NFL wide receiver rankings: Find out who the top pass-catchers are throughout the 2022 season. These rankings can help with your fantasy football and daily fantasy teams as we dig deep with advanced stats and a whole lot more.
In a list that will be updated weekly throughout the 2022 season, we give you our NFL wide receiver rankings heading into Week 13.
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15. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
- Amari Cooper stats (2022): 57 receptions, 792 yards, 7 TD, 61.3% catch rate, 7 drops (7.5%)
It’s still hard to believe that Cleveland was able to acquire Cooper from the Cowboys for a mere late-round pick this past offseason. Sure Dallas was simply looking to unload his expensive contract. But we’re talking about a dude who has five career 1,000-yard seasons to his name.
Unfortunately, QB issues in Cleveland are also a problem here. Cooper was targeted just three times in a Week 10 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Though, he did rebound by catching eight passes for 113 yards with two touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills in Week 11 before catching 7-of-12 targets for 94 yards in a surprise win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday. Cooper will now be catching passes from Deshaun Watson moving forward. That should help him statistically.
14. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
- Chris Olave stats (2022): 56 receptions, 822 yards, 3 TD, 60.9% catch rate, 3 drops (3.3%)
Olave has been one of the few bright spots for an otherwise below-average Saints team this season. The Ohio State product has registered three 100-yard games on the season and looks very much to be a WR1 option moving forward.
Unfortunately, the Saints just don’t have stability at the quarterback position to help Olave ascend our NFL wide receiver rankings heading into Week 13. He caught 5-of-9 targets for 62 yards in a shutout loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a clear example that top-end defenses can limit him due to New Orleans’ QB issues.
13. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
- Terry McLaurin stats (2022): 54 receptions, 840 yards, 2 TD, 62.8% catch rate, 2 drops (2.3%)
This recently-extended pass-catcher played a huge role in Washington’s Week 10 upset win over the previously undefeated Eagles. McLaurin caught 8-of-11 passes for 128 yards in the victory.
While he’s followed that up by catching just eight passes for 103 yards over the past two games, it’s become clear that this former Ohio State star has what it takes to be a top-end pass-catcher. He’s averaging a solid 5.2 yards after the catch and has dropped a mere two passes. Commanders QBs also boast a 98.8 passer rating when targeting him.
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12. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
- Tee Higgins (2022): 57 receptions, 826 yards, 4 TD, 71.3% catch rate, 4 drops (5.0%)
Since entering the NFL as a second-round pick of the Bengals back in 2020, Higgins has morphed into a starter-caliber wide receiver. Heck, he was that out of the gate as a rookie. Here’s a guy who averaged 71 receptions for 1,000 yards and six touchdowns in his first two seasons.
That’s been taken to a whole new level in 2022, especially since Ja’Marr Chase went down to injury back in Week 7. In the four games without Chase, Higgins has caught 26-of-36 targets for 371 yards with two touchdowns. He’s now on pace for 88 receptions to go with 1,276 yards. This has the former Clemson star making his first appearance in our NFL wide receiver rankings.
11. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Mike Evans stats (2022): 51 receptions, 702 yards, 3 TD, 60% catch rate, 4 drops (4.7%)
After recording a record eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to open his career, Evans has seen somewhat of a downtick in production recently. The Pro Bowl receiver caught just 2-of-9 targets for 31 yards in an ugly Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Despite this, Evans remains on pace to put up yet another 1,000-yard campaign. He’s just not producing at the same level as we’ve seen in the past. Though, a lot of that has to do with Tom Brady’s inability to get the ball down the field. After all, Evans is averaging what would be a career-low 13.8 yards per catch.
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10. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
- A.J. Brown stats (2022): 53 receptions, 831 yards, 7 TD, 61.6% catch rate, 5 drops (5.8%)
Brown is coming off ho-hum 172-yard performances over the past four outings. Despite this, he has proven himself as one of the top NFL wide receivers this season. He has four games with 85 receiving yards or more, including a 156-yard, three-touchdown outing against the Pittsburgh Steelers back in Week 8.
Brown also continues to make sweet music with Jalen Hurts, who boasts an insane 116.0 QB rating when targeting his new pass-catcher. That seems pretty good.
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9. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
- CeeDee Lamb stats (2022): 64 receptions, 857 yards, 5 TD, 61.5% catch rate, 4 drops (3.8%)
After some initial struggles, Lamb has picked it up big time recently. That included Lamb catching 11 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 10 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
After catching all five passes thrown in his direction in a blowout Week 11 win over the Minnesota Vikings, Lamb showed out big time on Thanksgiving against the New York Giants (six catches, 106 yards). He’s now on pace for career-highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns.
8. Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
- Ja’Marr Chase stats (2022): 47 receptions, 605 yards, 6 TD, 63.5% catch rate, 5 drops (6.8%)
After an incredible rookie season, Chase has dealt with an up-and-down sophomore campaign. That included him putting up just 83 yards on 19 targets in Week 2 and 3.
However, the stud youngster is coming off an absolutely brilliant two-game run that saw him catch 15 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns before going down with a hip injury. The hope here is that Chase is able to return Week 13 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
7. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
- Cooper Kupp stats (2022): 75 receptions, 812 yards, 6 TD, 76.5% catch rate, 2 drops (2.0%)\
After a record-breaking 2021 campaign for the Rams, this reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP has struggled to an extent catching passes from Matthew Stafford this season.
Even though he’s on pace to put up some otherworldly numbers once again, it must be noted that Stafford has thrown a resounding four interceptions when targeting Kupp. It’s more about Stafford forcing the ball to his top target without any other real receiving threats. Now that Kupp is on injured reserve with an ankle injury, there’s concern he’s played his last game this season. That’s a damn shame.
6. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals
- DeAndre Hopkins stats (2022): 49 receptions, 574 yards, 3 TD, 76.6% catch rate, 4 drops (6.3%)
After serving a six-game suspension, Hopkins is up to his old tricks as one of the elite pass-catchers in today’s NFL.
Even after missing those first six games, Hopkins finds himself on pace to catch 99 passes for 1,071 yards. That’s simply incredible. Though, his four drops on 64 targets this season bests his total from the previous two years combined.
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5. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
- Jaylen Waddle stats (2022): 56 receptions, 963 yards, 6 TD, 65.9% catch rate, 5 drops (5.9%)
A first-round pick of the Dolphins back in 2021, Jaylen Waddle was electric in South Beach as a rookie. That included him hauling in an absurd 104 passes for 1,015 yards while catching six touchdowns. The former Alabama star also caught a resounding 74% of the passes thrown in his direction with a 5.7% drop rate.
Waddle has been even better as a sophomore, providing improved quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with another electric target. He’s coming off a six-game span in which the youngster has caught 32-of-46 targets for 559 yards with three touchdowns. Waddle now finds himself on pace for 1,500 receiving yards this season.
4. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
- Davante Adams stats (2022): 71 receptions, 999 yards, 10 TD, 57.7% catch rate, 6 drops (4.9%)
Despite the Raiders’ ugly 4-7 start to the season, Adams continues to prove himself as one of the top pass-catchers in the league. The All-Pro caught seven passes for 141 yards, including a walk-off touchdown in overtime, against the Denver Broncos in Week 11.
Over the course of the past four games, Adams has hauled in 33 passes for 487 yards and five touchdowns. He’s now posted his sixth career double-digit touchdown season and is on pace for nearly 1,600 yards. His recent performance also has Adams ascending our NFL wide receiver rankings heading into Week 13.
3. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
- Stefon Diggs stats (2022): 84 receptions, 1,110 yards, 9 TD, 70.6% catch rate, 3 drops (2.5%)
Several years after the fact, and it’s still surprising that Diggs fell to the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Pretty much from the get, he proved to be among the best pass-catchers in the game. That’s been taken to a whole new level in two seasons catching passes from Josh Allen with the Bills after he was surprisingly traded by Minnesota.
Diggs has picked it up again in 2022, finding himself on pace to catch 130 passes for 1,715 yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s also averaging a robust 4.1 yards after the catch with Josh Allen tallying a 121.5 QB rating when targeting him.
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2. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
- Tyreek Hill stats (2022): 87 receptions, 1,233 yards, 4 TD, 75.7% catch rate, 4 drops (3.5%)
Dynamic. Electric. Whatever way we want to describe Hill and what he’s done since entering the NFL back in 2016, the wide receiver is simply “him.” Dude can take it to the house at any given time, is one of the top deep threats in the game and is a transcendent playmaker.
This has been taken to a whole new level in Hill’s first season with Miami. How good has the All-Pro been through 12 weeks? He’s now on pace for 134 receptions and 1,906 yards. This has Hill among our top players in Sportsnaut’s Week 13 NFL wide receiver rankings.
1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
- Justin Jefferson stats (2022): 81 receptions, 1,232 yards, 5 TD, 69.8% catch rate, 3 drops (2.6%)
Some thought that Justin Jefferson was more a product of Joe Burrow during his time with the LSU Tigers. Boy, were those skeptics wrong. In just two seasons with the Vikings, Jefferson is already in the record books. That includes putting up the most receiving yards for a wide receiver in NFL history through his first two seasons.
The 2022 season has been about as good for Mr. Jefferson. After some struggles early in the season, he returned to form by catching 51 passes for 814 yards during a six-game span before being shut down in Minnesota’ pathetic blowout loss to the Cowboys in Week 11. Jefferson then returned to form this past Thanksgiving by catching 9-of-11 targets for 139 yards and a score in a win over the New England Patriots.