I like Davante Adams. He’s very good, and he’s about all they have in Green Bay. Tough to imagine a scenario where he’s not one of the top few receivers at the end of the year.
With most receivers nowadays, there’s also another good pass catcher playing on the opposite side. If you select Julio Jones, you worry about Calvin Ridley outperforming him. If you draft DeAndre Hopkins, you worry about Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk. Amari Cooper comes with Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.
But with Adams, he’s about all they have in Green Bay.
If you had to rank the wide receivers in order by how much they would outperform the 2nd-best wide receiver on their own team, Adams would be the first choice on most everyone’s board.
So trot out the numbers and look at how past such receivers have performed. I’m putting up the top 40 from the past 20 years. These are the 40 wide receivers who generated the biggest spread between themselves and any other wide receiver on their own team. I see Pierre Garcon down at 11th with Washington in 2013, but everyone else is in the top 6.
(Note: In hindsight, I will I had compared not simply wide receivers but pass catchers – including tight ends – but the results I imagine would have been similar.)
Adams looks like a very safe choice to be an addition to this list. If I were drafting today, Michael Thomas would be my top wide receiver, but I think it’s Adams that comes in next in line.
LONE WOLF WIDE RECEIVERS | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Rec | Yds | TD | PPR | No. 2 WR | (No-Yds-TD) |
2019 | Michael Thomas, N.O. | 149 | 1,725 | 9 | 1 | Ted Ginn | 30-421-2 |
2001 | Rod Smith, Den. | 113 | 1,343 | 11 | 3 | Eddie Kennison | 15-167-1 |
2001 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. | 109 | 1,524 | 15 | 1 | Terrence Wilkins | 34-332-1 |
2015 | Julio Jones, Atl. | 136 | 1,871 | 9 | 2 | Roddy White | 43-506-1 |
2003 | Randy Moss, Min. | 111 | 1,632 | 17 | 1 | Kelly Campbell | 25-522-4 |
2014 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 129 | 1,698 | 14 | 1 | Markus Wheaton | 53-644-2 |
2012 | Brandon Marshall, Chi. | 118 | 1,508 | 11 | 2 | Alshon Jeffery | 24-367-3 |
2012 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 122 | 1,964 | 5 | 1 | Titus Young | 33-383-4 |
2005 | Steve Smith Sr., Car. | 103 | 1,563 | 13 | 1 | Ricky Proehl | 25-441-4 |
2005 | Santana Moss, Was. | 84 | 1,483 | 9 | 6 | David Patten | 22-217-0 |
2002 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. | 143 | 1,722 | 11 | 1 | Reggie Wayne | 49-716-4 |
2018 | DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 115 | 1,572 | 11 | 1 | Will Fuller | 32-503-4 |
2010 | Dwayne Bowe, K.C. | 72 | 1,162 | 15 | 4 | Chris Chambers | 22-213-1 |
2015 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 136 | 1,834 | 11 | 1 | Martavis Bryant | 50-765-7 |
2018 | Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 87 | 1,479 | 14 | 2 | Sammy Watkins | 40-519-3 |
2018 | Michael Thomas, N.O. | 125 | 1,405 | 9 | 6 | TreQuan Smith | 28-427-5 |
2018 | Davante Adams, G.B. | 111 | 1,386 | 13 | 4 | M. Valdes-Scantling | 38-581-2 |
2013 | Josh Gordon, Cle. | 87 | 1,646 | 9 | 3 | Greg Little | 41-465-2 |
2010 | Roddy White, Atl. | 115 | 1,389 | 10 | 1 | Michael Jenkins | 41-505-2 |
2008 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 78 | 1,331 | 12 | 3 | Shaun McDonald | 35-332-1 |
2013 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 84 | 1,492 | 12 | 6 | Kris Durham | 38-490-2 |
2003 | Anquan Boldin, Ariz. | 101 | 1,377 | 8 | 3 | Bryant Johnson | 35-438-1 |
2007 | Reggie Wayne, Ind. | 104 | 1,510 | 10 | 2 | Anthony Gonzalez | 37-576-3 |
2017 | DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 96 | 1,378 | 13 | 1 | Will Fuller | 28-423-7 |
2001 | David Boston, Ariz. | 98 | 1,598 | 8 | 4 | Frank Sanders | 41-618-2 |
2000 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. | 102 | 1,413 | 14 | 1 | Jerome Pathon | 50-646-3 |
2015 | DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 111 | 1,521 | 11 | 4 | Nate Washington | 47-658-4 |
2012 | Andre Johnson, Hou. | 112 | 1,598 | 4 | 6 | Kevin Walter | 41-518-2 |
2009 | Andre Johnson, Hou. | 101 | 1,569 | 9 | 1 | Kevin Walter | 53-611-2 |
2011 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 96 | 1,681 | 16 | 1 | Nate Burleson | 73-757-3 |
2011 | Wes Welker, N.E. | 122 | 1,569 | 9 | 2 | Deion Branch | 51-702-5 |
2016 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 106 | 1,284 | 12 | 1 | Eli Rogers | 48-594-3 |
2001 | Terrell Owens, S.F. | 93 | 1,412 | 16 | 2 | J.J. Stokes | 54-585-7 |
2013 | Pierre Garcon, Was. | 113 | 1,346 | 5 | 11 | Santana Moss | 42-452-2 |
2004 | Muhsin Muhammad, Car. | 93 | 1,405 | 16 | 1 | Keary Colbert | 47-754-5 |
2007 | Braylon Edwards, Cle. | 80 | 1,289 | 16 | 4 | Joe Jurevicius | 50-614-3 |
2016 | Mike Evans, T.B. | 96 | 1,321 | 12 | 3 | Adam Humphries | 55-622-2 |
2004 | Terrell Owens, Phil. | 77 | 1,200 | 14 | 6 | Todd Pinkston | 36-676-1 |
2012 | A.J. Green, Cin. | 97 | 1,350 | 11 | 4 | Andrew Hawkins | 51-533-4 |
2014 | Dez Bryant, Dall. | 88 | 1,320 | 16 | 4 | Terrance Williams | 37-621-8 |
—Ian Allan