Best 2024 wide receiver tandems: Vikings on the rise as Dolphins, Eagles lead elite pass-catching duos

Quarterbacks may be the most important players in the NFL, but receivers aren’t far behind. Unless you’re Patrick Mahomes, after all, you usually need at least one difference-making wide receiver to be a Super Bowl contender. Luckily, many teams have two!

Which clubs fall into this special category? Which wide receiver tandems rank among the best of the best heading into 2024? We’ve identified our 10 favorite duos below:

Honorable mention

• Detroit Lions (Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams): The former is a high-volume machine, bringing toughness and explosion to perhaps the NFL’s most balanced offense, but Williams is still looking to transition from a promising deep threat to a reliable No. 2.
• Green Bay Packers (Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs): You could replace them with any of their young players, including Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks, and the result would be the same. They are all very agile and versatile. Can they maintain their collective excellence?
• Seattle Seahawks (DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett): Metcalf remains one of the NFL’s most imposing playmakers, and Lockett has been reliable for a long time, but at 32, he’s a bit harder to project. It’s possible Jaxon Smith-Njigba could bring this group back into the top tier.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Mike Evans and Chris Godwin): Like the Seahawks, these guys are top-tier when operating at full speed. Evans, in particular, is as consistent as they come from year to year. Age and durability are legitimate concerns overall, though.
• Tennessee Titans (DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley): If this were 2018, this group could be a top-five team. Hopkins is still a sharp route runner and Ridley can still fly. But injuries have already struck the former at age 32 and Ridley is starting out in a new system.

Adams, 31, is no longer a young player, but with five 1,100-yard seasons in the last six years, he remains a go-to route runner. The fact that his production has remained elite despite erratic quarterback play is simply a testament to his ability. Meyers, meanwhile, is quietly one of the NFL’s most stable secondary options, with 800 yards in three straight seasons despite similarly questionable setups.

Lamb is doing a lot of work here, but that’s okay because he’s probably one of the three most explosive wide receivers in the entire NFL, coming off a monster 135 receptions and 1,749 yards as the No. 1 overall pick in Dallas. At just 25, he’s only gotten better each year in the pros. Cooks isn’t as shifty as he used to be, but his savvy experience still gives Dak Prescott a useful outlet in a high-octane offense.

That pairing is a big reason why it’s fair to expect a major impact early on from rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in Chicago. Yes, Allen is older (32), seemingly heavier than usual and coming off several injury-plagued seasons, but few receivers are more quarterback-friendly in terms of high-volume availability. Moore, meanwhile, is arguably still in his prime as a home run hitter in space and after the catch.

This may be one of the more variable duos, given that Diggs is 30 after rushing for 1,100 yards with the Buffalo Bills, and Collins was barely OK before making a huge leap as C.J. Stroud’s top target in 2023. But the former remains a route-running guy with a spicy style of play, and Collins’ big frame should be a perfect complement. And that’s not to mention their electric, upside-down No. 3, Tank Dell.

Much like their NFC West counterparts, Kupp and Nacua have availability issues to overcome: The former has missed significant time in three different seasons, and the latter missed part of camp with a knee issue. In the lineup, though, they’re like robots from a factory — built without elite metrics but instead with an innate ability to work against coverage, sneak into openings and collect endless targets.

Plagued by the ongoing Aiyuk trade rumors this offseason, the San Francisco 49ers’ duo is still one of the most formidable duos, assuming it remains intact. Samuel is more of a Swiss Army knife than a traditional wideout, which raises durability questions, but his contact-seeking burst coupled with Aiyuk’s natural ability to stretch the field is a duo that could be a contender.

If fully healthy and invested, they could easily be a top contender, especially with Joe Burrow sharing the touches. Chase has made his cruise to 3,700 yards in three years look easy, rivaling former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson in sheer open-field explosion. Higgins, meanwhile, could be primed for a major rebound after an injury-plagued 2023, looking for his third career 1,000-yard rush as a speedy big man.

Other lists may not give them their fair value, perhaps because of the Minnesota Vikings’ tenuous quarterback position or Addison’s early suspension. And yet, what team wouldn’t rush to trade for this pair? Even a lingering injury couldn’t stop Jefferson from breaking 1,000 yards in 2023; no one creates wide-open grass or makes splash plays look more routine than the walking showcase that is the Jets. Addison, just 22, displayed Pro Bowl-level finishing as a route-running complement as a rookie.

Entering their third year, this duo has every reason to be at the top of the list. Brown has gone from being the big, promising No. 1 on the Tennessee Titans to a bona fide superstar for the Philadelphia Eagles, effortlessly approaching 1,500 yards in back-to-back seasons as Jalen Hurts’ most reliable partner. And while he’s a physical monster with a chiseled frame and deep speed, Smith is arguably just as important to Philly with a surprisingly wiry frame, excelling as a high-jumper and tough-catch specialist.

While the Eagles are more versatile and the Vikings are more promising in the long run, there’s no denying the unmatched speed that resides on the perimeter in Miami. Hill hasn’t slowed down, and in fact, he may have gotten more explosive, since leaving the powerhouse Chiefs team, and he’s still capable of outplaying bigger defenders despite his smaller size. Waddle, on the other hand, has been a star as both a high-volume possession target and a deep-ball threat, giving the Dolphins two real assets.