In today’s NFL, teams basically have three starting wide receivers. Lining up in three-wide sets is more common than two, which forces defenses to line up in nickel the majority of the time as well. Which AFC West team deploys the top trio? Whose top three doesn’t measure up? Let’s take a look.
1. Chargers
Starters: Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Jalen Guyton
Allen has been one of the NFL’s top receivers since he entered the league in 2013. A rookie season with 1046 yards and eight touchdowns gave way to three seasons in which he couldn’t stay on the field due to injury. The past four seasons, however, he has turned his injury problems around entirely, not missing a single game.
It was Allen’s injury problems that had the Chargers use the seventh overall pick on Mike Williams. His addition has given them two outstanding receivers who both thrive as different types of receivers in this offense. Last season former undrafted receiver Jalen Guyton came on strong as well, starting nine games and catching 28 passes while averaging over 18 yards per catch.
2. Chiefs
Starters: Tyreek Hill, Demarcus Robinson, Mecole Hardman
Hill is the top receiver in this division and easily one of the top receivers in the league. He has made the Pro Bowl in each of his five NFL seasons and been an All-Pro twice. He has speed to burn and sets the standard for Z receivers in the NFL. Only Packers’ Davante Adams had more touchdowns than Hill (15) last season.
Hardman has plenty of speed in his own rite. Shown by his averaging over 20 yards per catch as a rookie in 2019. While his yards per catch came down last season, his catches and yards went up. Robinson doesn’t do much worth mentioning and disappears in the playoffs, but he had career highs last season in catches (45) and yards (466).
3. Broncos
Starters: Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler
Sutton was a baller coming out of college and has been lights out in the NFL. His 2020 season ended as soon as it began, but his 2019 season saw him catch 72 passes for 1112 yards and 6 touchdowns. And the most impressive part of that those numbers is how terrible the Broncos’ QB situation was (and continues to be).
Jeudy was nabbed at 15 overall in the 2020 draft out of Alabama. He easily outplayed his Crimson Tide counterpart Henry Ruggs III who was chosen ahead of him by the Raiders. Catching 52 passes for 856 yards and three TD’s with Drew Lock throwing him passes is no small feat. He was joined by KJ Hamler who the Broncos selected with their next pick in round two, giving the Broncos three receivers all taken in the top two rounds.
4. Raiders
Starters: Henry Ruggs III, John Brown, Hunter Renfrow
Brown comes over as a free agent, joining last year’s top pick Henry Ruggs III and third-year slot target Hunter Renfrow. Ruggs was the first receiver taken in the 2020 draft and struggled to live up to it. He couldn’t seem to get open regularly and rarely did his elite speed show up in terms of gaining separation from defenders.
Brown comes over as a free agent, with the Raiders hoping he can provide production at or above what they got last season from Nelson Agholor who left in free agency. Brown has a couple of thousand-yard seasons in his career and was on pace to approach those numbers again last season prior to injury. Renfrow is a dependable slot receiver who always seems to be able to get open to convert on third down.
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