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A good Nabers

Giants rookie piling up big numbers

There have been some great wide receivers who’ve come out of LSU: Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Odell Beckham. Malik Nabers is off to a better start to is career than any of them.

Averaging 13 targets per game, Nabers has caught 35 passes for 386 yards and 3 TDs in his first three games. For leagues using PPR scoring, that’s the 2nd-best start to a wide receiver career ever, behind only Puka Nacua.

On this front, I thought it might be interesting to merge fast-start data with how careers actually played out. That is, when a player puts up big numbers in his first four games, how many of those guys go on to becoming reliable superstar receivers?

On the chart below, you’re looking the at the 30 wide receivers who put up the best numbers all-time in their first four games. (Looking at just receiving production on this one – no credit for rushing stats.) I pulled up these numbers using the search engine at Pro-Football-Reference, and I used not Weeks 1-4, but the first four games of the player’s career (Beckham, as an example, was injured heading into his first season.)

The right two columns on the chart show the best receiving numbers of each player’s career, along with where he ranked in that season using PPR scoring.

There were a few more guys than I expected who had some big games early but didn’t become “great” players. Five of these receivers, in fact, never had a top-20 season using PPR scoring (I’ve got those guys tagged with double dots). Another eight never had a top-10 season (single dots).

Nonetheless, I think we all like the long-term look of Nabers. Not sure what quarterback and coach he’ll be working with next year, but I think we’ll be seeing a lot of top-10 seasons.

FAST-STARTING WIDE RECEIVERS
SeasonPlayerRecYdsTDBest YrRk
2023Puka Nacua, LAR395011105-1486-64th
2024Malik Nabers, NYG353863?-?-??
2003Anquan Boldin, Ari.304642101-1377-83rd
1979• Jerry Butler, Buff.21417455-842-817th
2014•• Martavis Bryant, Pitt.14310650-765-639th
1984Louis Lipps, Pitt.18380459-1134-121st
2015Stefon Diggs, Min.254192127-1535-83rd
2018Calvin Ridley, Atl.15264690-1374-95th
1982Charlie Brown, Was.14311532-690-83rd
1984•• Bobby Johnson, NYG17335448-795-723rd
2004Roy Williams, Det.20295482-1310-79th
2003Andre Johnson, Hou.263462115-1575-81st
2014• Kelvin Benjamin, Car.21329373-1008-916th
2006Marques Colston, N.O.20336398-1202-118th
2002•• Deion Branch, N.E.28309278-998-522th
2021Ja'Marr Chase, Cin.17297481-1455-135th
2015Amari Cooper, Oak.24339279-1189-810th
2008• Eddie Royal, Den.27298291-980-514th
1998Randy Moss, Min.172734111-1632-171st
2019• Terry McLaurin, Was.19308377-1191-516th
1983• Willie Gault, Chi.12308440-836-818th
1986• Hassan Jones, Min.14287451-810-720th
2007Dwayne Bowe, K.C.18299372-1162-154th
2020CeeDee Lamb, Dall.213092135-1749-121st
2016•• Will Fuller, Hou.19323253-879-832nd
2020•• Chase Claypool, Pitt.13261462-873-923rd
2014Odell Beckham, NYG182623101-1367-104th
2011A.J. Green, Cin.19312297-1350-114th
1996• Terry Glenn, N.E.23319190-1132-612th
2010• Mike Williams, T.B.19238365-964-1116th

—Ian Allan

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