It’s time for the rankings to continue! After ranking each position group last week, I decided to keep the party going and extend that to looking at the best WR duos in the NFL.
I compiled and formatted this list based on several different traits and characteristics that culminates in a Madden-style rating. These traits include:
- Route-Running
- Athleticism/Agility
- Hands
- Contested Catch Ability
- RAC Ability
- Release
- Deep Ball Tracking
- Speed
After assigning a numeric grade for each individual player in every category, I add all the scores together to result in the player’s final rating. After that, I group the top two rated wide receivers from each team and I divide their scores by two. That gives me their duo score, which I then sort them all to result in the list below.
For example, if one wide receiver rates out as a 92 and the second receiver rates out at a 73, their group score is 82.5.
Additionally, keep in mind that these are based on these players’ NFL ability and not specifically fantasy football. Will you agree with my list? Probably not – but that’s all part of the fun.
And so here, for your reading pleasure, is a countdown of the league’s best WR duos:
32. Washington
Wide Receivers: Terry McLaurin & Antonio Gandy-Golden
McLaurin is quickly developing into one of the better receivers in the NFL, but there’s a significant drop-off after him on the depth chart. Kelvin Harmon‘s a fine player and Gandy-Golden possesses tremendous upside, but neither of them rated out highly enough to raise the duos ranking.
31. New York Jets
Wide Receivers: Jamison Crowder & Breshad Perriman
Crowder’s a fine slot receiver and has shown that he can produce in the NFL when he’s healthy. Perriman finally took a step forward last season after a disappointing career, but he needs to continue that success in order for his ranking to be elevated. Both of these players are good wide receivers, but they fall short in comparison to the other names above them on this list.
30. New England Patriots
Wide Receivers: Julian Edelman & N’Keal Harry
Edelman continues to get the job done at his age, but he’s not in consideration for one of the top-35 receivers in the NFL currently. Additionally, Harry has done next to nothing so far in his NFL career, which keeps their overall rating down towards the bottom of the league. Can Harry ascend into being one of the better receivers in the NFL eventually? Absolutely. He has the talent to succeed in the NFL, but we need to see it happen first for this duo to climb up the rankings at all.
29. Las Vegas Raiders
Wide Receivers: Henry Ruggs & Hunter Renfrow
Ruggs has the speed to compete with anyone in the NFL right now. He’s lightning fast on the field, but he’s also more than just a speed receiver. Additionally, Renfrow has already established himself as a fine slot receiver in the NFL, but he lacks the overall athleticism to rise up my rankings criteria. If Ruggs can put together a solid rookie season, there’s no reason why this duo can’t finish much higher than this spot in 2021.
28. Baltimore Ravens
Wide Receivers: Marquise Brown & Devin Duvernay
Brown is a dynamic receiver and I’m excited to see what he can do this season now that he’s fully healthy. Additionally, Duvernay was one of my favorite players coming out in this year’s draft and I think he’s going to be a perfect fit in this Ravens offense. He’s sure-handed, is a great route-runner out of the slot, and has incredible top-end speed.
The @Ravens are going Hollywood!
Lamar Jackson to Marquise Brown for the 47-yard TD! #BALvsMIA
📺: CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports appWatch on mobile: https://t.co/PoZiStO3mL pic.twitter.com/xIB7q8m4XR
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2019
27. San Francisco 49ers
Wide Receivers: Deebo Samuel & Brandon Aiyuk
Samuel emerged onto the scene last year and solidified himself as one of the up-and-coming WRs in the NFL. Aiyuk’s a perfect fit for this offense and he should be able to show off his top-end speed on several occasions this year. This should be one of the league’s most potent WR duos in just a couple of seasons.
26. Houston Texans
Wide Receivers: Will Fuller & Brandin Cooks
The Texans would be much higher on this list if they had kept DeAndre Hopkins, but that’s another discussion for another day. While Fuller has shown that he can be an incredible deep threat when he’s on the field, injuries have held him back from reaching his true potential. Additionally, Cooks is a good receiver, but he lacks the true top-tier talent that would elevate this duo up this list.
25. Indianapolis Colts
Wide Receivers: Ty Hilton & Michael Pittman Jr.
Hilton’s still a great receiver when he’s on the field, but injuries and age are starting to catch up with him. Meanwhile, Pittman is one of the better receivers to come out in this year’s draft class and he’s set to explode this season. He has the size and athleticism to win consistently in the NFL and he’s a monster at the catch point.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars
Wide Receivers: DJ Chark & Dede Westbrook
Chark had the high draft capital investment, but he hadn’t really done much to indicate that he was worth it his rookie season. However, last year, Chark exploded onto the scene and caught everyone’s attention. Additionally, Westbrook is one of the league’s faster receivers, but he’s been forced into a slot only role in Jacksonville. Westbrook could be much more productive in a different role, but we don’t get to see his skills enough to warrant a higher rating.
First TD pass for Nick Foles as a member of the #Jaguars: DJ Chark comes down with an incredible 35-yard TD grab pic.twitter.com/Usjn3KgbCL
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) September 8, 2019
23. Miami Dolphins
Wide Receivers: DeVante Parker & Preston Williams
Parker finally broke out last year and was one of the league’s better receivers all season long. Meanwhile, Williams greatly exceeded expectations last year before going down with an injury. The duo should pick right back up where they left off.
22. Tennessee Titans
Wide Receivers: AJ Brown & Corey Davis
Brown has already solidified his standing as one of the top receivers in the NFL. However, due to the rating system I’ve deployed, the Titans WR duo falls down the board a bit. Davis has been a bust up to this point in his career and he has yet to show anything on the field to warrant a higher rating. Due to the combination of the two scores, the Titans fall down the board to No. 22.
21. Philadelphia Eagles
Wide Receivers: Alshon Jeffery & DeSean Jackson
These two WRs are coming up on the end of their respective careers, but they’re still great players when they’re on the field. Very few players can win contested catches like Jeffery can and Jackson can still run with the best of the best in the NFL. Their respective injury histories bump them down the board a bit though.
20. New York Giants
Wide Receivers: Darius Slayton & Golden Tate
Slayton’s 2020 performance was one of the biggest surprises last season. He played very well all season long and he should only build on that performance moving forward. As for Tate, he’s coming up on the end of his career, but he’s still one of the most sure-handed receivers in the game.
Do your thing, Darius Slayton#GiantsPride | #NYGvsDET pic.twitter.com/Tb5sqBPsJh
— New York Giants (@Giants) October 27, 2019
19. Carolina Panthers
Wide Receivers: DJ Moore & Curtis Samuel
Moore has quietly become of the NFL’s most reliable receivers and he’s poised to truly break out this season. Meanwhile, Samuel has been hyped up for several seasons now and has yet to fully live up to those expectations. Samuel’s a fine football player with excellent athleticism, but he needs to improve this season in order for the Panthers to climb up this list in 2021. Or he may be replaced by Robby Anderson…
18. Minnesota Vikings
Wide Receivers: Adam Thielen & Justin Jefferson
The Vikings used to be much higher on this list, but going from Diggs to Jefferson causes them to slide just a bit. This isn’t a slight against Jefferson though; he’s a fantastic prospect and should be one of the league’s best receivers in a few short seasons. This is simply to say that Diggs is established as one of NFL’s best wide receivers and going to a rookie is a significant drop-off. Thielen’s a dynamic route-runner with excellent hands and this duo should be back up into the top-15 next season if Thielen can stay healthy.
17. Denver Broncos
Wide Receivers: Courtland Sutton & Jerry Jeudy
Sutton doesn’t have the top-tier production that some of the other receivers in the league do, but from a talent perspective, he’s up there with the best of them. Now, the Broncos add in Jeudy to pair alongside Sutton. This duo is scary and the arrow is only pointing up. A top-10 ranking in 2021 wouldn’t surprise me.
Courtland Sutton made play after play this season 🔥 @SuttonCourtland @Broncos pic.twitter.com/FwZqTbHiot
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) March 8, 2020
16. Green Bay Packers
Wide Receivers: Davante Adams & Allen Lazard
Adams is a top-3 receiver in the NFL right now. However, very similarly to Washington, there’s a sharp drop-off on the roster after Adams. Devin Funchess, Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, etc. are all in contention for the second wide receiver on this team and none of those names are going to strike fear into the heart of a defense. Due to the aggregate scoring format, the Packers WR duo falls all the way down to No. 16.
15. Buffalo Bills
Wide Receivers: Stefon Diggs & John Brown
As mentioned previously, Diggs is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL right now. He’s a top-5 route runner and has excellent athleticism to go along with it. Brown is one of the NFL’s best deep threats and it’s good to see him producing again after missing significant time with his sickle-cell trait issues previously. The Bills haven’t had a formidable duo in a very long time and they finally have one heading into 2020.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers
Wide Receivers: JuJu Smith-Schuster & Diontae Johnson
After the departure of Antonio Brown, the Steelers looked like they weren’t going to come close to rolling out a WR duo that struck as much fear into the hearts of opposing defenses. However, Johnson showed up in a big way in 2019 and he’s only going to get better. The Steelers duo is ranked pretty aggressively here right now, but it’s hard to see them going anywhere but up in next year’s countdown.
13. Cincinnati Bengals
Wide Receivers: AJ Green & Tyler Boyd
Green missed all of last season, but he’s still one of the most talented wide receivers in the league. Due to the unknown surrounding him though, his ranking falls slightly here. Meanwhile, Boyd’s only trending upward and should solidify himself as one of the best slot receivers in the game this season. This offense is going to be dangerous this season and these two should be at the center of it.
Tyler Boyd with the catch of the day 🤭
(via @Bengals)pic.twitter.com/RCGYHZaFWq
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) November 24, 2019
12. Detroit Lions
Wide Receivers: Kenny Golladay & Marvin Jones
Jones is nearing the end of his NFL career, but he’s still one of the league’s most talented receivers. He’s a nightmare for DBs to guard in jump-ball situations and Golladay is no different. Golladay has gotten progressively better each year and that doesn’t appear to be stopping any time soon. It wouldn’t surprise me if we end up talking about Golladay as the best WR in a couple of seasons.
11. Los Angeles Chargers
Wide Receivers: Keenan Allen & Mike Williams
There’s unlikely to be a lot of fantasy production from these two this season, but each of them is a headache for DBs to guard in their own unique ways. Allen is arguably the best route-runner in the entire NFL and creates separation at any level of the field. Meanwhile, Williams is arguably the best WR in 50/50 situations downfield and he’s going to come down with the ball more often than not.
10. Seattle Seahawks
Wide Receivers: Tyler Lockett & DK Metcalf
Metcalf has quickly established himself as one of the most dominant receivers in the NFL. Meanwhile, Lockett is perennially undervalued despite being a fantastic receiver in his own right. This duo is going to give defenses problems for a long time moving forward.
DK Metcalf was the very last pick of the 2nd-round (pick #64)….
Wilson connects with Metcalf for a 53-yard TD.
(via @Seahawks) pic.twitter.com/7Vfy5A1iLD
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) January 5, 2020
9. Chicago Bears
Wide Receivers: Allen Robinson & Anthony Miller
Robinson’s a top-7 receiver in the NFL and Miller isn’t a shabby No. 2 option. While Miller’s struggled with nagging injuries here or there, he’s been productive when he’s on the field. From a talent perspective, Miller is a top-50 receiver, which causes the Bears wideouts ranking to be within the top-10. The depth behind them is severely lacking, but they’re a formidable duo.
8. Dallas Cowboys
Wide Receivers: Amari Cooper & Michael Gallup
As we move into the top-8 groupings here, it’s hard to find any major glaring issues with these players. Both Cooper and Gallup are incredibly talented wideouts, but the players above them on this list simply grade out better. If we were to discuss the top WR trios though, Dallas would be in the top-5 easy with the addition of CeeDee Lamb.
7. Kansas City Chiefs
Wide Receivers: Tyreek Hill & Sammy Watkins
Hill’s easily in the top-5 receivers and Watkins grades out fairly well just simply based on talent. If we were factoring in consistency, Watkins’ grade would plummet, but he’s got the talent to be considered a top-50 wide receiver in the NFL. With that in mind, the Chiefs’ duo grades out within the top-7.
6. Los Angeles Rams
Wide Receivers: Robert Woods & Cooper Kupp
Woods is criminally underrated by the public and we know how talented Kupp is on the football field. This duo is going to continue to terrorize defenses in 2020.
Score six.
High-five @YG.@robertwoods | #TouchdownTuesday pic.twitter.com/4pm7jVwcxI— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) June 19, 2019
5. Arizona Cardinals
Wide Receivers: DeAndre Hopkins & Larry Fitzgerald
The Cardinals weren’t anywhere close to sniffing the top-5 with Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk as their top two options. However, the addition of Hopkins sent them skyrocketing up the board. At this point, Fitzgerald is still the second-best WR on this team. Even at his age, he’s still one of the most sure-handed receivers and established route-runners you can find in the league. Kirk certainly has the potential to pass him, but that hasn’t happened just yet.
4. New Orleans Saints
Wide Receivers: Michael Thomas & Emmanuel Sanders
Sanders as a No. 2 option is incredible and having the receiver who just broke the single-season receptions record certainly isn’t going to hurt your grade. The margin between No. 1 and No. 4 in this countdown isn’t large, but the Saints just narrowly miss the top.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Wide Receivers: Mike Evans & Chris Godwin
Godwin has skyrocketed up my rankings with his performance last season and Evans has yet to finish a season with less than 1,000 receiving yards. This duo is going to be around for a very long time and they should repeat with a dominant performance again in 2020 after Tom Brady‘s arrival.
Jameis Winston 🎯
Chris Godwin 🤲71 YARDS#TBvsATL
(via @Buccaneers)
— PFF (@PFF) November 24, 2019
2. Cleveland Browns
Wide Receivers: Odell Beckham & Jarvis Landry
Beckham’s had injury issues the past several seasons, but when he’s healthy he can be in the conversation for the best WR in all of football. Meanwhile, Landry is no slouch at the position. He’s done nothing but produce his entire NFL career and that doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. The Browns need to drastically improve on offense this season and not waste the careers of a top-2 WR duo.
1. Atlanta Falcons
Wide Receivers: Julio Jones & Calvin Ridley
This one’s a pretty easy one to determine. Julio’s the best WR in the game until he retires and Ridley has established himself as a dominant No. 2 option. Opposing defenses are going to be scared by a lot of the other duos in this countdown, but there’s simply no preparing for a duo like Jones and Ridley. They’re going to beat you all game long.
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Kyle Yates is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Kyle, check out his archive and follow him @KyleYNFL.
