the first time he was heavily targeted, and he made the most of his chances.
The Cowboys have been the best matchup in the NFL for wide receivers this year, allowing 12 receiver touchdowns in six games and an average of 171 yards per game to the position. Moore could be asked to step into a huge role Sunday. As a result, he could be a great play at the minimum salary, leaving more space to stuff stars in other slots in your lineup.
