With the 2016 NFL season set to get underway in just a couple of weeks, I wanted to take a look at the depth and quality of one position in particular. Not only for Fantasy Football, but pure production as well, the wide receiver position may arguably be the strongest it has ever been in the history of the NFL.
My top-3 rated wide receivers coming into this season, Antonio Brown, Julio Jones and Odell Beckham, Jr., already have all-time great, hall-of-fame ability in my opinion. We could very well be in the "Golden Age" of wide receivers and it couldn't come at a better time for fans or the league. With such a high premium being put on offense and the popularity of fantasy football going through the roof, after the quarterback there is no other position on the football field more glamorous.
Antonio Brown (Pittsburg Steelers): Brown, considered by most to be the best in the game, tied for the league lead in receptions last season with 136 and finished a close second in receiving yards with 1,834. Throughout his six year career he has also had 1,150 career punt return yards to go along with four touchdowns. With a future hall-of-fame quarterback throwing to him yet again, you can expect his numbers to be even better in 2016.
Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons): The target monster known as Julio Jones, who some may argue to be the leagues top wide out, tied Antonio Brown with 136 receptions in 2015, but led the league in total receiving yards with 1,871. This is even more impressive when you consider Jones played with an inconsistent quarterback in Matt Ryan, as well as no real big play threat on the opposite side of the field to play along side. In fact, prior to the emergence of running back Davontae Freeman last season, the Atlanta Falcon offense was pretty much Julio Jones or bust. And he still has been more productive than just about everyone.
Odell Beckham, Jr. (New York Giants): Of course we can't forget about OBJ, who broke Randy Moss' record for most receiving yards through the first two seasons of their NFL career with 2,744. This feat is even more impressive when you consider he missed the first four games of his NFL career due to injury and was suspended for a game last season for his altercation with now Redskins' cornerback Josh Norman. So he has basically had more receiving yards than every other player who has ever played the position in five less games than most (that's just ridiculous).
Dez Bryant (Dallas Cowboys): I expect Dez to have a huge year coming off the foot injury that sidelined or limited him much of the 2015 season. In 2014, when healthy, Dez totaled 88 receptions for over 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns, which led all wide receivers. Bryant is a very prideful athlete so expect to see that type of season once again from him as he is on a mission to remind the world how great he is.
Those are the names that constantly get thrown out when talking about the best wide receivers today; However, let's also take a look at other receivers who are in the midst of some great runs and also have hall-of-fame capability.
Deandre Hopkins (Houston Texans): It is funny to think back to when both Hopkins and Sammy Watkins came out of Clemson and all the hype surrounding Watkins and how good he was going to be, while Hopkins flew under the radar. Now, just three years into their careers it is quite clear. While Watkins and still very good, Hopkins is the better of the two. After having just 76 receptions in his rookie season, Hopkins jumped to 111 receptions last season to go along 11 touchdowns. This is even more impressive when you think about the quality and number of quarterbacks that were throwing to him (Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallet, T.J. Yates and Brandon Weeden...seriously?).
A.J. Green (Cincinnati Bengals): Some can argue that Green is as physically talented as any wide out in the NFL today. Since coming into the league in 2011, Green has totaled over 6,000 receiving yards to go along with 45 touchdowns, both of which rank among the leagues best in that span.
Demarius Thomas (Denver Broncos): Thomas dealt with suspect quarterback play and an offense struggling to find its identity, yet still finished with 105 receptions and over 1,300 yards in 2015. That was considered a down year for him. Not to mention he is now a Super Bowl Champion. His quarterback situation has seemed to have only gotten worse this offseason, but expect Thomas to be his usual solid self.
Jordy Nelson (Green Bay Packers): If you think he is overrated, just ask Aaron Rodgers how valuable he is to the Green Bay Packer offense. Nelson had 98 catches for over 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2014. After a torn ACL in the preseason sidelined Nelson for the whole 2015, Rodgers will be ecstatic to have his favorite target back in the fold. Yes he has arguably the best quarterback in the game passing to him, but as you saw last year, he still needs a big-time target to rely on.
These guys are going: Throughout the history of the NFL, throughout every era, there are very few athletes that can be consistently good from the time they come into the league to the end of their careers. Especially when they have played under multiple systems or played with various quarterbacks. The following are wide outs that are still producing at a high level today and I feel will be in the hall-of-fame when it is all said and done.
Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals): Seriously, how is he still this good? Fitz has been the cornerstone of the Arizona Cardinals' franchise since he came into the league in 2004. His lowest reception total was his rookie year when he had 58. Since, he has had eight seasons with at least 80 receptions, including last season when he totaled his career-high of 109. Let's also not forget that had Arizona pulled off the upset against the Pittsburg Steelers in Superbowl XLIII, he would have clearly been the MVP. Add all of that to the fact that he will likely put up huge numbers for another season or two with such a high-powered offense, it is inevitable that Fitz will be in the hall-of-fame when he finally hangs it up.
Brandon Marshall (New York Jets): Marshall has been one of my favorite players in the NFL since he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2006. At 6-foot-4, Marshall has always been known for his big play ability down the field. Last season Marshall became the first receiver in the history of the league to record at least 100 receptions with three different teams and has done it a total of six times. This accomplishment jumps out even more when you consider the best quarterback he's played with is a toss up between Jay Cutler and Ryan Fitzpatrick. He will surely be in the hall-of-fame based on what he's done and he's not even finished.
Allen Robinson (Jacksonville Jaguars): All of the pre-draft hype surrounding Robinson a couple years back seemed to finally start to come to fruition last season when A-Rob had 80 receptions for 1,400 yards and 16 touchdowns. With the chemistry still a work-in-progress with second year quarterback Blake Bortles and an improved roster overall, expect Robinson to become a household name this season. Hard to do when you play for a franchise like Jacksonville, but he has all the potential and pieces in place to do so.
Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders): Cooper lived up to the hype in just his rookie year when he grabbed over 70 receptions and totaled just over 1,000 yards. With a quarterback who has a chance to be at the very least 2nd tier, I expect Cooper's numbers to jump closer to 100 receptions and at least 1,300 yards this season.
Brandin Cooks (New Orleans Saints): Cooks bounced back from an underwhelming rookie campaign in 2014 with a stellar 2015 season. Having an elite quarterback throwing to you obviously helps, but his 84 receptions for over 1,100 yards is certainly nothing to sneeze at. With Marques Colston now gone, I fully expect Cook's targets and numbers to jump while playing in the pass-happy offense of the Saints.
Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): On the surface, it looked as though Evans had a down year in 2015 while trying to work with a rookie quarterback in Jameis Winston. Look again. His numbers were still stellar, grabbing 74 receptions for over 1,200 yards. Those numbers also don't show that Evans dealt with nagging injuries throughout the year as well. While his cohesiveness with Winston grows, so will his production.
Kelvin Benjamin (Carolina Panthers): Benjamin registered 73 catches for just over 1,000 yards and 9 touchdowns as a rookie. After an ACL sidelined him in his second season, he should be in line for a solid third year playing with reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton.
Sammy Watkins (Buffalo Bills): A lot of Watkins' production is dependent on the play calling and targets he receives, but there is no questioning his talent. In 2015 he played in just 13 games and caught 60 passes for 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns. Those stats may mislead as there were some games he put up huge numbers, while some games saw him catch just a couple of passes. The offensive approach of his team will determine if his numbers will be great enough to be hall-of-fame worthy one day.
Jeremy Maclin: Rec: 87 Yards: 1,088, TD: 8; Jarvis Landry: Rec: 110 Yards, 1,157 TD: 4; Eric Decker: Rec: 80 Yards: 1,027 TD: 12; T.Y. Hilton: Rec: 69 Yards: 1,124 TD: 5; Doug Baldwin Rec: 78 Yards: 1,069 TD: 14; Julian Edelman Rec: 61 Yards: 692 TD: 7
With the rules of today's NFL game that favor offenses to go along with the run-and-gun, air-it-out style of play that many coaches employ, it is a great time to be a wide receiver (money wise, as well as popularity wise). Over the next 10-15 years we will probably see most, if not all, of the major wide receiver records broken by many of the wide outs on this list.
I just think back to all of the all-time great wide receivers I have had the honor to watch and think to myself, "Man, what if Jerry Rice or Michael Irvin played in today's game"? However, I feel totally accurate in saying that this is the deepest wide receiver era we have ever seen top-to-bottom.
