The No. 1 receiver is critical in any offense. A quarterback has to have faith in the guy he wants to throw to when the game is on the line. Some teams are far better situated than others. The receiver can help make the quarterback and the quarterback can sometimes break the receiver.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: TBD*
No, we have not lost our collective minds. The key here is whether Tyreek Hill will be able to play this season. Should the Chiefs’ feature wideout be suspended, they are going to be in a pickle no matter how great Patrick Mahomes is.
31. Washington Redskins: Josh Doctson
Washington is in a situation where it could be using a rookie quarterback with a less than stellar receiving corps. Jamison Crowder is off to the Jets. So, that means Josh Doctson could have to become the prime target for Dwayne Haskins or anyone else taking snaps. He only had 44 grabs last year. Doctson has 1,100 yards in three seasons with Washington. Sketchy at best.
30. Chicago Bears: Taylor Gabriel
Mitchell Trubisky is fortunate to have Tarik Cohen and Trey Burton as targets because the receivers are iffy. Taylor Gabriel would be the top-fight wideout and that was good for 67 receptions in 2018. However, he only averaged 10.3 yards per catch.
29. San Francisco 49ers: Marquise Goodwin
Jimmy Garoppolo is going to have to make his wideouts look good. And that is contingent on the former understudy to Tom Brady making a strong return from knee surgery. Marquis Goodwin is a nice target. He averaged better than 17 yards a catch in 2018. However, he only played 11 games. Needs a full season to benefit Jimmy G, who will be looking for George Kittle, his great tight end, plenty.
28. Baltimore Ravens: Willie Snead
There is a huge difference from being a secondary option for Drew Brees than being a primary target for Lamar Jackson. Willie Snead IV did have 62 grabs in 2018. However, he averaged only 10 yards per catch. There is a collection of journeymen and youth on the Ravens’ roster at WR. Gonna put Jackson in a spot as he tries to grow as a passer.
27. Buffalo Bills: John Brown
John Brown moves from Baltimore to Buffalo. He’s going to be a deep target for Josh Allen, who needs more help than he had in an injury-riddled rookie season. Cole Beasley is a Bill now, too. Zay Jones is around so the second-year pro has options, just not sure how great they are.
26. Carolina Panther: D.J. Moore
D.J. Moore came on nicely and developed into an offensive spark for the Carolina Panthers, who will be without Devin Funchess, now an Indianapolis Colt.
25. Tennessee Titans: Adam Humprhies
Adam Humphries may not be the best receiver on the Titans but he gets the pub here for questionable thinking. Anyone who worries about Tom Brady’s age when signing with a team has to be somewhat foolhardy. Good luck when the passes are coming from Marcus Mariota or Ryan Tannehill rather than the G.O.A.T.
24. Miami Dolphins: Kenny Stills
What does it say when a receiver has to be looking forward to a season with a quarterback that led another team to the worst record in the league? Kenny Stills no longer has to play with the inconsistent and oft-injured Ryan Tannehill. Will Josh Rosen’s talents help wideouts in South Beach?
23. New York Giants: Golden Tate
Golden Tate is heading into the golden years of his NFL career. He will come to play every week and not create a buzz about himself the way the departed No. 13 managed to do on a weekly basis.
22. Seattle Seahawks: Tyler Lockett
Tyler Lockett continues to grow as a deep threat for Russell Wilson. He will have more on his plate in 2019 with Doug Baldwin retired. The guess here is the Wilson-Lockett combination will see more success and scores.
21. New York Jets: Jamison Crowder
Sam Darnold will have a solid No. 1 target in Jamison Crowder, who comes over from Washington. Crowder can make a lot of catches and is capable. Hopefully, Darnold will remain healthy and be able to create chemistry for Gang Green.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dede Westbrook
One of the happier people in Florida has to be Dede Westbrook. Getting Nick Foles to be your quarterback is light years better than Blake Bortles or anyone else who has called signals in Jacksonville.
19. Detroit Lions: Kenny Golladay
Kenny Golladay had 70 catches for more than 1,000 yards in developing into Matt Stafford’s go-to wideout. He is capable of making the spectacular grab on a routine basis. Easy to see him moving up the list this season.
18. Philadelphia Eagles: Alshon Jeffery
Forget the bobble in the playoffs, Alshon Jeffery is a strong target no matter who is throwing the ball in Philly. He is athletic and can find separation. A Philly special.
17. Indianapolis Colts: T.Y. Hilton
T.Y. Hilton misses having six straight 1,000-yard seasons by 34 yards in 2017. That happened to be the year Andrew Luck was out in Indy. Hilton averages 16 yards per grab. Would love to see more of his catches finish in the end zone.
16. Denver Broncos: Emmanuel Sanders
Emmanuel Sanders has to hope Joe Flacco’s pitching arm throws a lot of balls his way. Denver’s problem has not been the talented wideouts. More of a case the quarterbacks in the past few years have no delivered.
15. Arizona Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald
An absolute Hall of Famer as he heads into the final part of his career. Larry Fitzgerald would have been near the top — if not the top — of the list in his prime. He remains a dazzling target. Big question is whether Kyler Murray will be able to deliver him the ball better than Josh Rosen.
14. Cleveland Browns: Jarvis Landry
Yep. Jarvis Landry gets picked over Odell Beckham Jr. in Cleveland. Why? The older part of the LSU2 is solid, leads and plays every down. You won’t seem him causing a stir on the sidelines or in the media. Until Beckham Jr. proves he is mature enough to play to his talents, Baker Mayfield would be wise to bank on Landry.
13. New England Patriots: Julian Edelman
Super Bowl MVP and one of Tom Brady’s top targets. Actually, make Julian Edelman No. 12’s favorite receiver as tight end Rob Gronkowski has retired. Expect Brady and Edeleman to be on the same page plenty this season.
12. Los Angeles Chargers: Keenan Allen
Keenan Allen has more than 200 catches for better than 2,500 yards in the past two seasons while being targeted an amazing 295 times. He’s been able to stay healthy and Philip Rivers loves to throw the ball his way.
11. Dallas Cowboys: Amari Cooper
Talk about a tale of two seasons. Amari Cooper was getting lost in the losses in Oakland. A trade to Dallas and he became one of the premier wideouts in the game. Great move by the Cowboys to pick up the former Alabama star, who will only get better in a full season with Dallas.
10. Green Bay Packers: Davante Adams
To be the prime target of Aaron Rodgers, you have to be consistently fabulous and beyond dependable. Davante Adams has developed into precisely that and is on the rise as one of the best wideouts in the game.
9. Minnesota Vikings: Adam Thielen
Adam Thielen is one of the best stories in the NFL of this or many generations. He caught 113 passes to 102 for Stefon Diggs. Each had nine TD grabs. Thielen is the model of consistency and dependability. A true go-to guy for Kirk Cousins and that is no slight to Diggs.
8. Rams: Brandin Cooks
Tough choosing between Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods as a top target to Jared Goff. Cooks caught 80 passes to Woods’ 86 but the feeling is Cooks is more of the big target and deserves the nod. Nice 1-2 punch for any team to have these guys.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers: Juju Smith-Schuster
Antonio who? Amazing how another talented player can get under the skin of a diva receiver. JuJu Smith-Schuster simply blossomed in his second season and made it reasonably easy for the Steelers to move on from the migraine Antonio Brown became.
6. Cincinnati Bengals: A.J. Green
A great player, like Julio Jones. A.J. Green is caught in the misery and mediocrity that is Cincinnati. He’s exceptional and it is unfortunate the former Georgia great gets lost on a team that delivers zero headlines.
5. Oakland Raiders: Antonio Brown
Will be fascinating to see how long it takes for Antonio Brown to lose patience with Derek Carr and Jon Gruden in Oakland. He’s a marvelous talent who won’t have to share the spotlight with anyone like Juju Smith-Schuster anymore. That means plenty of balls should be headed this way. Have to wonder if losing will prove to be tough to digest as Oakland hardly looks like a contender.
4. Tampa Bay Bucs: Mike Evans
Think of how great Mike Evans would be if he actually had a stable quarterback situation. The former Texas A&M star averaged a career-high 17.7 yards per catch while the Bucs had to juggle Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston. The bet here is Evans has a bigger season with Bruce Arians in control in Tampa Bay.
3. Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones
Julio Jones is simply remarkable. The 30-year-old from Alabama is coming off a season that saw him catch 113 passes for a league-leading 1,677 yards. He’s building a Hall-of-Fame resume and if he stays healthy could easily duplicate 2018 with the other receiving options Matt Ryan has.
2. Houston Texans: DeAndre Hopkins
DeAndre Hopkins is a show-stealer week in and week out. He has a growing quarterback in Deshaun Watson and they have great chemistry. Houston has other options, too, so double up on Hopkins at your own risk. He is neck-and-neck for the best in the league with …
1. New Orleans Saints: Michael Thomas
… What’s there not to like about having Michael Thomas as your prime target?: The wideout from Ohio State had 125 catches last season. He’s an absolute gem and catches everything in sight. Drew Brees is as lucky to have Thomas in New Orleans as Thomas is fortunate to have Brees,
