Numbers Don't Lie: Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb Ranked NFL's Most Valuable Receiver by PFF
Subjectivity is a beautiful thing. The football world can watch the same game, witness the same players, read the same statistics, and come away with wildly differing opinions.
Perhaps that’s why sports debates can be so passionate. Narratives, agendas, and fanhood all get in the way of objectivity. But even as discourse strives to find less subjective means, objectivity can be impossible.
Everyone’s definition of what it means to be the best is different. Is Justin Jefferson the best receiver in the NFL because of his reputation, or Tyreek Hill for his productivity? Are we better served talking about their surrounding casts or the role they played in their offense?
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Perhaps our answer lies in value. A wins-above-replacement metric, theoretically, is the optimal way to display how valuable a certain player is. Whether or not that makes someone the best is up to you, and frankly part of why sports talk radio still exists.
If you’re a Dallas Cowboys fan trudging through the receiver discourse, value may be where you want to hitch your wagon.
Per Pro Football Focus’ wins above replacement, Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb was the most valuable receiver in the NFL this past season.
The rest of the leaderboard isn’t public knowledge, so comparing Lamb to his elite receiving counterparts can be difficult. But rest assured, he reigns supreme.
The Cowboys’ leading receiver caught a league-high 135 passes for 1,749 yards and 12 scores, cementing himself among the NFL’s elite … right in time for a raise.
Lamb posted the third-highest offensive grade of any qualified receiver, tied with Jefferson and behind Hill and San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk. What makes him more valuable, presumably, is his playing time.
Providing elite play is one thing, providing more elite play than your peers is another. Jefferson and Lamb performed similarly on a per-snap basis, but the Minnesota Vikings superstar missed half the season with a hamstring injury.
Likewise, Lamb played the fifth-most snaps on passing plays (675) and performed significantly better than the four names ahead of him. Hill, Aiyuk, and Jefferson played 491, 474, and 391 passing snaps, respectively. Unsurprisingly, Lamb’s 181 targets led the group.
Each of these stars played like the best receiver in football. But when the margins between players are so thin, a seismic gap in playing time becomes impossible to ignore.
Lamb was asked to carry the load of the offense, and he did so admirably. Does that make him the best? Not necessarily. However, in terms of value provided, this season, no one did more at his position. That should carry some weight in the perpetual discourse cycle of social media and punditry alike. ... not to mention in CeeDee's coming contract negotiations, a process that he says naturally has him hoping to become the highest-paid receiver in NFL history.
“I can’t give you ... numbers right now,'' Lamb said recently. "But I’ll tell you this: (I want to be) one of the top paid receivers for sure, if not the (highest-paid receiver). ... That’s always the goal.”
