The 10 Most Efficient Wide Receivers in 2017

1. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers

79 Targets, 58 Receptions, 917 Yards, 7 Touchdowns

0.74 Target NEP per target

What a rookie season for wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. As can be common for youngsters in the NFL, Smith-Schuster took a while to get going. His first seven games for the Pittsburgh Steelers saw just a single game with more than three catches, with this game bringing his highest yardage tally of 58. A prime-time clash against the Lions in Week 8 saw the emergence of a star, though. He was targeted 10 times in this game, converting that opportunity into a 7-catch, 193-yard performance. No rookie in team history had posted more yards in a game than this.

The remaining six games of the season would see Smith-Schuster amass two more 100-yard games, and he caught at least 71.4% of his targets in five different weeks.

It is a testament to the performance of Smith-Schuster that his illustrious teammate Antonio Brown, unquestionably the best wide receiver in football, posted 0.40 Target NEP per target. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was at the helm of one of the league's best offenses, with five of the six players he targeted at least 30 times managing at least 0.14 Target NEP per target. The sole exception was wide receiver Eli Rogers, who had a hard time being productive with his targets.