Best WR in NFL – Michael Thomas on the Saints Ranks #1
Contents
Wide receivers continue to make their mark in the league year in and year out. While we still have ageless wonders like Larry Fitzgerald on the field, there are also a lot of young wide receivers making a name for themselves. There are different styles of wide receivers, but those complete wideouts carry an edge over the field. Below are the top 50 wide receivers in the league right now. There will be no fantasy points taken into consideration with these, as you can find our fantasy wide receiver rankings updated live before, during and after the season.
Top 50 Wide Receivers
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Thomas | NO |
| 2 | Julio Jones | ATL |
| 3 | DeAndre Hopkins | ARI |
| 4 | Mike Evans | TB |
| 5 | Tyreek Hill | KC |
| 6 | Chris Godwin | TB |
| 7 | Davante Adams | GB |
| 8 | Amari Cooper | DAL |
| 9 | Kenny Golladay | DET |
| 10 | Keenan Allen | LAC |
| 11 | Allen Robinson | CHI |
| 12 | Odell Beckham Jr. | CLE |
| 13 | Robert Woods | LAR |
| 14 | Stefon Diggs | BUF |
| 15 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | PIT |
| 16 | Tyler Lockett | SEA |
| 17 | D.J. Chark | LAR |
| 18 | T.Y. Hilton | IND |
| 19 | Adam Thielen | MIN |
| 20 | D.J. Moore | CAR |
| 21 | Jarvis Landry | CLE |
| 22 | A.J. Brown | TEN |
| 23 | Cooper Kupp | LAR |
| 24 | Calvin Ridley | ATL |
| 25 | Courtland Sutton | PIT |
| 26 | DeVante Parker | MIA |
| 27 | Terry McLaurin | WAS |
| 28 | Mike Williams | LAC |
| 29 | D.K. Metcalf | SEA |
| 30 | Michael Gallup | DAL |
| 31 | John Brown | BUF |
| 32 | Deebo Samuel | SF |
| 33 | Tyler Boyd | CIN |
| 34 | Emmanuel Sanders | NO |
| 35 | Sterling Shepard | NYG |
| 36 | Marquise Brown | BAL |
| 37 | A.J. Green | CIN |
| 38 | Marvin Jones | DET |
| 39 | Larry Fitzgerald | ARI |
| 40 | Darius Slayton | NYG |
| 41 | Curtis Samuel | CAR |
| 42 | Diontae Johnson | PIT |
| 43 | Brandin Cooks | HOU |
| 44 | Mecole Hardman | KC |
| 45 | Christian Kirk | ARI |
| 46 | Golden Tate | NYG |
| 47 | Robby Anderson | CAR |
| 48 | Jamison Crowder | NYJ |
| 49 | Alshon Jeffery | PHI |
| 50 | Tyrell Williams | LV |
1-10
The names in this section are the cream of the crop for wide receivers in the NFL. You have Michael Thomas, who has come into the league and put up historic numbers for someone in their first four seasons. He is coming off a year where he also broke the all-time single-season reception record with 149. This is also the third time in four years he has posted nine touchdowns. Thomas might not be the flashiest wideout out there or bring in home run balls, but he is extremely effective. Julio Jones is a name that people might think is on his way out soon, but Jones continues to produce his usual numbers. While the touchdown department is the only knock against him, Jones is a safe bet for 1,200 yards. He is still above average after the catch and continues to dominate.
There has been some flack between a few of the wide receivers, and DeAndre Hopkins believes he is the best in the game. He certainly has posted numbers to be in consideration and doesn’t have a glaring weakness on the field. Hopkins will go to Arizona this year after spending his career in Houston. It will be interesting to see how he gels with Kyler Murray but has had no issues with any of the quarterbacks in Houston. Tyreek Hill was someone I wrestled with because he is more than just a deep threat. Sure, his speed and the vertical game is what put him on the map, but he is someone who runs efficient routes and is dangerous after the catch. Hill is a top ten wideout, and like most names here, it was tough to put one over the other.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have two top ten wide receivers and have the best receiving group in football. The debate between Mike Evans and Chris Godwin is going to be a notable one this season, but Evans has produced at a more consistent rate over his career, where I am going to value that a bit more than Godwin’s numbers from 2019. Godwin may very well be the wide receiver, but for now, they are not too far off. A name that might surprise you jumping into the top ten is Kenny Golladay, who posted 11 touchdowns on 65 receptions last season with Matthew Stafford out for half the season. Golladay is a real force and an overlooked wideout outside of the fantasy world.
11-20
A lot of potential movers in this section or the next few years as you have a few names who could fall off as well as jump into the top ten. Allen Robinson is a name to highlight here as he continues to find his way to the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. Robinson continues to produce despite inaccurate arms throwing to him. 2019 was another year of the same, and 2020 will likely fall right in line. Odell Beckham Jr. has one bad season and is dropped from being a top 15 wide receiver. OBJ is someone who still posted over 1,000 yards last season despite playing through injuries. He has been over 1,000 yards in all but one season, which was the one he played in four games because of injury. OBJ is still an elite wide receiver when healthy, but to get to those numbers again, he will have to remain durable.
There are a few names on the rise in this section, such as D.J. Chark. The former LSU Tiger broke out in 2019, and there is reason to believe he can even go another step further. After seeing just 32 targets in his rookie season, Charke blew up in 2019 with 118 targets. He had over 1,000 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Chark is dangerous and can line up all over the field. At 6’4, he is towering over some cornerbacks and also is blazing fast. His athleticism is at another level, and we are about to watch one of the next young wide receivers take off. Robert Woods doesn’t get the attention he deserves as he has revamped his career once getting out of Buffalo.
Injuries plagued a couple of wide receivers last season, as JuJu Smith-Schuster and T.Y. Hilton both suffered from injuries themselves and around them. Smith-Schuster is someone we can give a pass for the down numbers. Having Mason Rudolph throw passes to you is not going to end well, and he was not healthy. Producing over 2,200 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in his first two seasons, the 24-year-old wideout is in for a bounce-back season. Hilton, on the other hand, suffered injuries himself. The age is a concern here, but a healthy Hilton still has something left in the tank. He is one of the best third-round picks in NFL history and has produced despite some quarterback changes over the last few seasons. Getting Philip Rivers back this year should help out, but Hilton should bounce back to producing similar numbers to early in his career.
21-30
LSU has produced some of the top wide receivers in the NFL right now. Jarvis Landry may not have the most athletic profile in comparison to names around him, but production is there year in and year out. Landry ranked top 15 in yards after the catch, red zone receptions, receiving yards, and overall receptions. Landry is coming off a season where he had 2.52 yards per route run. That ranked 11th in the league. A.J. Brown, in his rookie season, had a big year on minimal targets. He only ranked 47th in targets but was third in touchdowns and 21st in receiving yards. He excelled in yards per reception and route run, ranking inside the top three. Brown was used fairly deep, where he had an average target distance of 13.6. That ranked the top 25 in the NFL.
Calvin Ridley is going on his third year in the league and has been a touchdown machine so far in the NFL. He has 17 touchdowns over 29 games in the NFL. Ridley has come into the league getting 90+ targets in each season. Now Ridley fell into a good situation, but he is excellent at getting separation and ranked top 30 in deep targets last season. Courtland Sutton ranked 15th in targets last season as he is the number one in Denver. While the Broncos added more weapons on the offseason, Drew Lock should use Sutton as the number one. Sutton was top 20 in receptions, receiving yards, and yards after the catch. Michael Gallup was part of a heavy passing attack last season in Dallas. He ranked 23rd in targets and was top 25 in yards and touchdowns. Gallup is one of the best WR2s in football, and this Cowboys offense is loaded with talent.
Mike Williams, for the Los Angeles Chargers, is one of the best deep threats in the game right now and is a human highlight reel. Williams ranked 25th in receiving yards and 47th in receptions. His touchdown rate went from extremely high to extremely low. Williams averaged 20.4 yards per reception and had the highest target distance of any wide receiver. That might change a bit with Tyrod Taylor under center, but there is no doubt Williams is a talented deep threat. D.K. Metcalf dominated the combine coming out and fell to the late second round. Metcalf is an impressive athlete and produced top 30 numbers last season.
31-40
John Brown has been around the league for a while now, and who would have thought a trip to Buffalo would be the key to unlocking big numbers? Playing with Josh Allen fits Brown’s style perfectly as he is a speedy threat that had the 5th most deep targets in the league. Brown had the 8th most completed air yards as well. Deebo Samuel will enter his second year and was a big part of the 49ers offense. Last season it was unclear whether Samuel would have a large role, but he was more than just a gadget player. Samuel had attempts on the ground and was used in the run game. He also finished the season with 81 targets. Samuel ranked 5th in yards after the catch, and he caught 70% of the balls thrown his way. Both ranked inside the top ten.
Tyler Boyd‘s career might look a little different with a healthy A.J. Green over the last few seasons, but he has produced and kept the Bengals receiving core from being abysmal. Boyd was fed plenty of targets last season with 147, and that was 7th in the league. Boyd has been acting as WR1 with Green sidelined and doing a good job at it. Emmanuel Sanders has come off of an Achilles injury and is 33 years old, yet he is continuing to produce more reliable numbers. He was top 30 in receptions and receiving yards last season.
We hit some of the older names in the like. From reports, we have heard A.J. Green will be back and healthy this season. How he will look is another question, especially at 32 years old, coming off all this time off. A former teammate of Green, Marvin Jones, is coming off a tremendous season with the Detroit Lions. Jones was third in touchdowns and 24th in completed air yards. Larry Fitzgerald is now 36 years old and has certainly slowed down. While he flashes a few games of old Fitzgerald, he isn’t as dominant as he once was. He ranked 107th in target separation and ranked 84th in yards per reception.
41-50
The bottom ten here have a similar pattern as they are stretch the field type of players. This isn’t a knock against them, but the consistency and versatility are not on par with the names. Curtis Samuel is blazing fast and should have had a bigger 2019. Playing with below-average quarterbacks has not been ideal for him, and now there are a lot of mouths to feed in 2020. Samuel had an average distance of 14.4 yards on his target and had the 23rd best target separation. Diontae Johnson had a big rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He produced a 59-680-5 line on 92 targets, and this is all without Ben Roethlisberger. Johnson did the damage after the catch with 297 yards. He also had the best target separation in the NFL.
Brandin Cooks is coming off of a down season. He saw just 72 targets in 14 games and had the lowest amount of receiving yards since his rookie season. He also had a career-low in touchdowns. Cooks has been with three teams over his first six seasons in the NFL and is now on his fourth with Houston. While the concussion history is a concern, Cooks is likely to regain targets in Houston and produce similar numbers to the last few seasons. Mecole Hardman is special. However, we won’t see him fully get targets because of how deep the Kansas City Roster is. The chances for him to still put up big numbers are there because he is a freak athlete and can take it to the house on any touch. Hardman averaged 20.7 yards per reception and 13.1 yards per target.
Golden Tate is an aging name and is coming off a season where he was suspended four games. He saw 85 targets in ten games for the Giants, and that was with some names coming in and out due to injury. There was nothing particularly significant about Tate last season, outside of the fact he hauled in six touchdowns. I wouldn’t bank on those numbers moving forward. Tyrell Williams is an undrafted free agent who has bounced from the Chargers to the Raiders in his career. Williams has not topped 70 targets since the 2016 season. We saw a full year then where he had a 69-1059-7 line. In the last three seasons, he has been over 600 yards and has 15 total touchdowns. Williams ranked 7th in yards per target and was 16th in yards per reception. Williams also posted the second-best contested catch rate.
FAQ
Who Was The Best WR In 2019?
Who Is The Best WR Of All-Time?
Who Is The Best WR Ever On The Dallas Cowboys?
Who Is The Best WR In The 1980s?
Who Is The Best WR In The 1990s?
Who Is The Best WR In The 2000s?
Who Has The Most Receiving Touchdowns Ever By A Wide Receiver?
Who Has The Most Receiving Yards Ever By A Wide Receiver?
Who has The Most Receptions Ever By A Wide Receiver?
Frequently Asked Questions
Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints was the best wide receiver in 2019. He broke the all-time single-season reception record with 149. He also had over 1,700 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
Jerry Rice is the single most excellent wide receiver of all-time, as he leads in just about every receiving category. It is unlikely we see his numbers taken down, as he has nearly 23,000 receiving yards.
Michael Irvin has the second-most receiving yards in Cowboys history and the most among wide receivers. Irvin caught 750 balls for Dallas and had 65 touchdowns. He was a part of those strong teams during the 1990s and was a go-to threat in the offense.
If we are covering a player who played across the entire 1980s, Steve Largent was one of the best in this era. Largent had over 13,000 receiving yards for the Seattle Seahawks, in which he played his entire career with them. He also had 100 receiving touchdowns on the nose.
This one isn’t even close, as Jerry Rice is the GOAT wide receiver overall. He played from 1985 to 2004, and he was at his best during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Rice has over 22,000 receiving yards and over 200 total touchdowns.
It is hard not to look at Randy Moss as one of the best of all-time, but he was undoubtedly the best in the 2000s. He was a polarizing threat and a mismatch for any defense standing in his way. Moss had over 15,000 receiving yards in his career and had over 150 receiving touchdowns.
There is a reason Jerry Rice is listed as the GOAT. He also leads all NFL players in receiving touchdowns with 197. The closest active player is Larry Fitzgerald, with 120 touchdowns. Randy Moss is the closest overall, with just 156. Rice’s records will likely stand for a long time.
Jerry Rice has the most receiving yards ever by a wide receiver with 22,895. Rice’s record is unlikely to be taken down. Larry Fitzgerald is the next closest with 17,083 receiving yards, and despite him still playing, he is not going to break that one.
Once again, Jerry Rice has the most receptions by any wide receiver or player in general. He has 1,549 receptions in his career, and it is Larry Fitzgerald who is the closest to catching him with 1,378 receptions. It is unlikely he will break that record.
