WR Rankings

After missing Week 1 due to a summer ankle sprain, Beckham was on pace for a 1,200-yard, 12-score, 100-catch season through the better part of four games before breaking his ankle late Week 5 and missing the rest of the season. Beckham is the only receiver in NFL history to post 90-1,300-10 receiving lines in his first two seasons, and he did it for three. At 5-11, 198, he has only average size, but he ran a slick 4.43 40 at the combine, plays faster in pads and is even quicker than he is fast. One of the league's most dangerous players in space, he can beat defensive backs down the field or take a short slant to the house. And while Beckham isn't big, he plays big - Beckham can out-leap defensive backs in the end zone, and his large hands and ability to catch the ball one-handed extend his catch radius. Assuming Beckham is fully recovered - as expected - the biggest question is the Giants offense. The team brought back a declining, 37-year-old Eli Manning, but the departure of inept play callers Ben McAdoo and Mike Sullivan in favor of new coach Pat Shurmur could have a major impact. After all, as offensive coordinator of the Vikings, Shurmur got 1,276 yards and 9.0 YPT out of Adam Thielen and 849 yards and 8.9 YPT out of Stefon Diggs with Case Keenum under center. Beckham is a far greater talent than either Vikings wideout and won't turn 26 until November. In other words, he's still firmly in his prime. Second-overall pick RB Saquon Barkley figures to occupy a large share of the team's offense, and third-year man Sterling Shepard will have a significant role as will second-year TE Evan Engram. But a healthy Beckham should command his usual target share, and the circumstances around him have never been better. Beckham ran routes on the side during minicamp in June, and he was a full participant at the start of training camp.

After a down year by his standards in 2016, Brown set the NFL ablaze again last year, leading the league in yards by a wide margin, despite missing two and a half games. In a down year for wide receivers, he was an absolute monster, though his timing - his calf injury came during the fantasy playoffs - wasn't ideal. Brown averaged 9.4 YPT, fifth among the league's 27 100-target WR, and 15.2 YPC (7th). He had five games with 150-plus receiving yards, a league-leading 27 catches for 20 or more yards and tied for second with seven catches of 40-plus. At 5-10, 181, and running a poorly timed 4.56 40, Brown resembles an average man more than a freak NFL receiver. But looks can be deceiving. Brown plays more like a 4.4 runner, and his electrifying quickness makes him just about cornerback-proof. Consider what he did to Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye in the AFC divisional playoffs while coming back from the calf injury - seven catches on 11 targets for 132 yards and two TDs. Brown will turn 30 in July, reaching an age where most receivers are on their downsides, but small receivers typically age better than big ones, and given his long track record of good health and no signs whatsoever of decline, this shouldn't be a major concern. That Ben Roethlisberger - who also seemed at the top of his game during the playoff loss to Jacksonville - has committed to 2018 locks Brown in as the No. 1 WR on the board. Second-year man JuJu Smith-Schuster looks like a star in the making, but given the Steelers' narrow tree, his presence might add rather than detract from Brown's value. The one wild card is the departure of offensive coordinator Todd Haley, but given that he's being replaced by former quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner, a major scheme overhaul is unlikely.

As great as Antonio Brown's season was, Hopkins' was arguably more impressive, given the positively barbaric QB play he endured for more than half the year - eight games of Tom Savage and 73 attempts from T.J. Yates. Even so, Hopkins reeled in 13 touchdowns in 15 games on a league-leading 174 targets. His per-play averages - 7.9 YPT (15th among 100-target WR) and 14.4 YPC (10th) - were nothing special, but keep in mind he should have a healthy Deshaun Watson this year. During the six full games the duo suited up together, Hopkins posted a 38-551-6 stat line on 60 targets, which prorates to 101 catches on 160 targets for 1,469 yards and 16 TDs over 16 games. He also improved his per-target to 9.2 and his per-catch to 14.5 playing with Watson, though Hopkins' efficiency marks were at least decent no matter who was under center. At 6-1, 215, and with a 4.46 40 during his pro day, Hopkins has good size and the speed to get separation, but he's not a freak in the Julio Jones or Mike Evans mold. Instead, Hopkins excels by making the seemingly impossible catch even when he's well covered and getting his toes down in bounds when there's barely an inch of room on the sidelines. In short, his focus, concentration and ball skills allowed him to transcend some of the league's worst QB play, and in 2018 his situation should improve materially. The emergence of speedster Will Fuller could cut into some of Hopkins' downfield looks, but Fuller is the perfect complement - a small, modest-volume deep threat to occupy the defense but never threaten Hopkins' status as the team's undisputed No. 1. Hopkins missed Week 17 and the Pro Bowl with a calf injury, but he made a full recovery for offseason activities.

By most measures Jones is an inner-circle-Hall-of-Fame-level receiver - more than 9.0 YPT every year of his career, four straight 1,400-yard seasons and big performances in the playoffs and Super Bowl. But one thing's missing: the touchdowns. After scoring 18 TDs on 224 targets his first two seasons, Jones has 25 over his last five years and 703 targets. That's less than one TD for every 28 targets, when league average last year was one every 23, and that includes RBs who rarely catch touchdowns relative to WRs and TEs. Last year was the nadir as Jones found paydirt just three times on 148 targets - 19 of which occurred in the red zone, including 11 inside the 10-yard line. At 6-3, 220, and with 4.34 speed, Jones is the prototype No. 1 NFL receiver and red-zone target, so the lack of scoring - persisting despite three offensive play callers - is particularly odd. Maybe Matt Ryan, the common denominator, just isn't good at connecting with Jones in the end zone for some reason. Whatever the cause, at this point, it's simply something we need to price in. Last year, Jones' 9.8 YPT placed him third among the 27 100-target WR, and his 16.4 YPC was fifth. Accordingly, there's no reason to think the 29-year-old has lost a step, and given his considerable physical skills, we might not notice even if he did. The Falcons drafted Calvin Ridley with the 26th overall pick in April, but Ridley's targets will come at Mohamed Sanu and Justin Hardy's expense, not Jones'.

Jordy Nelson's departure leaves no doubt: Adams is Aaron Rodgers' No. 1 WR now. There actually wasn't much doubt last year, either. Adams had 117 targets in 14 games, increasing his per-game number from 2016 when Nelson was the team's top dog. Once again, Adams was a red-zone and TD machine - his 23 looks tied for second with Cooper Kupp and Jarvis Landry, despite the missed games, and his 10 TDs were bested only by DeAndre Hopkins. Unfortunately, Adams' per-play production dipped - his 7.6 YPT was 18th among the league's 27 100-target WR, though in fairness he played half his games with backup Brett Hundley. At 6-1, 215, and with average speed (4.56 40), Adams is physically unremarkable. He's stout, sure-handed, able to make plays in traffic and capable of an occasional big play - seven catches of 40-plus yards over the last two years. Of some concern is the arrival of 6-7 tight end Jimmy Graham, who could cut into Adams' red-zone work significantly. Keep in mind, however, that Nelson led the NFL in targets inside the 20 in 2016, when Adams was tied for second, i.e., the Packers like to throw from in close and generate plenty of red-zone chances, so there should be enough to go around. Adams missed the last two games of 2017 with a concussion, his second of the year, but cleared the protocol in early January and eventually signed a four-year deal with an $18 million signing bonus. His role for 2018 is secure.