Receiving duos make a splash in the NFL every year. Since 2015, 28 pass catching duos surpassed 1000 receiving yards. There are a number of duos in 2022 that are primed for high production. First, this article will analyze the top 10 receiving duos and list their 2021 production combined. Then, this article will rank those duos. Finally, this article will explain why certain duos did not make the list.
Meet the Top Receiving Duos in 2022 (in alphabetical order)
Buffalo Bills – WR Stefon Diggs/WR Gabriel Davis, 135 receptions, 228 targets, 1774 yards, 16 touchdowns
This pass catching duo is supported by one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL currently. Fresh off of the QB1 performance of 2012, Josh Allen has passed for back to back 4400+ yard 35+ td seasons. WR1 Stefon Diggs has had four consecutive 1000 receiving yard seasons. The WR2 for the team, Gabriel Davis, is the one who will make or break the duo. He has put up respectable touchdown numbers. He has caught seven and then six touchdowns in his first two seasons as a pro, but has yet to surpass 600 receiving yards. Thankfully, Cole Beasley’s departure benefits Davis. Beasley leaves behind two seasons where he caught 82 passes on 100+ targets. If Davis can tap into these vacant targets, he will take the huge leap forward many analyst believe he will take.
Cincinnati Bengals – WR Ja’Marr Chase/WR Tee Higgins, 155 receptions, 238 targets, 2546 yards, 19 touchdowns
This duo is the hottest pass catching tandem coming into 2023. Ja’Marr Chase, whom many considered one of the best receivers currently in the league, is once again playing alongside fellow 1000 yard receiver Tee Higgins. With a fully healthy Joe Burrow, one of the leagues hottest up and coming star quarterbacks, they have a high chance at repeating their 2021 production. The tandem is also helped by one of the leagues most talented running backs, Joe Mixon, who is sure to keep defenses honest.
Las Angeles Chargers – WR Keenan Allen/WR Mike Williams, 182 receptions, 286 targets, 2284 yards, 15 touchdowns
The Chargers come into the 2022 season with one of the strongest rosters in the league. Pro-Bowler Keenan Allen and break out receiver Mike Williams are the team’s main receiving threats. These two superstars are the quintessential one-two punch. Allen is the possession-type chain-mover, catching 66 first downs last year on his fifth consecutive 97+ catch year. Williams is the big play jump ball receiver with a career average 15.1 yards per reception. This pair is the only duo on this list to have multiple 1000 yard receiving seasons together. Their cannon-armed quarterback Justin Herbert is one of the hottest new signal callers in the league, having broken the rookie passing touchdown record and coming off a 5000+ passing yard season. The sky is the limit for this duo.
Las Angeles Rams – WR Cooper Kupp/WR Allen Robinson, 183 receptions, 257 targets, 2357 yards,
The Rams have arguably one of the most intelligent players in football at wide receiver in Cooper Kupp. Kupp is fresh off of having one of the best all-time years for a wide receiver and a Super Bowl win. Kupp and his breakfast buddy Matt Stafford signed extensions in the off season, so the duo are tied together for the foreseeable future. Pro-Bowler Allen Robinson also signed a contract with the Rams this off season. Robinson is a perpetual target monster good for 150+ looks most seasons. Last year was a uncharacteristic off year for Robinson. Robinson, a player known to succeed despite whoever is throwing the ball, struggled with Justin Fields under center. Matthew Stafford is by far the best quarterback that Robinson has ever had, so a bounce back season is in order for the former Bear.
Las Vegas Raiders- WR Davante Adams/WR Hunter Renfrow, 226 receptions, 297 targets, 2591 yards, 20 touchdowns
The starting pass catchers for the 2022 Raiders give the team a shot at being a top offense this year. The Raiders traded for Davante Adams in the off season. Adams has had five double digit touchdown seasons in his career. He is reunited with his former quarterback Derek Carr. The pair accounted for 39 touchdowns and 3000+ yards from 2012-2013. Adams joins third year receiver Hunter Renfrow in 2022. The pair accounted for 200+ receptions last year. With stud tight end Darren Waller, this may be one of the most talented and productive starting pass catching groups in 2022.
Miami Dolphins – WR Tyreek Hill/WR Jaylen Waddle, 215 receptions, 252 targets, 2254 yards, 15 touchdowns
The 2022 Miami Dolphins receiving group got a massive upgrade with the addition of Tyreek Hill. Hill joins Jaylen Waddle, and the two may be the fastest tandem in the league. Hill set the NFL speed record in 2016 at 23.24 mph and Waddle hit 21.8 in 2022. They playmakers have a history of success; the dynamic duo accounted for 100+ and 1000+ yards each last year. Their 2022 outlook is an enigma with Tua Tagovailoa as quarterback. Hill’s average depth of target is 10.7 yards and Waddle’s is 7.1. Both of these players are in the top 20 for yards after the catch, however, so their skillset can work with Tua’s shortcomings as a deep passer. Interestingly enough, though, Tua was tied for first in the league for deep ball completion percentage, so if they do go deep, Tua has the skills to connect.
Minnesota Vikings – WR Justin Jefferson/WR Adam Thielen, 175 receptions, 262 targets, 2342 yards, 20 touchdowns
The Vikings tandem is a hard one to rank in 2022. This pair has the largest age gap (eight years) between them. Justin Jefferson is one of the leagues best receivers. He is going into his third year after having a phenomenal 1600 yard 10 touchdown season. On the opposite side, Adam Thielen is considered one of the leagues most dependable red zone targets. He has scored double digit touchdowns in his last two years. While having a pair of 1000 yard seasons under his belt, Thielen hasn’t been able to reach that milestone in the last three seasons. The emergence of KJ Osborn could also have a negative impact on Thielen. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has shown he could support two 1000 yard receivers, as the group accomplished that feat in 2018 with Diggs and Thielen.
Philadelphia Eagles – WR AJ Brown/WR Devonta Smith, 127 receptions, 209 targets, 1785 yards, 10 touchdowns
The duo from Philadelphia have a very wide range of outcomes. The Eagles traded for AJ Brown in this past off season. AJ Brown is a beast. Also, AJ Brown plays too hard and gets injured often. His rookie season was the only season he played all of his games and he caught eight touchdowns on 1050 yards receiving. DeVonta Smith plays on the opposite side of Brown in 2022. Smith is a promising young WR who has just put up 100+ targets and 900+ yards in his rookie season. This duo is severely limited by third year quarterback Jalen Hurts. In Hurts’ first year as starter, he put up an abysmal 3144 yards passing and 16 touchdowns on 432 attempts. With up and coming tight end Dallas Goedert there to steal passes, this duo has the highest chance to bust on this list.
San Francisco 49ers – WR Deebo Samuel/TE George Kittle, 148 receptions, 215 targets, 2315 yards, 12 touchdowns
Deebo Samuel and George Kittle are among the most physical receiving duos in the game. Deebo lit the league on fire last year, finally fulfilling the expectations he had coming out of college. He was a dual threat, efficiency machine. He ranked first in the league on 18.2 yards per reception and ranked near the top of yards per rush with 6.2. Kittle has some of the best hands in the league; he is second ranked tight end in reception percentage at 72.4% (minimum 250 receptions). His recent lower body injuries have limited his elusiveness. Despite this, he remains one of the hardest to tackle players in the league. Quarterback play has not limited either player. The 49ers run a very quarterback friendly offense with plenty of short passes that take advantage of their athletic playmakers.
Seattle Seahawks – WR DK Metcalf/WR Tyler Lockett 148 receptions, 236 targets, 2142 yards, 20 touchdowns
The two main pass catchers for the Seahawks are tough to gauge this year. This 2020 1000 yard receiving duo almost repeated the feat in 2021. Unfortunately for Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, the situation has changed for the worse in 2022. The pair lost nine time Pro-Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson in a trade. In exchange, they received Drew Lock, one of the league’s most inaccurate quarterbacks since his arrival. Lock has never had a QB rating higher than 90 while Wilson has never dropped below 92. With completed air yards having a large correlation to fantasy points, it is important to have good quarterback play for fantasy success.
The Rankings List
Using the data above and a little personal analysis, this is the rankings list for 2022’s top 10 receiving duos.
10. Eagles
Brown and Smith are limited by Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown’s injury history, and Dallas Goedert. They have a wide range of outcomes in 2022.
9. Bills
Diggs and Gabe Davis have high upside with Josh Allen as QB and over 100 vacated targets. Gabriel Davis has had spike games but was buried in the depth chart for his first two years, so he remains a generally unproven NFL starter.
8. 49ers
Deebo and Kittle are high upside, injury prone superstars. There isn’t much competition on the team as far as targets, but they go into 2022 with a question mark at quarterback.
7. Seahawks
Metcalf and Lockett are highly productive wide receivers in a negative situation. They were already inconsistent with Wilson as their quarterback; this problem will only be multiplied by Locks incompetence. Despite this, they remain one of the best receiving duos in the league.
6. Vikings
Jefferson and Theilen are a couple of players at different points of their careers; Jefferson is a rising star and Theilen is aging out. Young receiver KJ Osborn is also coming for Theilen’s job. Due to this, they are ranked lower. If Theilen can recapture his yard totals when he was in his prime, this will be one of the best duos with Kirk Cousins.
5. Dolphins
Hill and Waddle are two of the leagues most dynamic playmakers. Their success is limited by Tua’s arm, but they have also shown to have explosive break away plays on short passes. This fact may be exploited by new head coach Mike McDaniel.
4. Raiders
Adams and Renfrow are a pair of extremely talented route runners. Nevertheless, there are a couple of questions going into the 2022 season. Will the two target hogs cannibalize each others production? Will Darren Waller have a rebound season and steal targets? Despite these problems, the floor for the pair is very high. This group in 2022 may be one of the few in history to produce three 1000 yard pass catchers.
3. Rams
Kupp and Robinson will be a very interesting duo to watch in 2022 with the extremely high upside they possess. There is no doubt to Kupp’s game after a historical 2021 campaign. Kupp alone outproduced the 2022 Eagles and Bills duos 2021 production. If Robinson can return to form, these two may be the #1 tandem in 2022.
2. Chargers
Allen and Williams are a perennial top 10 receiving duo. Perfectly complementing each other, they are supported by Justin Herbert, who has just thrown for 5000+ yards in 2021. They may have their third 1000 yard season together this year.
1. Bengals
Chase and Higgins will be the #1 receiving duo in 2022, if all things remain the same. They are both alpha receivers absolutely in sync with Burrow. Burrow is one of the leagues most efficient passers; he will make sure that there will be no wasted targets on Chase and Higgins. These two both reaching 1000 yards and double digit touchdowns is not outside the realm of possibility.
Honorable Mentions
These are the receiving duos that are landing right outside of the top 10 list, whether it be from injury, too many weapons, or bad quarterback play.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – WR Mike Evans/WR Chris Godwin, 172 receptions, 242 targets, 2138 yards, 19 touch downs
The only reason why the Bucs aren’t #1 on this list is because there is no timetable for Chris Godwin’s return from his late season injury. Rob Gronkowski retired this past off season as well. This leaves Russell Gage, Tyler Johnson, Breshad Perriman, and numerous other JAGs to fill the spot.
Denver Broncos – WR Courtland Sutton/WR Jerry Jeudy, 96 receptions, 154 targets, 1243 yards, 2 touchdowns
The reason they aren’t on the list is because there are so many mouths to feed on the roster. No two players will stand out enough to separate themselves from the rest of the pack as a pass catcher. Courtland Sutton has had a bad run over the last two seasons, but broke out in 2019. Jerry Jeudy is considered one of the leagues best route runners. Tim Patrick has had stretches of production. The team has a couple of talented young tight ends in Albert Okwuegunam and Greg Dulcich. They have a great pair of running backs with Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon. Russell Wilson is the true winner here. Just don’t expect anyone to have a totally dominant year on this roster.
Arizona Cardinals – WR DeAndre Hopkins/WR Marquise Brown, 133 receptions, 209 targets, 1580 yards 14 touchdowns
The reason why this duo didn’t make the list is because of Hopkins’ 6 week suspension to start the year. The Cardinals traded for deep ball specialist Marquise “Hollywood” Brown this off season. He reunites with his former college quarterback Kyler Murray. He will be playing alongside future Hall of Fame wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins is getting old for the NFL as well so expect a production drop off this year.
Dallas Cowboys – WR CeeDee Lamb/WR Michael Gallup, 114 receptions, 182 targets, 1547 yards, 8 touchdowns
The reason why the Cowboy duo CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup aren’t on the list is because of Gallup’s knee injury and Dalton Schultz. Gallup tore his ACL midseason and the timetable of his recovery may make him miss the beginning of the year. Breakout tight end Dalton Schultz may fill in nicely while Gallup recovers. The pairing of Lamb and Schultz may make it in the top 10 by season’s end.
Carolina Panthers – WR DJ Moore/RB Christian McCaffery, 130 receptions, 204 targets, 1500 yards, 5 touchdowns
The reason these two didn’t make the list is because of their quarterback situation and Christian McCaffery’s injury history. DJ Moore has one of the highest yardage total relative to his age but one of the lowest touchdown totals. Also, CMC has only played 10 games over the last two seasons. Should newly acquired quarterback Baker Mayfield increase the teams passing touchdown total and CMC remain healthy, this duo could make it to the top 10.