Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers (2023)

 

You could argue that in today's NFL, the most talented players reside at the wide receiver position. Nearly every team in the NFL has at least one wide receiver on their team that you look at and say, "Wow, this guy is a special talent".  And with the league shifting away from running backs and running the football and leaning more towards pass-heavy attacks, the value of wide receivers will only continue to increase.

Let's take a look at my top 10 wideouts entering the 2023 NFL season.

#10. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (last year's ranking: 7)

Ever since he entered the league in 2014, Mike Evans has been one of the NFL's best and most consistent wide receivers. His nine-consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons are the most ever to begin an NFL career. Of course, Tom Brady is no longer there to feed him touchdown passes, but Evans has put up elite numbers without the benefit of having a great quarterback in the past. There's no reason why he can't have another successful individual season in 2023.

Projected stats: 130 targets, 76 catches, 1,095 receiving yards, 10 TDs

#9. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins (last year's ranking: unranked)

Jaylen Waddle's NFL career has gotten off to a great start throughout his first two seasons, although his production has come in different ways; in 2021, he was a short-area target, catching 104 passes for 1,015 yards, averaging just 9.8 yards per catch. But in 2022, Waddle looked more like the big play machine he was during his collegiate career at Alabama, catching 75 passes for 1,356 yards while leading the league in yards per catch (18.1). As a key cog in an explosive Dolphins passing attack, look for Waddle to continue to solidify himself as one of the best at the receiver position.

Projected stats: 124 targets, 83 catches, 1,285 receiving yards, 9 TDs

#8. Ceedee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys (last year's ranking: unranked)

When creating my top 10 list of wide receivers last year, I listed Ceedee Lamb as an honourable mention. I wrote, "Lamb is a special talent and also happens to play for one of the most infamous teams in sports. Could definitely see him making my top 10 next year". And now, after compiling 107 catches, 1,359 receiving yards, and 9 touchdowns in 2022, he comes in at number eight on my list. Lamb is one of the few receivers in the league who can take over an entire game by himself, as he did in last year's Week 10 game against the Packers. Lamb has been getting better every year and is only 24 years old. The future is exceedingly bright for the Cowboys' newest star to wear No.88

Projected stats: 146 targets, 98 catches, 1,327 receiving yards, 10 TDs

#7. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles (last year's ranking: 9)

After spending his first three seasons with the Tennessee Titans, A.J. Brown was traded during the 2022 NFL draft to the Eagles. And let's just say that trade worked out just fine for Philadelphia. Last year, Brown caught a career-high 88 passes for a career-high 1,496 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns (tying his career-high from the 2020 season). With a scary mixture of size, speed, and route running, Brown is an absolute nightmare player to defend, as his former team would find out during their Week 13 matchup. At 26 years old, Brown is only getting better, which is a scary thing for the rest of the NFL when they go up against this Eagles team.

Projected stats: 132 targets, 89 catches, 1,285 receiving yards, 12 TDs

#6. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills (last year's ranking: 5)

During his time with the Minnesota Vikings, Stefon Diggs was a good, Pro-Bowl caliber wide receiver. But ever since he got traded to the Buffalo Bills in 2020, he's become one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He's made three straight Pro Bowls and was named as a Second Team All-Pro in 2022 after catching 108 catches for 1,429 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns. Diggs will turn 30 in November, but with his savvy route running combined with having Josh Allen as his quarterback, there's no reason to think Diggs won't continue producing in 2023.

Projected stats: 158 targets, 112 catches, 1,380 receiving yards, 10 TDs

#5. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (last year's ranking: 3)

After becoming the fourth player since the AFL-NFL merger to lead the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), receiving touchdowns (16), and receiving yards per game (114.5) while also leading the Rams all the way to a Super Bowl victory (where he took home Super Bowl MVP honours) in 2021, Cooper Kupp was on his way to having another fantastic campaign in 2022 (75 catches, 812 receiving yards, 7 total TDs) before he suffered a high-ankle sprain in a Week 10 game against the Arizona Cardinals, which required him to have surgery and miss the rest of the season as the Rams missed the playoffs. Who knows if the Rams as a team will be successful this season, but as for Kupp, he has proven himself to be one of the best wide receivers and one of the best players in the NFL and if healthy (he suffered a hamstring injury last week during training camp), look for him to have another great year in 2023.

Projected stats: 168 targets, 105 catches, 1,401 receiving yards, 9 TDS

#4. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals (last year's ranking: 6)

Outside of Justin Jefferson (his former college teammate at LSU), Odell Beckham Jr, and Randy Moss, no other wide receiver has had a better start to an NFL career than Ja'Marr Chase. He did miss 4 games due to a hip injury last season, so his stats don't look as nice (81 catches, 1,455 receiving yards, 13 TDs in 2021 compared to 87 catches, 1,046 receiving yards, and 9 TDs in 2022), but he truly has no weaknesses in his game. With an elite quarterback in Joe Burrow slinging passes to him, Chase looks primed to be great this season, and beyond for years to come.

Projected stats: 140 targets, 96 catches, 1,399 receiving yards, 15 TDs

#3. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins (last year's ranking: 4)

A lot of people thought that Tyreek Hill would fall off after he was traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Miami Dolphins. They were dead wrong. Hill ended up having a career season in Miami, finishing 2022 with a career-high 119 receptions, 1,710 receiving yards, and 7 touchdown catches. Going from Patrick Mahomes to Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback didn't affect "The Cheetah" at all, if anything, Hill's talents were utilized better than ever in Dolphins' head coach Mike McDaniel's scheme. If Tagovailoa can stay healthy in 2023, there's a chance (a very slight one nonetheless) that Hill could amass 2,000 receiving yards, something no one has ever done in NFL history.

Projected stats: 164 targets, 109 catches, 1,554 receiving yards, 10 TDs

#2. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders (last year's ranking: 1)

Coming into last season, there were questions about Davante Adams. Would he be able to still produce at an elite level without playing with Aaron Rodgers (a question that he already partially answered when he played well with backup quarterback Brett Hundley in Green Bay when Rodgers was injured during the 2017 regular season)? In 2022, Adams answered that question with a resounding yes, as he caught 100 passes for 1,516 receiving yards and 14 TDs (first in the NFL). In total over the last three regular seasons, Adams has caught a league-high 338 passes for 4,443 receiving yards and a league-high 43 touchdowns. It'll be interesting to see how Adams does this season with Jimmy Garropolo (who prefers to throw more short passes than deep ones) as his quarterback. But regardless, Adams is a downright stud.

Projected stats: 167 targets, 108 catches, 1,268 receiving yards, 11 TDs

#1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings (last year's ranking: 2)

Last year, I had Justin Jefferson as my number-two wide receiver in the NFL and I wrote, "Don't be shocked when he's #1 on many rankings next year". Well, here he is, sitting atop my ranking of the best wideouts in the game. Jefferson was very, very good during his first two seasons in the NFL (88 catches for 1,400 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2020 and 108 catches for 1,616 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021). But he took his game to a whole new level last year, leading the entire NFL in catches (128), and receiving yards (1,809) while scoring 9 total touchdowns. As the number-one weapon in Minnesota's pass-heavy attack and at just 24 years old, Jefferson is only getting started on what is shaping up to be a Hall of Fame career (as long as he stays healthy) and that's very scary news for the rest of the NFL.

Projected stats: 176 targets, 117 catches, 1,715 receiving yards, 10 TDs

Honourable mentions:

Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders: For the second year in a row, McLaurin is on the honourable mentions list. I debated heavily between him and Mike Evans for the 10th spot on my rankings and ultimately leaned toward Evans for his consistency and long-time production. But with his underrated speed and route-running ability, McLaurin is a legit star wide receiver. But can Washington finally get him a good quarterback to throw the ball to him?

Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns: Speaking of long-time production, Cooper has been a stud for a while now. One of the best route runners in the league, Cooper has gone over the 1,000 receiving yard threshold 6 times, including last year when franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson only played 6 games. If Watson can get back to his elite level of play during his time with the Houston Texans, Cooper could be in for his best season yet entering his ninth year in the NFL.

D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks: At 6'4, 235 pounds with 4.3 speed, Metcalf is an absolute nightmare to defend for NFL defences. He caught a career-high 90 receptions last season for 1,048 yards. If Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith can continue to play at a high level, there's no reason why Metcalf can't have a career year in 2023.