Top Ten Wide Receivers in the NFL Entering the 2023 season!
Reacting to Chase's 2022 season projection for these receivers!
Welcome back to the Cool Sports Newsletter. One of our fans favorite articles last season was when we ranked the top ten Wide Receivers in the NFL heading into the 2022 season. So we’re going to run that back again, but going into the 2023 season. You’d be surprised how much has changed! Plus break down some receivers that will be on the list next year, a receiver that will be break out into a star, and react to my 2022 projections for some of these receivers! Let’s get into it!
***Like last season, when I project a player’s season, I project it based on if they play 17 games, unless they have an injury or suspension that is reported to miss a certain amount of time. That would also be notified when I projected that player’s stats***
Honorable Mentions:
Amon-Ra St. Brown
DeAndre Hopkins | Last years ranking: 6
(Projection) 143 tgt, 87 rec, 1,139 yards, 6 TD | Next years ranking: HM
Deebo Samuel | Last years ranking: 9
(Projection) 110 tgt, 65 rec, 1,059 yards, 5 TD | Next year’s ranking: N/A
DK Metcalf
(Projection) 131 tgt, 85 rec, 1,122 yards, 8 TD | Next year’s ranking: HM
A receiver that will be on the list in 2023 that isn’t on it now: Amon-Ra St. Brown
It’s only a matter of time before Amon-Ra finds his way on to the Top Ten Wide Receivers list! Amon-Ra improved substantially from 2021 to 2022, which was a season where he had over 1200 scrimmage yards. He is the staple of a pretty dominant Lions offense at this point in his career. With a plateauing David Montgomery and unproven Jahmyr Gibbs, expect Detroit to have a very pass-heavy offense in the first half of the season, which should allow Amon-Ra to total career highs in many statistics. A dark horse Offensive Player of the Year pick? A new year, and new opportunities for Amon-Ra to continue to dominate, probably on a postseason team as well!
Chase’s 2023 Projection: 151 tgt, 116 rec, 1,403 yards, 9 TD’s, Pro Bowl
A receiver that will go from a starter to star: Marquise Brown
Brown, a former first round pick in Baltimore, has definitely had a rocky career thus far. But I do think this is finally the year when Brown gets to show how good of a receiver he really is. His projections for a 17 game season if he didn’t get hurt last year were over 1,000 yards! But between injuries and inconsistent showings, we have only seen Brown reach the 1,000 yard total ONCE, which was only by eight yards back in 2021. I think though this is year where the speedy receiver puts it all together. Now that he is officially the primary, more like only, option in Arizona, even if Colt McCoy is at quarterback, Brown is going to have a monster season and not rank in the top ten, but finally solidify his position as a star in this league!
Chase’s 2023 Projection: 142 tgt, 95 rec, 1,149 yards, 8 TD, Pro Bowl
Terry McLaurin, Commanders | Last years ranking: 10 | Last years projection: 9-12
Chase’s 2022 Projection: 125 tgt, 83 rec, 1,245 yards, 4 TD
2022 ACTUAL Numbers: 120 tgt, 77 rec, 1,191 yards, 5 TD
McLaurin is one of the more consistent receivers in the NFL. That’s why my projection for him last season wasn’t far off! He’s never played less than 14 games in a season, and never had less than 915 yards. In fact, McLaurin has totaled over 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. And he’s done it with quarterback play from Case Keenum, Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins, Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz! McLaurin does such a good job at using his strength to make incredible catches, and nice route running to get relatively open areas for quarterbacks to throw to. With Jahan Dotson expected to have a breakout season, there is a great possibility McLaurin isn’t on the list this time next year. But his consistency and still un-tapped skillset won’t go anywhere!
Chase’s 2023 Projection: 101 tgt, 67 rec, 1,085 yards, 6 TD | Next years ranking: 10-15
Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins | Last year’s ranking: N/A
2022 ACTUAL NUMBERS: 117 tgt, 75 rec, 1,356 yards, 8 TD’s
I was not right about Jaylen Waddle last season. I didn’t even project him to be in the conversation to be in the top ten! But here we are. Waddle just accumulated over 1300 yards and eight touchdowns, despite less targets and receptions than 2021. That was because Waddle led the NFL with 18.1 yards per reception! Waddle ranked 7th in the entire NFL in yards last season, and did it with three different quarterbacks. Did he have Tyreek Hill on the other side of the field creating space for him? Yes. And that is fair, and why he only ranks 9th. But his incredible speed, elusiveness, and ability to get open quickly puts him at nine right now, and gives him a ton of room to waddle up on the list next season!
Chase’s 2023 Projection: 125 tgt, 85 rec, 1,207 yards, 9 TD | Next years ranking: 7-15
CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys | Last years ranking: HM
2022 ACTUAL Numbers: 156 tgt, 107 rec, 1,359 yards, 9 TD’s | Pro Bowl
What CeeDee Lamb was able to accomplish last season is unbelievable. He was 6th in the entire NFL in receiving yards, and tied for 3rd in the NFL in most catches for 20 or more yards! And he did this with Cooper Rush for 5 games, and the NFL’s interception leader for 12 weeks, Dak Prescott. Now, I’m not going to act like Dak was horrible last season or anything like that, but he was definitely less consistent and wasn’t able to throw as many accurate passes. Lamb truly carried the offense through the air last season. He just continues to get better season after season, and I’m expecting another monster campaign next year, especially if Dak is back to his old form!
Chase’s 2023 Projection: 149 tgt, 96 rec, 1,353 yards, 10 TD’s | Next years ranking: 7-10
A.J. Brown, Eagles | Last years ranking: HM
2022 ACTUAL Numbers: 145 tgt, 88 rec, 1,496 yards, 11 TD’s | Pro Bowl
A.J. Brown getting traded to the Eagles during the 2022 NFL draft was a match made in heaven! Brown totaled career highs in almost categories in Philadelphia in 2022, including targets, receptions, yards, touchdowns, and AV (Approximate Value), a category where he ranked 11th in all of football. Brown used his incredible one-on-one abilities to pile up the 5th most catches of 20 or more yards and the third most catches of 40 or more yards. Brown’s 9th place finish in MVP voting was about right for a reason! A career year, a Super Bowl appearance, but most importantly, the number seven rankings on the Cool Sports Newsletter’s Wide Receiver ranking!
Chase’s 2023 Projection: 132 tgt, 85 rec, 1,207 yards, 12 TD’s | Next years ranking: 5-10
Stefon Diggs, Bills | Last years ranking: 6
Chase’s 2022 Projection: 158 tgt, 108 rec, 1231 yards, 7 TD
2022 ACTUAL Numbers: 154 tgt, 108 rec, 1,429 yards, 11 TD
Stefon Diggs has turned into one of the more consistent options in football at this point in his career. Five straight seasons as a 1,000 yard receiver is more impressive than you think! What makes Diggs’ 2022 season so spectacular is the fact that Gabe Davis was one of the more inconsistent wide receivers in the entire NFL. Yet, Diggs was able to step up and carry the receiving game. Top tier hands, filthy route running, 1400 yards and another high ranking on the list!
Chase’s 2023 Projection: 137 tgt, 93 rec, 1,413 yards, 8 TD’s | Next year’s ranking: 5-10
Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals | Last years ranking: 4
Chase’s 2022 Projection: 134 tgt, 87 rec, 1435 yards, 11 TD
2022 ACTUAL Numbers: 134 tgt, 87 rec, 1,046 yards, 9 TD (12 games)
If only we got see a full season of Ja’Marr Chase playing football in 2022. The kid is electrifying. He met my target and reception totals on the dot in just 12 games. He just didn’t get as many yards per reception. A lot of this Bengals offense is relied on the quality of play we see from Chase. And as one of the fastest receivers in league—who can create separation on short routes better than any receiver in the game, who also has very good hands and a saucy route running ability—Chase is one of the most fun receivers to watch. His droppage in ranking has nothing to do with his play on the field. It has to do withe four guys above him.
Chase’s 2023 Projection: 157 tgt, 98 rec, 1,391 yards, 15 TD | Next years ranking: 2-5
Cooper Kupp, Rams | Last years ranking: 1
Chase’s 2022 Projection: 168 tgt, 118 rec, 1456 yards, 13 TD
2022 ACTUAL Numbers: 98 tgt, 75 rec, 812 yards, 6 TD (nine games)
Ranking Cooper Kupp was one of the hardest rankings of my entire life, because, how do you rate him? Two years ago, he was breaking records and making history in the receiving game—triple crown, over 1900 yards, Super Bowl MVP—all of that. But like Chase, it would have been amazing to see a full season of Cooper Kupp in 2022. Because he was on pace to make my projections look like a joke! But we just don’t know. He wasn’t a perennial top receiver before the historic year. But yet again, he had that historic year. With all of that being said, I think a fourth place ranking is fair. Because his route running and his ability to gain yards after the catch is exceptional. And I do think he is a very good wide receiver after just one incredible full-season of football. Assuming he misses no time, Kupp should have a nice bounce-back season in 2023!
Chase’s 2023 Projection: 172 tgt, 130 rec, 1,677 yards, 13 TD’s | Next years ranking: 2-4
Davante Adams, Raiders | Last years ranking: 2
Chase’s 2022 Projection: 147 tgt, 117 rec, 1598 yards, 8 TD
2022 ACTUAL Numbers: 180 tgt, 100 rec, 1,516 yards, 14 touchdowns
One thing was for sure last season…Davante Adams could get to the end zone! Adams led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with a very inconsistent Derek Carr and an offense that was more focused on the rushing attack with Josh Jacobs. Yet, the 3x All Pro put up numbers we had, frankly not even seen from him in previous seasons. And don’t make a huge deal about his drastic decrease in catch percentage. Put him with a better QB like Burrow or Josh Allen and you’ll see what his catch percentage would have been. At the same time, he just isn’t as dominating as others above him. He doesn’t take the game into his own hands as much. He doesn’t carry the team as much. But that doesn’t take away from how good Davante Adams really is!
Chase’s 2023 Projection: 146 tgt, 95 rec, 1,396 yards, 13 TD’s | Next years ranking: 4-8
Tyreek Hill, Dolphins | Last years ranking: 7
Chase’s 2022 Projection: 124 tgt, 85 rec, 915 yards, 8 TD
2022 ACTUAL Numbers: 170 tgt, 119 rec, 1,710 yards, 7 TD
Ok folks. I have something to confess. For one of the first times ever in the sports world, I am admitting that I was wrong. Tyreek Hill didn’t only have over 1,000 yards last season, but he had a career year, a historic one I may add! For most of the season, Hill was the NFL’s receiving leader, torching defensive backs once again. As much as we made fun of Tyreek last offseason for saying Tua Tagovailoa is more accurate than Patrick Mahomes—which is still not true don’t get me wrong—Tua was clearly a good quarterback to let Tyreek have a historic season. Hill’s receiving yards mark, which ranked him 11th all time in receiving yards in a season, would have been the highest in football sixteen of the past 22 seasons! I don’t know if he’ll repeat that success, but I definitely owe Tyreek Hill an apology! He’s still one darn good football player!
Chase’s 2023 Projection: 152 tgt, 102 rec, 1,387 yards, 10 TD’s | Next years ranking: 3-7
Justin Jefferson, Vikings | Last years ranking: 3
Chase's 2022 Projection: 175 tgt, 115 rec, 1897 yards, 15 TD
2022 ACTUAL Numbers: 184 tgt, 128 rec, 1,809 yards, 8 TD
When we look back, we’re going to say the players that defined this generation of football were Patrick Mahomes, and Justin Jefferson! Before we break down how good of a football player this human is, why don’t we start with his global impact. The griddy, the circle shape over his eyes, jaw dropping highlights, and then the griddy again! You don’t need to know football to know who Justin Jefferson is. And let me say, I predicted this exactly! I knew Justin Jefferson was going to have a record-breaking season. I predicted he would win the OPOY (check), and that he would finish fourth in MVP voting with the third most receiving yards in a season of all time (he finished fifth in MVP voting with the sixth most receiving yards of all time). Props to me!
Back to JJETAS though, because this guy is special. Only Jefferson would compete with a top fifteen receiving season of all time…and still be considered the undisputed best receiver in the game! And it’s clear and obvious that he is the best receiver in the game. Speed, agility, elusiveness, quick route running, and hands. Oh boy does he have those! I feel like I can’t go one week without going to YouTube and not seeing a new historic and generational changing catch by Justin Jefferson! And there’s no reason to think he can’t do it again. The Vikings let go of Dalvin Cook AND Adam Thielen last season, which will only result in more touches, more catches, more yards, more touchdowns, more griddy’s, and more football to defy this generation of fans! Ladies and gentleman, Justin Jefferson is the best receiver game…and it’s not even close!
Chase’s 2023 Projection: 182 tgt, 129 rec, 1,780 yards, 11 TD’s | Next years ranking: 1
How did I do predicting my top ten last season?
Justin Jefferson (spot on)
Davante Adams (pretty close)
Cooper Kupp (pretty close)
Ja’Marr Chase (pretty close)
Stefon Diggs (pretty close)
Mike Evans (had too many on-and-off performances)
Jameson Williams (not a large enough sample size)
Deebo Samuel (Surprisingly fell off)
CeeDee Lamb (Pretty close)
Rashod Bateman (if the Ravens throw the ball enough, he’ll probably get 1200 yards and 5 touchdowns) - Yeah….no! (I’m putting an asterisk next season on Lamar staying healthy as well!!!!)
Lets try this again…my top ten receivers when the season is finished:
Justin Jefferson
Ja’Marr Chase
Cooper Kupp
A.J. Brown
Stefon Diggs
Amon-Ra St.Brown
Tyreek Hill
Davante Adams
Jaylen Waddle
CeeDee Lamb
We hope you guys enjoyed a classic here on the Cool Sports Newsletter. Please like, subscribe, comment and share and stay tuned for the running back and quarterback rankings coming soon!
Chase Coburn
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