3. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Justin Jefferson could realistically hit the 10,000-yard mark in 2026, but he's only in his seventh year in the NFL.
Through six seasons, Jefferson has 579 receptions for 8,480 yards and 42 touchdowns, averaging 1,534 yards across a 17-game season. In 2022, he led the NFL in targets with 184, receptions with 128, and yards with 1,809.
Now with Kyler Murray likely to be his quarterback, Jefferson can shake off the 2025 season in which he barely crossed the 1,000-yard mark. Murray is capable enough to feed the ball to his best players. Jefferson also has two separate seasons of averaging at least 100 yards per game.
He comes in at No. 3 in our power rankings.
2. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
In 2024, Ja'Marr Chase was the Triple Crown winner, leading all players in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He also led the league with 175 targets. That season worked out to look like this:
175 targets
127 receptions
1,708 yards
17 touchdowns
100.5 yards per game
Chase has also reached the 1,000-yard mark in all five seasons of his career. With the Cincinnati Bengals having drastically improved the defense, that unit could end up giving the ball back to the offense more in 2026. We can also clearly see that Joe Burrow is a special, prolific quarterback when healthy.
Chase is also only set to enter his age-26 season, so he's still quite young and is, at least age-wise, still right in the middle of his prime years.
1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
Jaxon Smith-Njigba had quite the year in 2025 for the Seattle Seahawks. He was given Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and Offensive Player of the Year honors. He led the NFL in yards with 1,793, and also added 119 receptions and 10 yards to that campaign.
Not missing a game in his career, Smith-Njigba is also only entering his age-24 season. Furthermore, he had the best season of his career with Sam Darnold as his quarterback. Darnold was in his first year with the team, so there could be a reasonable expectation that more chemistry is going to be present with the duo in 2026.
The Seahawks wide receiver hierarchy is also a bit top-heavy, but that could be to his benefit, as Darnold will keep feeding him the ball. Overall, the big picture for 2026 could give JSN the best chance to break Johnson's receiving record.
Add us as a preferred source on Google