Which wide receivers get the most targets on third and long?
Amon-Ra St. Brown leads all NFL wide receivers with 28 targets long (7+ yards) and on third down, on 18 receptions and 3 receiving touchdowns across 17 games.
NFL Wide Receiver Targets on Third and Long
Ranked by TGT · 2025 regular season| # | Player | TGT | REC | YDS | TD | CTH% | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amon-Ra St. Brown Detroit Lions · #14 | 28 | 18 | 166 | 3 | 64.3% | 17 |
| 2 | DeVonta Smith Philadelphia Eagles · #6 | 28 | 16 | 291 | 0 | 57.1% | 17 |
| 3 | Wan'Dale Robinson New York Giants · #17 | 27 | 14 | 154 | 0 | 51.9% | 16 |
| 4 | Ja'Marr Chase Cincinnati Bengals · #1 | 24 | 15 | 242 | 1 | 62.5% | 16 |
| 5 | Courtland Sutton Denver Broncos · #14 | 23 | 14 | 245 | 1 | 60.9% | 17 |
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Open this in the Stat Explorer →Why this matters
Long-yardage downs put a premium on separation over distance. An offense does not need a receiver who wins downfield here so much as it needs a receiver who can get open underneath quickly enough to move the sticks, which is why possession and slot receivers often dominate this split over field-stretching deep threats.
Showing up often in this split can be a backhanded compliment. Heavy volume on long-yardage downs usually means an offense keeps putting itself in difficult spots on earlier downs, so the receiver at the top of this list may simply be the player his quarterback trusts to clean up a drive that already went wrong.
Still, the ability to consistently move a chain in a low-margin spot is a real skill that shows up in close games. A receiver who wins this matchup reliably is a strong bet to keep his offense on schedule even when the defense knows exactly what down it is.