They have the fame, the prestige —the attitude. Whereas quarterbacks are expected to be humble, selfless and deflect credit, it’s not always the case for the guys catching the ball. From the characters of Terrell Owens and Chad Ocho-Cinco to Odell Beckham Jr. and Antonio Brown, they are arguably the most important skill position outside of quarterback. Reflecting on the 2017 season and looking ahead to 2018, these are the worst and the best group of wideouts, tight ends and receiving backs.

Many star talents faced injuries this season which did effect the ranking of several teams. It’s always the next man up in the NFL.

Garbage Tier

Chicago Bears- I don’t think a single Bears’ receiver invoked worry in their opponents all season. Cameron Meredith was their best bet for this but was injured in preseason. Kevin White? Bust. Kendall Wright and Markus Wheaton? Wouldn’t even start on must teams.

Baltimore Ravens- The Ravens offense was anemic throughout much of the season and some blames falls on the weak receiver group. Mike Wallace is a low-end WR1 and I doubt Breshad Perriman and Michael Campanaro would’ve gotten nearly as many snaps if they played for any other team.

Indianapolis Colts- T.Y. Hilton is an above average WR1 but there is a big drop-off to Donte Moncrief and Kamar Aiken.

Tennessee Titans- Rookie Corey Davis did not have the impact the Titans hoped for. Eric Decker and Rishard Mathews didn’t scare any opponents, either. Delanie Walker is the only reason they’re not lower.

Titans’ Delanie Walker celebrates with Quarterback (and sometimes receiver) Marcus Mariota (NFL Photos)

Bottom Tier

Carolina Panthers- Usually not good when your team’s best receiver is your rookie running back. Neither Curtis Samuel nor Devin Funchess impressed.

Cleveland Browns- Although the return of Josh Gordon gave this unit a spark of hope late in the season, Kenny Britt and Corey Coleman didn’t make things any easier for DeShone Kizer.

San Francisco 49ers- Jimmy G’s impressive, undefeated stretch at the end of the season is even more remarkable when you look at his weapons. Marquise Goodwin is a lower-end WR1 and there wasn’t much behind him with Pierre Garcon on IR.

Washinton Redskins- Terrelle Pryor couldn’t capitalize on his breakout season with the Browns. Neither Josh Doctson and Jamison Crowder could escape the WR2 moniker.

Below Average Tier

Cincinnati Bengals- A.J. Green is a premier threat but the Bengals lacked consistent contributions outside of the all-star.

Dallas Cowboys- Dez Bryant had a disappointing season and neither Cole Beasley or Terrance Williams took the leap Dallas needed. The Cowboys should look into an upgrade.

New York Jets- Robby Anderson emerged as an outside threat and the acquisition of Jermaine Kearse proved valuable to a young group.

Buffalo Bills- Zay Jones had an inconsistent rookie season but showed some flashes and Kelvin Benjamin was unable to stay healthy. RB Lesean McCoy and TE Charles Clay received the bulk of targets.

Jacksonville Jaguars- The loss of Allen Robinson early hurt. Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee did fair but it wasn’t them (or Bortles) that carried them into the playoffs.

Arizona Cardinals- Another season that Larry Fitzgerald performed as if he was ten years younger. Outside of the future Hall of Famer, nobody jumped off the page.

Cardinals’ WR Larry Fitzgerald catches a pass against the Seahawks (NFL Photos)

Middle Tier

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson certainly had much higher expectations this season — so did we.

Seattle Seahawks- Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Jimmy Graham and the Hawk’s offense sputtered down the stretch but were still a solid unit. The Seahawks chalked this up to play calling and canned OC Darrell Bevell.

Los Angeles Rams- This unit was expected to be much worse. Rookie Cooper Kupp had a solid campaign and both Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods performed well for their young QB.

Denver Broncos- Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders were unable to get anything going with the Denver quarterbacks. How worse would it have been without these guys?

Los Angeles Chargers- Keenan Allen is one of the top in the league, but Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams aren’t game breakers. Hunter Henry has been making a name for himself.

New York Giants- Everyone expected this group of Beckham, Marshall and Shephard to be near the top in the league. Injuries got in the way. Evan Engram was a breath of fresh air.

Above Average Tier

Green Bay Packers- Without Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson didn’t have as great of a season as they could have. They’re still one of the better units in the league.

Oakland Raiders- Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree could’ve carried this team into the top tier but both tended to disappear during stretches of the season.

Miami Dolphins- Inconsistent quarterback play held back an otherwise talented roster with Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills and Julius Thomas.

New England Patriots- Outside of Brandin Cooks, the receivers aren’t great — but Rob Gronkowski is. Cooks and Gronkowski both finished with over 1,000 receiving yards.

Houston Texans- Deshaun Watson certainly benefited in his great, albeit short, rookie season by having one of the best receivers in the league, DeAndre Hopkins, plus Will Fuller and Braxton Miller.

Kansas City Chiefs- Speed kills. The ability of Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt to catch and run from anywhere on the field put Alex Smith’s name in the MVP race mid-season. And how could I not mention the second best tight end in the league, Travis Kelce?

Kansas City’s Travic Kelce (left) and Tyreek Hill (right) (NFL Photos)

Top Tier

Atlanta Falcons- Julio Jones is an animal, Mohammad Sanu is criminally underrated and Taylor Gabriel is a solid number three.

New Orleans Saints- Michael Thomas is developing into a star; Ted Ginn Jr. is a great compliment and Alvin Kamara is an explosive receiver out of the backfield.

Philadelphia Eagles- Carson Wentz wouldn’t have had his MVP-deserving season (before the injury), if it wasn’t for Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor and Zach Ertz.

Detroit Lions- Golden Tate and Marvin Jones Jr. both finished the season with over a thousand receiving yards and could be a WR1 on several teams. First-year receiver Kenny Golladay had a decent season in a year of under-performing rookie wideouts.

Minnesota Vikings- Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs are a dynamic duo that deserve a lot of credit for the Viking’s great season.

Pittsburgh Steelers- Antonio Brown is the best receiver in the league. Ju-Ju Smith Schuster, Martavis Bryant and Jesse James round out the best corps in the league.