Welcome to the weekly edition of PFF’s wide receiver rankings. Like our weekly quarterback rankings, these have some priors built in, so they aren’t simply a list of the highest-graded players at the position.
With that in mind, we're starting with the preseason list Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman compiled earlier in the offseason. The rankings will adjust throughout the season, but don’t expect much movement in the opening few weeks given the small sample size we’re working with. Instead, early in the year, the preseason rankings will largely remain intact, with notes on how each wide receiver has performed so far.
1. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
While not the stratospheric stat line we have seen from him before, Puka Nacua was still an efficient receiver for the Rams in their loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the season opener. His 3.74 yards per route run was almost 2.5 yards ahead of the next-best Rams wide receiver.
2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
Smith-Njigba picked up right where he left off last season with a big showing in the Seahawks’ season-opening win over the New England Patriots. He saw a 45.8% target share, averaged 4.69 yards per route run and forced a pair of missed tackles. And he did it all with a backup quarterback throwing him the ball for most of the night.
3. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Given that most of it came with a backup quarterback throwing him the ball, Jefferson’s Week 1 performance deserves plenty of credit. He saw a 40.9% target share, averaged 3.07 yards per route run, found the end zone twice and didn’t drop a pass.
4. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Chase was targeted just four times in the Bengals’ win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, turning those opportunities into just two receptions for 14 yards. It was an unusually quiet game, but not one we expect to see again anytime soon.
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
St. Brown caught all 10 catchable targets thrown his way in the Lions’ win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. His average depth of target was just 5.2 yards, and with only one missed tackle forced, he finished with 67 yards on those 10 receptions. He did, however, find the end zone twice.
6. A.J. Brown, New England Patriots
Brown was targeted four times in his Patriots debut, catching three passes for 26 yards before an ankle injury ended his night. He has since been placed on injured reserve and will miss at least four weeks.
7. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
Lamb caught four of the five catchable targets thrown his way for 44 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ loss to the Giants on Sunday Night Football. He forced a missed tackle, earned a 67.4 PFF receiving grade and led Cowboys receivers with a 25.8% target share.
8. Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Collins saw a 27.8% target share in the Texans’ season-opening loss to the Buffalo Bills, catching all five of his contested targets. He added two receptions on non-contested targets and averaged 2.03 yards per route run.
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Pickens ranked second among Cowboys wide receivers with a 19.4% target share but didn’t make the most of those opportunities, dropping a pair of passes. He averaged just 0.88 yards per route run, catching three passes for 28 yards.
10. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
London was held in check by the Pittsburgh Steelers defense in the Falcons’ season opener, finishing with just 29 yards on two receptions from three targets. He didn’t drop a pass but averaged just 1.16 yards per route run.
11. Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
Flowers looked like he would threaten the NFL’s single-game receiving yardage record before a hamstring injury ended his game after racking up 150 yards in not even a half of football. He averaged 13.64 yards per route run, the most in the league this week, with 83 of his 150 yards coming after contact.
12. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
Olave caught 10 of the 11 catchable targets thrown his way in the Saints’ loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. He racked up 182 yards, averaged 3.31 yards per route run and hauled in a pair of contested catches.
13. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
McLaurin was held to just 0.40 yards per route run in the Commanders’ season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Targeted just four times, he caught two passes for 14 yards and dropped one of his other two targets.
14. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
Smith was kept relatively quiet against the Washington Commanders but came up with a big 31-yard reception when the Eagles needed a spark. He forced a missed tackle, made a contested catch and finished with a 74.8 PFF receiving grade.
15. Jaylen Waddle, Denver Broncos
Waddle played 27 snaps as a receiver in the Broncos’ matchup with the Chiefs on Monday Night Football but caught just one pass for two yards in his Denver debut. He averaged just 0.07 yards per route run, far from what the Broncos expected when they traded for him this offseason.
16. Mike Evans, San Francisco 49ers
Evans proved his worth as a veteran receiver for the 49ers right away in the win over the Los Angeles Rams, hauling in three contested catches. The 49ers lined him up in the slot on 22.2% of his receiving snaps, and he finished his San Francisco debut averaging 1.88 yards per route run.
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17. Stefon Diggs, Washington Commanders
Diggs led Commanders wide receivers with a 31.0% target share, turning nine targets into four receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. His 2.20 yards per route run ranked second among Commanders wide receivers, behind only rookie Antonio Williams.
18. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
The Jets’ passing attack flowed through Wilson, who saw a 30.4% target share. He caught all six catchable targets thrown his way for 79 yards, including a contested catch, and averaged 3.76 yards per route run.
19. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
Higgins led all Bengals wide receivers with a 17.6% target share in the win over the Buccaneers and came up big with a game-sealing reception from Burrow. He caught one of his two contested targets and had an average depth of target of 25.2 yards.
20. Malik Nabers, New York Giants
There was doubt about whether Nabers would play in Week 1 until just a few hours before kickoff, but he impressed once he got back on the field. He averaged 2.88 yards per route run and forced a pair of missed tackles, earning a 73.0 PFF receiving grade.
21. Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts
Pierce tied Keenan Allen for the team lead with a 21.4% target share in the Colts’ season-opening loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He averaged 2.77 yards per route run but couldn’t haul in either of his two contested targets.
22. Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
Williams was the only other Lions wide receiver targeted in their win over the Saints, averaging 1.15 yards per route run. He caught four of the five catchable targets thrown his way and finished with a 59.0 PFF receiving grade.
23. Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers
McMillan ranked second among Panthers receivers in target share, receiving yards and yards per route run. While Jalen Coker was the star of the show, McMillan still had his moments, catching all five catchable passes thrown his way for 75 yards, though he did lose a fumble.
24. Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams
Adams averaged 1.24 yards per route run, catching three passes for 26 yards on six targets in the Rams’ loss to the 49ers. He didn’t drop a pass and caught one of his two contested targets.
25. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Like Jaylen Waddle, Sutton was largely shut down by the Kansas City Chiefs defense on Monday Night Football. He ran 29 routes, averaging just 0.38 yards per route run and catching two passes for 11 yards on four targets.
26. D.K. Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers
Metcalf averaged just 0.95 yards per route run in the Steelers’ Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons, but there were some encouraging signs looking ahead to the rest of the season. His 25.7% target share led Steelers wide receivers, and the nine passes thrown his way had an average depth of target of 19.0 yards. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers also trusted him in contested-catch situations, targeting Metcalf five times on contested passes.
27. Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
McConkey was off to a strong start to the season before an injury knocked him out of the game. He averaged 4.56 yards per route run, catching five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown on 18 receiving snaps, with all five receptions resulting in either a touchdown or a first down.
28. Jakobi Meyers, Jacksonville Jaguars
Meyers saw a target share of just 9.5%, tied for third among Jaguars wide receivers this week. He was still productive when targeted, though, catching both passes thrown his way for 40 yards and a touchdown.
29. Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
Thomas averaged 2.86 yards per route run against the Cleveland Browns, catching three passes for 40 yards on 14 receiving snaps. He forced a missed tackle after the catch, and all three of his receptions resulted in first downs.
30. Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
Rice saw just two targets in the Chiefs’ win over the Broncos on Monday Night Football but managed to find the end zone on one of them. He forced as many missed tackles as he had receptions, with two of each, and averaged just 0.63 yards per route run.
31. Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
Wilson ranked second among Cardinals wide receivers with a 20.0% target share in Week 1 and also ranked second with 1.56 yards per route run. He caught all five catchable targets thrown his way for 56 yards, including a pair of contested catches.
32. Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans
Ridley played 25 snaps as a receiver in the Titans’ loss to the New York Jets but didn’t see a single target. That’s concerning for a player who missed most of the second half of last season due to injury.