If the quarterback is the most important position in football, then who he's throwing the ball to matters tremendously.
That's a big reason why NFL teams are paying what used to be "quarterback money" for some of the top wide receivers in the NFL, and while you don't need a receiver making $30 million per year to win a championship, having elite playmakers at the position certainly doesn't hurt.
Our latest NFL Power Rankings in the 2026 offseason are going to take a look at the best wide receiver duos in the AFC. This list will be based on pedigree, prior production, and some projections for the upcoming season. For players on new teams, we'll consider the context of the quarterback position and how each player might fit this upcoming season. As always, these lists are subject to change, but here's how we see all 16 AFC wide receiver duos stacking up against each other as the offseason continues on.
2026 NFL Power Rankings: Every AFC WR duo ranked worst to best
16. Miami Dolphins: Malik Washington & Jalen Tolbert
The Miami Dolphins cut Tyreek Hill and traded Jaylen Waddle in the 2026 offseason, and rebuilding this position group is going to be a process. Although we have Malik Washington and Jalen Tolbert listed, it'll be interesting to see which two players end up leading this team in targets at the receiver position by the end of the season.
The Dolphins also signed Tutu Atwell in free agency, but their most interesting players at receiver are a pair of third-round picks: Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas. Fifth-round pick Kevin Coleman Jr. is also someone who could significantly outplay his draft status.
The point is, if you want to look at the Dolphins' most experienced duo of receivers, it's as underwhelming as it gets. If you view this unit as a work in progress, it's got some nice glimmers of hope.
15. Las Vegas Raiders: Tre Tucker & Jalen Nailor
Whether it's Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza throwing passes, the Las Vegas Raiders might just have the worst group of wide receivers in the NFL to spread the ball to. As a duo, Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor is about as underwhelming as it gets.
Tucker is a moderately underrated player who has done a solid job showing improvement over the course of his first three NFL seasons. He had five touchdown catches last year and has outstanding vertical speed.
The Raiders are going to be banking on the development of Jack Bech this year as well, a 2nd-round pick in last year's draft, but they made a rather substantial investment in Vikings receiver Jalen Nailor. They had to fend off other teams to get him, as well. Giving him $35 million over three years with $23 million in guaranteed cash is a clear indicator that the Raiders believe he can do more with more opportunities than he had in Minnesota.
14. New England Patriots: Romeo Doubs & Kayshon Boutte
A duo of AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs would probably vault up into the top four or five in the AFC ahead of the 2026 season, but we'll have to wait and see if/when that actually happens.
For the time being, this might feel a bit harsh, but is it inaccurate? I don't think so. That's not to say the Patriots have a bad duo of receivers or even a bad group of receivers overall, but there are plenty of better duos in the AFC.
Romeo Doubs has been a (mostly) trustworthy target for the Packers over the past handful of seasons. He's not a true WR1 but is a fine WR2 or WR3 who can move the chains and make plays at every level of the field. Kayshon Boutte took some big steps the past couple of seasons, averaging 16.7 yards per reception last year with 6 TDs, and on just 33 receptions.
Mack Hollins had about 20 more targets than Boutte last season, but Boutte has more of the WR2 traits. The loss of Stefon Diggs, for the time being, looms large.
13. Cleveland Browns: Jerry Jeudy & KC Concepcion
We can't just give Jerry Jeudy a pass for the way things went in 2025 with all of his drops, but we also can't ignore how productive he was in the 2024 season, either.
The Browns don't have the most proven group of receivers in the league, but there's talent here. And you know what -- Jerry Jeudy and KC Concepcion in the same wide receiver room might give the Browns two of the best separators at the position out of any team in the league.
The problem is obvious: They have to catch the ball. Jerry Jeudy had 50 catches on 106 total targets last season. Even if you give him the benefit of the doubt with the quarterback position being a mess, he's been credited with 23 total drops over the past two seasons. And that was a concern for Concepcion coming out of Texas A&M as well.
If those guys can clean up the drops, the Browns' passing game might take off in no time.
12. Tennessee Titans: Carnell Tate & Wan'Dale Robinson
Even with a couple of young players they like moving forward in Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike, the Tennessee Titans knew they had to get more help for young quarterback Cam Ward this offseason. The Titans went out and signed Wan'Dale Robinson in NFL Free Agency, reuniting him with Brian Daboll, who was his head coach with the New York Giants.
Although Robinson is on the smaller side (literally the shortest receiver to ever record 1,000 receiving yards in an NFL season), he's grown tremendously in his game, and can get open at all levels of the field.
The Titans added Carnell Tate with their top pick in this year's draft, pulling from the absolute pipeline that is the Ohio State program. Tate might not have the same type of flash as a typical top-5 receiver prospect, but he's got a pro-ready skill set and could immediately be Ward's #1 target.
11. Kansas City Chiefs: Rashee Rice & Xavier Worthy
We've only seen 12 games out of Rashee Rice over the past two seasons. While that doesn't mean he's not a really good player, it's simply proof that his availability and reliability are in short supply.
The Chiefs treat Rice like a true WR1 when he's able to be on the field, and for good reason. He's one of the best receivers in the NFL at creating yardage after the catch, and has been very consistent in that area (8.0 YAC/reception in three seasons).
The Chiefs would also love to find a way to get Xavier Worthy playing at the level they expected when they spent a 1st-round pick on him. Worthy was meant to be a second-coming of Tyreek Hill with his ridiculous vertical speed, but he's been more of a gadget player in the Chiefs' offense.
The talent is there for both of these receivers, but the production has not matched it yet.
10. Indianapolis Colts: Alec Pierce & Josh Downs
The Colts paid a boatload of money ($84 million guaranteed) to keep Alec Pierce in the fold this offseason. Giving Pierce a big-money contract, they opted to trade Michael Pittman Jr. away to the Pittsburgh Steelers, paving the way for Josh Downs to be the clear second option at receiver.
And in terms of targets last year, Downs actually finished with a handful more total targets than Pierce did, but Pierce has a ridiculous rate of production on his catches, averaging 21.7 yards per reception last season.
Without Pittman Jr. in the fold, the Colts are really going to be leaning on Pierce and banking on him taking the proverbial next step as an all-around receiver. Getting paid nearly $30 million per season and having just 47 total touches isn't going to cut it.
The volume is going to go up for both of these guys, but the pressure is firmly on Pierce to prove he's a true WR1 now.
9. Los Angeles Chargers: Ladd McConkey & Quentin Johnston
The Los Angeles Chargers actually don't currently have their leading receiver from last season on the roster. Veteran Keenan Allen came back to Los Angeles after a season with the Chicago Bears, and wound up leading the Chargers with 122 targets and 81 receptions.
There was some concern last year over the dip in play from Ladd McConkey, who still racked up 66 catches for 789 yards and six touchdowns, but simply didn't have the same type of impact every week like we saw from him during his rookie year in 2024.
The Chargers have one of the better secondary options in the league at receiver in former 1st-round pick Quentin Johnston. As a former 1st-round pick, he's not exactly lived up to the billing just yet, but he does have 16 touchdown catches since the start of the 2024 season, and has been the Chargers' best big play threat (14.4 yards per reception led the team last season).
The lack of a consistent go-to threat at receiver really cost the Chargers in the playoffs last season.
8. Baltimore Ravens: Zay Flowers & Rashod Bateman
There is no question about it that Zay Flowers has established himself as one of the best overall receivers in the AFC, but the Ravens' depth at the wide receiver position leaves a little bit to be desired.
Flowers now has back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving, and he caught over 72 percent of his targets in 2025. The Ravens know they can lean on Flowers as a true WR1 in their offense, which is typically a lower-volume passing attack.
But how much can this team rely on Rashod Bateman? Bateman had 756 yards and 9 touchdowns in the 2024 season, but followed that up with a really disappointing year overall. He played in just 13 games last season and had 19 receptions for 224 yards and two touchdowns. That's not going to cut it. The Ravens need more out of Bateman, at least what they got in 2024.
7. New York Jets: Garrett Wilson & AD Mitchell
Even though he was limited to just seven games last year, everyone knows that Garrett Wilson is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL when he's able to stay on the field consistently. Wilson started off his NFL career with three straight years over 1,000 receiving yards, and has been a bright light in an otherwise dismal offense.
It might not be long before Omar Cooper Jr. is joining Wilson on a list like this, but the Jets made a pretty underrated move to get AD Mitchell from the Colts last year in the Sauce Gardner trade. In just his third game with the Jets last season, Mitchell had over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown (vs. Atlanta).
The Jets have Geno Smith coming in to throw passes this year, and they've given him a ton of weapons. And while this ranking feels a little bit high (obviously with Garrett Wilson doing a lot of the heavy lifting), it wouldn't surprise me if the Jets' passing attack was one of the most improved groups in the NFL this season.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers: DK Metcalf & Michael Pittman Jr.
By the end of the season, don't be surprised if this ranking for the Steelers' receiver duo looks a little bit silly.
DK Metcalf's production has steadily declined over each of the past four seasons, and you can chalk it up to a change in scenery and first year with a new organization if you want, but he was not the WR1 type of player the Steelers needed him to be last year.
Still, with Metcalf's big play ability in combination with a high-volume, big-bodied possession receiver like Michael Pittman Jr., the Steelers finally have the type of duo that might keep them out of a bunch of wide receiver trade rumors for a change.
Pittman does require a high volume of targets to be as effective as possible, however. He's had 111 or more targets every year since his rookie season. This has the potential to be one of the best receiver duos in the NFL and one of the most overrated.
5. Houston Texans: Nico Collins & Jayden Higgins
Even if Nico Collins was doing a majority of the heavy lifting here, you still can't help but love the combination of players the Texans have at the receiver position. And Collins is truly a special player.
He's now made back-to-back Pro Bowls with three straight 1,000-yard seasons, and a total of 21 touchdown catches over the last three years combined. Collins is one of those players who just feels like he's going to be automatic every single week, and last year was only the first year of his career that he hit 120 total targets.
Collins can be even more effective in the future as Jayden Higgins keeps coming along. He was already second on the team at WR this past season in total targets, and he caught six touchdown passes. Having two players at 6-foot-4 who can be effective at all three levels like Collins and Higgins is a cheat code.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Brian Thomas Jr. & Parker Washington
You could look at the Jacksonville Jaguars' wide receiver position and pick out a few duos that would be better than most in the AFC. The Jaguars might have the best group of receivers in the NFL, but you have to pick two for this particular exercise.
I went with Brian Thomas Jr., the team's #1 receiver in 2024, and Parker Washington, the team's #1 receiver in 2025. And while Washington's breakout season came seemingly out of nowhere, it has given Liam Coen a plethora of really fun options to work with every single game.
And it might have helped inform the team's decision to give more snaps defensively to Travis Hunter...
Either way, these two guys are capable of being ball-dominant go-to options in the Jacksonville offense.
3. Buffalo Bills: DJ Moore & Khalil Shakir
If there was one position the Buffalo Bills knew they had to upgrade heading into the 2026 offseason, it was wide receiver. They obviously had the infamous play against the Broncos in the Divisional Round of the playoffs where Ja'Quan McMillian snatched the ball right out of Brandin Cooks's hands, but the receiver position let the Bills down on plenty of occasions besides that one.
The trade to acquire DJ Moore was criticized as an overpay by a lot of folks in the NFL world, but not by me. He's exactly what Buffalo needed on the outside, and has familiarity with new head coach Joe Brady from their time together with the Panthers.
Alongside Khalil Shakir, Moore gives the Bills an enviable duo of receivers after the catch. They might be the best duo in the NFL when it comes to making plays in space, and we know Moore can win contested catch situations downfield as well.
2. Denver Broncos: Courtland Sutton & Jaylen Waddle
Courtland Sutton has been one of the top receivers in the NFL for quite some time now, but he has always felt like he would be able to maximize his skill set as a WR1A or WR2 in an offense. The Broncos have just never been able to afford him that opportunity.
As a result, it feels like there's been a ceiling on Sutton's production, even though he's enjoying the best stretch of his NFL career at the moment. He made the Pro Bowl this past season, he's got back-to-back years with over 1,000 yards, and has 25 total touchdowns since Sean Payton became Denver's head coach in 2023.
Even if there are times he's struggled with drops or consistency, Sutton is about as reliable as it gets when it comes to 3rd down. Now, he's got the type of wingman at receiver that could give Denver the most dangerous duo of receivers in the AFC.
The Broncos traded for Jaylen Waddle this offseason, getting a receiver in the mix who is elite at creating separation at all levels of the field. Having Waddle helps fix an issue that has been ongoing for Denver, even with Sutton's production: The Broncos have struggled to create separation, and they've struggled with drops.
Waddle may not rack up 150 targets, but he has the skill set to really unlock this duo in a big way.
1. Cincinnati Bengals: Tee Higgins & Ja'Marr Chase
The duo of Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase is still the best in the NFL if you're asking me. They combined for well over 2,200 yards receiving last season with 184 catches and 19 touchdowns between the two of them.
Think about that...
They are getting in the end zone more frequently than once every 10 times they catch the ball, and that's with 280-plus targets last season.
These guys have elite athletic traits, size, hands, ball skills, body control, they run great routes, they are smart, and they are tremendous assets in the red zone. There's just nothing they don't do well, and as a duo, they combine to be a quarterback's absolute dream.