The NFL season is almost here, with Week 1 approaching rapidly. The FOX Sports NFL staff has been rolling out their annual position rankings to get you acquainted with the biggest names in the sport.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve covered the top off-ball linebackers, cornerbacks, edge rushers and running backs. Now we’ll dive into wide receivers. Members of the FOX Sports NFL staff listed their 10 best in order heading into the 2024 season. A first-place vote merited 10 points in our methodology and descended from there, down to a single point for 10th place. We then combined the scores to determine our rankings.
This year’s running backs list saw six returning players from last year’s rankings, with receivers being a similar story. Three new faces entered the picture in 2023, with seven returning.
For the second straight year, Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill earned the top two spots on the list after dominant performances in 2023.
The position is also filled with young talent, as six of the 10 are 26 or younger. Three players over age 30 managed to crack the list.
We’ll continue to roll out the best players at other positions between now and the start of the season. For now, here are the NFL’s best wide receivers.
2024 Top NFL Wide receivers
1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Carmen Vitali: What’s there to say about Jefferson that hasn’t already been said in the form of the largest contract of any non-quarterback in the league? Earlier this offseason, Jefferson inked a historic four-year, $140 million extension that yields an annual contract value of $35 million a year.
It was more than deserved for the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year. Jefferson was injured for a significant portion of the 2023 season, bringing his overall numbers down and yet he remains a focal point on the Vikings offense. The bad news? There aren’t exactly Super Bowl expectations in Minnesota as they try to figure out just how far Sam Darnold can take them.
2023 rank: 1st
2. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
Henry McKenna: He is probably the most difficult man to cover in the NFL. But you could argue that title is for Jefferson or Lamb, who are bigger targets and more likely to win contested catches. (Though Hill is an absolute monster in those situations, too.) But there is no debate about who is most challenging to cover after the catch. It’s unquestionably Hill. He is slippery and, of course, speedy. Once he’s loose, he’s like Max Verstappen in a Red Bull car — no one can catch him. I had Hill as No. 1 on my list. I think there might not be a more dangerous skill player not named Patrick Mahomes.
2023 rank: 2nd
3. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
McKenna: Sometimes contracts don’t properly represent the overall picture of a player’s value. But, um, Lamb’s contract does a pretty dang good job. He’s sitting at No. 3 on our list and No. 2 in just about every measurement of contract value for receivers. And that’s because last season, he finished with 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was an assassin from the slot and the outside. He killed teams, and even when they knew Dak Prescott wanted to feed CeeDee, the Cowboys’ star wideout still managed to get volume. He had 17 targets in three different games, including in their lone postseason appearance. The dude ate all year long.
2023 rank: 8th (+5)
4. Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Ben Arthur: An extension for Chase, whenever it comes amid his hold-in with Cincinnati, should top benchmarks set by Lamb and Jefferson, his former LSU teammate, because he’s that good. He’s been on the shortlist for top receivers in the NFL since he entered the league in 2021, when he set a then-NFL rookie record 1,455 yards on 81 receptions with 13 touchdowns. Chase does a little bit of everything, but his smooth explosiveness and ball-tracking stand out. He missed five games in 2022, and still posted over 1,000 receiving yards. Last season, he was without Joe Burrow for seven games and still put up 1,200 yards. With Burrow back, Chase is well-equipped to put up career numbers in Year 4 — as long as his contract saga doesn’t become a bigger issue.
2023 rank: 4th
5. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
Ralph Vacchiano: When the Eagles traded for Brown in 2022, they not only envisioned him as a guy who could stretch the field, particularly over the middle — an area where quarterback Jalen Hurts sometimes seemed to ignore. But what they got was so much more. Brown is one of the best route runners in the NFL, constantly finding ways to get open, even when plays break down and Hurts is on the run. He’s sure-handed, big enough to break tackles and fast enough to still out-run most defensive backs.
What is most impressive, though, is his consistent production. The Eagles have been pretty loaded on offense the past two seasons and have a second receiver in DeVonta Smith, who isn’t far outside this Top 10 list. Yet Brown has managed 194 catches, 2,952 yards and 17 touchdowns in the last two years. Despite that, he can be a little ornery when he thinks he’s not getting the ball enough. But the Eagles are smart enough to make sure he gets it plenty.
And all he does is produce, no matter how much Hurts tries to spread the ball around to others.
2023 rank: 6th (+1)
6. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
Greg Auman: Adams is just two years removed from leading the NFL with 14 touchdown catches, but there’s a new question: Can he still be an elite NFL receiver with average quarterbacks throwing to him? His run of six straight Pro Bowls ended last year as he caught passes from Aidan O’Connell and Jarrett Stidham; now he’s working with Gardner Minshew.
Adams, 31, needs just five touchdown catches to reach 100 for his career, and he’s rounding out a compelling Hall of Fame résumé. Is his future in Las Vegas? His contract calls for his base salary to jump to a non-guaranteed $35 million next year, but his presence would also help the Raiders compete for a top free agent quarterback in the spring. If they struggle in the first half of the season, could he be traded to a contender?
2023 rank: 3 (-3)
7. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
Vitali: The Lions put everyone on notice about St. Brown and how much they believe in their guy. He’s their WR1, but he lines up all over. He’s also on an offense with so many creative pieces, but money talks. Detroit rewarded their former fourth-round pick with more than $30 million a year, making him one of the five-highest paid at the position. St. Brown quietly topped 1,500 yards on 119 catches, proving just how vital he is to this Lions offense. His production also resulted in points, scoring 10 touchdowns last year, with quarterback Jared Goff having a 113.7 passer rating when targeting St. Brown.
The rest of the league took notice, awarding St. Brown an All-Pro selection last season, and you can be sure that with Detroit’s success, St. Brown won’t be a very well-kept secret this year.
2023 rank: 10th (+3)
8. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Williams: With the 49ers signing him to a four-year deal worth up to $120M, Aiyuk certainly deserves inclusion among the top pass-catchers in the league when looking at his production. On a team with a bevy of playmakers, he led San Francisco in receiving yards (1,342) and tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions (seven) in 2023, earning second-team All-Pro honors. According to Next Gen Stats, Aiyuk led the league in receptions (36) and yards (696) on intermediate targets last season. Aiyuk also proved to be San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy’s most explosive pass catcher, finishing with a career-high 17.9 yards per catch.
2023 rank: unranked
9. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
David Helman: It’s important to remember the context of Garrett Wilson’s career so far. The guy is averaging 89 catches for 1,073 yards per season through his first two years — and he’s done that without the benefit of quality quarterback play. Wilson only got to play four snaps with Aaron Rodgers last fall, and instead has spent his time playing with the likes of Zach Wilson, Trevor Siemian and Tim Boyle. That hasn’t stopped him from developing into one of the game’s most exciting young receivers. It’s a big “if,” but if Rodgers is healthy and playing at a high level, Wilson might take a star turn in 2024.
2023 rank: unranked
10. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Auman: It’s rare enough to find a top-tier receiver who isn’t a diva, and rarer still to find one able to play his entire NFL career with one team. That’s Evans, who enters Year 11 with the Bucs, coming off a season where he tied for the NFL lead with 13 touchdown catches.
Evans didn’t make the playoffs once in his first six seasons in Tampa, but now he’s been there four straight times, and will lead the charge for a fifth in 2024. His consistency in stringing together 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons is unprecedented in league history — if he does it again this fall, he’ll match Jerry Rice for the longest streak at any point in any player’s career. Six more touchdowns, he’ll have 100 for his career, a first in franchise history.
2023 rank: unranked
Honorable mentions:
Nico Collins, Texans
2024 NFL Positional Rankings
These rankings were compiled by:
Ben Arthur (@benyarthur)
Greg Auman (@gregauman)
David Helman (@davidhelman_)
Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis)
Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams)
Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano)
Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV)
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