Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers from Week 9
1) Will Fuller, Houston Texans: 48.44 (100 YDS, 1 TD)
It has been a rough season for Houston on several fronts. They fired Bill O’Brien after four games and currently sit at 2-6. This week, however, the Texans were able to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars for the second time in 2020, and Will Fuller played a key role in their victory.
He caught all five of his targets, making him one of two players in Week 9 with a 100% catch percentage. He also averaged 13.7 yards after the catch, one of the highest totals of the week.
2) Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers: 48.39 (103 YDS, 1 TD)
Allen has long been regarded as one of the NFL’s top wide receivers but rarely gets the same level of recognition as some of his more high-profile counterparts. This season, he has been enjoying the early success of rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, and the pair have put together several impressive statistical performances, even if their successes have only resulted in a single win in seven attempts.
Against the Raiders, Allen averaged 4.1 yards of separation despite being given just 3.9 yards of cushion by the Las Vegas defenders, making him the only player this week to average more separation than the amount of cushion he received, a testament to his well-established excellence as a route-runner.
3) Gabe Davis, Buffalo Bills: 47.56 (70 YDS, 1 TD)
I already mentioned Josh Allen in the top ten NFL quarterback rankings, but he wasn’t the only Bills player to excel during their upset victory over Seattle. Davis, a fourth-round rookie who has had a surprisingly effective season thus far, also had himself an impressive day.
His advanced metrics were above-average in most areas, but the real standout was his ability to create separation. Despite being given a relatively small average cushion (just 4.4 yards at the time of snap across his five targets), he still averaged 4.3 yards of distance between himself and the nearest defender when targeted.
4) Zach Pascal, Indianapolis Colts: 46.67 (55 YDS, 0 TD)
Pascal has the least impressive stat-line on either our top 10 rankings for NFL quarterbacks or wide receivers this week, which goes to show that a player can be highly effective even in a relatively limited role. Performances like the one Pascal had on Sunday will often go overlooked, but that doesn’t mean they don’t provide a great deal of value to their offense.
He caught 88.3% of his targets and averaged 8.2 yards after the catch, both well above average. Additionally, much like Davis, he averaged a relatively high 3.6 yards of separation on his targets even though he was given just 4.3 yards of cushion.
5) Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers: 46.32 (105 YDS, 1 TD)
Carolina was nearly able to upset the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, arguably the best team in the NFL right now. Samuel was crucial to that success, being targeted nine times and catching every one of those targets, making him the other player (alongside the aforementioned Allen) to catch all of his targets.
While Samuel wasn’t the Panthers’ most-targeted player (he was actually third), his efficiency with those targets allowed him to gain more receiving yards than any of his teammates.
6) Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers: 45.79 (173 YDS, 1 TD)
Adams is in the midst of his best season in four years of OVM data. His current season-long grade of 39.43 is more than four points better than what he achieved in 2019. Week 9 was another excellent game from the veteran wide receiver, both in terms of his box score statistics, which were obviously stellar, and his advanced metrics.
He caught a relatively high 88.33% of his targets and managed a reasonable 3.4 yards of average separation despite being given just 4.2 yards of cushion at the time of the snap. That is the fourth-smallest amount of space given of any of the qualifying NFL wide receivers in Week 9.
7) Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team: 45 (115 YDS, 1 TD)
Washington lost to the New York Giants for the second time this season, but second-year receiver McLaurin tried his best to keep that from happening. He has gotten off to an excellent start to his career, and Week 9 was just another example of how valuable the young receiver can be to Washington.
He caught 87.5% of his targets, tied for the third-highest percentage of the week, and gained an average of 9.9 yards after the catch. That second number is already relatively high, but it is made even more impressive because it was 6.6 yards higher than expected, the third-highest differential.
8) Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers: 41.82 (77 YDS, 0 TD)
Pittsburgh didn’t have a particularly strong showing last weekend, needing some late-game heroics to overcome the rapidly-spiraling Dallas Cowboys. However, Johnson had himself a solid day. Although his catch percentage was just 60%, quite low compared to the other wide receivers on this list, he excelled in other areas.
He averaged 4.5 yards of separation when targeted, and once he caught the ball, he averaged 11 yards after the catch, 4.6 yards higher than expected. Each of those statistics ranked fifth in Week 9 among qualifying NFL wide receivers, giving Johnson a high grade despite not consistently catching the ball.
9) Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys: 40.46 (67 YDS, 0 TD)
On the flip side of the previous entry, Cooper and the Cowboys nearly upset one of the best teams in football with Garrett Gilbert as their quarterback. Of course, as the saying goes, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, but Cooper’s performance on Sunday is still worth commending.
Most of his advanced metrics were relatively unimpressive in comparison to the players above him on this list. Still, his 83.3% catch percentage was tied for eighth among qualifying NFL wide receivers.
10) Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills: 40.35 (118 YDS, 0 TD)
Diggs is the third Bills player to be listed this week and the only wide receiver making a return from last week’s list. Despite ranking significantly lower, his grade is almost identical to what it was in Week 8, showing a remarkably high level of consistency from the veteran.
In comparison to two weeks ago, Diggs caught almost 10% more of his targets. However, he was given more space to work with (averaging 4.9 yards of cushion rather than 4.0), meaning achieving that catch percentage was easier. As such, he earned an ever-so-slightly lower grade.
Lucas Ellinas is a writer for Pro Football Network. You can follow him on Twitter @Lucas_Ellinas.