Statistics say Larry Fitzgerald is the best receiver in the NFL

Many people around the NFL and in media would like you to believe that the Houston Texans’ Andre Johnson is the best receiver in the NFL. The statistics would indicate otherwise.

According to the statistical wizards over at ProFootballFocus.com, the Arizona Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald just barely beat out Johnson for the top spot among wideouts in all of football.

1. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

When the Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl, Fitzgerald was our top ranked receiver after a monstrous year and tremendous post season. He still found himself near the top (seventh) when the Kurt Warner-led Cardinals went to the playoffs, and improved on that with a sixth place finish last year despite some horrible quarterback play. Essentially, whether you’re feeding him caviar or out of the garbage, Fitz is a receiver hungry to make the most of any opportunity. The best hands of any of the top receivers.

Grade: +52.8

Fitzgerald’s score of 52.8, based on a complicated metric, was .22 points better than Johnson’s. Something that makes sense when you consider how close their on-field numbers have been throughout their career.

While we’re all for opinions and speculation — really, it’s what we’re paid for — there is safety in numbers.

That’s why it’s nice to know that those numbers show one of the Valley’s own as the top wide receiver in the NFL regardless of what anyone else thinks.

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