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In the comments to this post, Ryan noted that Mike Alstott led the Bucs with 557 receiving yards in 1996, but it was the fewest yards of any player who led his team in receiving yards that season. And in 1997, Karl Williams led Tampa Bay with just 486 receiving yards, also the fewest of any player who led his team in receiving yards that year.

Which made Ryan wonder: why isn’t there a list of the lowest team-leading receiving total across the league for each season? That’s a good question, so I went ahead and generated it for every season since 1950. For example, Jacksonville’s undrafted rookie Allen Hurns led the Jaguars with 677 receiving yards in 2014, but every other team had at least one player with more yards.

YearLgTmPlayerYards
2014NFLJAXAllen Hurns677
2013NFLNYJJeremy Kerley523
2012NFLWASPierre Garcon633
2011NFLJAXMarcedes Lewis460
2010NFLCARSteve Smith554
2009NFLSTLDonnie Avery589
2008NFLNYGDomenik Hixon596
2007NFLMIAMarty Booker556
2006NFLJAXMatt Jones643
2005NFLMINTravis Taylor604
2004NFLBALTravis Taylor421
2003NFLDETAz-Zahir Hakim449
2002NFLARIDavid Boston512
2001NFLATLTerance Mathis564
2000NFLCINPeter Warrick592
1999NFLPHITorrance Small655
1998NFLPHIJeff Graham600
1997NFLTAMKarl Williams486
1996NFLTAMMike Alstott557
1995NFLKANWillie Davis527
1994NFLPITEric Green618
1993NFLCHITom Waddle552
1992NFLCINTim McGee408
1991NFLKANTim Barnett564
1990NFLNYGStephen Baker541
1989NFLCHIRon Morris486
1988NFLNWEStanley Morgan502
1987NFLPITJohn Stallworth521
1986NFLRAMHenry Ellard447
1985NFLINDWayne Capers438
1984NFLCHIWillie Gault587
1983NFLBALCurtis Dickey483
1982NFLBALMatt Bouza287
1981NFLNORGuido Merkens458
1980NFLMIATony Nathan588
1979NFLKANJ.T. Smith444
1978NFLSFOFreddie Solomon458
1977NFLNYGJim Robinson422
1976NFLNWEDarryl Stingley370
1975NFLNORPaul Seal414
1974NFLPITFrank Lewis365
1973NFLCHIEarl Thomas343
1972NFLGNBCarroll Dale317
1971NFLDENJerry Simmons403
1970NFLNYJDon Maynard525
1969NFLCHIBob Wallace553
1969AFLMIALarry Seiple577
1968NFLCHIDick Gordon477
1968AFLDENEric Crabtree601
1967NFLMINGene Washington384
1967AFLHOUHoyle Granger300
1966NFLCHIJim Jones504
1966AFLMIABo Roberson519
1965NFLDETTerry Barr433
1965AFLBUFBo Roberson483
1964NFLGNBBoyd Dowler623
1964AFLBOSGino Cappelletti865
1963NFLCLEGary Collins674
1963AFLBOSJim Colclough693
1962NFLMINTommy Mason603
1962AFLBUFElbert Dubenion571
1961NFLSTLSonny Randle591
1961AFLOAKDoug Asad592
1960NFLWASBill Anderson488
1960AFLOAKBilly Lott524
1959NFLDETJim Gibbons431
1958NFLNYGBob Schnelker460
1957NFLPHIBobby Walston266
1956NFLCRDDon Stonesifer320
1955NFLCRDDon Stonesifer330
1954NFLBALDan Edwards531
1953NFLBALGeorge Taliaferro346
1952NFLDTXDick Wilkins416
1951NFLNYGJoe Scott356
1950NFLNYGBob McChesney380

Since the merger, just one player has managed to pull off this feat twice, and he did it for different teams… and in back-to-back years! In 2004, Travis Taylor led the Kyle Boller-led Ravens with 421 receiving yards, beating out Kevin Johnson, Randy Hymes, Clarence Moore, and 5 games worth of Todd Heap. Every other team had at least one receiver gain at least 699 yards that year.

The following season, Taylor was in Minnesota. Brad Johnson and Daunte Culpepper split the quarterbacking duties, and Taylor, Jermaine Wiggins, and Marcus Robinson each topped 500 receiving yards. But it was Taylor who led with 604 yards, while every other team had at least one receiver gain at least 687 yards that year. (Also of note: a rookie Troy Williamson had 372 yards, a 25-year-old Koren Robinson [1]Do you even remember him in Minnesota?? had 347 yards, and a 24-year-old Nate Burleson had 328 yards).

In the pre-merger era, Bo Roberson (’65 Bills, ’66 Dolphins), and Don Stonesifer (’55-’56 Cardinals) also managed to twice pull off this “worst best” feat.

Finally, I’m not quite sure what to make of Steve Smith appearing on this list, other than the fact that Jimmy Clausen was really, really bad.

Okay, one last note: the Cowboys, Chargers, Seahawks, and Texans are the only teams that do not appear on the above list.

References

References
1 Do you even remember him in Minnesota??
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