Ranking the 10 Best Current NFL Wide Receivers

Key Takeaways

• Players like Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb solidified themselves as top wide receivers in the NFL during their rookie contracts and scored big extensions over the offseason.
• Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams face uncertainty as they enter their 30s but are still among the best wideouts in the game.
• Current receiving yards leader Nico Collins enters the top 10 after a nice start.

Great NFL wide receivers come in all shapes and sizes. Some win with speed or size, while others win with technique. In rare cases, a receiver may possess all of these qualities and threaten defenses in a multitude of ways.

Although quarterback play and scoring, two predictors of wide receiver performance, have been down as of late, production from superstar pass catchers was at an all-time high. Here are the top 10 wide receivers entering Week 3 of the 2024 season.

1 Justin Jefferson

Jefferson has the attributes to go down as one of the best receivers ever

Injuries may have hampered Justin Jefferson in 2023, but nothing can stop him from being the No. 1 ranked receiver to open up 2024. Despite only appearing in 10 games for the Minnesota Vikings and leaving multiple contests early, Jefferson still posted another 1,000 receiving-yard season and was a reliable target for Kirk Cousins and the slew of backups who filled in for him.

Jefferson is a fluid mover and has outstanding body control, allowing him to adjust to errant passes. Simply put, there isn’t a receiver as complete as a healthy Justin Jefferson.

Jefferson was fantastic in the Vikings’ win over the 49ers but left the game with a quad contusion. He’s currently listed as day-to-day and has a good chance of playing in Week 3.

2 Tyreek Hill

Hill’s athleticism makes him a one-of-one talent

Yes, Tyreek Hill is a speedster, a true burner unlike anything we’ve seen in the NFL. However, there’s so much more to his greatness than simply being the fastest player on the field.

Hill plays much bigger than his size might suggest thanks to his play strength and ability to highpoint the ball. His thicker build and stronger lower body also allow him to break tackles without losing balance.

Most importantly, Hill’s speed is universal and isn’t just observed when running in a straight line. He has excellent lateral quickness and can change direction and speed at will. The biggest question surrounding Hill is how his game will age.

An undersized receiver who wins primarily on athleticism doesn’t seem like someone built to play at a high level into his 30s. Having turned 30 in March, Hill is putting that theory to the test this fall in his third season with the Miami Dolphins.

Hill caught three passes for just 24 yards against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football. With Tua Tagovailoa going on the IR after suffering another concussion, Hill will need to take his game to the next level.

3 CeeDee Lamb

Lamb recently scored a massive extension

CeeDee Lamb had one of the best statistical seasons for a wide receiver in Dallas Cowboys history, yet no one wants to talk about it. Perhaps it’s because Dallas laid an egg in the postseason yet again, or that he isn’t as exciting a player as others on this list. But no matter how you spin it, Lamb made it clear that he is one of the game’s best.

The Cowboys’ offense relied heavily on Lamb in 2023 and fed him 181 targets. Despite this increased workload, his efficiency shot up, recording the highest success rate and catch percentage of his career.

While Lamb needs to be more comfortable dealing with physicality at the line of scrimmage, his ability to get open consistently and manipulate space makes him a top-three receiver.

Lamb caught four passes for 90 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. While the numbers were solid, Lamb and Prescott don’t appear to be as in sync as they were a season ago. Reestablishing this connection will be crucial to the Cowboys’ 2024 performance.

4 A.J. Brown

Brown has become an all-around difference-maker

For years, A.J. Brown was among the league’s most puzzling players, someone who was rich in physical traits but lacked high-end production.

Since moving to the Philadelphia Eagles, Brown’s numbers have begun to match his talent. Furthermore, he has become a more dependable target who doesn’t just win with sheer size and strength. He posted the lowest drop rate of his career in 2023 and was used more in the short and intermediate pass game.

Brown will always be best suited for longer-developing pass plays, but showing he can make a difference in additional areas is proof that he’s become a multi-faceted threat. Brown looked extra explosive against the Green Bay Packersin Philadelphia’s season opener. He caught five passes for 119 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown.

Brown missed the Eagles’ Monday night game against the Atlanta Falcons due to injury and is expected to miss Week 3 as well.

5 Ja’Marr Chase

Chase is still knocking off the rust after a contentious offseason

After a record-shattering rookie campaign in 2021, Ja’Marr Chase has endured a fair bit of turbulence with the Cincinnati Bengals. He missed five games in 2022, and Joe Burrow missed much of the 2023 season. If everything goes according to plan, 2024 will mark the first time in three years that both Burrow and Chase are healthy for a full season.

As a player, everything that made Chase a dynamic rookie remains. He’s one of the most dangerous players after the catch and can make plays at all three levels. Additionally, his telepathic-like connection with Burrow allows him to make plays even when he is well-defended.

Chase caught four passes for 35 yards against the Chiefs and was Cincinnati’s third-leading receiver. He product appears to still be knocking off the rust as he puts contract talks behind him.

6 Amon-Ra St. Brown

St. Brown is a great pure slot receiver

Amon-Ra St. Brown is a challenging player to rank. On the one hand, he can’t win the way other receivers on this list can. But on the other, it can be argued that the other receivers can’t do what he does for the Detroit Lions. In an offense filled with explosive playmakers, St. Brown was the single most valuable skill position player.

Ben Johnson mostly had St. Brown in the slot and funneled him targets, giving him 164 on the year. St. Brown lives in the intermediate area and lacks the speed to consistently win downfield, but he doesn’t need to.

After a quiet Week 1, St. Brown did some silencing of his own. He caught 11 passes for 119 yards, leaving no doubt that he is the Lions’ go-to guy.

7 Davante Adams

Adams had one of his best games as a Raider in Week 2

There is a chance that Davante Adams has begun to show his age, but there’s an equal possibility that his 2023 season with the Las Vegas Raiders was plagued by poor quarterback play and coaching.

Playing with Aaron Rodgers for eight years made life easier for Adams. Now, he doesn’t have that luxury, as Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew II are the two top QBs on the Raiders’ depth chart.

Adams has the skill set to age like a fine wine. He still has one of the best release packages in the league and has a snap to his routes that typically shakes defenders. Adams had a vintage performance in Week 2 and caught nine passes for 110 yards and a score in the Raiders’ 26-23 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

8 Nico Collins

Collins makes his top 10 debut following a dominant primetime showing

Houston Texans wideout Nico Collins makes his first appearance in the top 10. After an eight-reception, 135-yard performance on Sunday Night Football, it’s nearly impossible to deny the 25-year-old’s claim to being one of the best receivers in the game. Collins has a combination of size and speed that hasn’t been seen from a Texans receiver since Andre Johnson.

He has legitimate ball winning traits with his size and body control, but is also a good separator that can make plays after the catch. Statistically speaking, Collins has been a top-three receiver through two weeks, and if he keeps producing at this clip, he’ll continue to rise.

9 Brandon Aiyuk

Aiyuk is worth every bit of his new extension

In an offense that includes George Kittle and Deebo Samuel Sr., the San Francisco 49ers made Brandon Aiyuk the focal point of their passing attack a season ago.

The Arizona State alum has grown into one of the best route runners and separators in the league. He doesn’t need Kyle Shanahan’s innovative concepts or trickery to get open, as his surgical routes and sudden breaks are enough for him to find space.

After a contract dispute that lasted nearly the entire offseason, Aiyuk and the 49ers finally came to terms on a four-year, $120 million deal.

Aiyuk caught four passes for 43 yards in the 49ers’ Week 2 loss to the Vikings. He still gets some grace due to his offseason, but with Christian McCaffrey and Samuel out for the next few weeks, pressure is mounting on Aiyuk to revert to his 2023 self.

10 D.J. Moore

Moore consistently puts up numbers despite dealing with poor quarterback play

DJ Moore has dealt with abysmal quarterback play his entire career, yet has topped 1,100 receiving yards in four of his last five seasons.

In 2023, Moore recorded career highs in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns for a Chicago Bears team that ranked 28th in total passing offense. His ability to thrive in suboptimal environments is primarily due to his prowess against man coverage.

He can blow by defenders on vertical routes, forcing corners to give him cushion, and when they do that, he can run an in or a slant, which allows him to use his after-the-catch ability. Moore could have better instincts when facing zone coverage, but he is one of the hardest one-on-one assignments in all of football.

Moore caught six passes for 53 yards against the Texans. He’s been better than his early production suggests, but Chicago’s offensive line and quarterback struggles have held him back.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless stated otherwise.