The best wide receivers from 2024 the Steelers are set to face in 2025

After taking a look at the top rushers from 2024 who are scheduled to face the Steelers in 2025, today it’s time to check out the wide receivers who are on the Steelers schedule this season who finished toward the top of the yardage standings last year. As I said before, there could be holdouts, injuries, or trades which could make these players not able to see the field when they face the Black & Gold. But for now, these things can’t be known for sure.

This list consists of players who had at least 1,000 receiving yards in 2024, their overall rank yardage last season, and the week in which they will face the Steelers. Players who are teammates and both appear on the list will be grouped together as the Steelers will be tasked with defending both players.

Ja’Marr Chase (1st)
Cincinnati Bengals
Week 7, Week 11

Playing in the same division with the Steelers, Ja’Marr Chase is no stranger. Facing the Steelers six times in four seasons, Chase has five career touchdowns against the Steelers with two coming in his first game against them in 2021. On two different occasions, Chase has had double-digit receptions against the Steelers as he reached 10 in Week 1 of 2022 as well as the Week 18 matchup last season. The 2022 matchup is the only time Chase has gone over 100 yards against the Steelers as he had 129. In the Week 18 matchup last year, Chase had his fewest yards per reception against the Steelers as he had 96 receiving yards on those 10 receptions.

In the other four games against the Steelers, Chase has had two where he was in the 80 -yard range of receiving yards. For the other two games, Chase only had 65 receiving yards in his first game against the Steelers in 2021 where two of his four receptions were touchdowns. In the other matchup in 2021, Chase only had three receptions for 39 yards as it was Tee Higgins who went over 100 against the Steelers.

Justin Jefferson (2nd)
Minnesota Vikings
Week 4

Arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, the Steelers have only faced Justin Jefferson one time. On Thursday Night Football late in the 2021 season, Jefferson went for 79 yards on seven receptions and a touchdown in a game where the Vikings held off a furious comeback attempt from the Steelers.

Looking at 2025, the biggest thing when it comes to Jefferson is the quarterback throwing him the football. With the Vikings banking on J.J. McCarthy being the answer after missing all of his rookie season of 2023, whether or not the connection will be established between him and Jefferson by the time they face the Steelers in Week 4 in Ireland is a big question.

Amon-Ra St. Brown (5th) & Jameson Williams (21st)
Detroit Lions
Week 16

The Detroit Lions had two wide receivers who went over 1000 yards in 2024 in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. St. Brown was well over the total with 1,263 receiving yards while Williams just scooted by with 1001 receiving yards.Williams has never faced the Steelers as he only has three NFL seasons under his belt. As for St. Brown, he did face the Steelers in 2021 during his rookie season where he had four receptions for 61 yards in a 16–16 tie.

Jerry Jeudy (6th)
Cleveland Browns
Week 6, Week 17

Coming off his first 1,000 yard season in his first year in Cleveland with 1,229 receiving yards, Judy faced the Steelers twice last year where he had six catches for 85 yards in the first matchup and five catches for 64 yards and a touchdown in the second game. During his time in Denver, Judy had one game against the Steelers in 2020 where he had four receptions for 62 yards.

Ladd McConkey (9th)
Los Angeles Chargers
Week 10

A second-round draft pick in 2024, Ladd McConkey put up over 1,100 yards in 16 games in his first NFL season. Facing the Steelers last year, McConkey wasn’t much of a factor as he had three catches for 44 yards in a 20–10 Steelers victory. But this output was actually on pace for the first six games of the season before McConkey broke out later in the year.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (10th)
Seattle Seahawks
Week 2

In his second NFL season, Jaxon Smith-Njigba burst out with 1,130 receiving yards on 100 receptions, making DK Metcalf expendable in a trade to the Steelers. During his rookie year, Smith-Njigba did face the Steelers where he only had one catch for 12 yards but it was a touchdown. As is the case with several receivers on this list, Smith-Njigba has a new quarterback for 2025 and it will be interesting to see what chemistry they develop by the time they travel to Pittsburgh in Week 2.

Garrett Wilson (11th)
New York Jets
Week 1

After winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2022 with over 1100 yards receiving, Garrett Wilson followed it up in 2023 with another thousand yard season with 1,042 receiving yards on 95 receptions. Wilson did face the Steelers early in his rookie season when the Jets defeated the Steelers in Week 4 in 2022, but Wilson only had two receptions for 41 yards. In 2024, Wilson faced the Steelers with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback where he had five receptions for 61 yards. With Wilson facing the Steelers in Week 1 with former Steelers quarterback Justin Fields now commanding the huddle, it’s tough to gauge what to expect.

Zay Flowers (16th)
Baltimore Ravens
Week 14, Week 18

Another AFC North opponent, Zay Flowers has faced the Steelers three times in his two NFL seasons as the only regular season game he has missed in his career was Week 18 of 2023 against the Steelers. In his other game against Pittsburgh his rookie season, Flowers had five receptions for 73 yards. In the first matchup against The Steelers last season, Flowers only had two receptions for 39 yards but one of which was a touchdown. In the second matchup last season, Flowers went for 100 yards on five receptions.

In the final game of the regular season of 2024, Flowers injured his knee and kept him out of the playoffs, obviously including the matchup against the Steelers. While it appears that Flowers is completely recovered without surgery, exactly how his knee holds up in 2025 remains to be seen.