As we move past the midpoint of the season, we update our NFL wide receiver rankings for Week 9. The updated list gives us some insight into which players have established themselves as the very best wide receivers in the league entering Week 9. This list is based on several factors, including statistics such as receptions, yards, and touchdowns, but also on our own Pro Football Network Offensive Value Metric (OVM). The wide receiver position is extremely rich in talent, which makes this list subject to change weekly. Take the brief fall and subsequent rise of DK Metcalf as a prime example. However, these 25 players are the best in the league through the first eight weeks. We’ve already seen a lot of movement from Week 7 to Week 8, so let’s take a look at what kind of shift we see going into Week 9.
NFL Wide Receiver Rankings, Week 9 | 25-15
25) AJ Brown, Tennessee Titans (Week 8 ranking: 20)
AJ Brown didn’t have his best game of the season in the Titans’ shocking loss to the Bengals. Brown did, however, managing to score a touchdown on one of his seven targets in the game. The touchdown, plus his OVM score of 33.9, keep Brown on the fringe of our top 25 NFL WR rankings for Week 9.
24) Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans (Week 8 ranking: Not ranked)
Corey Davis has been consistent for the Titans offense but hadn’t been consistent enough to jump into our list of the best wide receivers until Week 9. His eight catch, 128-yard outing against the Bengals, certainly helped him this week. Davis has scored a touchdown in consecutive games and will look to make it three straight against the Bears.
23) Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 8 ranking: Not ranked)
After falling out of our rankings last week, the Steelers rookie finds himself back on the list of the best wide receivers heading into Week 9 after a decent game against the Ravens. How could he get back into the rankings with a merely decent game? Because it came against a good Ravens’ defense. Chase Claypool hauled in five of the nine targets he got and managed to score a touchdown against Baltimore.
22) Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans (Week 8 ranking: 23)
Brandin Cooks and the Texans didn’t play this week, but he will be looking to build on his solid season so far in Week 9 against the Jaguars.
21) Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams (Week 8 ranking: Not ranked)
Robert Woods has had what seems to be a roller-coaster season for the Rams’ wide receiver group. Woods saw five targets against both the Bears and Washington but saw 10 targets against the 49ers and eight targets against the Dolphins in Week 8. He made the most of his targets, however, catching seven passes for 85 yards and a score against a stingy Dolphins secondary.
20) Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco Niners (Week 8 ranking: Not ranked)
After several lackluster games against the Eagles, Dolphins, and Rams, Brandon Aiyuk has turned it around the last couple of weeks against the Patriots and Seahawks, paving the way to his WR ranking debut for Week 9.
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Against New England, Aiyuk caught six of his seven targets for over 100 receiving yards, and against Seattle, he nearly recorded consecutive 100-yard games. When he can stay on the field, Aiyuk is one of the most effective offensive players for San Francisco, carrying an OVM score of 33.03.
19) Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (Week 8 ranking: 25)
Cooper Kupp saw a season-high 20 targets against the Dolphins defense. Kupp recorded 110 receiving yards on the day and carries an OVM score of 30.83 on the season. Kupp and the Rams face off against Seattle coming out of their bye in Week 10, so expect to see him targeted a fair amount from the slot alignment.
18) Travis Fulgham, Philadelphia Eagles (Week 8 ranking: 22)
The Eagles offense doesn’t have a top-tier receiving threat outside of Travis Fulgham right now, but Fulgham has been consistently making plays for them. Against the Cowboys, Fulgham caught six of his seven targets for 78 yards and a touchdown, giving him a touchdown in four of the last five games and giving him a slight boost in our WR rankings for Week 9.
17) Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers (Week 8 ranking: 14)
Robby Anderson has not had a 100-yard game since the Panthers beat the Falcons a month ago, and Carolina has lost the last three games. Anderson’s performance against Atlanta in Week 8 was his first game of under 50 receiving yards this season. However, he still remains the third-best receiver in the league in terms of yardage.
16) Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (Week 8 ranking: 18)
Julio Jones keeps creeping up our weekly wide receiver rankings, and for Week 9, he has managed to climb two spots. Jones had another great game against the Panthers in Week 8, catching seven of his 10 targets and recording 137 yards for the second time in three weeks.
15) DJ Moore, Carolina Panthers (Week 8 ranking: 12)
DJ Moore had a game to forget against the Falcons. Moore only caught two passes out of six targets against a subpar Falcons secondary. He’s got a tough matchup in Week 9 against the Chiefs and needs a bounceback game against Kansas City to stay in the top 20 of our weekly NFL wide receiver rankings.
NFL Wide Receiver Rankings, Week 9 | 14 – 6
14) Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals (Week 8 ranking: 16)
The rookie continues to deliver for his fellow rookie and quarterback Joe Burrow. Tee Higgins was an instrumental part of the Bengals’ shocking win over Tennessee. The rookie had yet another consistent outing, catching six of his nine targets and converting five of his catches for first downs. For consecutive weeks, Higgins has caught five passes and had over 70 yards with five first downs.
13) Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers (Week 8 ranking: 15)
While he didn’t have the yardage he had against the Jaguars in Week 7, Keenan Allen had an extremely solid game in the Chargers’ Week 8 loss to the Broncos. Allen hauled in nine catches and caught a crucial touchdown from rookie quarterback Justin Herbert against a tough Denver defense. Allen will look to have a big game against the Raiders’ defense in Week 9, as long as he is able to overcome his illness and be on the field.
12) Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers (Week 8 ranking: 17)
Davante Adams might be the hottest receiver outside of the top 10 of our NFL wide receiver rankings for Week 9. Even though they lost the game against Minnesota, Adams did his part, hauling in seven catches and three touchdowns. He had yet another big game against the 49ers during their Week 9 matchup, going over 150 yards for the second time in three weeks. Adams has scored six touchdowns in the last three weeks as well.
11) Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals (Week 8 ranking: 13)
Tyler Boyd has remained a favorite target for rookie Joe Burrow, catching six out of seven targets against the Titans and hauling in a touchdown for the second week in a row. Boyd is also 13th among NFL receivers in OVM with a score of 36.89 through the halfway mark of the season.
10) Will Fuller V, Houston Texans (Week 8 ranking: 10)
Despite the bye week and the trade rumors, Will Fuller isn’t going anywhere in our weekly NFL wide receiver rankings for Week 9. Fuller is facing off against Jacksonville in Week 9 and had 58 receiving yards and a touchdown against them just a few weeks ago.
9) Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team (Week 8 ranking: 11)
Terry McLaurin had a huge outing against Dallas in Week 8, catching seven of his 11 targets for 90 yards and a touchdown. McLaurin continues to be the top receiving threat in Washington and got over 10 targets for the second straight game.
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Washington faces off against the Giants this week, and McLaurin will likely see another game where he receives more than 10 targets. He had 12 in their Week 6 loss to New York.
8) Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings (Week 8 ranking: 5)
Adam Thielen had a disappointing game in the Vikings’ win over Green Bay. Thielen was only targeted four times, catching three passes for 27 yards. He still has seven receiving touchdowns on the season and will look to have a rebound game against the Lions in Week 9. However, with names like DK Metcalf on the rise this week, Thielen has dropped out of the top five entering Week 9.
7) Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons (Week 8 ranking: 3)
Calvin Ridley had a quiet game against Carolina, totaling only 42 yards on three catches. Week 8 was the first time this season, Ridley hasn’t seen at least five targets in a game. Ridley needs to have a big game against Denver to stay in the top 10 of our weekly wide receiver rankings. After a hot start, Ridley is now playing second fiddle to DK Metcalf as the best young wide receiver in the game.
6) Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills (Week 8 ranking: 8)
Stefon Diggs has nearly worked his way into the top five of our weekly wide receiver rankings. With a six catch, 92-yard performance against the Patriots, Diggs also worked himself into the top five for receiving yards in the NFL. Diggs hasn’t scored a touchdown since their loss to Kansas City, however, and will look to change that this week against Seattle.
Top 5 wide receivers in Week 9
5) Allen Robinson II, Chicago Bears (Week 8 ranking: 7)
Allen Robinson II continues to be one of the most consistent wide receivers in the league for a Bears offense that is lacking a true number two receiver alongside him. Against the Saints in Week 8, Robinson caught six passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. This week Robinson will face a Titans’ defense that struggled to contain the Bengals receivers last week.
4) Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks (Week 8 ranking: 2)
After having a 200-yard performance against the Cardinals, Lockett had a relatively quiet game against San Francisco. Lockett recorded 33 yards on four catches in Week 8, dropping him from his spot at second on our weekly NFL WR rankings. While Lockett remains third among NFL wide receivers in OVM with a score of 38.5, he needs a big game against Buffalo to stay in our top five. The problem for Lockett is that when you play opposite an electric player like DK Metcalf, it can become easy to be overlooked.
3) Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs (Week 8 ranking: 4)
After what some would call a mediocre game against the Broncos in Week 7, Tyreek Hill bounced back to his big-play self against the Jets. Hill caught four passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns against New York, giving him seven touchdowns on the season.
2) DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks (Week 8 ranking: 6)
Guess who’s back among our best wide receivers in Week 9? One quiet game isn’t going to stop the behemoth DK Metcalf from catapulting himself back into our top five wide receivers entering Week 9 of the NFL season. Metcalf had a dominant game against the 49ers, going for 161 yards and two scores on 12 catches. Metcalf is currently on pace to have over 1,500 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on the season and continues to be a factor in terms of OVM with a score of 33.4.
1) DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals (Week 8 ranking: 1)
While DK Metcalf had a monstrous game, DeAndre Hopkins had a bye week and will get a chance to show that he deserves to keep hold of his throne against the Dolphins in Week 9. This should be an interesting matchup for Hopkins, as the Dolphins currently have one of the best secondaries in the league. This matchup will also allow for an interesting comparison, as DK Metcalf posted 106 yards on four receptions against the Dolphins back in Week 4. Even with the bye, Hopkins is still the NFL leader in receiving yards through Week 8 and carries an OVM score of 34.51, giving him the top spot in our WR rankings for Week 9.