Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Jefferson edges Tyreek Hill as NFL's top WR

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Dec 20, 2022 5:41 PM ET

Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill have battled back and forth for the designation of the best receiver in the NFL, but the analytics team at NFL’s Next Gen Stats may have finally settled the debate.

In their recent positional power rankings, the Next Gen Stats team gave Jefferson, who has a composite score of 96 out of 100, the slight edge over Hill, who has a composite score of 95.

“Jefferson makes the improbable look routine, with six more receptions (24) than any other player this season on passes with less than a 50 percent completion probability,” Next Gen Stats said. “…Jefferson leads the NFL in yards (869) against single-high coverages for the second straight season. Play man, get dusted. Try and press Jefferson to disrupt his route? Good luck."

Most receiving yards in a single game, 2022:

1. Justin Jefferson (223+robbed TD)
2. Justin Jefferson (193)
3. Tyreek Hill (190)
4. Tyreek Hill (188)
5. Justin Jefferson (184)
— Janik Eckardt (@JanikEckardt) December 20, 2022

Jefferson leads the NFL in receptions (111), targets (158), and yards (1,623) while Hill (109 receptions, 152 targets, 1,529 yards) ranks second in each category. Jefferson also has nine 100-yard games to Hill’s six, and he has five games with double-digit receptions while Hill has four.

The duo are tied for the most receptions of 40 or more yards (6), while Jefferson has the slight advantage in receptions of 20 or more yards (26 to 24).

“[Hill] has put up historic efficiency numbers this season, gaining 3.7 yards for every route run," Next Gen Stats said. "To put that in perspective, he is currently the only player in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016) to average over 3.3 yards per route in a season. …Hill's yards-per-route figure jumps to 4.2 against man coverage and 4.6 when left on an island against single-high coverages.”

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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