• Puka Nacua leads all wide receivers: The Los Angeles Rams wide receiver ranks first at the position in PFF receiving grade over the last few seasons.

• A strong rookie class: Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon and Jordyn Tyson rank among the top 25 wide receivers because each has the potential to emerge as his new team’s primary target.
• 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

The bulk of free agency has concluded, with players such as DJ Moore, Mike Evans, Michael Pittman Jr., Wan’Dale Robinson and Romeo Doubs finding new homes and reshaping the landscape for themselves and their new and former teammates.

These top 100 rankings provide a snapshot of the current landscape ahead of the NFL draft and a second wave of free agency, which will be led by Jauan Jennings, Stefon Diggs and Deebo Samuel.

Analysis for the top five players can be found at the bottom of the article.

Last updated: 5 a.m. Thursday, April 9

There are three clear top wide receivers. Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba both averaged at least 22 fantasy points per game in 2025, while the next closest wide receiver averaged 19. Ja’Marr Chase exceeded that mark in 2024 and finished fourth among wide receivers in fantasy points per game (18.9) that season despite multiple quarterback changes. At this stage, all three can reasonably be ranked in any order.

Nacua earns the second spot because he has been the NFL’s most productive wide receiver over the past two seasons. He ranks first in PFF receiving grade (96.3) among wide receivers in that span. He is tied with Amon-Ra St. Brown for the second-most positively graded receptions despite running nearly 400 fewer routes. His nine receptions with a PFF grade of at least +1.5 lead all wide receivers.

He also stands out against top competition. Nacua faced three defenses ranked among the top eight in limiting fantasy production to wide receivers this season and still produced at a high level. He recorded 10 receptions for 130 yards against the Houston Texans, 11 receptions for 112 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles and 19 receptions for 300 yards and two touchdowns across two games against the Seattle Seahawks. He also surpassed 90 receiving yards against each of those opponents in 2024.

The Rams are well-positioned heading into next season. They earned a league-leading PFF team grade (96.2), return most of their coaching staff and have not lost any significant free agents. The additions of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson further strengthen the secondary.

The primary concern is Matthew Stafford’s age, as he will be 38 next season. He is coming off a career-best PFF grade (93.4), but some regression is possible.

Chase has been a great — but not excellent — NFL wide receiver. His PFF receiving grade hovered between 84.9 and 86.7 in each of his first four seasons, before he reached a career-high 90.1 PFF receiving grade this season. He’s closed the gap between himself and the elite receivers thanks to having Joe Burrow at quarterback, in addition to Cincinnati‘s passing volume. Burrow’s 94.2 PFF passing grade over the past two seasons is notably higher than that of any other quarterback.

The key members of the Bengals who have helped Chase will remain in place, including head coach Zac Taylor, fellow great receiver Tee Higgins and most of the offense. The Bengals have used their cap space to help their defense and will likely use their draft capital to do the same. This means the offense should look almost identical to last season when everyone was healthy.

No wide receiver dominates a favorable matchup as well as Chase. He has put together five games with double-digit receptions for 160 or more yards and at least one touchdown over the past two seasons. The rest of the league has combined for nine. 

The primary reason Chase isn’t ranked first is that he hasn’t played nearly as well as Nacua in tough matchups. He played three games against teams in the top eight at preventing fantasy points to wide receivers. He caught five passes for 50 yards against the Minnesota Vikings, secured two receptions for 26 yards against the Cleveland Browns and tallied five receptions for 23 yards against the Denver Broncos.

Smith-Njigba has been incredibly consistent this season, finishing with at least 90 receiving yards in all but two games. He is also the youngest of the top three wide receivers, so it’s more likely we see him improve as a player compared to the other two. The reason he is third on the list is that the Seahawks are more likely to undergo significant offensive changes this offseason than the Rams or Bengals.

Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is the favorite for the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching position. If Kubiak leaves, that will give Smith-Njigba his fourth offensive coordinator of his career. A new offensive coordinator could spread the ball out more than Kubiak did. 

He should have consistency at quarterback with Sam Darnold. The former Minnesota Vikings quarterback ranks among the top-10 quarterbacks by PFF grade over the last two seasons, but Darnold hasn’t been as good as Burrow or Stafford.

Tight end A.J. Barner had the ninth-highest PFF receiving grade this season among those with at least 250 routes, but he also has the fewest receiving yards from the group. The Seahawks’ newest receiver, Rashid Shaheed, has only recently become heavily involved in their offense. Tory Horton had the sixth-highest grade among rookie wide receivers with at least 100 routes, but he only recorded 13 receptions. Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet both saw their per-game receiving production cut in half compared to the previous year, but it’s possible the Seahawks new running back room could be more involved in the passing game. No one is going to take Smith-Njigba’s spot as the top receiving weapon in the offense, but one or two players emerging with a bigger role could chip away at Smith-Njigba’s consistency.

Jefferson was a top-five fantasy wide receiver in fantasy points per game each season from 2021 to 2024. That streak ended in 2025, when he finished 30th, largely due to the play of his quarterback. He went from primarily having Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold in the four previous seasons to Carson Wentz and J.J. McCarthy last season.

The percentage of passes thrown his way that were catchable dropped by nearly 10% compared to the previous two seasons, and his average depth of target dropped to accommodate his quarterbacks, leading to fewer yards per reception. His catchable target rate for end zone passes dropped from 50% to 25%, resulting in a significant decrease in touchdowns.

The Vikings added Kyler Murray in free agency, which was the best option for Minnesota. Murray has supported elite fantasy receivers before, including DeAndre Hopkins, who finished at WR4 in 2020, the only season where Murray and Hopkins were both healthy together. Murray also supported Trey McBride’s TE2 season in 2024.

While there is some level of risk anytime a wide receiver has a new quarterback, this change should result in Jefferson returning to the top-five fantasy wide receivers.

St. Brown ranked fourth in fantasy points per game among wide receivers in 2025 at 19.1, was fifth last season at 18.6 and fourth in 2023 at 20.7. He has shown similar consistency at PFF grade, finishing with a receiving grade between 90.0 and 91.3 each of the last four seasons. The Lions don’t have any major offensive free agents.

There isn’t much reason to expect St. Brown to have even more production than he’s had in recent seasons. He has several +0.5 graded receptions, but doesn’t make big plays at nearly the rate of the top-three wide receivers on the list. This gives him a safe floor, but a lower ceiling. The Lions have more weapons on offense than most teams, making it so Detroit doesn’t need to rely more heavily on St. Brown.

There is little reason to be concerned about a decline. He is the oldest of the wide receivers ranked so far, but the Lions could have a new offensive play-caller next season, which could favor some of the other offensive players. Jameson Williams has improved his receiving grade each season, and there is a chance he could be more involved. However, those were the same concerns last season, and that had no impact on St. Brown’s fantasy production.

St. Brown is the safest wide receiver that can be selected in fantasy drafts, but there will be other wide receivers with a later ADP that will have more upside.

London is one of the league’s elite receivers. He joins Puka Nacua and Amon-Ra St. Brown as the only wide receivers with an 89.0 PFF receiving grade in each of the past two seasons. His fantasy points per game jumped from 15.0 in 2024 to 16.8 in 2025, ranking seventh among wide receivers. He placed third in fantasy points per game (19.7) over the first 11 weeks before his injury.

His improvement stemmed from his routes per game increasing from 34.5 to 36.0 and his targets per route increasing from 26.9% to 27.2%. His average depth of target decreased slightly, allowing him to record a higher catch rate and more production after the catch. That added up to a slight increase in receptions, yards and touchdowns per game.

London also benefits from having limited competition for targets. Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts joined London as the top three receivers for Atlanta in every major receiving metric, and that will likely remain the case in 2026. The only other players with double-digit receptions were Darnell Mooney, David Sills V and Tyler Allgeier, and all three have found new homes. In their place, the Falcons added Olamide Zaccheaus, Jahan Dotson and Brian Robinson Jr., which shouldn’t have a substantial difference in target rate. The Falcons only have five draft picks, making it unlikely they make a significant addition at wide receiver during the draft. 

That means London is simply a tremendous wide receiver with a great target rate, which makes him a borderline first-round fantasy pick. The only concern is the Falcons‘ quarterback situation, as Michael Penix Jr. suffered an ACL injury that required reconstruction surgery, potentially keeping him out of the season opener. However, the Falcons have added Tua Tagovailoa, who has supported excellent fantasy options at wide receiver in the past, like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Lamb has reached the 1,000-yard mark in five straight seasons, despite missing a few games due to injury. He started the season great, with 10 consecutive games of at least 66 receiving yards, ignoring Week 3 when he was injured just a few snaps into the game. He played less than half of the snaps in Week 18, as the Cowboys let their backups play more, leaving only two games where Lamb failed to reach 66 yards while playing a full game.

He only finished 10th in fantasy points per game among wide receivers, in large part due to a lack of touchdowns. He’s averaged seven touchdowns per season but was held to three in 2025. If Lamb stays healthy and has some positive touchdown regression, he is back in the conversation among the top-five wide receivers.

Lamb will also benefit from consistency. The Cowboys are one of 11 teams that retained both their head coach and offensive coordinator this offseason. Dak Prescott will be back at quarterback. Tight end Jake Ferguson and wide receiver Ryan Flournoy will be among his top competition for targets. George Pickens was given the franchise tag, making it highly likely he will be on the Cowboys roster this season. This means the Cowboys’ offense will be among the top few teams in continuity from last season to this year.

Pickens’ presence will make it difficult for Lamb to be among the top fantasy wide receivers like he was in 2023, but he is very safe to make another top-10 finish if healthy.

Collins was eighth in fantasy points per game in 2024 but was among the highest-graded wide receivers, leading to high expectations in 2025. Houston’s offense was off to a slow start, but Collins scored 149.5 PPR points from Weeks 8-17, which was seventh-best among wide receivers during that stretch.

On one hand, there is hope that C.J. Stroud can return to being the player he once was. He had PFF offensive grades of 80 or better in 2023 and 2024, but that fell to 65.0 in 2025. That hurt the Texans’ offense in general, as well as Collins.

On the other hand, there is significant competition for targets in Houston. Both Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel showed sparks in their rookie season. Tank Dell missed all of last season due to injury, but should be back in the rotation next season. Collins’ target rate took a minor hit in 2025, but that hit will be more significant if these younger wide receivers continue to develop.

Nabers was the sixth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, entering the NFL with lofty expectations. He instantly began living up to the hype, finishing with 100-plus yards in two of his first four games and three touchdowns during that stretch. He missed two games due to injury. From Weeks 7 to 18, he averaged 16.5 PPR points per game, 12th best.

He ranked around the 90th percentile in most situations for wide receivers. He was targeted on 29.7% of his routes, first among 72 wide receivers who ran at least 355 routes last season. That equated to a league-leading 11 targets per game. The elite volume and very good quality of play added up to the seventh-most fantasy points per game last season.

Nabers’ high target rate gave him a high floor, and he scored at least 8.0 PPR points in every game. However, that also meant he didn’t have many high-ceiling games. After returning from injury, he had only one game with more than 85 receiving yards.

Nabers was healthy for just three games in 2025, all with Russell Wilson at quarterback. He averaged 17.7 PPR points per game in those outings and will ideally perform better going forward with Jaxson Dart at quarterback. His 86.4 PFF receiving grade over the past two seasons is by far the best from any wide receiver in the past two draft classes. Ladd McConkey’s 80.2 mark ranks second best.

There is some uncertainty around the Giants’ offense. They hired John Harbaugh as head coach and Matt Nagy as offensive coordinator. Cam Skattebo’s health will be a concern at running back. New York added Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III at wide receiver, as well as Isaiah Likely at tight end. Those players won’t be a major detriment to Nabers’ target rate, but it might not be as high as his rookie season. If all goes well, Nabers could be the top wide receiver by the end of the season, but there is also a concern that the Giants offense could hold him back.

Rice finished fourth in fantasy points per game last season at 18.8. He played in eight games, missing the first six games of the season due to suspension, and he missed the final three games due to a concussion. 

Rice only received a 77.2 receiving grade last season. His role in the Chiefs’ offense has been unique, finishing with an average depth of target between 4.9 and 5.2 in each of his three seasons. He’s been a high-volume receiver, making plays after the catch. 

While there is certainly a chance Rice continues in the same role, it’s worth noting that the Chiefs changed offensive coordinators, bringing back Eric Bieniemy. During Bieniemy’s initial run at Kansas City, most of his wide receivers had a 9.0-plus-yard average depth. In his final season with the Chiefs, JuJu Smith-Schuster was the team’s top wide receiver with a 7.1 average depth of target. In his one season as the offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders, Curtis Samuel finished second in targets on the team and also had a 7.1 average depth of target. 

We likely see Rice’s role change at least a little bit this season. The fact that he’s ended the last two seasons on injured reserve adds some risk, as do his off-the-field concerns. There is a chance the change in role helps Rice, and he is a top-five wide receiver going forward, but there is a larger chance Rice sees a significant decrease in targets than the other wide receivers in the top 10.