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.
• Brandon Aiyuk’s slow start could lead to his removal from the top 10 in the coming weeks.

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 4 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 reeled in six catches for 81 yards against the Texans in Week 3. He continues to make plays for Sam Darnold and has helped turn the Vikings into one of the surprise stories of the 2024 season.

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. Additionally, 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 40 yards in his first game without Tua Tagovailoa. As talented as Hill is, not being a prototypical X receiver can be costly without the right quarterback.

3 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 had his best game of the season against the Washington Commanders. He made multiple big plays downfield and finished with 118 yards and two touchdowns. The Bengals will need Chase to build off this momentum to pull themselvese out of their 0-3 hole.

4 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.

It’s too early to press the panic button on Lamb, but it would be disingenuous to act like there isn’t anything wrong at the moment. Lamb caught four passes for 67 yards against the Baltimore Ravens and was seen visibly frustrated on the field and the sideline.

Lamb has dealt with lots of tight coverage this year, and until he consistently wins against press, defenses won’t give him much cushion.

5 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 has been out the last two weeks but could return for Week 4.

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.

St. Brown had a nice showing against the Arizona Cardinals and finished as the team’s leading receiver. With tight end Sam LaPorta possibly missing time, Detroit may need to rely on St. Brown even more in the coming weeks.

7 Davante Adams

The final days of Adams’ prime are being wasted by an inept Raiders offense

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 caught four passes for 40 yards but wasn’t getting open at the same rate he did in Week 2.

8 Nico Collins

Collins has the traits and the production to be considered a top-10 receiver

Houston Texans wideout Nico Collins has earned his spot in the top 10. He has a combination of size and speed that hasn’t been seen from a Texans receiver since Andre Johnson.

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

Collins caught four passes for 86 yards against the Vikings, though he wasn’t on the same page as C.J. Stroud for much of the afternoon.

9 Brandon Aiyuk

Aiyuk is worth every bit of his new extension even if the production hasn’t been there so far

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. Even wit Samuel, Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey out, it was another pedestrian showing from Aiyuk. With each passing week, his spot on this list becomes more precarious.

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.

Moore had his best statistical showing of the season against the Colts. Although most of his production came on a Hail Mary that ended up a syard hort of the end zone to close the first half, the Bears’ passing game is starting to come along.

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