In his first four seasons in the NFL, Robert Woods was merely viewed as a possession receiver with good blocking skills. He wasn’t seen as an explosive player or one that struck much fear in his opponents with his best season as a pro totaling just 699 yards and five touchdowns.

Given how average his stats were with the Bills, Rams fans were up in arms when Los Angeles signed him to a five-year, $39 million contract in the offseason. Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

It wasn’t just fans, either. Analysts and experts were shocked by the Rams’ willingness to throw almost $8 million per year at a receiver who never posted more than 700 yards in a single season. The criticism was fair at the time, too.

Through nine games in 2017, however, Woods has proved to be anything but a possession receiver for the Rams. He’s established himself as the team’s No. 1 target, showing the ability to make defenders miss in the open field, turning a short gain into a big one.

On the year, he’s caught 39 passes for 622 yards and four touchdowns with all of his scores coming in the past two weeks.

“I don’t think we can talk about Robert Woods as a possession receiver anymore after the last couple weeks, so very pleased with Robert,” Sean McVay said after Sunday’s game.

The play that stood out from the Rams’ win over the Texans was Woods’ 94-yard touchdown. He showed off his complete skill set, from his route running to the breakaway speed he possesses.

He torched Houston’s defense on the skinny post while Jared Goff hit him in stride after getting just enough time to release the ball.

“Yeah, I was saying earlier, it’s probably my longest play in NFL, college, high school, Madden,” Woods said, laughing. “Pretty much, it was a big play. I was able to catch it and run, but Jared put it on the money.”

His spectacular play of late goes beyond that single play, too. Woods has emerged as the team’s No. 1 receiver, which even Sammy Watkins isn’t afraid to admit. In the past five weeks, no wide receiver in the NFL owns a higher passer rating when targeted than Woods. His is a perfect 158.3, while the next closest is at 127.3.

All those tweets criticizing the Woods signing look pretty foolish now, huh?

To further bolster his place among the NFL’s best receivers this season, consider this stat. He’s one of 11 receivers with at least 35 catches to post a reception rate above 65 percent. Woods ranks 10th in the league in that department, which is mighty impressive for a player of his perceived caliber.

He’s just 78 yards and two touchdowns away from setting career-highs in both areas, and there are still seven weeks to go. Additionally, he’s already matched his best single-season mark with 11 receptions of at least 20 yards, ranking fifth in the NFL.

If not for Woods, the Rams’ offense wouldn’t be nearly as consistent as it is. He’s become Goff’s favorite target, leading the team in every receiving statistic. If you don’t think that’s worth about $8 million per season, you’d be hard pressed finding many more receivers producing at this rate for that money.