However, a couple of wide receivers did take a step back and need to improve, even though it’s still early in the 2024 NFL season. Regardless, week three was a very exciting week for being an NFL wide receiver, catching a key pass, or scoring a touchdown, no matter if the game was a win or loss.
Here are the grades for all 32 NFL teams’ wide receivers after week three.
Who are the top wide receivers in the NFL after week three of games?
Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr.: B
Despite the Cardinals’ 13-20 loss to the Detroit Lions, Harrison Jr. continued to make noise and wreak havoc as a pass catcher. Harrison Jr. caught five receptions for 64 yards and scored the team’s only touchdown in the afternoon. Harrison Jr. is becoming a great NFL wide receiver as the Cardinals are enjoying every second of his production so far. Hopefully, Harrison Jr. continues to have incredible games for the Red Birds.
Atlanta Falcons: Drake London: B-
London had a good night in the Falcons’ Sunday night matchup against the Chiefs, but London and company didn’t get the win as they lost 17-22 to the Kansas City Chiefs. London caught six receptions for 67 yards and scored a touchdown. A tough night for the Falcons, even though London and Kirk Cousins have good on-field chemistry. Hopefully, London and the Falcons rebound and earn more wins moving forward.
Baltimore Ravens: Rashod Bateman: D+
Bateman helped the Ravens secure a solid 28-25 win over the Dallas Cowboys, even though he may not have had the most receiving yards, statistically. Bateman caught three receptions for 28 yards and scored a touchdown on the afternoon. Even though Bateman scored a touchdown, he and the other wide receivers on the Ravens need to step it up as the competition down the road continues to get more intense this NFL season.
Buffalo Bills: Khalil Shakir: B+
Shakir and the Bills went off on the Jacksonville Jaguars in their 47-10 statement victory on Monday Night Football. Shakir caught six receptions for 72 yards and scored a touchdown. The Bills’ receiving core is starting to mesh very nicely for Josh Allen, and Shakir is stepping up to the plate, so far, as Allen’s most reliable pass catcher. Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady deserves a lot of credit for helping develop Shakir to where he is now.
Carolina Panthers: Diontae Johnson: A
The Panthers shocked the NFL world with their 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on the road- Dionte Johnson had an incredible game. Johnson caught eight receptions for 122 yards and scored a touchdown. Hopefully, this game will be the beginning for Johnson and the Panthers to turn things around and earn more wins moving forward.
Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze: B
DJ Moore had a good game, but Rome Odunze was one of the shining sparks for the Bears despite losing 16-21 to the Indianapolis Colts. Odunze caught six receptions for 112 yards and scored a touchdown on the afternoon. It was a good feeling, all around, to see Caleb Williams throw his first two touchdowns of the season to Odunze and Cole Kmet, but the Bears came up short and have a lot of work to do if they want to earn their second win of the 2024 season.
Cincinnati Bengals: Ja’Marr Chase: A
Even though the Bengals lost a very tough and close 33-38 game to the Washington Commanders, Ja’Marr Chase had a strong game. Chase caught six receptions for 118 yards and scored two touchdowns on the night. Chase rebounded from his week two performance in an excellent way, but it would’ve been very nice to see the Bengals earn their first win of the 2024 season.
Cleveland Browns: Amari Cooper: B
Amari Cooper had a very good afternoon even though the Browns lost 15-21 to the New York Giants. Cooper caught seven receptions for 86 yards and scored the team’s only two touchdowns of the game in the first and fourth quarters. Cooper played well, but the Browns need to rebound from this painful loss come week four, when they travel to Sin City and face the Las Vegas Raiders.
Dallas Cowboys: CeeDee Lamb: C-
CeeDee Lamb had a decent afternoon for the Cowboys, even though they lost 25-28 to the Baltimore Ravens. Lamb caught four receptions for 67 yards but didn’t score a touchdown. Lamb did fumble the ball in the red zone at the start of the second quarter, costing the Cowboys a golden opportunity to score. Frustrations were high at one point, with Lamb yelling at Prescott on the sidelines. One takeaway is that everyone needs to be a little more careful with the ball next time.
Denver Broncos: Courtland Sutton: C-
Bo Nix and the Broncos’ rushing attack dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the ground, while Courtland Sutton had a decent day in the team’s passing attack, even though he didn’t score a touchdown. Sutton caught seven receptions for 68 yards on the afternoon and had a nice 22-yard reception at the start of the game. Nix still needs to throw his first receiving touchdown, and Sutton has the talent to make that happen. We’ll wait and see what happens.
Detroit Lions: Amon-Ra St. Brown: B+
Amon-Ra St. Brown had himself an incredible Sunday afternoon as the Lions secured the 20-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals. St. Brown caught seven receptions for 75 yards and scored a touchdown. Another very productive day for St. Brown, as he and the Lions continue having a great start to the 2024 season.
Green Bay Packers: Christian Watson: C
Watson had himself a decent afternoon as the Packers cruised past the Tennessee Titans 30-14. Watson caught two receptions for 67 yards on the day while running back Emanuel Wilson caught two receptions for 35 yards and scored a touchdown. Though it was a good afternoon for Watson, we would like to see him be more involved in the offense and score more touchdowns for the Packers moving forward. We’ll see what happens in the weeks to come.
Houston Texans: Stefon Diggs: B-
Even as the Texans were dropped by the Minnesota Vikings 7-34, Stefon Diggs had a very good game. Diggs caught 10 receptions for 94 yards on the afternoon. Despite the good game statistically, the Vikings’ defense smothered the Texans’ offense for the majority of the game. Diggs and the company have to move on from this loss and look forward to squaring off against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week four.
Indianapolis Colts: Alec Pierce: D
The Colts may have earned themselves the 21-16 win over the Chicago Bears. However, their passing attack was a mess. Alec Pierce caught one reception for 44 yards and was targeted twice in the game. Pierce is a reliable wide receiver, but Anthony Richardson needs to improve his passing attack against opposing NFL defenses and not rely on Jonathan Taylor and the rushing attack to do all of the work. Hopefully, Pierce and the Colts will find a way to make the passing game stronger by week four.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Christian Kirk: C
Despite the Jaguars getting flattened by the Buffalo Bills 10-47, Christian Kirk had a nice game statistically. Kirk caught eight receptions for 79 yards. Unfortunately, Kirk never made it to the end zone, as the Bills’ defense played a strong game and made things very difficult for Trever Lawrence. Tight end Brenton Strange scored the only touchdown for the Jaguars that night. Kirk and the Jags will bounce back as the season progresses. We just hope Kirk scores his first touchdown of the 2024 season.
Kansas City Chiefs: Rashee Rice: A
Rice and the Chiefs had a great night, as they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 22-17. Rice caught 12 receptions for 110 yards and scored a touchdown. Rice is currently the Chiefs’ best wide receiver on their NFL roster statistically, as Travis Kelce and Juju Smith-Schuster are currently having down years, even though Smith-Schuster also scored a touchdown on the night.
Las Vegas Raiders: Davante Adams: D
Adams did not have a loud afternoon like he did in week two, as the Raiders lost a 22-36 shocker to the Carolina Panthers. Adams caught four receptions for 40 yards on the day but didn’t score a touchdown. Both Tre Tucker and Jakobi Brissett scored touchdowns for the Raiders. Adams and the Raiders need to have a rebound game very soon. Otherwise, the Raiders will continue to get shut down by opposing defenses.
Los Angeles Chargers: Quentin Johnston: C-
Johnston continues to have a good rebound season, even though the Chargers lost a tough 10-20 game to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnston caught two receptions for 44 yards and scored the Chargers’ only touchdown of the game and his third touchdown of the season. Even though the Chargers choked away a lead, Johnston is continuing to have a rebound season thanks to Harbaugh’s coaching.
Los Angeles Rams: Tutu Atwell: B
Despite not scoring a touchdown, Tutu Atwell had a great afternoon in the Rams’ passing attack as they defeated the San Francisco 49ers 27-24. Atwell caught four receptions for 93 yards and had a long 50-yard reception, which helped the Rams score a touchdown in the final minutes of the game. Atwell stepped up very nicely, while Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp continue to recover from their injuries.
Miami Dolphins: Tyreek Hill: D
Hill had a somewhat quiet afternoon as the Dolphins fell to the Seattle Seahawks 3-24 in painful fashion. Hill caught three receptions for 40 yards and didn’t even find the end zone all game. Without Tua Tagovailoa throwing the ball, Hill and the rest of the Dolphins struggled. Hill and company need to rebound fast as their week four Monday Night matchup against the Tennessee Titans approaches.
Minnesota Vikings: Justin Jefferson: A-
Jefferson played another magnificent game, as he and the Vikings dominated the Houston Texans 34-7. Jefferson caught six receptions for 81 yards and scored a touchdown in the first quarter of the game. As mentioned before, no matter who is throwing Jefferson the ball, always expect Jefferson to have an incredible game.
New England Patriots: DeMario Douglas: C-
Despite the Patriots getting flattened 3-24, DeMario Douglas had a decent night statistically. Douglas caught three receptions for 69 yards as he was the lone bright spot for the Patriots in an embarrassing primetime loss on Thursday Night Football. Douglas needs to help the Patriots’ offense rebound as the competition will get much tougher moving forward, but the Patriots will have another tough test coming up as they’re set to face the San Francisco 49ers in week four.
New Orleans Saints: Chris Olave: B+
It was a very brutal afternoon for Rashid Shaheed, as he had no receptions all game. However, Chris Olave stepped up and made some points for the Saints. Olave caught six receptions for 86 yards and scored a touchdown for the Saints in the fourth quarter of the game. Olave, Shaheed, and the Saints will bounce back from this loss as the Saints have to move on to a week four matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on the road.
New York Giants: Malik Nabers: A-
Nabers had himself an excellent game as the Giants earned their first win of the 2024 season against the Cleveland Browns 21-15. Nabers caught eight receptions for 78 yards and scored two touchdowns on the afternoon. Nabers is continuing his transition to becoming a star in the league, no matter who his quarterback is, as he continues to have very productive games so far this season.
New York Jets: Allen Lazard: B
Lazard is finally showing great progress, with Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball as opposed to Zach Wilson in the Jets’ 24-3 Thursday Night Football victory over the New England Patriots. Lazard caught three receptions for 48 yards and scored a touchdown, while fellow wide receiver Garrett Wilson caught five receptions for 33 yards and scored a touchdown as well for their NFL team. Lazard had a rough 2023 season with Wilson as the signal caller. With Aaron Rodgers back in form, doing what he does best- helping his team win games, Lazard should continue to play well moving forward.
Philadelphia Eagles: DeVonta Smith: B-
Smith played a decent game for the Eagles, even though he didn’t score a touchdown in the team’s 15-12 win over the New Orleans Saints. Smith caught seven receptions for 79 yards but left the game with a concussion after a scary helmet-to-helmet hit with defensive tackle Khristian Boyd. Smith was down for a few minutes with teammates and coaches by his side, but he was able to get up on his own. Concussions are no joke. We hope to see Smith make a speedy recovery and return to action soon. A.J. Brown is also out recovering from a hamstring injury.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Calvin Austin III: A-
As the Steelers continued their winning ways, Calvin Austin III emerged in the team’s passing attack and helped the Steelers put the dagger in their 20-10 win against the Los Angeles Chargers. Austin III caught four receptions for 95 yards and scored a 55-yard touchdown in the third quarter of the game. Justin Fields might have found his new favorite target if the Steelers continued their winning ways as the 2024 season continued.
San Francisco 49ers: Jauan Jennings: A
Even though the 49ers lost a thrilling 24-27 game to the Los Angeles Rams, Jennings had an amazing day in the 49ers’ passing attack. Jennings caught 11 receptions for 175 yards and scored three touchdowns in the afternoon. Despite the loss, Jennings emerged as an excellent target for Brock Purdy to throw the ball to, even with Deebo Samuel and George Kittle out recovering from injuries. The 49ers now hope to return to the win columns in the coming weeks as they square off against the New England Patriots in week four.
Seattle Seahawks: DK Metcalf: A-
Even though Geno Smith didn’t have his best game as a Seahawk in the team’s week three 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins, DK Metcalf helped carry the offense in the victory. Metcalf caught four receptions for 104 yards and scored a touchdown at the end of the first quarter. Metcalf continues to be one of the NFL’s most reliable wide receivers, with his dominant afternoon against the Miami Dolphins.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chris Godwin: C+
Despite the Buccaneers losing a shocker to the Denver Broncos, Chris Godwin had a good game. Godwin caught six receptions for 53 yards and scored the Bucs’ only touchdown in the second quarter. As for the rest of the game, it was a painful afternoon for the Bucs as Mayfield struggled against the Broncos’ defense, and the team needed to rebound very quickly.
Tennessee Titans: DeAndre Hopkins: C+
Despite the Titans getting dropped 14-30 by the Green Bay Packers, DeAndre Hopkins had a decent game. Hopkins caught six receptions for 73 yards and scored a touchdown. This was Hopkins’ best game of the season, as he’s been pretty invisible for the past two games. Hopefully, Hopkins can find a way to be more active in the Titans’ offense despite the team’s struggles.
Washington Commanders: Terry McLaurin: A
After having two very quiet games to start the 2024 season off, McLaurin went off in the Commanders’ 38-33 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. McLaurin caught four receptions for 100 yards and scored an impressive 27-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, with Jayden Daniels starting to emerge as a star. He and McLaurin could form a strong quarterback and wide receiver duo that’ll be a one-two punch against opposing NFL defenses.
