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Welcome to Sports Illustrated’s 2026 NFL position rankings, where we’ll stack up the top 10 players across the league at each spot on the field over the coming weeks leading into training camp. We begin with wide receivers.
High-powered passing offenses have become the norm in the NFL in recent years, which makes the wide receiver position all the more valuable. That much is evident in the way that wideout contracts have skyrocketed in recent years. Top wide receivers earn nearly twice as much as top running backs and tight ends.
The NFL is currently brimming with talented receivers. Having just one star wideout often isn’t enough, and we’ve seen teams take big swings in trades, free agency and even at the NFL draft to add more talent to their wide receiver room. And as defenses develop and shift more towards slowing down the aerial attack, the need for multiple gifted wide receivers continues to grow.
We’ve ranked the top 10 wide receivers in the NFL heading into the 2026 season. Rankings were determined by a vote between Eva Geitheim, Mike Kadlick and Karl Rasmussen.
10. Nico Collins, Houston Texans
2025 stats: 71 receptions, 1,117 yards, six touchdowns (15 games)
Since he was selected in the third round of the 2021 draft, Collins has emerged as the Texans’ top playmaker. He has recorded three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and is coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances. Collins has been pivotal to the Texans’ success since the team drafted C.J. Stroud in 2023, helping Houston reach the playoffs in three consecutive years. He’s been Houston’s most reliable weapon, especially in the intermediate and deep areas of the field, and particularly as the Texans have dealt with inconsistency at offensive line and running back. — Eva Geitheim
9. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
2025 stats: 68 receptions, 919 yards, seven touchdowns (12 games)
London was the second of four consecutive offensive players drafted in the first round by the Falcons from 2021 to ’24, and earned himself a massive payday this offseason. After a 100-catch, 1,271-yard, nine-touchdown 2024 season and an injury-shortened ’25 campaign that saw him notch a career-high 13.5 yards per reception, the 24-year-old signed a four-year, $141 million extension in June, making him the third-highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL in terms of APY. London is Atlanta’s top receiving threat and will remain a welcome presence for whoever ultimately wins the Falcons’ quarterback job this summer. — Mike Kadlick
8. A.J. Brown, New England Patriots
2025 stats: 78 receptions, 1,003 yards, seven touchdowns
Brown remains one of the league’s best receivers, even after playing for an Eagles offense that sometimes didn’t complete a pass for an entire half. During the 2025 season, Brown recorded his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season. Since entering the NFL as a second-round pick in 2019, Brown has recorded 1,000 receiving yards in six of his seven seasons. He will look to continue that consistency alongside Drake Maye in New England, where he will reunite with Mike Vrabel and play under Josh McDaniels.
“I think he has a physical skill set, he’s got great body control, he’s strong at the catch point,” Vrabel said of Brown in June. “But I also think as he’s grown as a player and as a receiver, just the nuances of releases versus press, playing versus bracketed coverages or zone coverages. He plays physical with the football and has been a productive and consistent player.” — E.G.
7. George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys
2025 stats: 93 catches, 1,429 yards, nine touchdowns
Pickens proved to be the perfect fit for the Cowboys’ offense in 2025, recording career highs in receptions and receiving yards. Known for his acrobatic catches and on-field antics in Pittsburgh, Pickens excelled when he joined a team with consistent quarterback play in Dallas, as he became Dak Prescott’s top playmaker a season ago. His 6′ 8″ frame allows him to haul in incredible contested catches, but he is also stellar at turning a slant or short pass upfield and accumulating yards after the catch—even as defenders make contact with him.
“That guy makes it easy,” Dak Prescott said of Pickens during minicamp. “You see us just in routes on air out there, but you just go turn on the tape, that guy is going to get separation. He’s just different. He understands his leverage. He understands his routes. He understands where I’m looking for him at the catch point, the depth.” — E.G.
6. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
2025 stats: 117 receptions, 1,401 yards, 11 touchdowns
St. Brown was a fourth-round pick in 2021 but has quickly developed into one of the NFL’s best all-around wide receivers. He has the most receptions in the league since he was drafted, and has eclipsed 1,000 yards in four of his five seasons as a pro. In each of the past three seasons, St. Brown has recorded 115-plus receptions, 10-plus touchdowns and more than 1,250 yards. He’s not the fastest receiver out there, but he’s extremely strong, an outstanding route-runner, and can make catches at all three levels, even when tightly contested. — M.K.
5. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
2025 stats: 75 receptions, 1,077 yards, three touchdowns (14 games)
Paired with the aforementioned Pickens, Lamb makes up one half of what is arguably the NFL’s top wide receiver duo. The former Oklahoma Sooner was given the Cowboys’ signature No. 88 after he was drafted in the first round in 2020, and has backed it up with 7,416 receiving yards and 41 touchdowns on 571 career receptions. Lamb earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2023 after leading the league in catches (135) and tallying 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns, and continues to be Dallas’s scariest weapon on offense, even after being out-produced by Pickens last season while missing three games due to injury. — M.K.
4. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
2025 stats: 84 receptions, 1,048 yards, two touchdowns
Since making his NFL debut in 2020, Jefferson has the most receiving yards in the league, and it’s not close. He’s racked up 8,480 yards in his first six NFL seasons, over 1,000 yards more than the next player (Davante Adams with 7,439). He also ranks second in receptions (579) over that same span, despite catching passes from 10 different quarterbacks in his career. If Kyler Murray wins the Vikings’ starting job, that tally would increase to 11. Jefferson, by his standards, had a down year in 2025, but still had over 1,000 yards for the sixth consecutive season. — Karl Rasmussen
3. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
2025 stats: 119 receptions, 1,793 yards, 10 touchdowns
A few years ago, Smith-Njigba was fighting for targets behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in Seattle. Now, he’s a bona fide No. 1 receiver, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year and a Super Bowl champion. Smith-Njigba had the best season of his pro career in 2025 when he led all receivers with 1,793 yards while catching 119 passes and 10 touchdown receptions. He possesses unparalleled agility, great top-end speed and is a polished route-runner, all of which play into him being the NFL’s best deep-ball threat. — K.R.
2. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
2025 stats: 129 receptions, 1,715 yards, 10 touchdowns
Nacua has been nothing short of dominant throughout his first three seasons in the NFL. After a historic rookie season in which he set NFL records for most receptions and receiving yards by a first-year player, Nacua took another leap in Year 3. He led the league with 129 receptions and 107 yards per game, while racking up 1,715 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. Nacua is exceptionally strong and excels at making contested catches and winning 50-50 balls. He’s also elite at making over-the-shoulder catches and plays along the sidelines. Plus, Nacua catches passes from the reigning league MVP. — K.R.
1. Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
2025 stats: 125 receptions, 1,412 yards, eight touchdowns
Chase has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in all five of his NFL seasons, including in 2022 when he was only on the field for 12 games. Chase is quarterback-proof. Even when Joe Burrow has been sidelined by injuries, the Bengals’ star receiver still produces at a high level. Since he debuted in the NFL in 2021, Chase ranks second among all receivers in yards (6,837), receptions (520) and touchdowns (54). — K.R.
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EVA GEITHEIM
Eva Geitheim is an NFL writer at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor’s in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or rewatching Gilmore Girls.
KARL RASMUSSEN
Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.
MIKE KADLICK
Mike Kadlick is an NFL writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.
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