NFL fans love to debate the most dominant wide receivers of all time. Highlight reels and box scores capture some of the story, but truly understanding greatness demands a deeper lens. The stat sheet often leaves out the nuances that separate stat monsters from those with historic impact.
That’s where PFSN’s WR+ metric steps in. Unlike traditional stats, WR+ combines advanced efficiency and usage metrics to give each receiver a holistic rating.
WR+ dates back to the 2019 season. Here are the 10 highest-graded individual wide receiver seasons of the past six years.
10) CeeDee Lamb
Dallas Cowboys (2023)
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb delivered the best season of his career in 2023, finishing with 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns, all career highs, per Pro Football Reference. Lamb led the NFL in receptions and ranked second in receiving yards, emerging as the focal point of one of the league’s most explosive offenses.
Lamb’s connection with Dak Prescott reached another level. He consistently dominated matchups from both the slot and outside. He posted eight 100-yard games, showcasing elite consistency and route-running precision.
Lamb also posted some strong efficiency metrics. The four-time Pro Bowler finished with 2.8 yards per route run, a +0.54 EPA per target, and a 2.8% drop rate. His 10.3% catch rate over expected highlighted his ability to make difficult catches.
While Lamb was productive in his first three seasons in Dallas, his 2023 campaign cemented his status as a true WR1 and elevated him to a different tier of NFL wideouts.
9) Brandon Aiyuk
San Francisco 49ers (2023)
Brandon Aiyuk enjoyed the most productive season of his career in 2023, emerging as the San Francisco 49ers’ most consistent downfield threat. The former first-round pick racked up 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on just 75 receptions, averaging an impressive 17.9 yards per catch, second only to George Pickens in that category.
Aiyuk was remarkably efficient, finishing with a 71.4% catch rate. He also posted an elite 3.06 yards per route, 12.8 yards per target, and +0.63 EPA per target.
The 49ers’ offense featured plenty of weapons, including Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle, so Aiyuk saw fewer opportunities than more WR1s (22.6% target share). However, he maximized his chances, posting seven 100-yard games.
Aiyuk’s route-running precision and ability to separate against man coverage made him a favorite target on third downs, and he finished the year with 61 first downs. His eye-popping per-play value makes the 2023 season one of the most impactful of the past six years.
8) Davante Adams
Green Bay Packers (2020)
Davante Adams’ 2020 campaign was his second-to-last with the Green Bay Packers, but it was his most dominant. The three-time All-Pro wide receiver reeled in 115 receptions for 1,374 yards and an NFL-best 18 touchdowns in just 14 games.
Davante Adams’ release game is unfair 😤 @tae15adams @packers pic.twitter.com/PSBKKVxITP
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) April 12, 2020
Adams led the league in receiving scores and ranked first in both targets per game and receptions per game. Adams was Aaron Rodgers’ go-to weapon (32.1% on-field target share) in a Packers offense that scored the most points in the league that year.
Adams’ efficiency was equally elite. He caught 77.2% of his targets and led the league in yards per route run (2.96). He may not have had the best aDOT (8.9), but he was impactful, posting a +0.45 EPA per target and 34.4% red-zone target share. Adams flexed his reliable hands with a 0.7% drop per target rate.
Adams’ route-running, body control, and release package were virtually unguardable, even in tight windows and on critical downs. His volume, efficiency, and technical excellence helped him record one of the best wide receiver seasons of the past decade.
7) Cooper Kupp
Los Angeles Rams (2021)
Cooper Kupp put together one of the most prolific seasons in NFL history during the 2021 season with the Los Angeles Rams. He finished the regular season with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns.
He became the second player ever to eclipse 1,900 receiving yards in a season, and the third, alongside Randy Moss (2003) and Calvin Johnson (2011), to record over 1,500 receiving yards and more than 15 touchdowns in a single year.
Kupp led the league in receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns, and yards per game, placing him in a class of his own. His year becomes even more remarkable when paired with the Rams winning the Super Bowl. He added another 33 receptions for 478 yards and six scores during that postseason run.
From an advanced metrics standpoint, Kupp’s 3.12 yards per route run and +0.57 EPA per target were elite marks. He capped off his season by earning AP Offensive Player of the Year honors, a first-team All-Pro selection, and a third-place finish in MVP voting.
6) A.J. Brown
Tennessee Titans (2019)
A.J. Brown wasted no time making an impact in his rookie season with the Tennessee Titans in 2019. The second-round pick from Ole Miss emerged as the team’s top receiving threat, finishing with 1,051 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on just 52 receptions.
Brown’s 20.2 yards per catch was second only to Mike Williams, offering a big-play element to a Tennessee offense that came alive in the second half of the season. His production surged after Ryan Tannehill took over as the starting quarterback in Week 7.
Brown’s 12.5 yards per target on 84 targets is among the highest marks in the WR+ metric’s history. His blend of yards-after-catch ability and deep-threat explosiveness helped fuel Tennessee’s late-season playoff push, including a four-game stretch in December where he topped 110 yards three times.
Cracking the top 10 on this list with an on-field target share of only 21.4% is no easy feat. However, it’s a testament to Brown’s ability as a game-changer.
5) Michael Thomas
New Orleans Saints (2019)
From 2016 to 2019, Drew Brees and Michael Thomas were one of the NFL’s most dangerous quarterback-receiver duos, and they hit their peak in the 2019 season. That year, the New Orleans Saints wideout broke the league’s single-season record with 149 receptions, led all receivers with 1,725 yards, and caught nine touchdowns.
Thomas had nearly 400 more receiving yards than the next closest player. His dominant performance earned him AP Offensive Player of the Year honors, making him just the second different wide receiver to win the award, joining the legendary Jerry Rice.
The Ohio State product finished the year with 2.88 yards per route run, a +0.54 EPA per dropback, and an absurd 14% catch rate over expected. Despite facing frequent double coverage and operating primarily out of the short and intermediate areas, he still led all receivers in first-down catches.
Thomas’ chemistry with Drew Brees was palpable, and his ability to win off the line, separate in tight windows, and catch nearly everything thrown his way made him virtually unstoppable.
4) Tyreek Hill
Miami Dolphins (2023)
Tyreek Hill’s 2023 season was one of the most explosive and efficient campaigns by a wide receiver in recent memory. The Miami Dolphins star led the NFL with 1,799 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 119 receptions (second), despite missing one game.
Hill averaged a career-best 112.4 yards per game and posted an eye-popping 15.1 yards per catch in Miami’s high-octane offense.
Beyond the raw production, Hill was a matchup nightmare every week. He ranked in the top five in yards after catch, explosive plays, and first downs gained. His ability to separate at all three levels of the field opened up Miami’s entire scheme, stretching defenses both vertically and horizontally.
Hill’s 3.85 yards per route are the highest the WR+ metric has ever seen. His 36.6% on-field target share and 37.5% red-zone target share speak to how good he was at getting open and his overall importance to the Dolphins’ success.
3) A.J. Brown
Philadelphia Eagles (2024)
The Philadelphia Eagles’ offense had to be a nightmare to game plan for last season, thanks to an elite group of skill position players that also included Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. Still, Brown delivered one of the most efficient seasons of his career, reaffirming his place among the NFL’s elite wideouts.
Brown finished the year with 1,079 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 67 receptions. His 97 targets were the lowest since his rookie season, but he made the most of his opportunities and posted the highest catch rate of his career (69.1%).
Brown’s physicality and ball-tracking ability made him the focal point of Philadelphia’s passing attack from start to finish. He ranked in the top 10 with 28 explosive receptions (catches of 16+ yards) in 2024, per TruMedia.
He also finished with 3.04 yards per route run, a +0.58 EPA per target, and an unreal zero drops. Brown’s ability to stand out from the crowd efficiently despite commanding a high target volume was remarkable.
2) Nico Collins
Houston Texans (2023)
Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins enjoyed a breakout campaign alongside Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud in 2023. The Michigan product emerged as Stroud’s most explosive and dependable target, finishing with 80 receptions for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns across 15 games, all career highs.
Nico Collins in 2023:
80 receptions, 1,297 yards, 8 receiving TDs (all career-highs)
A well-deserved extension to stay in Houston @lbg_nico7 🤝 pic.twitter.com/UbLowvy8zZ
— NFL (@NFL) May 28, 2024
Collins’ 16.2 yards per catch ranked third among all players with at least 70 receptions, showcasing his big-play impact. He was also among the league leaders in yards per route run (3.11), yards per target (11.9), and EPA per target (+0.64).
The Texans’ offense flourished in large part due to Collins’ efficiency. He caught 73.4% of his targets and posted five 100-yard games, including four performances with 145 yards or more. His physicality at the catch point and ability to separate against man coverage were key in Houston’s late-season playoff push.
Collins recorded fewer than 40 receptions and 500 receiving yards in his first two NFL seasons. However, he quickly developed chemistry with Stroud, and now, he’s one of the best wideouts in the league.
1) Puka Nacua
Los Angeles Rams (2024)
While you’re likely not surprised to see Puka Nacua make this list, this may not have been the season you expected. The Los Angeles Rams’ rising star posted a historic rookie campaign in 2023. Somehow, his 2024 season is the highest-graded season in the history of the WR+ metric.
Nacua caught 79 passes for 990 yards and three touchdowns on 106 targets. That’s half the touchdowns he scored as a rookie, but these numbers look significantly stronger when you remember Nacua played just 11 games last season. He averaged more yards per game (90.0 YPG vs. 87.4 YPG in 2023) and posted a higher catch rate (74.5% vs. 65.6% in 2023).
Nacua’s 3.57 yards per route run were among the best the metric has seen, and he posted a strong +0.52 EPA per target. The 2023 fifth-round pick was Matthew Stafford’s go-to guy, with a dominant 37.9% target share. Of his 11 games, he recorded five 100-yard outings and two with double-digit catches.
Nacua isn’t the flashiest receiver, and his counting stats don’t jump off the page, but his advanced metrics reflect a complete effort, even in an injury-shortened season.
