There are a ton of extremely talented wide receivers in the NFL, but how many of them form a top duo with their fellow quarterback? Having a top duo at QB and WR is a huge plus in today's NFL. It's an offense-first league, so teams are loading up on that side of the ball.
There are quite a few talented, even elite wide receivers in the league at present day. But when we look at the QBs they catch passes from, how many top QB/WR duos does the NFL have? Let's try to rank the 10 best ahead of the 2024 NFL Season.
NFL power rankings: Ranking the 10 best QB/WR duos for the 2024 season
10. Baker Mayfield/Mike Evans - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans is the most underrated player in the NFL, still. He's played 10 years in the league and has had at least 1,000-yards in each of those seasons. In 2023, catching passes from Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans had 79 receptions, 1,255 yards, and 13 touchdowns. The 13 touchdowns were tied for the league lead.
Baker Mayfield was also quite efficient, throwing for over 4,000 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions. You may not think this duo is one of the 10 best in the NFL, but they are, objectively. Now yes, Mayfield might not play as well in 2024, as his former OC, Dave Canales, is now the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.
And with Mike Evans aging, a decline is likely to happen at some point in the future. However, Mayfield and Evans were a great duo in 2023 and should still be quite good in 2024.
9. Jalen Hurts/AJ Brown - Philadelphia Eagles
While I am lower on Jalen Hurts than most, he knows how to feed his best players, as AJ Brown caught 106 receptions for 1,456 yards and seven scores in 2023. Brown also earned another contract extension from the Philadelphia Eagles. Brown has emerged as a top-10 WR in the NFL, and even with Hurts having a down year through the air, he still made sure Brown was fed.
Jalen Hurts is probably the 15th-best QB in the NFL, but has not been a great passer through the first four years of his NFL career. I do believe this is a huge season for the dual-threat QB, who needs to simply show more as a passer, as his career will be cut short if he continues to run the ball at a high rate.
And honestly, the duo of Jalen Hurts/DeVonta Smith could also rank pretty high in the NFL.
8. CJ Stroud/Nico Collins - Houston Texans
A new duo in 2023, both CJ Stroud and Nico Collins burst onto the scene and are the youngest duo on this list. Collins finished eighth in the NFL in yards with 1,297 in 2023, and also caught 80 passes and eight touchdowns.
This was Collins first 1,000-yard season, and CJ Stroud was simply excellent as a rookie. With this duo entering year two together, they could shoot up this list by this time next year, and to make matters better, the Houston Texans also added WR Stefon Diggs to the mix for 2024, so perhaps that takes a bit of attention off of Collins, who could see his stats explode in the coming season.
The Texans shocked the league in 2023, winning 10 games and a playoff game. They were playing with house money and could make a Super Bowl run in the 2024 NFL Season if all goes well. Stroud could hit 30 touchdowns, and Collins himself could hit 1,500 receiving yards in 2024.
7. Matthew Stafford/Puka Nacua - Los Angeles Rams
In his rookie season in 2023, Puka Nacua finished fourth in the NFL in receiving yards, and ninth in receptions. When Matthew Stafford has a true WR1, he'll target him, a lot. The two best yardage seasons in NFL history are Calvin Johnson and Cooper Kupp, who both caught their balls from Stafford.
It's no hyperbole to suggest that Nacua could have an all-time season in year two, given how efficient he was as a rookie. And even as he ages, Matthew Stafford does not seem to be slowing down, and while his numbers did not jump off the page in 2023, he was excellent toward the end of the season, helping the LA Rams shockingly win 10 games and earn a postseason berth.
The sky is the limit for Stafford and Nacua in 2024.
6. Patrick Mahomes/Rashee Rice - Kansas City Chiefs
This is a QB/WR duo ranking, not tight end. You might roll your eyes at the idea of Patrick Mahomes being sixth in any sort of power ranking, but there is still some unknown with Rashee Rice, who has had a not great time this offseason, but did have a solid rookie season, catching 79 passes for 938 yards and seven touchdowns.
Rice could be suspended for a large part of the 2024 NFL Season, but depending on how long that suspension is, Rice could earn his first career 1,000-yard season in 2024. Mahomes is great, and there is no denying that, but he was not insanely efficient in 2023. Still though, this is one of the better QB/WR duos in the NFL, and that seems abundantly clear to me.
5. Brock Purdy/Brandon Aiyuk - San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy is a very good QB, and it's annoying that people are thinking otherwise. He was wildly efficient in the 2023 NFL Season, and his best WR, Brandon Aiyuk, enjoyed a career year, catching 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. Aiyuk was second in the NFL in yards per reception, gaining 17.9 yards per catch.
He was only behind George Pickens in that department. Currently, Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers do not seem close on any sort of contract extension, so that is definitely something to watch here. With the 49ers having several huge contracts and having some coming up in the future, an Aiyuk extension might be tricky.
The 49ers did draft WR Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, so perhaps that was them preparing for life without Brandon Aiyuk. Nonetheless, this is a fantastic QB/WR duo.
4. Jared Goff/Amon-Ra St. Brown - Detroit Lions
Amon-Ra St. Brown had a career year in 2023 hauling in 119 receptions for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns. He caught 72.6% of his targets as well, which is just insane production. Jared Goff has reinvigorated his career, as the once LA Rams QB has now thrown 59 touchdown passes over the last two seasons, and is on a Detroit Lions team that is ascending.
In fact, one could argue that this is the best roster in the NFL, and them making it to the NFC Championship Game in 2023 should pave the way for a potential Super Bowl run in 2024. Both Goff and St. Brown signed mega contract extensions this offseason, so Lions GM Brad Holmes did the right thing and locked up his core players for the long-term.
It's only the beginning for Goff and St. Brown.
3. Joe Burrow/Ja'Marr Chase - Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow has never played a full season in his four-year NFL career, but when he and Ja'Marr Chase are on the field together, it's a huge problem for opposing defenses. They are one of the premier QB/WR duos in the NFL, and both should still be firmly in the prime of their careers. Joe Burrow signed a mega-extension with the Cincinnati Bengals, and I would assume it's only a matter of time before they sign Chase to a huge one as well.
And you could expect Chase's deal to be at least $30 million per season, which is insane numbers for the current WR market. In the NFL today, WRs are becoming more valuable, and that is indicated it just how much they are making. At this point, teams won't sustain success for the long-term without a true WR1, and the Bengals have one in Chase.
2. Dak Prescott/CeeDee Lamb - Dallas Cowboys
CeeDee Lamb caught 135 passes in 2023, and 74.6% of his total targets. He was second in the NFL in yards, and his QB, Dak Prescott, had an all-time great Cowboys quarterbacking season as well. Say what you want about them in the postseason, but there is no denying just how good this duo has been.
CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott are both currently without contract extensions, which is a bit wild, but the Cowboys would be wise to get Lamb's done, at least. There are valid questions about whether the team can win a Super Bowl with Prescott under center, so moving on from him in some capacity in the near future would not surprise me.
For now, though, let's enjoy how prolific this duo is.
1. Tua Tagovailoa/Tyreek Hill - Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa played in all 17 games in the 2023 NFL Season, throwing for 29 touchdowns against 14 interceptions, along with a stellar 4,624 yards and 101.1 passer rating. The 14 interceptions may turn some people off, but Touchdown Tua has such a high workload as a passer, that he'll probably always be near the double-digit INT mark.
Tyreek Hill is still probably the best WR in the NFL, as he caught 119 passes in 2023 for 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns. He led the NFL in yards and touchdowns, and was second in receptions, and it's actually wild to think that Hill's production increased as soon as he left Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tyreek Hill caught nearly 70% of his targets as well, which is a hugely efficient number.