In the Week 11 installment of PFN’s list of the NFL’s top ten wide receivers according to the Offensive Value Metric (OVM), we see more established stars make up this week’s list of top performers. For those who are unfamiliar, the OVM is a metric created by the (Bx) Movement to measure players based on how valuable they were to their offense rather than how statistically successful they were. Of course, players can occasionally excel at both, and, unlike last week, many of Week 11’s top-graded wide receivers had excellent box-score statistics to go along with their high OVM grades.
Following a week in which many of the players to make the top 10 were young players and role players, this week’s list is filled mostly with household names at the receiver position. Week 11 shows us that, sometimes, the best wide receivers in the NFL are also the most efficient.
Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers of Week 11 | 1-4
1) Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers: 48.91 (106 YDS, 1 TD)
Packers fans can’t be happy with how Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts ended, but they can at least take some solace in the fact that Adams tops this week’s list of NFL wide receivers (that’s just as good as a win, right?). He didn’t make the cut last week, but Adams returns to our rankings in Week 11 with an even higher grade than last time.
Against Indianapolis, he caught 87.5% of his targets, the second-highest percentage among qualifying wide receivers. Additionally, despite given an average of just 3.6 yards of cushion when targeted, lower than all but three other wide receivers in Week 11, and he still managed to average 3.5 yards of separation.
2) Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans: 44.8 (85 YDS, 0 TD)
The Texans got their first win of the season against a team not named the Jacksonville Jaguars over the weekend, which, while technically a positive, represents a truly depressing state of affairs. But Houston’s struggles shouldn’t take away from how well Cooks played on Sunday.
His OVM grades this season have been rather inconsistent, often ranking below the league average for WRs, but his grade in Week 11 was his best of the season by slightly more than four points. He created 3.1 yards of separation when targeted, which isn’t particularly high, but he was only given 4.3 yards of cushion by defenders. After the catch, he averaged 8.3 yards of extra distance, which ranked fourth among qualifying wide receivers and was 2.9 yards higher than expected according to the NFL’s advanced metrics.
3) Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings: 42.05 (123 YDS, 2 TD)
The most memorable play that Thielen made on Sunday was a stellar one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone that will likely feature in his highlight reels for years to come. However, there was more to his success than just that one moment.
Thielen has seen a steady increase in his OVM grades over the course of this season and continues to prove that he is one of the NFL’s top wide receivers. Week 11 represents his highest grade so far. He averaged 3.2 yards of separation despite being given just 3.9 yards of cushion, the third-lowest amount by a wide receiver, one of the lowest differentials from Week 11.
4) Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs: 41.56 (102 YDS, 1 TD)
It took some last-minute heroics for Kansas City to win their rematch against the Las Vegas Raiders, and while Hill didn’t catch the game-winning touchdown, he was still one of the best WRs from Week 11.
In the Chiefs’ last game against Las Vegas, Hill struggled immensely, receiving an OVM grade of just 16.76, his lowest of the season, largely because he only caught 50% of his targets. The second time around, that number increased to 78.57%; still not particularly impressive, but certainly a dramatic improvement. Meanwhile, his other advanced metrics were all above average.
Top WRs of Week 11 | #5-7
5) Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys: 41.45 (81 YDS, 0 TD)
With their win on Sunday, the 3-7 Cowboys are somehow within half a game of winning the NFC East. However, while poking fun at that dumpster fire of a division is objectively hilarious, not everything about it is awful. Cooper, for example, has been excellent over the last couple of weeks.
Dallas was on a break in Week 10, but Cooper qualified for a top 10 grade among all wide receivers in the NFL according to the OVM in each of his last two games. His most notable advanced metric from Week 11 was his catch percentage of 85.71%, tied for the third-highest among qualifying wide receivers.
6) Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams: 41.02 (145 YDS, 0 TD)
Kupp might be one of the best players at his position, but many people might not think of him when ranking the top NFL wide receivers. Last season, however, he definitely qualified. He had the third-highest OVM grade among all wide receivers last season, and while he hasn’t performed to that standard so far this season, he is still capable of elite performances.
In Los Angeles’ narrow win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kupp caught 84.62% of his targets, which ranked fifth among qualifying wide receivers. He also averaged 7.2 yards after the catch, which ranked seventh and was 4.3 yards above expectation, a differential higher than all but four other wide receivers in Week 11.
7) A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans: 40.66 (62 YDS, 1 TD)
Brown has rarely been the most consistent target in his short career, as indicated by his relatively low catch percentage. However, his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands is truly impressive to watch.
Last season, he led NFL wide receivers both in average yards after the catch and in how much higher that number was than expected. He once again ranks among the best WRs in the NFL in both categories this season, and Week 11 was no exception. His 9.1 yards after the catch ranked second among qualifying wide receivers from last week, a number that was 7.5 yards above expectations, a differential that ranked first in the NFL.
Top 10 NFL wide receivers of Week 11 | #8-10
8) Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers: 39.81 (145 YDS, 1 TD)
Like Adams, Allen is making a return to our top 10 list after missing out last week. He continues to benefit from the stellar play of rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, who continues to make strides towards winning Offensive rookie of the Year.
In what was just the Chargers’ third win of the season, Allen had his best game of 2020 in terms of his box score statistics and his second-best according to the OVM. He caught 84.71% of his targets, the sixth-highest percentage of last week, which is more impressive when you consider the fact that he was the week’s most-targeted player, with 19 passes thrown his way.
9) Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks: 39.04 (67 YDS, 1 TD)
Weeks 9 and 10 ended with difficult losses for the Seahawks, and Lockett struggled in both games, earning his two lowest OVM grades of the season. However, both he and the rest of the team bounced back on Sunday to defeat the Arizona Cardinals. Lockett was key to that turnaround, ranking as one of the NFL’s top wide receivers according to the OVM.
It wasn’t the most productive game of Lockett’s career, but he was incredibly efficient. He was the only wide receiver this week to catch 100% of his targets, an accomplishment that will almost always result in a high OVM grade unless the player in question’s other advanced metrics are truly abysmal.
10) Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals: 38.5 (62 YDS, 0 TD)
It is a testament to Fitzgerald’s greatness that he can still produce at a high level 17 seasons into his NFL career. At 37 years old, he is the oldest wide receiver currently playing in the NFL, and while he isn’t one of the best WRs in the NFL anymore, his Week 11 performance shows that he is still a highly efficient player.
He averaged 6.3 yards after the catch, which ranked sixth at his position in Week 11, and he averaged 4.5 yards of separation when targeted, which was tied for second.
Lucas Ellinas is a writer for Pro Football Network. You can follow him on Twitter @Lucas_Ellinas.