5 Most Underrated WR Duos in NFL Ahead of 2023 Season
The amount of talent at wide receiver across the NFL is so extensive that it's easy to overlook some outstanding duos.
Yes, you hear plenty about A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith or Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. They are deservedly among the first tandems mentioned, but there are plenty of other promising pairs around the league.
For example, the Washington Commanders have Terry McLaurin—a 900-yard wideout in all four NFL seasons—with a potential star in Jahan Dotson. You'd rather have Hill and Waddle, but Washington's receiving corps could be a sneaky strength.
While this list of underrated receiving duos is subjective, it factors in both previous production and expectations for 2023 and beyond.
DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
1 of 5
On paper, the Chicago Bears made the single best trade of the offseason. They shipped the No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers for two first-round and two second-round picks, along with veteran wide receiver DJ Moore.
Moore, however, is anything but an afterthought.
As a rookie, he tallied 788 yards. Moore then registered three straight 1,100-yard seasons before Carolina's lackluster quarterback play dropped him to 888 last year, yet he still caught a career-high seven touchdowns.
Moore will be the featured target for Justin Fields, who also has Darnell Mooney. The Tulane product surpassed the 1,000-yard barrier in 2021 and showed a growing connection with Fields in October and November last season. Mooney then missed basically the last six games of the year.
As the Bears aim to leave the rebuilding stage, Moore and Mooney will be pivotal playmakers for them.
Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
2 of 5
Jerry Jeudy's recent hamstring injury could limit him early in the season, but that short-term setback doesn't prevent he and Courtland Sutton from earning a nod here.
Sutton has dealt with a never-ending quarterback carousel on the Denver Broncos. He's gone from Case Keenum to Joe Flacco and Drew Lock to Teddy Bridgewater and Russell Wilson. Still he's averaged a respectable 855 yards in four healthy seasons.
Meanwhile, Jeudy took a considerable step forward in 2022 with a career-high 67 receptions for 972 yards and six scores. The former Alabama star is seemingly on the verge of a true breakout year.
Now that Sean Payton is overseeing the Broncos, a surge on offense is a reasonable expectation. Denver's duo is not overwhelming, but Sutton and Jeudy form a quietly encouraging pair.
Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars
3 of 5
The unknown is part of being underrated.
Calvin Ridley spent the 2022 campaign on the sideline while serving a suspension for gambling. However, he's just 28 years old and had 90 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns during a second-team All-Pro season with the Atlanta Hawks in 2020.
Should he regain anything close to that previous form—which is entirely plausible—Ridley will be the primary option in a deep unit.
Along with Zay Jones and tight end Evan Engram, the Jacksonville Jaguars have Christian Kirk. Although he seemed like an overpay in free agency last offseason at $18 million annually, Kirk responded with career-high totals of 84 receptions, 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns.
Jacksonville won a playoff game behind Trevor Lawrence and this offense last season, and the Jags look built for long-term success.
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Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers
4 of 5
The first of two tandems with a second-year player, the Pittsburgh Steelers should be excited about the future of their offense.
Diontae Johnson is the experienced option, one who's averaged 85 receptions and 911.5 yards across four seasons. He didn't score a touchdown last year, but he's presumably due for positive regression after attracting 147 targets in 2022.
The rising star, though, is George Pickens. As a rookie, he reeled in 52 passes for 801 yards and four scores with a penchant for making some jaw-dropping catches.
Johnson and Pickens both have 1,000-yard upside alongside young quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders
5 of 5
A third-round pick in 2019, Terry McLaurin surged into the NFL and ended his rookie season with 919 yards and seven touchdowns. Since then, he's eclipsed 1,000 yards in three straight seasons and just posted a career-best 1,191 yards in 2022.
Especially when you consider Washington's recent list of quarterbacks—Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Alex Smith, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz—McLaurin has proven himself as a star receiver.
Dotson hasn't reached that status, but the speedster's 12-game rookie campaign with 523 yards at 14.9 per catch and seven touchdowns seems to portend a bright future.
While the development of new starter Sam Howell will influence their upsides, McLaurin and Dotson are an exciting pair.
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