The NFL has never had more talent than they have right now, especially at the wide receiver position. But which team has the best wide receiver corps in 2022?
NFL wide receiver corps rankings 2022
When looking into wide receiver corps rankings, I find depth very important. In the playoffs, the San Francisco 49ers sold out to stop Davante Adams. Once they did this, the Green Bay Packers’ offense became stuck in the mud as Aaron Rodgers struggled without his favorite target being a viable option.
The Los Angeles Rams had a similar problem in the Super Bowl; Odell Beckham Jr. was having a career game before tearing his ACL. After the injury, the Rams’ offense had a significant drop-off in production until they figured things out near the end of the fourth quarter.
So, while top-end talent is obviously necessary, you must account for depth when ranking the best wide receiver groups in the NFL. I wanted to rank just receivers, but if a team often split their tight ends out wide, like the Las Vegas Raiders or Miami Dolphins, they did get a boost because of how interchangeably they use the positions.
Here are my preseason position rankings for the receivers in 2022:
10. Eagles
I would like to have the Philadelphia Eagles higher, but I was a bit underwhelmed by DeVonta Smith. While I thought Smith was the best receiver in his draft class coming out of college, he didn’t seem to live up to his big play potential in 2021. Hopefully, that changes with the addition of A.J. Brown, who I am very high on.
Both players should benefit from the other; when Derrick Henry got injured, the Tennessee Titans’ offense came to a screeching halt.
Lining up Smith and Brown across from each other should force defenses to choose who they want to cover, opening up the other for big plays. In addition, Quez Watkins is excellent as a number three option, and Dallas Goedert is often split out wide, giving Jalen Hurts one of the top wide receiving corps in the NFL.
9. Chargers
Keenan Allen remains one of the most underrated wide receivers in the league. Year in and year out, Allen proves to be an automatic first down for the Los Angeles Chargers. Combine that with the 6’4″ burner, Mike Williams, and you have a very potent one-two punch.
Unfortunately, the Chargers’ depth behind Williams and Allen isn’t great, and both players have a history of injuries. Nevertheless, when healthy, I value Keenan Allen as a top ten wide receiver; he just needs to stay on the field.
The Chargers’ next most consistent receiver is running back Austin Ekeler. After him, it’s a decent drop-off to Josh Palmer or Jalen Guyton.
8. Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are similar to the Chargers in that they have a fantastic one-two punch, then the depth behind them is a little questionable. The Seahawks and Denver Broncos will also be an excellent case study of how much quarterback talent affects receiver production.
My guess is a lot, and if Drew Lock is starting for Seattle, I fully expect the Seahawks defense to spend more time on the field than D.K. Metcalf or Tyler Lockett.
Regardless, Lockett and Metcalf still form one of the better receiving duos in the league, and that alone is enough to vault Seattle into the top ten NFL wide receiver corps rankings in 2022.
7. Broncos
Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton have proven to be reasonably quarterback-proof for the Denver Broncos. Neither have eye-popping numbers, but they’re two big-body receivers that create matchup problems for every defense in the league.
The question mark is Jerry Jeudy, who’s been relatively disappointing since entering the NFL. The answer will be Russell Wilson, who throws one of the best deep balls in the league. Wilson will be able to take full advantage of Jeudy’s blazing speed in a way that Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater could not. Unlocking Jeudy will give the Broncos one of the best receiving groups in the NFL.
6. Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins have based their offense around the Eleanor Roosevelt ‘quote’ from Talladega Nights, “America is all about speed, hot nasty bad-ass speed.”
Pairing Tyreek Hill with Jaylen Waddle is how I build teams in Madden. Even Miami’s tight end, Mike Gesicki, is considered a speedster for his position.
The Dolphins are a matchup nightmare for every team in the league. If Tua Tagovailoa can finally live up to his potential coming out college, expect their aerial attack to be near unstoppable.
5. Vikings
I’m still very high on the Minnesota Vikings receiving corps as a whole. Of course, everybody is high on Justin Jefferson, but I’m still high on Adam Thielen. Even in a year when Thielen was battling injuries, he was still one of the best red zone targets in the entire league.
Kirk Cousins and Thielen are very much in sync down around the end zone, and Thielen is great at finding the soft spot in the defense. K.J. Osborn is an excellent number three option, I expect a breakout season in year three.
4. Bills
The Buffalo Bills could have the best wide receiver corps in 2022, but that depends on their young depth pieces stepping up. Stefon Diggs remains one of the top receivers in the NFL, and Jamison Crowder is excellent out of the slot, even while playing for terrible New York Jets teams.
The rest revolves around Gabriel Davis becoming the guy we saw against the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs. I’m also high on Isaiah McKenzie, who had trouble getting on the field in 2021.
3. Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers would still be my number one receiving corps if I wasn’t worried about Chris Godwin’s‘ injury.
He was Tom Brady‘s favorite target, and despite the addition of Russell Gage, who will thrive away from the Atlanta Falcons offense, teams will be able to double Mike Evans during Godwin’s absence.
However, whenever Godwin returns to 100%, this offense will bounce back to one of the most potent passing attacks in the entire league.
2. Raiders
The depth isn’t great, but Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow will form the best one-two punch in the league. The Las Vegas Raiders have two wide receivers that can play in the slot or be split outside effectively. Adams and Renfrow are excellent route runners who find the soft spot in the zone or exploit matchup problems.
The Raiders also love to split Darren Waller out wide; the combination of those three will cost defensive coordinators around the league a lot of sleep. It’s worthy of the silver medal position in our NFL wide receiver corps rankings 2022.
1. Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are the best wide receivers corps in 2022 in everybody’s wide receiver corps rankings. The ceiling of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd is unmatched around the league.
All three are fantastic route runners, and Joe Burrow seems to have an equal amount of faith in all of them. Chase’s ability to take the top off the defense might be among the best in the league, and Burrow has proven he’s willing to take advantage of that skill.
Tee Higgins is 6’5″ and seems to Moss defenders regularly. It’s a fun offense to watch, and I’m constantly in awe of how explosive it is when they’re firing on all cylinders.
