The NFL’s receiving leader after two weeks isn’t Antonio Brown, or Julio Jones, or A.J. Green. It’s a former fifth-round pick who has already caught passes from two different starting quarterbacks.
Stefon Diggs.
The Minnesota Vikings’ second-year receiver leads the league in receiving with 285 yards after two games. He has a comfortable 59-yard lead on Saints receiver Willie Snead, who is second with 226.
Diggs put on his official coming out party as an NFL star on Sunday night.
Minnesota’s fifth-round pick in 2015 caught nine passes for a career-high 182 yards during a 17-14 win over the Green Bay Packers, including two catches over 40 yards and an incredible touchdown catch from new quarterback Sam Bradford. He toasted Packers cornerback Damarious Randall in man-to-man coverage and chewed up yards underneath any time Green Bay tried to cover him with a zone concept.
Pro Football Focus had the complete breakdown on Diggs’ impressive Week 2 performance:
Stefon Diggs was targeted 9 times against the Packers.
9 catches
182 yards
1 TD
77 yards-after-catch
5.52 YPRR pic.twitter.com/1Doqflora5— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) September 19, 2016
The week prior, Diggs made life similarly easy for veteran Shaun Hill, hauling in seven receptions for 103 yards.
Diggs has already caught 16 of his 20 targets through two weeks, and he’s first in the NFL in first-down catches (12) and tied for second in catches over 20 yards (four). It’s obviously super early, and there’s no way he’ll continue his current pace, but Diggs is currently projected to catch 128 passes for 2,280 yards over 16 games. At the very least, his extrapolated numbers show how dominant he’s been to start the 2016 season.
Diggs still holding onto his NFL receiving lead come Week 17 feels like a long shot, but who knows. He has some Antonio Brown to his still growing game, and there appears to be a strong connection already built between Diggs and Bradford, who was acquired just 15 days ago. Maybe he’ll make himself comfortable amongst the league’s leading receivers in 2016.
