Fantasy football drafts are littered with dilemmas throughout. Those dilemmas become even more anxiety-inducing when you’re on the clock, making it a good idea to get a sense of player values ahead of time.
One of those tough decisions this year could very well be whether to draft Buffalo Bills receiver Keon Coleman or New Orleans Saints speedster Rashid Shaheed. Both players are potential Flex options in 2025 and are being taken around Round 10 of 1QB drafts, but who is the better option of the two?
Keon Coleman’s 2025 Fantasy Outlook
The 2024 season was a steady start to Coleman’s NFL career, as he posted 29 receptions for 556 yards and four touchdowns. Those numbers were in line with what was to be expected from the former Florida State wide receiver.
Coleman entered the league as a sideline-hugging, contested catch specialist with immense end-zone potential. Chances of a Year 2 jump are slim, though, given the recent shift in focus of Buffalo’s passing attack.
Since parting ways with former alpha receiver Stefon Diggs in 2024, the Bills have adopted a more thinly spread approach to target share. Diggs was targeted 160 times during his final season in Buffalo, while Khalil Shakir led the team in targets with 100 in 2024.
The Bills handed Shakir a four-year, $62 million contract extension this offseason, indicating that he’ll be Josh Allen’s go-to target again this year. Meanwhile, Mack Hollins and Amari Cooper left the Bills in free agency, but were replaced with Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore.
Can Keon Coleman become the teams number one option next season? #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/6u5PWOwNEr
— SleeperBills (@SleeperBills) June 18, 2025
That leaves Coleman facing a similar role to the one he performed in 2024, with unreliable usage, but weekly touchdown upside. Neither Palmer nor Moore can replicate Hollins’ height, though. That could leave the door open for more red-zone work for Coleman, but tight end Dalton Kincaid is also a candidate for some of that work.
Rashid Shaheed’s 2025 Fantasy Outlook
Shaheed was on course for a monster breakout year in 2024 before a meniscus injury ruled him out for the season after just six weeks. Before his injury, Shaheed registered 12.6 PPR points per game and was a fantasy WR2. He was even outproducing his more esteemed teammate, Chris Olave.
Excited to see Rashid Shaheed come back next season
pic.twitter.com/ek67Lfh28A— Barstool NOLA (@BarstoolNOLA) March 26, 2025
The Saints will be without Derek Carr’s impressive deep ball after he retired due to injury this offseason. While that will be a blow to Shaheed, who is the team’s primary deep threat, the electric receiver has demonstrated an ability to create huge plays from almost any situation.
The biggest worry with Shaheed, beyond his 2024 injury, is his team’s quarterback situation. Rookie Tyler Shough is the favorite to lead New Orleans in 2025, with 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler also in contention.
The Saints have a Super Bowl-winning play-caller in Kellen Moore, who will find ways to use his most explosive player. Kirk Cousins also remains a potential trade option at quarterback, as does former Saints QB and catalyst of elite wide receiver production, Jameis Winston.
Should I Draft Coleman or Shaheed in 2025?
Where these two players are being drafted, there’s an expectation that both will likely be filling benches and covering bye weeks and injuries in 2025. Both Coleman and Shaheed have the potential for big fantasy weeks, but the latter will likely have the safer floor in terms of targets.
Shaheed is the clear second option in the Saints’ passing attack and could even challenge Olave as the alpha if he builds on his 2024 performance. Coleman will almost certainly continue to play his outside role in a crowded Buffalo rotation.
Both players are understandably going outside of the first nine rounds, but Shaheed is the far more likely of the two to prove a value. If the Saints can get even serviceable QB play from one of their young prospects, Shaheed should be a starting Flex option most weeks.
Coleman will have the reigning MVP throwing him the ball, but chasing his touchdowns could prove an exhausting and frustrating pursuit. Getting this pick wrong is unlikely to make or break your season, but Shaheed should be the clear winner here.
