Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the only player in NFL history with 75-plus receiving yards in each of his team's first 11 games of the season. The receiver is having a historic year for the Seattle Seahawks, as he has already broken the franchise's single-season receiving record. The Ohio State product has shown no signs of slowing down, making it clear that he is cemented as one of the very best receivers in the NFL. That was not a commonly agreed-upon viewpoint just a few months ago. So, is Smith-Njigba officially the best receiver in the league, and if not, where does he rank?
10. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
Emeka Egbuka was given consideration for the last spot here, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie has been fantastic. Mike Evans has such prolonged success that he just narrowly missed this list, and Brian Thomas Jr. may have been here before the start of the season, but his down season, which has been highlighted by a drops issue, prevents him from appearing. Garrett Wilson, Nico Collins, and A.J. Brown deserve a mention as well.
The 10th spot among the best receivers in the NFL deserves to go to Drake London, though. Prior to missing the Atlanta Falcons' most recent game, London was on a tear. London is a huge receiver who provides mismatch problems on a weekly basis. He will be playing the rest of the season with Kirk Cousins, not Michael Penix Jr., throwing him the football, but he has found success with both quarterbacks throwing to him.
9. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
Once the clear-cut best receiver in the NFL, Tyreek Hill has fallen off in recent years, and his future outlook is becoming more bleak because he is an undersized, speed-reliant 31-year-old who just suffered a gruesome knee injury. Still, what Hill has accomplished should not be overlooked, and it is possible that he still has plenty left in the tank.
Hill is arguably the best burner in NFL history. He is nearly unstoppable when it comes to the deep ball, but his prowess there has resulted in the rest of his game being overlooked. Hill runs crisp routes and has reliable hands. He is much better in one-on-one situations than he is given credit for. Hill's glory days came with the Kansas City Chiefs when Patrick Mahomes was throwing him the football, but he still deserves to be ranked among the best receivers in the NFL.
8. Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams
Davante Adams is 32 years old and still going strong. He has adapted with the Los Angeles Rams in order to cater to there being another great receiver on the roster: Puka Nacua. Adams has developed into the NFL's premier touchdown threat, as his 10 touchdown catches are the most in the NFL.
Even at his age, Adams is still a physically imposing receiver. He wins jump balls and is a lob threat in the end zone. Adams isn't as much of a high-volume pass catcher as he once was, but he makes the most of his opportunities.
7. Malik Nabers, New York Giants
Unfortunately, Malik Nabers is out for the season with a torn ACL. He had one of the best rookie seasons ever last year, though, and he was well on his way to cementing his case as one of the best receivers in the NFL this year. Nabers broke the rookie reception record with 109 catches last season, and Brock Bowers just so happened to one-up him mere minutes later.
The future is bright with Jaxson Dart throwing Nabers the football, though. Dart is known for great arm strength and a gunslinger mentality, which should result in big numbers from Nabers. Fans won't see him in action for some time, but Nabers is clearly already one of the best receivers in the NFL.
6. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions' offense is high-powered. The running back tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery plays a big part in that, but Amon-Ra St. Brown's receiving expertise catapults Detroit's offense to extreme heights. This year, St. Brown has 75 catches for 884 yards.
The three-time Pro Bowler isn't flashy, but he always seems to be open. The Lions scored more points than any other team last season, and they are near the top yet again. St. Brown could be on his way to his third straight First-Team All-Pro nod.
5. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
CeeDee Lamb is in an interesting place this season. He missed some time earlier in the year, which allowed George Pickens to step up as one of the NFL's statistical darlings this season. Pickens actually ranks second with 1,054 receiving yards. The Pickens trade was a great move for the Dallas Cowboys, but nobody would claim he is better than Lamb.
Lamb is just two seasons removed from a 135-reception season, which ranked sixth all-time. Long-term, Pickens' presence as the Robin to Lamb's Batman should only lead to the offense being opened up even more.
4. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
Smith-Njigba is having a fantastic season and deserves all of the praise that he is getting. The Seahawks' trade of DK Metcalf and decision to move on from Tyler Lockett have allowed Smith-Njigba to truly break out. He leads the NFL by a large margin with 1,313 receiving yards.
Smith-Njigba is well on his way to breaking every Seahawks' franchise record, if he hasn't already done so. With six games to go, Smith-Njigba could even chase Calvin Johnson's single-season receiving record for the entire league (1,964). If he managed to do so, the Ohio State product's placement in the fourth position on this list might have to be reevaluated. Before this season, though, Smith-Njigba was viewed as an up-and-coming player, not a bona fide megastar, so he still needs to prove himself for a little bit longer.
3. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
Puka Nacua isn't far off from proving that he is the best receiver in the NFL. His sophomore season was somewhat lost because of injuries, but Nacua had the best rookie receiving season ever just the year before. He had a 15-catch game in his first season, which was a rookie record, as were his 1,486 total receiving yards.
Nacau's has bounced back to put up huge numbers again. He ranks in the top five among receivers in receptions 73 and receiving yards 850. The only thing holding the BYU product back is the fact that the other half of his star receiving tandem is stealing the touchdown production this year.
2. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
A common debate over the years is whether Justin Jefferson or the next player on this list is the best receiver in the NFL. Smith-Njigba still has a little way to go to get here, and Jefferson certainly has a claim as WR1. Unfortunately, 2025 has been by far Jefferson's worst season, and if he doesn't pick it up soon, he is at risk of falling down these rankings.
Jefferson has particularly struggled to punch the ball into an end zone during a season in which he has received passes from the Minnesota Vikings backup quarterback, Carson Wentz, and a struggling pseudo-rookie in J.J. McCarthy. Jefferson only has two touchdowns this season, but his greatness has been established for long enough that fans can't give up on him yet. He led the NFL with 1,809 yards and 128 receptions in 2022 in what was one of the best individual receiving seasons ever.
Jefferson has over 1,400 yards in each of his other three fully healthy seasons. He is a precise route runner who has thrived with subpar quarterback play before, so the assumption has to be that Jefferson will return to his dominant ways sooner rather than later.
1. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Ja'Marr Chase hasn't had his prettiest season. He was most recently in the news for spitting on an opponent, which led to his suspension for Week 12. While Smith-Njigba was having one of the best games of his career, Chase was forced to sit on the sideline during his team's matchup.
Still, he has done enough this year to maintain his claim as being the best receiver in the NFL. Chase does it all as a receiver. He can catch the deep ball, work in the intermediate part of the field, thrive as a red zone target, or come down with possession catches. He still led the NFL in receptions with 79 coming into Week 12. Chase has produced in this alleged down year despite Joe Burrow missing nearly the entirety of the season.
Chase has been the go-to target for Jake Browning and Joe Flacco this year. Burrow is near a return, and he will help remind fans why Chase is the best receiver in the NFL. The duo nearly single-handedly makes the Bengals relevant, as their defense is so bad that the team struggles drastically if the offense doesn't put up huge numbers.
