Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and the Bengals Snubbed in Latest Receiver Rankings

CINCINNATI — Sports Illustrated's Karl Rasmussen broke down the top 10 wide receiver groups in the NFL this season, and he has the Bengals tight grip on these rankings loosening.

It's been hard to find any WR group ranking with Cincinnati outside the first or second spot with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Andrei Iosivas. Still, Rasmussen has them all the way at No. 3 here, behind the Los Angeles Rams (Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Konata Mumpfield) and the Cowboys (CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy).

"Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have been one of the NFL’s best receiving duos for much of the 2020s, and Cincinnati broke the bank to keep both of them in town," Rasmussen wrote. "Chase, a three-time All-Pro, recorded his fifth straight 1,000-plus yard season in 2025 and has 54 receiving touchdowns in 78 NFL games. Higgins led the team with 11 touchdowns last year and has 21 TDs over the last two seasons. Behind them is Iosivas, who has developed into a dependable third-stringer with eight touchdowns over the last two years."

Knocked Off The Top

Dec 28, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) celebrates with wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley (82) and wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) after a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

It's a tight race at the top. Check out what he had to say about the two higher-rated groups:

"The first season with the Cowboys’ duo of Lamb and Pickens was a roaring success," he wrote. "The star tandem combined for 168 receptions, 2,506 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2025, as Dallas had one of the NFL’s most potent air attacks, averaging 266.3 passing yards per game, second-most in the league. Behind Lamb and Pickens is Flournoy, who had 40 catches, 475 yards, and four touchdowns last year."

"Los Angeles has one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL, consisting of the league’s reigning touchdowns leader in Adams and the 2025 receptions leader in Nacua," he wrote about the Rams. "That tandem combined for 189 receptions, 2,504 yards, and 24 touchdowns last season. As a rookie, Mumpfield was less involved in the offensive game plan, but he could see more looks in the passing game in his second year in the league."

It's a little head-scratching to see a group like the Rams above Cincinnati.

Davante Adams is clearly on the downturn of his career, and Mumpfield has proven nothing in the NFL (10 career catches for 92 yards and one score). Sure, Puka Nacua is elite, but there is no definitive case to be made that he's so much better than Chase that he should elevate L.A. above Cincinnati.

It's one of the lingering effects of not making the playoffs for three consecutive years; the wider NFL landscape starts to forget about how impactful you can be. Even with Dallas, Pickens and Lamb are a pretty comparable duo to Chase and Higgins, but Flournoy has 50 career catches in two years and posted nearly the same production as Iosivas this past season, with fewer proven seasons behind that than Yoshi has.

Check out the full rankings here.

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