Ja'Marr Chase lands No. 2 WR spot in PFN’s 2026 rankings

Ja'Marr Chase cracks PFN’s 2026 top five wide receivers list at No. 2

Ja'Marr Chase sits at No. 2 among NFL wide receivers in Pro Football Network’s 2026 rankings, trailing only Puka Nacua. The ranking comes after Chase posted 125 receptions in 2025 despite playing through a season with two different starting quarterbacks.

What the ranking shows

Pro Football Network’s list grades three years of production, not just a single season’s trophy case. Nacua tops the chart on the strength of a 2025 season that produced a 96.3 wide receiver impact score-the third-best mark since PFN began tracking the metric in 1999.

Chase’s second-place finish reflects his ability to deliver even when the Bengals’ quarterback situation shifted midseason. Joe Burrow missed roughly half the year after toe surgery, forcing Chase to catch passes from Jake Browning and later Joe Flacco.

How Chase stacks up against the field

Chase finished second among receivers in 2025 with 125 catches, just four shy of Nacua’s league-leading total. His production came despite the Bengals’ quarterback carousel, a challenge Infante called the toughest among the top five receivers.

“You’re talking about a guy who put the team on his back,” said Jacob Infante, the analyst behind the rankings. The comment underscores how Chase’s performance carried Cincinnati’s passing attack through an uneven season.

What it means for Chase’s trajectory

The ranking suggests Chase remains among the NFL’s elite receivers even when external factors work against him. His 125-catch total in 2025 came with two different starting quarterbacks under center, a scenario that could shift again in 2026.

Chase’s consistency across multiple seasons keeps him in the conversation for the top spot in future rankings. The PFN model rewards longevity and efficiency, areas where Chase has excelled since entering the league.

Where the list goes next

The top five also includes Jaxon Smith-Njigba at No. 3, Justin Jefferson at No. 4, and Amon-Ra St. Brown at No. 5. Jefferson’s fourth-place finish reflects a down year in 2025, though he still holds the record for most receiving yards through a player’s first six seasons.

Smith-Njigba’s third-place spot highlights how the rankings value sustained excellence. He led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards in 2025, won Offensive Player of the Year, and earned first-team All-Pro honors.

St. Brown rounds out the group with consistency, finishing among the league’s top five in receptions (117) and clearing 1,400 receiving yards.