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Sports Seriously
Who is the best wide receiver in the NFL makes for a healthy debate. Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown all have legitimate claims to the title.
But we’re not here to argue for one of those players. What is clear is who the most productive wide receiver in the NFL is this season and it’s not particularly close.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is in a tier of his own. The 4-2 Rams go worldwide in Week 7, powered by the third-best passing offense in the league.
Nacua is the driving force behind their success in the passing game on offense. He leads the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards and first downs. It’s not just the Rams, though. Nacua was a league leader in most receiving statistics entering Week 7.
Through the first six games, he led the NFL in receptions with 54, and the next closest player – Christian McCaffrey – had 46. That said, Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase took over some categories following his historic night during “Thursday Night Football.”
Entering Week 7, Nacua’s 616 receiving yards ranked second in the NFL only behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba at 696. He and Smith-Njigba are the only players averaging at least 100 receiving yards per game.
An injury in Week 6 against Baltimore slowed him down, and he has been ruled out for Week 7 because of that injury. Still, when Nacua returns, he should be back on the best pace in the NFL and could be in for a historic season. Here’s what he could achieve:
Could Puka Nacua reach 2,000 yards?
Nacua looked poised for that entering Week 6 but his two catches for 28 yards dropped him below the pace needed for 2,000 yards.
Other wide receivers have come close in recent years, including Nacua’s former teammate Cooper Kupp in 2021. Kupp finished the year with 1,947 yards, having played all 17 games and averaging 114.5 yards per game.
Nacua is 11.8 yards short of Kupp’s average and 14.9 yards behind the average needed for 2,000.
He is still on pace for a different NFL receiving record, though. His current pace would put him at 1,746 yards on 153 catches. The latter statistic means he’d surpass former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas’ single-season receptions record.
Puka Nacua stats vs Calvin Johnson stats
Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Johnson set the single-season receiving record with 1,964 yards in 2012. He only had 16 games to do it and did so at a pace of 122.8 yards per game, more than what Nacua is averaging through six games.
Here’s how Nacua’s 2025 season compares to Johnson’s 2012 campaign through four games:
NacuaJohnsonReceptions5438Receiving yards616592Yards per game102.798.6Touchdowns21
Nacua has the early lead on Johnson’s historic season. But Johnson broke the record thanks to what he did down the stretch of the 2012 season. Johnson averaged 154.2 yards per game from Week 9 through Week 16 and that eight-game breakout powered him to the all-time record.
Nacua gets the benefit of an extra game if he stays healthy. That could give him a cushion to ensure he sets the single-season record.
NFL receiving leaders 2025
Here’s how the leaderboard looks through four games:
Receptions
WR Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals: 58 (played on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 7)WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams: 54RB Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers: 46WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions: 44TE Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys: 44WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks: 42
Receiving yards
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks: 696WR Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals: 629 (played on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 7)WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams: 616WR George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys: 525WR Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 469
Receiving touchdowns
WR George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys: 6WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions: 6WR Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5WR Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears: 5TE Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles: 5WR Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals: 5 (played on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 7)