Dominant receiving duos are becoming more prevalent across the league the same way that super teams are dominating the NBA. The common denominator between the majority of the duos is that there is usually a veteran receiver who has flourished in the league for a few years and then a young gun of a route runner that could dominate the league in a few seasons.
Honorable Mention:
Robby Anderson and D.J Moore, Carolina Panthers
Davante Adams and Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers
Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit Lions
5. Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams: Kupp and Woods maybe sitting at 5 on the list for now but, with Matt Stafford coming to the Rams, they could easily make their way up to number one.
Kupp recorded 974 and 3 touchdowns with 92 catches while his counterpart Woods reeled in 90 receptions for 6 touchdowns and 936 yards. Next year with a new QB at the helm, they could both record 1000+ receiving yards.
4. Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills: The duo no one anticipated but, everyone was happy to see. As a Vikings fan, I was obviously happy to see Justin Jefferson ball out but, watching Diggs lead the league in receiving definitely hurt. No body expected Beasley to play at the level he did but, he came on in big moments and even played the AFC Championship game with a broken leg.
Beasley had 82 catches for 967 yards and 4 touchdowns but, was always a reliable target for Josh Allen on third and long. Diggs had the best year of his career with 8 touchdowns, 127 catches, and 1535 yards. These two guys were a big reason why Josh Allen had an MVP caliber season.
3. Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons: Julio may have had a down year this season and I think the reason for that is because, he isn’t Calvin Johnson. Julio takes on a lot of double teams and while he maybe super talented and Megatron-esque he is not Calvin and can’t defeat every double team.
Ridley could be the leagues best receiver in the next few years if he keeps up the pace. He is an outstanding route runner with elite speed. He will start drawing more attention if Julio leaves this offseason so it will be a real test to see what he can do against double coverage.
PMM (Poor Mans Megatron) caught 51 passes and 3 touchdowns for 771 yards while his version of Robin caught 90 passes for 9 touchdowns and finished 5th in receiving yards with 1374.
2. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks: These guys were both top 20 in the receiving yards category and, like the Bills, were a big reason their quarterback was in the MVP conversation.
Metcalf is a freak of nature that will either run through you or run past you and even if you pick the right option, it’ll be tough to stop him. His partner, Lockett is sneaky quick and at 5’10, 180 lbs, is elite around the goal line area. DK caught 10 touchdowns and had 1303 yards while Lockett also, had 10 touchdowns and 1054 yards.
1. Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings: Once again, here is my Vikings bias but, these guys not being number one does not make a whole lot of sense. The real Batman and Robin in the league with the veteran Thielen being Adam West and Jefferson being his Burt Ward.
Jefferson lead all rookies in receiving yards by 465 yards and finished 4th in the league with 1400 yards. He also caught 88 passes and 7 touchdowns. Thielen within the 10 yard line was pretty damn dominant as he reeled in 14 touchdowns to go with his 925 receiving yards. These guys could stick around at number one for the next few seasons.