I’m just getting started looking at players closely. I like to spend one full day looking at each franchise (then I go back in and adjust the teams later after the draft). It’s early. But I’ll be surprised if Antonio Brown isn’t the No. 1 receiver on my board. He’s the right age – 27 – he’s in the right offense, and he was awfully impressive last year.
Brown wasn’t only great last year, leading the league in catches and yards. He was all-time good.
In PPR scoring, he finished with the 2nd-best numbers by a wide receiver. Ever. Only Jerry Rice (in 1995, when Steve Young and Marc Trestman fed him a ton of balls) ever had a better PPR season.
With the big workload, Brown last year finished with even better PPR numbers than 2007 Randy Moss, who caught a record 23 TDs.
Here be the top 25. Numbers are slightly off in some cases because they don’t include some ancillary stats (rushing and passing production). Brown carried the ball 4 times for 13 yards last year, and he also completed a couple passes, including one for a touchdown. Brown (and probably a couple others) are getting 4 points for their TD passes but no credit for the yards on those plays.
TOP 25 PPR WIDE RECEIVERS OF ALL TIME | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | No | Yds | Avg | TD | PPR |
1995 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 122 | 1848 | 15.1 | 17 | 414.8 |
2014 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 129 | 1698 | 13.2 | 14 | 388.8 |
2007 | Randy Moss, N.E. | 98 | 1493 | 15.2 | 23 | 385.3 |
2002 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. | 143 | 1722 | 12.0 | 11 | 383.2 |
1995 | Isaac Bruce, St.L. | 119 | 1781 | 15.0 | 13 | 377.1 |
2003 | Randy Moss, Minn. | 111 | 1632 | 14.7 | 17 | 376.2 |
1995 | Herman Moore, Det. | 123 | 1686 | 13.7 | 14 | 375.6 |
1995 | Cris Carter, Minn. | 122 | 1371 | 11.2 | 17 | 361.1 |
2011 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 96 | 1681 | 17.5 | 16 | 360.1 |
2003 | Torry Holt, St.L. | 117 | 1696 | 14.5 | 12 | 358.6 |
1999 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. | 115 | 1663 | 14.5 | 12 | 355.3 |
1994 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 112 | 1499 | 13.4 | 15 | 353.9 |
2001 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. | 109 | 1524 | 14.0 | 15 | 351.4 |
2012 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 122 | 1964 | 16.1 | 5 | 348.4 |
1993 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 98 | 1503 | 15.3 | 16 | 344.3 |
2014 | Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 111 | 1619 | 14.6 | 11 | 340.9 |
1986 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 86 | 1570 | 18.3 | 16 | 339.0 |
2005 | Steve Smith, Car. | 103 | 1563 | 15.2 | 13 | 337.3 |
2012 | Brandon Marshall, Chi. | 118 | 1508 | 12.8 | 11 | 334.8 |
2011 | Wes Welker, N.E. | 122 | 1569 | 12.9 | 9 | 332.9 |
1989 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 82 | 1483 | 18.1 | 17 | 332.3 |
1992 | Sterling Sharpe, G.B. | 108 | 1461 | 13.5 | 13 | 332.1 |
1995 | Michael Irvin, Dall. | 111 | 1603 | 14.4 | 10 | 331.3 |
2001 | Terrell Owens, S.F. | 93 | 1412 | 15.2 | 16 | 330.2 |
1995 | Robert Brooks, G.B. | 102 | 1497 | 14.7 | 13 | 329.7 |
—Ian Allan