Justin Jefferson or Ja'Marr Chase? Ranking NFL's two best wide receivers ahead of their Week 3 showdown

The best two wide receivers in the NFL will share the field on Sunday when the Vikings host the Bengals in Minneapolis. Justin Jefferson (95.7 receiving yards per game) and Ja'Marr Chase (87.8) rank one-two in NFL history (minimum 50 games) entering their Week 3 showdown. 

They are truly the cream of the crop. Their names litter the record books, literally. If you hit control+F in the 2025 NFL Fact and Record book, they appear a combined 101 times. 

I could heap mountains of praise on them, so that's exactly what I am going to do.

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Zachary Pereles

Jefferson entered 2025 with the most receiving yards through five seasons in NFL history (7,432). He has three seasons with 1,500 receiving yards in his career. The only player with more is Jerry Rice (four). He looked poised to break Calvin Johnson's single-season receiving yards record in 2022, but ultimately fell short with 1,809 yards. 

Chase entered 2025 ranked top three all-time in receiving yards (5,425) and receiving touchdowns (46) through four seasons. He became the fifth player since 1970 with the receiving triple crown last year (with Cooper Kupp, Steve Smith, Sterling Sharpe and Jerry Rice) and was also the first player ever with 1,700 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns in a season.  

You can debate who is the best, but we should all agree that they are the top two. They are the two highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL. They are the top two wide receivers in the league, as voted by their peers. They ranked one-two in the NFL in receiving yards last year, becoming the first duo from the same school (LSU) with 1,500 receiving yards in the same season in NFL history. They both have 99 ratings in the Madden NFL 26 video game.

Before we debate ... you need to see their numbers at LSU in 2019

So, is one of them the best wide receiver in the NFL? Is it 1A and 1B? Does it depend on how you define "best?" It's very tough to separate them, but perhaps that's how it should be. Sunday will be the third time they share the field in their NFL careers, but they starred together at LSU, where they first began their assault on the record books. You've probably heard, or might even remember, that they were teammates on one of the greatest teams in college football history, the 2019 LSU Tigers. 

But you need to be reminded just how dominant this duo was as they caught passes from Joe Burrow. They are the only duo in FBS history with 1,500 receiving yards and 15 touchdown catches in a season. Jefferson had 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns. Chase had 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. It's not quite Derrick Henry's high school resume, but take a look at their game logs from the 2019 season. 

2019 LSU Rec Yard Totals by Game

There are 17 100-yard games and four 200-yard performances. At least one of them had 100 yards in eight straight games to end the season. And they went nuclear in the College Football Playoff. Jefferson had 227 yards and four touchdowns in the semifinal and Chase had 221 yards and two touchdowns in the final. Those are still the top two performances in CFP history in terms of receiving yards.

We were introduced to a pair of legends that year and they've blossomed into full-blown megastars in the NFL that have us wondering what record will fall next? Chase spoke with our Cody Benjamin this offseason and said either he or Jefferson will become the first 2,000-yard receiver at some point in the next few years. 

I don't doubt it. But what might be harder to figure out is who is the best wide receiver in the NFL?

Case for Justin Jefferson as best WR in NFL

Jefferson is the best route runner in the NFL. He leads the NFL in yards per route run (2.63) since entering the league in 2020. Chase ranks in the top 10 (2.27). He's an elite separator. His career explosive catch rate is actually significantly higher than Chase's (25% vs. 17%). OK, so Jefferson's route running has to be phenomenal if he's going to outpace Chase in that category, given what our eyes tell us about Chase's otherworldly athleticism.

Jefferson might also have the best hands in the NFL. His career drop rate of 4.3% is lower than Ja'Marr Chase's at 5.5%. This is perhaps the best video evidence of his catching ability that could ever exist.

Jefferson has racked up historic numbers without the benefit of a top 10 quarterback (depending on how you feel about Kirk Cousins with the Vikings), too. He averages 98.9 receiving yards per game in his career with Kirk Cousins starting and 88.8 with anyone else starting (that's among Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall, Sean Mannion and Josh Dobbs). That's not much of a dropoff at all. Those numbers tell me that there's not a huge disparity between the quality of some of those quarterbacks and Jefferson can put up numbers with anybody.

Justin Jefferson career by starting QB

Ja'Marr Chase averages 91.4 receiving yards per game with Burrow in his career and 58.4 in seven games with Jake Browning and Brandon Allen (six of those were started by Browning). Obviously, a smaller sample, but I think that illustrates the value of a superstar quarterback to a degree. 

Case for Ja'Marr Chase as best WR in NFL

Jefferson is the best route runner in the NFL. He has some Jerry Rice in his game. Chase is the best playmaker, though. His speed and strength remind me of Terrell Owens. He can take a screen pass or a slant over the middle and make a house call on any given play. 

He leads the NFL in yards after catch (2,505) since entering the league in 2021. Last year, he averaged 6.3 yards after catch per reception. His expected rate was 3.9 per NFL Next Gen Stats. 

That ability is one reason why he has the most 60-yard touchdown catches before turning 26 in NFL history (12). He has five 60-yard touchdown catches that were caught within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage. Nobody else in the league has more than one since 2021. He can score from anywhere on the field. Case in point below.

He leads the NFL in touchdown catches of 1+, 10+, 20+, 30+, 40+, 50+, 60+, 70+ and 80+ (tied) yards since entering the league. Literally any yardage split you look at, and he leads the NFL in touchdown grabs from that distance. It's not even really close, either.

Most TD catches by yardage since 2021

The crazy combo of size and strength will do that. He has almost triple the number of catches that gain 10+ yards after contact than Justin Jefferson since 2021 (23 vs. eight). Only Deebo Samuel has more in that span.

He's probably the most dangerous weapon in the NFL right now and might be the playmaker that defensive coordinators fear most. This obscene ability has led to some monster games. He is the only player in NFL history with multiple games with 260+ receiving yards. His 266-yard, three-touchdown performance as a rookie vs. the Chiefs will be something I remember for a long time. 

You add in the numbers he put up last year and I think he's the best wide receiver in the NFL ... right now.

Verdict

But "right now" isn't exactly the question. Who is the best wide receiver in the NFL has to take into account the past, present and future. Everything. The body of work, what have you done for me lately, and how do you project going forward? 

I give the slightest of nods to Jefferson as the best wide receiver in the NFL. The numbers they've put up in their NFL careers are no doubt historic. They are both in their primes. Chase's stock might be higher at the moment, but since their numbers are eerily similar, and Chase has caught 90% of his passes from a top-four quarterback (Burrow), I have to give the edge to Jefferson (64% of his catches are from Cousins). 

Career Averages

The chart above shows just how close the numbers are. Receptions, targets, catch rate and EPA per target are all nearly identical. Jefferson has more yards and yards per route, while Chase finds the end zone more. They are both the best in the NFL at different attributes, and we're splitting hairs when it comes to whose numbers are better; that's why I give the edge to Jefferson based on quarterback play. 

It pains me not to pick Chase based on the eye test and his jaw-dropping game-breaking ability. But I'm a numbers guy, and that logic makes sense to me. I really don't think there's a wrong answer in this debate, either. You might pick Chase for different reasons and that's cool, too. It's so closely contested, so let's just let their play on Sunday do the talking.