Chase & Higgins top CBS Sports' 2026 NFL WR duo rankings
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- Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins took the No. 1 spot, with Chase leading the NFL in targets in back-to-back seasons (125-plus catches each year, 3,120 yards and 25 TDs across those two campaigns) while Higgins thrives as a contested-catch X receiver fed by the attention Chase draws.
- CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens landed at No. 2 as the Cowboys' new duo, with Lamb posting 176 catches for 2,271 yards and nine scores over 29 games despite injuries and Pickens earning a second-team All-Pro nod in his first Dallas season.
- Puka Nacua drew a target on 35.9% of his routes — nearly 2.5 points higher than any other receiver — while leading the league with 80 first downs and pacing all-time receiving yards per game at 95.3, teaming with Davante Adams for the No. 3 Rams spot.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown has 293 slot receptions since entering the league, 52 more than the next-closest player, making the Lions' pairing with Jameson Williams the league's best complementary inside-outside duo at No. 4.
- Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison checked in at No. 5, both limited by shaky Vikings quarterback play — Jefferson's 84 catches for 1,048 yards and two scores qualified as a 'down' year for him.
- The list also features new pairings like the Patriots' A.J. Brown-Romeo Doubs (No. 7) and Broncos' Jaylen Waddle-Courtland Sutton (No. 6), both built to give young quarterbacks Drake Maye and Bo Nix a true intermediate and outside weapon.
Why it matters: With superstar receivers now topping $40 million in average annual value, contenders are increasingly building around two elite pass catchers rather than one — which is why Dallas traded for Pickens and New England signed Brown, betting that receiver duo strength tilts offensive ceilings more than any other position group in today's passing league.
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