NFC East Positional Power Rankings - Wide Receiver

Today our series returns with coverage of the wide receivers of the NFC East. If you haven’t been following the series so far, make sure to check out the QBs and RBs of the NFC East below. As a reminder, these rankings include only players who are already signed for the 2019 season. The rankings will be revisited after free agency and the draft.

Archive: QB | RB

1. Odell Beckham Jr. - New York Giants

2018 Stats: 77 Recs - 1052 Yds | 6 TD - 95.6 WR Rating (passer rating when targeted)
PFF Grade: 90.0
Key Stat: 51 of 77 Recs (66%) for 1st down or TD

When healthy, OBJ is one of the top talents in the league right now. He is arguably the best WR in football and certainly the best in the division. Beckham led the division in receptions and yards, and finished 2nd in terms of scoring after playing just 12 games. With the Ghost of Eli Manning Past throwing him the ball, it’ll be interesting to see how productive he can remain in the 2019 season.

2. Amari Cooper - Dallas Cowboys

2018 Stats: 75 Recs - 1005 Yds | 7 TD - 115.0 WR Rating
PFF Grade: 77.9
Key Stat: 2nd in division (to OBJ) with 2.16 yards gained per route ran

Dallas was mocked by Eagles fans for sending a 1st round pick to Jon Gruden for the talented young wide out until Amari Cooper completely dismantled the Philadelphia secondary in week 12 collecting 217 yards and 3 touchdowns on 10 receptions. With the constant need to try and stop Ezekiel Elliott when facing the Cowboys, Amari Cooper will have plenty of time and room to post career numbers this fall.

3. Alshon Jeffery - Philadelphia Eagles

2018 Stats: 65 Recs - 843 Yds | 6 TD - 118.9 WR Rating
PFF Grade: 78.3
Key Stat: Led division with a reception percentage of 42.9 on passes of 20+ yards downfield

Alshon managed to finish the 2018 season with just two 100+ yard games after being out targeted to Zach Ertz. With inconsistent QB play, Alshon had trouble finding a rhythm until his final 4 games of the season when he posted 4 straight games with 50 or more yards. Jeffery also infamously dropped what will end up being Nick Foles’ final pass attempt as an Eagle which led to end of the playoff run for Philly. Jeffery is a stud and should improve his stat line next season assuming good health for him and quarterback Carson Wentz.

4. Sterling Shepard - New York Giants

2018 Stats: 66 Recs - 872 Yds | 4 TD - 96.5 WR Rating
PFF Grade: 67.3
Key Stat: Dropped 8 of 74 Catchable Balls (10.8%) which led division

After busting onto the scene in 2016 with 683 Yds and 8 TDs, Shepard has quietly remained a solid weapon on the New York offense. He has shown improvement in a few areas each season including yards per reception where he has gone from 10.5 in ‘16 to 12.4 in ‘17 and 13.2 in ‘18. Like OBJ, if Shepard gets the opportunity to showcase his talent in 2019, he most certainly will.

5. Nelson Agholor - Philadelphia Eagles

2018 Stats: 64 Recs - 736 Yds | 4 TD - 105.6 WR Rating
PFF Grade: 64.8
Key Stat: Led division with 312 yards gained on receptions of 20+ yards

Entering his 5th season, Nelson Agholor’s play is likely fully blossomed at this point. While he will never end up being the stud the Eagles thought he would be when they took him in the 1st round, his level of play has gone from downright terrible to above average, especially when considering he is the third option in the Philadelphia passing attack. With Golden Tate gone, Agholor should return to the slot for the Eagles where he scored eight touchdowns from in 2017.

6. Michael Gallup - Dallas Cowboys

2018 Stats: 33 Recs - 507 Yds | 2 TD - 73.2 WR Rating
PFF Grade: 60.3
Key Stat: 15.4 Yards per Reception led NFC East

For what its worth, Gallup was the best rookie WR in the division last year. He only brought in 33 of 68 targets, but made the catches count with a division leading 15.4 yards per reception. The arrow is pointed up for the speedster as he enters his second year.

7. Paul Richardson Jr. - Washington

2018 Stats: 20 Recs - 262 Yds | 2 TD - 105.9 WR Rating
PFF Grade: 64.7
Key Stat: Only qualified WR in division to go 2018 without any dropped passes

The former Seattle Seahawk has unfortunately ended up in wide receiver hell. While Alex Smith has never really been known as a stat padding QB, Richardson will now have to catch passes from a 32-year-old Colt McCoy. Good luck, Paul.

8. Josh Doctson - Washington

2018 Stats: 44 Recs - 532 Yds | 2 TD - 61.6 WR Rating
PFF Grade 63.3
Key Stat: 5 INT thrown when targeted led NFC East

In a close battle for the 8th and final spot, Josh Doctson beat out Allen Hurns of the Dallas Cowboys. The speedster has shown steady improvement in each of his three seasons so far and will look to continue that trend in 2019.

Conclusion

All three of New York, Dallas, and Philadelphia are pretty stacked in the WR room. Washington has some young talent, too, but without an NFL level QB or offense, it will be tough for said talent to be very productive.

Thanks to Pro Football Focus for all statistics involved in this article. Stay tuned to BGN as the series continues with the tight end position.