Which team is most likely to give opposing defensive backs problems this year?
Tweets like “Who is the best Wide Receiver duo in the NFL?” or “What QB, RB & WR in the league is most deadly?” seem to go viral on a weekly, if not daily basis at this point. This leads to every superfan of every team coming out of the wood work to claim that their respective players are going to “shock the world” this season.
With that being said I felt the need to give my take on the best receiving duos in the league, including tight ends. It would be borderline malpractice to discuss the best touchdown tandems without mentioning the likes of Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews.
The Process:
In order to create the least biased list I decided to list out the top two or three receiving threats on each squad and decide who was really the duo to be reckoned with. Obviously limiting the number to two hurts teams like the Bengals or the Eagles who probably have the best receiving trios in the league but you have to draw the line somewhere. Each player was given and independent number for their ability. When paired with their counterpart teams were then ranked from 1 to 32 based on overall score.
I was also forced to make a few tough decisions on who I thought were better options, such as the 49ers who obviously have Deebo, Aiyuk and Kittle. I utilized teams depth charts to split hairs, so if you take umbridge with one player over another you can blame that team and their roster reports. Ultimately I went with who was the best passing game threat, not just overall best player, hence why I chose Aiyuk over Kittle.
This system obviously accounts for recent history for many players but also heavily relies on pure ability in the receiving game. Players like Kadarius Toney and Jameson Williams obviously have tremendous upside but the best ability is availability, so that must be taken into account, even more so in off the field scenarios.
The Ranking
32 – New York Giants
Isaiah Hodges (67) & Darren Waller (69)
31 – Green Bay Packers
Christian Watson (79) & Romeo Doubs (65)
30 – Houston Texans
Nico Collins (73) & Dalton Schultz (71)
29 – Arizona cardinals
Marquise Brown (79) & Rondale Moore (68)
28 – Carolina Panthers
Adam Thielen (78) & DJ Chark Jr (72)
27 – New England Patriots
Juju Smith-Schuster (78) & DeVante Parker (75)
26 – Indianapolis Colts
Michael Pittman (85) & Alec Pierce (70)
25 – Baltimore Ravens
Mark Andrews (84) & Rashod Bateman (75)
24 – Detroit Lions
Amon-Ra St. Brown (88) & Jameson Williams (72)
23 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Diontae Johnson (82) & George Pickens (81)
22 – New Orleans Saints
Michael Thomas (80) & Chris Olave (84)
21 – New York jets
Garrett Wilson (87) & Allen Lazard (77)
20 – Cleveland Browns
Amari Cooper (86) & Elijah Moore (79)
19 – Kansas city Chiefs
Travis Kelce (96) & Kadarius Toney (70)
18 – Denver Broncos
Jerry Jeudy (84) & Courtland Sutton (83)
T15 – Los Angeles Rams
Cooper Kupp (97) & Van Jefferson (71)
T15 – Chicago Bears
DJ Moore (89) & Darnell Mooney(79)
T15 – Los Angeles Chargers
Keenan Allen (88) & Mike Williams (80)
14 – Washington Commanders
Terry McLaurin (89) & Jahan Dotson (80)
T10 – Tennessee Titans
DeAndre Hopkins (93) & Treylon Burks (77)
T10 – Atlanta Falcons
Drake London (85) & Kyle Pitts (85)
T10 – Dallas Cowboys
CeeDee Lamb (90) & Brandin Cooks (80)
T10 – Buffalo Bills
Stefon Diggs (96) & Gabe Davis (74)
9 – San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel (89) & Brandon Aiyuk (83)
T6 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans (89) & Chris Godwin (85)
T6 – Seattle Seahawks
DK Metcalf (91) & Tyler Lockett (83)
T6 – Jacksonville Jaguars
Christian Kirk (88) & Calvin Ridley (86)
Top 5
T4 – Las Vegas Raiders
Davante Adams (99) & Jakobi Meyers (81)
If you asked me to write out the Top 5 Receiving Duos in the league off the top of my head there is a 0.0% chance these two make my list, but I did a deep dove and threw my biases aside. Davante Adams is a Top 3 receiver in the game and that is not questionable, where this group got a bump was how surprisingly good Meyers was. He is in his 5th season with the previous 2 being 800+ yard seasons with shaky QB play in a pretty underwhelming offense. Last year he put up 6 TDs in New England and could be on the cusp of a 1000 yard season. There is a lot of volatility here, especially with QB play in Las Vegas so its entirely possible that this duo both drop off this season.
T4 – Minnesota Vikings
Justin Jefferson (100) & TJ Hockenson (80)
It is no secret that Jetta is the best receiver in the NFL right now. He is coming off of 3 straight 1400+ yard seasons and continued to accel even with the drop off in play of his running mate Adam Thielen. With Thielen heading for Carolina, TJ Hockenson will have to step into a larger role this year and be a main target while rookie Jordan Addison finds his footing in the NFL. I expect Hock to get more used to Minnesota and emerge as a true threat to teams who want to shadow Jefferson all year.
3 – Philadelphia Eagles
AJ Brown (94) & DeVonta Smith (87)
Swole Batman and Skinny Batman are simply a force. Teams will have to guard those two, Dallas Goedert and a slew of RBs out of the backfield which can’t be easy. I do think that both of these guys benefit from being on such a great team but you can’t knock their production and ultimately their winning results. AJ Brown exploded for Philly after the Titans let him go in favor of Derrick Henry and he has not let Titans fans forget it since. Smith may be the most underrated receiver in the league. He put up 1000 yards in a stacked offense and I expect him to do the same, and better this year. The Eagles did not merely adopt the dark, they were born in it, molded by it.
2 – Cincinnati Bengals
Ja’Marr Chase (98) & Tee Higgins (90)
Everyone knows how dangerous Ja’Marr is, but Tee Higgins is a bonafide #1 guy on almost any other team in the NFL. Without Ja’Marr in the lineup, Tee has gone for 371 yards and 2 TDs in just 4 games including a 148 yard outburst against the Steelers. Not to mention adding Tyler Boyd and Irv Smith into the mix for the Bengals. Those two don’t count in these rankings but it just goes to show how good Tee and Ja’Marr are to get the volume that they do in a crowded offense with a QB who can’t seem to stay 100% healthy. If Burrow is okay the Bengals could find themselves back in the Super Bowl sooner rather than later.
1 – Dolphins
Tyreek Hill (98) & Jaylen Waddle (93)
Tyreek Hill looked like he could be the best receiver in the league at times last year and the crazy thing is, Jaylen Waddle looked like he might be the best receiver on the Dolphins at times as well. It is simply impossible to guard both, straight up. There is not much else to say. This duo is QB proof, even if Tua is out this year for any stretch I expect these speed demons to continue to pace the NFL in most receiving categories. Phins up indeed!
Wasted Talent 