Third down was made for wide receivers. Unless there are only a few yards to gain for a first down, chances are the first read for every quarterback is his most reliable wide receiver. They make money catching touchdowns, but their impact on third down is even more important. This listing considers the 49 wide receivers with at least 13 third-down catches.
Third-down rushes were excluded since there were only 17 by a wideout and one by a tight end. The only receivers with more multiple third-down runs were Amon-Ray St. Brown (3), CeeDee Lamb (2), and Kadarius Toney (2).
Catching the occasional deep pass has value and racking up yards and scores wins games. But the wideout that can extend drives with a third-down catch is the most valuable. Plays resulting in touchdowns on third down were counted as a first down since they were the most successful conclusion to a play. Targets were not included since incompletions could happen for reasons not related to the wideout.
