Davante Adams had a weird year last season. Of his 75 catches, 12 went for touchdowns. Among wide receivers, with at least 50 catches, that tied for the highest percentage in the league (16 percent).
Dez Bryant scored on 8 of his 50 catches, which also translates to 16 percent.
With Adams, what made it weird was that the previous season, he scored on only one of his 50 catches. That was the lowest rate in the league. So he pulled the rare worst-to-first. (Or worst-to-tied-for-first including Bryant).
So I spent a few minutes poking around the numbers on this – comparing the 2015 and 2016 numbers.
In 2015, 48 wide receivers caught at least 50 passes. Of the top 10 touchdown catches (not in TDs scored by in percentage of touches) none made it back into the top 10 the next year. Odell Beckham Jr. came closest. He was 8th in this category in 2015 (13 TDs out of 96 catches) and clocked in 13th last year (10 TDs in 101 catches).
Four others made the top 20 in both years (all finishing in the teens in 2016): Brandin Cooks, Michael Crabtree, Allen Robinson and Doug Baldwin.
In general, though, numbers in this area seem to bounce all over the place.
| PERCENTAGE OF TOUCHDOWN CATCHES (50+ recs) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | TD | Rec | Pct | Previous | Rnk |
| Davante Adams, G.B. | 12 | 75 | 16% | 1-50-2% | 48 |
| Dez Bryant, Dall. | 8 | 50 | 16% | 3-31-9% | -- |
| Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 14 | 97 | 14% | injured | -- |
| Rishard Matthews, Tenn. | 9 | 65 | 14% | 4-43-9% | -- |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 12 | 96 | 13% | 3-74-4% | 45 |
| Sterling Shepard, NYG | 8 | 65 | 12% | college | -- |
| Anquan Boldin, Det. | 8 | 67 | 12% | 4-69-5% | 40 |
| Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 12 | 106 | 11% | 10-136-7% | 32 |
| Kelvin Benjamin, Car. | 7 | 63 | 11% | injured | -- |
| Jamison Crowder, Wash. | 7 | 67 | 10% | 2-59-3% | 47 |
| Brandin Cooks, N.O. | 8 | 78 | 10% | 9-84-10% | 16 |
| Tyrell Williams, S.D. | 7 | 69 | 10% | 1-2-50% | -- |
| Odell Beckham Jr., NYG | 10 | 101 | 10% | 13-96-13% | 8 |
| Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 6 | 61 | 10% | college | -- |
| Michael Thomas, N.O. | 9 | 92 | 10% | college | -- |
| Brandon LaFell, Cin. | 6 | 64 | 9% | 0-37-0% | -- |
| Michael Crabtree, Oak. | 8 | 89 | 9% | 9-85-10% | 17 |
| Allen Robinson, Jac. | 6 | 73 | 8% | 14-80-17% | 2 |
| Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 7 | 94 | 7% | 14-78-17% | 1 |
| Ted Ginn, Car. | 4 | 54 | 7% | 10-44-22% | -- |
| Kenny Britt, L.A. | 5 | 68 | 7% | 3-36-8% | -- |
| Marvin Jones, Det. | 4 | 55 | 7% | 4-65-6% | 37 |
| Adam Thielen, Minn. | 5 | 69 | 7% | 0-12-0% | -- |
| Julio Jones, Atl. | 6 | 83 | 7% | 8-136-5% | 39 |
| DeVante Parker, Mia. | 4 | 56 | 7% | 3-26-11% | -- |
| DeSean Jackson, Wash. | 4 | 56 | 7% | 4-30-13% | -- |
| Steve Smith Sr., Balt. | 5 | 70 | 7% | 3-46-6% | -- |
| Quincy Enunwa, NYJ | 4 | 58 | 7% | 0-22-0% | -- |
| Dontrelle Inman, S.D. | 4 | 58 | 7% | 3-35-8% | -- |
| Mohamed Sanu, Atl. | 4 | 59 | 7% | 0-33-0% | -- |
| Cole Beasley, Dall. | 5 | 75 | 7% | 5-52-9% | 20 |
| Randall Cobb, G.B. | 4 | 60 | 7% | 6-79-7% | 30 |
| T.Y. Hilton, Ind. | 6 | 91 | 7% | 5-69-7% | 34 |
| Emmanuel Sanders, Den. | 5 | 79 | 6% | 6-76-7% | 28 |
| Cameron Meredith, Chi. | 4 | 66 | 6% | 0-11-0% | -- |
| A.J. Green, Cin. | 4 | 66 | 6% | 10-86-11% | 12 |
| Amari Cooper, Oak. | 5 | 83 | 6% | 6-72-8% | 25 |
| Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 6 | 107 | 6% | 9-109-8% | 27 |
| Mike Wallace, Balt. | 4 | 72 | 6% | 2-39-5% | -- |
| Willie Snead, N.O. | 4 | 72 | 6% | 3-69-4% | 44 |
| Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 5 | 90 | 6% | 6-105-5% | 42 |
| Terrelle Pryor, Clev. | 4 | 77 | 5% | 0-1-0% | -- |
| Tavon Austin, L.A. | 3 | 58 | 5% | 5-52-9% | 21 |
| DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 4 | 78 | 5% | 11-111-9% | 19 |
| Brandon Marshall, NYJ | 3 | 59 | 5% | 14-109-12% | 9 |
| Marqise Lee, Jac. | 3 | 63 | 5% | 1-15-6% | -- |
| Jeremy Kerley, S.F. | 3 | 64 | 5% | 2-16-12% | -- |
| Golden Tate, Det. | 4 | 91 | 4% | 6-90-6% | 35 |
| Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 4 | 94 | 4% | 4-110-3% | 46 |
| Jordan Matthews, Phil. | 3 | 73 | 4% | 8-85-9% | 22 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson, Minn. | 2 | 52 | 4% | 0-2-0% | -- |
| Alshon Jeffery, Chi. | 2 | 52 | 4% | 4-54-7% | 31 |
| Pierre Garcon, Wash. | 3 | 79 | 4% | 6-72-8% | 26 |
| Adam Humphries, T.B. | 2 | 55 | 4% | 1-27-3% | -- |
| Stefon Diggs, Minn. | 3 | 84 | 4% | 4-52-7% | 29 |
| Julian Edelman, N.E. | 3 | 98 | 3% | 7-61-11% | 14 |
| Robert Woods, Buff. | 1 | 51 | 2% | 3-47-6% | -- |
| Tyler Boyd, Cin. | 1 | 54 | 2% | college | -- |
—Ian Allan