Almost every year, the “NFL’s Top Wide Receiver” title seems to be somewhat up in the air. Often, people may say it’s situational. If you are deemed the only option on your team, you may see all the targets, or if you are star WR in a stacked offense, your stats may take a hit because the ball is being shared around. A Wide Receiver’s consistency may also come into question. After they have a breakout year, can they sustain their level of play and continue to separate themselves from the rest.
Many underrecognized players will claim they deserve to be in the debate. We saw a couple of years back Chase Claypool make that very claim, and even more recently, coming 49er star Brandon Aiyuk took to Arik Armstead’s “Third and Long” podcast to give the NFL world his opinion on the matter…
“I feel like I’m top five for sure. I’m not going to say I’m one right now, but l’m in there for sure.”
Brandon Aiyuk might very well be working himself into that conversation as he has now found himself in the top ten in receiving yards with much fewer receptions and targets than his competition. Take a look at the rest of his list when asked who are some guys he’s watching and who he thinks are the best in the game…
- Davante Adams
- Cooper Kupp
- Stefon Diggs
- Deebo Samuel
- Ja’Marr Chase
- Tee Higgins
- Justin Jefferson
- Brandon Aiyuk (himself)
All of these guys are stars and deserve recognition, but I believe there is another man worth discussing…Tyreek Hill. Many thought the fastest man in the league might slow down when he moved on from Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes, but “The Cheetah” has not broken stride. Hill is definitely in his prime and leading the league in both receiving yards and touchdowns and might write his name in the record books with his performance this year. Calvin Johnson holds the single-season record for receiving at 1,964 Yards, but this might very well be in jeopardy. Will Tyreek be the first Wide Receiver to crack 2,000 yards? Personally, I think he can…