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 8.
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15. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts (last week: 15)
- Michael Pittman Jr. stats (2022): 44 receptions, 475 yards, 1 TD, 72.1% catch rate, 1 drop (1.6%)
Despite missing a game earlier this season, Pittman Jr. is on pace for a career-best season (117 catches, 1,267 yards). Over the course of the past two games, he’s hauled in 19 receptions for 192 yards.
The question now becomes whether Pittman Jr. will be able to produce at the same level with a green Sam Ehlinger having replaced Matt Ryan under center in Indianapolis.
14. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints (last week: Unranked)
- Chris Olave stats (2022): 32 receptions, 495 yards, 2 TD, 57.1% catch rate, 2 drops (3.6%)
Olave makes his first appearance in our NFL wide receiver rankings after a two-game stretch in which he caught 19-of-25 targets for 192 yards.
Despite New Orleans’ quarterback issues, the first-round pick from Ohio State continues to perform at a high clip. In fact, he might very well be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year at this point. It helps when you’re on pace for nearly 1,300 receiving yards.
13. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys (last week: 13)
- CeeDee Lamb stats (2022): 37 receptions, 479 yards, 2 TD, 56.1% catch rate, 4 drops (6.1%)
In Dallas’ ugly season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Lamb was among the most-disappointing players. He caught just two passes for 29 yards, averaging an ugly 2.6 yards per target.
Lamb has since turned it around. Over the past six games, he’s caught 35-of-55 targets for 450 yards and two touchdowns, including an absurd one-handed grab against the New York Giants in Week 3. Now that Dak Prescott is back, Lamb should continue producing at a high level.
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12. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles (last week: 12)
- DeVonta Smith stats (2022): 33 receptions, 397 yards, 2 TD, 76.7% catch rate, 2 drops (4.7%)
To an extent, Smith has played second fiddle to A.J. Brown as a sophomore this season. In no way does that change what the former Heisman winner from Alabama has been able to do catching passes from Jalen Hurts.
Back in Week 5 against Arizona saw Smith catch 10-of-11 passes for 87 yards as he provided a consistent receiving threat en route to helping Philadelphia remain undefeated. Smith followed that up by catching all five of his targets for 44 yards and a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the Eagles’ Week 7 bye.
11. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals (last week: 11)
- DeAndre Hopkins stats (2022): 10 receptions, 103 yards, 0 TD, 71.4% catch rate, 2 drops (14.3%)
Suspended for the first six games of the 2022 season, Hopkins has returned to light a fire under a previously struggling Arizona Cardinals offense. It really couldn’t have come at a better time with fellow star Maruise Brown sidelined to injury.
In his season debut last week against the New Orleans Saints, Hopkins caught 10-of-14 targets for 103 yards. Surprisingly, he also dropped two passes after dropping three passes the past two seasons combined. That impacts Hopkins some in our most-recent NFL wide receiver rankings.
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10. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (last week: 9)
- Mike Evans stats (2022): 33 receptions, 454 yards, 3 TD, 68.6% catch rate, 1 drop (2.1%)
How consistently good has Evans been throughout his eight-year career? He’s put up north of 1,000 yards each season, making him the first player NFL history to reach that plateau in eight consecutive years to open his career. It’s been even better for the 29-year-old Texas A&M product since Tom Brady joined the Bucs back in 2020.
- Mike Evans stats (2020-21): 144 receptions, 2,041 yards, 27 TD 65% catch rate
It’s the catch rate that stands out the most. In Jameis Winston’s final season with Tampa Bay, Evans caught just 57% of his targets. In fact, his catch rate stood at 60-plus percent just once in his first six seasons. He’s simply become a more well-rounded receiver in recent years. After Evans was suspended for Week 3, he has returned to catch 25-of-37 targets for 322 yards and two touchdowns in four games.
9. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers (last week: 10)
- Deebo Samuel stats (2022): 32 receptions, 387 yards, 59.3% catch rate, 7 drops (13.0%), 138 rushing yards, 3 TD
Our NFL wide receiver rankings for Week 8 sees Samuel take ascend the list after a couple solid performances despite San Francisco’s quarterback issues. During that two-game span, he’s caught 12-of-17 targets for 121 yards.
We’re especially interested to see how Samuel performs moving forward now that Christian McCaffrey is a member of the 49ers. The expectation is that he will see less snaps out of the backfield, creating more opportunities as a true receiver.
8. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles (last week: 6)
- A.J. Brown stats (2022): 33 receptions, 503 yards, 2 TD, 62.3% catch rate, 1 drop (1.9%)
Acquired from the Tennessee Titans in a blockbuster NFL Draft deal, Brown now joins DeVonta Smith as another elite-level weapon for Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. Brown joined his former Mississippi teammate in DK Metcalf in proving skeptics wrong after being selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. What he’s done since is remarkable.
That’s been taken to a whole new level in 2022 after Brown was acquired from the Tennessee Titans in an off-season trade. Brown has put up 67 yards or more in five of six games catching passes from Jalen Hurts. He’s also averaging a robust 9.3 yards per target while dropping just two passes on 53 targets after letting eight balls slip through his hands last season in Nashville.
7. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders (last week: 8)
- Davante Adams stats (2022): 37 receptions, 509 yards, 5 TD, 58.7% catch rate, 1 drop (1.6%)
No, Adams was not a product of Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Sure it helps having one of the best quarterbacks of all-time. But Adams is also one of the reasons why Rodgers is coming off his second consecutive MVP season. Simply put, the Fresno State product is among the most dominating receivers of the modern era.
Over the course of the past two seasons, Adams has caught 238 passes for 2,927 yards and 29 touchdowns while hauling in 75% of his targets. That very same span has seen Adams drop just four passes. While the advanced numbers are down with Derek Carr tossing him the rock, Adams is still on pace to put up 1,408 yards and 17 touchdowns. Not too shabby.
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6. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins (last week: 5)
- Jaylen Waddle stats (2022): 34 receptions, 621 yards, 3 TD, 63% catch rate, 3 drops (5.6%)
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 and Miami’s other quarterbacks with another electric target. With that said, he is coming off a ho-hum four-catch performance in a Week 7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. This impacts Waddle a tad in our most-recent NFL wide receiver rankings.
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5. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (last week: 4)
- Cooper Kupp stats (2022): 56 receptions, 607 yards, 4 TD, 77.8% catch rate, 2 drops (2.8%)
The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP, Kupp opens the 2022 season No. 1 in Sportsnaut’s NFL wide receiver rankings. For good reason. The former third-round pick from Eastern Washington led the league in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns a season ago. He was simply dominating in every possible way.
- Cooper Kupp stats (2021): 145 receptions, 1,947 yards, 16 TD, 76% catch rate
Talk about an epic performance catching passes from Matthew Stafford. There’s also no reason to believe that the 29-year-old Kupp is going to slow down any time soon. Without many other options in the passing game, Stafford has targeted Kupp 64 times in five games with two drops. He put up a career-best 14-catch performance in a loss to the 49ers in Week 4 before breaking loose on a 75-yard touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5.
4. Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals (last week: 7)
- 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. Chase is now sidelined for between 4-and-6 weeks due to a hip injury. That’s all sorts of unfortunate.
3. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills (last week: 3)
- Stefon Diggs stats (2022): 49 receptions, 656 yards, 6 TD, 75.4% catch rate, 2 drops (3.1%)
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.
Back in 2020 with Buffalo, Diggs led the NFL in receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535) while hauling in an otherworldly 77% of his targets and dropping a mere five passes. Diggs picked up where he left off with brilliant performances to open the 2022 season, including a three-touchdown outing against the Tennessee Titans in Week 2.
2. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings (last week: 2)
- Justin Jefferson stats (2022): 46 receptions, 654 yards, 2 TD, 73% catch rate, 1 drop (1.6%)
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 in September, he’s been on a whole new level recently. Over the course of the past two games, Jefferson has caught 22-of-26 targets for 301 yards. He’s now on pace to catch 136 passes for 1,860 yards. This has Jefferson near the top of our NFL wide receiver rankings heading into Week 7.
1. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins (last week: 1)
- Tyreek Hill stats (2022): 57 receptions, 773 yards, 2 TD, 73.1% catch rate, 3 drops (3.6%)
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.
Last season with Patrick Mahomes tossing him th rock in Kansas City, Hill brought in 70% of his targets. He also put up a mere 4.4% drop rate on 159 targets. He’s been even better in South Beach to open the 2022 campaign, including a 190-yard Week 2 performance against the Baltimore Ravens. Hill then nearly topped that with 10 catches for 160 yards in Week 4 before going nucleur with 177 yards this past week. He’s now on pace for what would be a record 1,987 receiving yards. That seems good, and it has Hill tops in our NFL wide receiver rankings for Week 8.
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