In 1998, 21-year-old Randy Moss made a stunning NFL debut, racking up 17 touchdowns and 1,260 True Receiving Yards, the 2nd-best total in football that season. The Vikings’ primary quarterback that year, Randall Cunningham, was a former Pro Bowler and MVP, but all that seemed like a lifetime ago before the ’98 season. He’d been out of football entirely in 1996, and in 1997 he posted an Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt average that was 1.2 points below the league’s average (for reference’s sake, replacement level is usually around 0.75 below average). With Moss in ’98, though, Cunningham’s passing efficiency numbers exploded: he posted a career best +3.2 Relative Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt, miles ahead of his perfectly-average overall career mark. If we adjust for the fact that Cunningham was also 35 at the time (an age at which quarterbacks’ RANY/A rates tend to be 1.1 points below what they are at age 27), Cunningham’s 1998 rate was actually 4.3 points better than we’d expect from the rest of his career, a staggering outlier.

The following year, Jeff George took over as the Vikings primary quarterback, and he promptly posted a Relative ANY/A 2.2 points higher than expected based on his age and the rest of his career. ^[1]Cunningham’s RANY/A was also 1.0 better than expected in limited action. George left Moss and Minnesota after the season, and he would throw only 236 passes the rest of his career, producing a cumulative -0.6 RANY/A in Washington before retiring.

From 2000-04, Moss was the primary target of Daunte Culpepper, whose RANY/A was 0.7 better than expected (based on Culpepper’s career numbers) when Moss was around. ^[2]That number is an average weighted by the number of TRY Moss had in each season Although he’d enjoyed one of the best quarterback seasons in NFL history in 2004, Culpepper was never the same after Moss was traded to Oakland; in fact, he never even had another league-average passing season, producing a horrible -1.2 RANY/A from 2005 until his retirement in 2009. ^[3]To be fair, Culpepper tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL halfway through the 2005 season, which also was a factor in his decline.

Moss’s stint with the Raiders was famously checkered — although Kerry Collins’ RANY/A was 0.6 better than expected in 2005, Aaron Brooks played 2.5 points of RANY/A below his previous standards in 2006 — but we all know what happened when he joined the Patriots in 2007. With Moss, Tom Brady’s RANY/A was a whopping 1.3 points higher than expected from the rest of his career, and Moss also played a big role in Matt Cassel’s RANY/A being +1.0 relative to expectations after Brady was lost for the season in 2008.

While Moss’s post-Pats career hasn’t exactly been the stuff of legends, the majority of his career (weighted by True Receiving Yards) saw him dramatically improve his quarterbacks’ play relative to the rest of their careers. In fact, his lifetime WOWY (With or Without You) mark of +1.1 age-adjusted RANY/A ranks 3rd among all receivers who: a) had at least 3,000 career TRY, b) started their careers after the merger, and c) played exclusively with quarterbacks who started their careers after the merger. And the first two names on the list are possibly explained by other means. The table below lists all 301 receivers with 3,000 career TRY. The table is fully sortable and searchable, and you can click on the arrows at the bottom of the table to scroll. The table is sorted by the QB WOWY column.

Receiver	Debut	Career TRY	QB WOWY	Tm Off Rating	Tm RANY/A	QB Career RANY/A
Ed McCaffrey	1991	7,182	+1.3	125.9	+0.9	+0.1
Rod Smith	1995	10,772	+1.2	123.3	+0.7	-0.0
Randy Moss	1998	14,172	+1.1	130.6	+1.2	+0.3
J.J. Birden	1990	3,239	+1.0	106.5	+0.7	+0.4
Wes Welker	2004	7,540	+1.0	142.6	+1.6	+0.9
Mike Pritchard	1991	4,879	+0.9	105.4	+0.4	-0.1
Percy Harvin	2009	3,020	+0.9	104.8	-0.5	-0.4
Ashley Lelie	2002	3,316	+0.9	111.6	+0.4	-0.3
Sidney Rice	2007	3,105	+0.9	113.9	+0.7	+0.3
Todd Christensen	1979	6,099	+0.8	101.1	-0.0	-0.4
Wes Chandler	1978	8,700	+0.8	122.1	+1.1	+0.4
Brandon Stokley	1999	4,791	+0.8	123.4	+1.4	+0.7
John Taylor	1987	5,204	+0.8	143.3	+2.3	+1.4
Hakeem Nicks	2009	3,202	+0.8	114.8	+0.9	+0.3
Terry Kirby	1993	3,136	+0.7	114.9	+0.8	+0.6
Charlie Garner	1994	3,630	+0.7	112.0	+0.6	+0.2
Bennie Cunningham	1976	3,401	+0.7	114.5	+0.6	-0.0
Cris Collinsworth	1981	6,553	+0.7	126.7	+1.3	+0.7
Wesley Walker	1977	8,738	+0.7	110.3	+0.1	-0.4
Joe Jurevicius	1998	3,895	+0.7	99.4	+0.2	-0.4
Brent Jones	1987	5,020	+0.7	141.9	+2.0	+1.4
Terance Mathis	1990	8,386	+0.7	100.4	+0.2	-0.2
Stephone Paige	1983	5,956	+0.7	93.8	+0.2	-0.2
Antwaan Randle El	2002	4,267	+0.7	101.1	+0.5	+0.1
Shannon Sharpe	1990	9,614	+0.7	117.6	+0.4	+0.1
Dave Meggett	1989	3,293	+0.7	104.9	+0.4	+0.0
Nate Burleson	2003	4,565	+0.7	108.2	+0.6	+0.1
Mark Ingram	1987	3,761	+0.7	115.2	+1.0	+0.4
Curtis Martin	1995	3,718	+0.7	105.2	+0.4	-0.1
Tim Brown	1988	14,181	+0.7	103.7	+0.4	+0.1
James Jett	1993	3,951	+0.7	99.5	+0.3	-0.0
Mike Sherrard	1986	3,702	+0.7	110.8	+0.5	+0.1
Henry Childs	1974	4,011	+0.6	99.6	+0.0	-0.7
Pete Holohan	1981	3,755	+0.6	113.5	+0.9	+0.4
Joey Galloway	1995	10,110	+0.6	86.7	-0.5	-0.6
Keyshawn Johnson	1996	9,855	+0.6	97.8	-0.0	-0.3
Justin McCareins	2001	3,390	+0.6	101.9	+0.5	+0.1
Jake Reed	1991	5,961	+0.6	109.9	+0.6	+0.3
Michael Timpson	1989	3,530	+0.6	89.7	-0.4	-0.5
Earnest Byner	1984	4,806	+0.6	108.8	+0.7	+0.3
William Andrews	1979	3,100	+0.6	109.4	+0.4	-0.1
Tony Galbreath	1976	4,857	+0.6	98.4	+0.2	-0.5
Jerry Rice	1985	21,438	+0.5	131.5	+1.6	+1.1
Marcus Allen	1982	5,993	+0.5	101.3	+0.1	-0.1
Braylon Edwards	2005	5,063	+0.5	88.7	-0.9	-1.1
Brian Westbrook	2002	4,017	+0.5	105.5	+0.7	+0.1
Bernard Berrian	2004	3,724	+0.5	95.1	-0.4	-0.3
James Lofton	1978	13,241	+0.5	104.1	+0.1	-0.3
DeSean Jackson	2008	3,754	+0.5	107.0	+0.3	-0.1
Santana Moss	2001	8,953	+0.5	96.9	+0.4	+0.2
Jabar Gaffney	2002	5,045	+0.5	98.6	-0.1	-0.5
James Jones	2007	3,106	+0.5	129.0	+1.8	+1.5
James Brooks	1981	4,031	+0.5	126.0	+1.2	+0.7
Davone Bess	2008	3,146	+0.5	93.4	-0.4	-0.5
Eddie Brown	1985	5,900	+0.5	124.6	+1.2	+0.6
Cris Carter	1987	13,580	+0.5	112.0	+0.5	+0.2
Javon Walker	2002	3,766	+0.5	111.6	+0.5	+0.3
Jerry Porter	2000	3,725	+0.5	99.6	-0.1	-0.2
Michael Crabtree	2009	3,111	+0.4	100.0	+0.4	-0.2
Bobby Engram	1996	7,155	+0.4	98.0	+0.2	-0.2
Alvin Harper	1991	3,202	+0.4	117.0	+0.7	+0.1
Jason Witten	2003	8,175	+0.4	108.5	+0.7	+0.7
Donte Stallworth	2002	4,300	+0.4	110.0	+0.6	+0.2
Freeman McNeil	1981	3,090	+0.4	106.0	+0.2	-0.2
Devery Henderson	2004	3,417	+0.4	128.2	+1.4	+1.0
Michael Irvin	1988	11,143	+0.4	117.0	+0.8	+0.4
Marques Colston	2006	6,234	+0.4	131.4	+1.5	+1.1
Hines Ward	1998	12,039	+0.4	107.4	+0.4	+0.2
Chris Calloway	1990	5,332	+0.4	85.3	-0.7	-0.9
Ricky Watters	1992	4,322	+0.4	118.5	+0.7	+0.3
James McKnight	1994	3,336	+0.4	99.0	-0.3	-0.0
Curtis Conway	1993	7,578	+0.4	91.5	-0.1	-0.1
Kellen Winslow	1979	6,673	+0.4	126.3	+1.3	+0.9
Chris Cooley	2004	4,620	+0.4	89.3	+0.1	+0.1
Paul Coffman	1978	4,640	+0.4	100.1	-0.1	-0.4
Mickey Shuler	1978	5,331	+0.4	108.0	+0.2	-0.2
Michael Haynes	1988	6,043	+0.4	97.7	+0.3	-0.0
Brian Brennan	1984	4,135	+0.4	99.5	+0.3	+0.2
J.J. Stokes	1995	4,095	+0.4	125.1	+1.2	+1.0
Wayne Chrebet	1995	6,867	+0.3	98.5	+0.0	-0.1
Vincent Jackson	2005	5,271	+0.3	129.2	+1.4	+0.9
Miles Austin	2006	3,554	+0.3	108.4	+1.0	+1.0
Yancey Thigpen	1991	4,636	+0.3	112.1	+0.3	+0.0
Kellen Winslow Jr.	2004	4,515	+0.3	85.1	-0.8	-0.9
Lance Moore	2006	3,306	+0.3	133.6	+1.4	+1.1
Floyd Turner	1989	3,913	+0.3	97.6	+0.1	-0.3
Barry Sanders	1989	3,191	+0.3	107.0	-0.0	-0.3
Lee Evans	2004	5,693	+0.3	86.3	-0.7	-0.9
Emmitt Smith	1990	3,971	+0.3	112.9	+0.6	+0.2
Tony Martin	1990	8,219	+0.3	101.7	+0.2	+0.1
Eddie Kennison	1996	7,504	+0.3	111.3	+0.4	+0.2
Michael Jackson	1991	5,172	+0.3	97.4	+0.4	-0.2
Tony Dorsett	1977	4,064	+0.3	115.1	+0.9	+0.7
Tony Gonzalez	1997	13,645	+0.3	113.4	+0.6	+0.4
Gary Clark	1985	10,060	+0.3	113.9	+0.8	+0.6
Marcus Robinson	1998	4,345	+0.3	89.1	-0.3	-0.4
Willie Davis	1991	4,326	+0.3	103.9	+0.4	+0.5
Patrick Crayton	2004	3,238	+0.3	118.1	+1.1	+1.0
Priest Holmes	1997	3,054	+0.3	120.8	+0.8	+0.5
Greg Jennings	2006	5,643	+0.3	122.9	+1.5	+1.5
Curtis Duncan	1987	3,697	+0.3	124.0	+0.9	+0.3
Ben Coates	1991	5,358	+0.3	99.4	-0.1	-0.3
Wesley Walls	1989	5,306	+0.3	101.2	+0.1	-0.1
Edgerrin James	1999	3,518	+0.3	132.5	+1.8	+1.4
Antonio Bryant	2002	5,127	+0.3	77.2	-0.7	-0.5
Tony Hill	1977	7,830	+0.3	115.3	+0.8	+0.6
Dallas Clark	2003	5,130	+0.3	133.7	+1.5	+1.2
Mervyn Fernandez	1987	3,706	+0.3	102.0	+0.4	+0.1
Herman Moore	1991	8,763	+0.3	107.1	+0.1	-0.2
Carlos Carson	1980	5,836	+0.3	92.3	-0.1	-0.2
Amp Lee	1992	3,056	+0.2	99.0	+0.2	+0.2
Mark Bavaro	1985	4,765	+0.2	100.8	+0.3	+0.0
Derrick Mason	1997	11,311	+0.2	100.8	+0.3	+0.1
Jay Novacek	1985	4,805	+0.2	117.5	+0.6	+0.2
Todd Heap	2001	5,783	+0.2	90.3	-0.5	-0.5
Shawn Jefferson	1991	6,167	+0.2	103.0	+0.1	-0.2
Brett Perriman	1988	6,352	+0.2	109.0	+0.2	-0.1
Steve Smith	2001	10,599	+0.2	96.4	-0.1	-0.1
Roy E. Williams	2004	5,073	+0.2	91.9	-0.3	-0.3
Joe Horn	1996	7,935	+0.2	104.7	+0.3	+0.1
Nate Washington	2005	4,223	+0.2	98.7	-0.0	+0.1
Plaxico Burress	2000	7,887	+0.2	107.9	+0.1	-0.1
Andre Rison	1989	9,807	+0.2	104.5	+0.3	-0.1
Johnnie Morton	1994	7,795	+0.2	108.3	+0.1	-0.0
Richie Anderson	1993	3,353	+0.2	92.6	-0.3	-0.2
Bert Emanuel	1994	4,390	+0.2	98.6	-0.0	-0.2
Peerless Price	1999	4,945	+0.2	94.4	-0.3	-0.5
Mark Duper	1982	7,829	+0.2	129.7	+1.7	+1.3
Mark Clayton	2005	3,109	+0.2	91.3	-0.2	-0.2
Reggie Wayne	2001	11,441	+0.2	131.7	+1.5	+1.2
Muhsin Muhammad	1996	10,701	+0.2	96.7	-0.2	-0.2
Mike Wallace	2009	3,408	+0.2	104.4	+0.8	+0.7
Brandon Marshall	2006	6,958	+0.2	97.4	-0.1	-0.2
Alfred Jackson	1978	3,118	+0.2	100.0	+0.1	-0.2
Andre Johnson	2003	10,009	+0.2	102.9	+0.3	+0.1
Ozzie Newsome	1978	8,231	+0.2	99.1	+0.1	+0.1
Larry Fitzgerald	2004	8,996	+0.2	89.2	-0.3	-0.3
Ike Hilliard	1997	6,015	+0.2	88.8	-0.2	-0.3
Dan Ross	1979	3,749	+0.2	115.1	+0.6	+0.5
Brian Finneran	1999	3,028	+0.2	105.2	-0.2	-0.1
Thurman Thomas	1988	4,784	+0.2	118.4	+0.7	+0.4
Ernie Jones	1988	3,312	+0.2	80.7	-0.9	-0.9
Malcom Floyd	2004	3,351	+0.2	126.2	+1.3	+1.2
Al Toon	1985	6,242	+0.2	102.9	+0.0	-0.1
Jimmy Smith	1992	11,277	+0.2	107.3	+0.5	+0.2
Az-Zahir Hakim	1998	3,843	+0.2	113.4	+0.5	+0.1
Roger Craig	1983	5,129	+0.2	123.4	+1.6	+1.2
Rodney Holman	1982	4,916	+0.2	118.9	+0.8	+0.4
Michael Pittman	1998	3,550	+0.2	83.2	-0.3	-0.3
Brian Blades	1988	7,190	+0.1	89.7	-0.8	-0.9
Stacey Bailey	1982	3,073	+0.1	92.2	-0.4	-0.4
Butch Johnson	1976	3,322	+0.1	115.2	+0.8	+0.6
Anquan Boldin	2003	8,890	+0.1	95.7	+0.1	+0.2
Jeff Graham	1991	7,100	+0.1	92.0	-0.3	-0.3
John Jefferson	1978	5,791	+0.1	118.3	+0.8	+0.5
Irving Fryar	1984	11,700	+0.1	94.0	-0.1	-0.2
Derrick Alexander	1994	6,057	+0.1	103.9	+0.4	+0.2
Keenan McCardell	1992	10,604	+0.1	110.7	+0.6	+0.3
Kevin Walter	2003	3,950	+0.1	112.9	+0.8	+0.7
Brandon Lloyd	2003	4,952	+0.1	89.5	-0.4	-0.3
Owen Daniels	2006	3,979	+0.1	109.0	+0.7	+0.6
Isaac Curtis	1973	8,477	+0.1	110.1	+1.0	+0.8
Koren Robinson	2001	3,710	+0.1	105.1	+0.3	-0.0
Marshall Faulk	1994	7,029	+0.1	121.9	+0.9	+0.6
Terrell Owens	1996	14,999	+0.1	117.9	+0.8	+0.7
Carl Pickens	1992	6,817	+0.1	95.6	-0.1	-0.2
Don Beebe	1989	3,187	+0.1	122.7	+0.8	+0.5
Eric Martin	1985	8,124	+0.1	102.0	+0.2	-0.0
Ricky Sanders	1986	6,127	+0.1	110.4	+0.7	+0.6
Lionel Manuel	1984	3,557	+0.1	102.1	+0.3	+0.1
Keith Byars	1986	5,825	+0.1	109.2	+0.4	+0.2
Terry Glenn	1996	7,771	+0.1	103.6	+0.2	+0.0
Kyle Brady	1995	3,541	+0.1	105.3	+0.3	+0.2
Eric Moulds	1996	9,282	+0.1	97.5	-0.1	-0.2
Vernon Davis	2006	4,201	+0.1	90.2	-0.3	-0.4
Ken Dilger	1995	3,935	+0.1	108.2	+0.6	+0.6
Eric Green	1990	4,445	+0.1	97.3	+0.2	+0.0
Louis Lipps	1984	5,773	+0.1	97.1	-0.4	-0.7
Tony McGee	1993	3,769	+0.0	87.8	-0.4	-0.5
Matt Bouza	1981	3,260	+0.0	85.1	-0.9	-0.9
Josh Reed	2002	3,410	+0.0	86.4	-0.7	-0.7
O.J. McDuffie	1993	4,730	+0.0	107.7	+0.7	+1.1
Heath Miller	2005	4,576	+0.0	108.4	+0.7	+0.7
Sean Dawkins	1993	5,759	+0.0	93.1	-0.2	-0.3
Donald Driver	1999	8,899	+0.0	113.2	+0.8	+1.0
Dwayne Bowe	2007	5,141	+0.0	76.8	-0.9	-0.8
Isaac Bruce	1994	13,160	+0.0	109.2	+0.4	+0.2
Antonio Gates	2003	8,209	+0.0	129.6	+1.2	+1.2
Haywood Jeffires	1987	6,056	+0.0	112.2	+0.4	+0.1
Anthony Miller	1988	8,409	+0.0	103.8	-0.2	-0.1
Rocket Ismail	1993	4,948	+0.0	94.4	-0.3	-0.1
Warrick Dunn	1997	4,717	+0.0	96.5	-0.5	-0.4
Flipper Anderson	1988	4,661	+0.0	103.0	+0.6	+0.3
Kevin Johnson	1999	4,459	+0.0	77.4	-1.0	-0.9
Quinn Early	1988	6,123	-0.0	95.0	-0.1	-0.1
Mark Clayton	1983	8,316	-0.0	129.9	+1.6	+1.3
Doug Cosbie	1979	3,944	-0.0	104.6	+0.3	+0.3
Willie Green	1991	3,589	-0.0	98.3	-0.2	-0.2
Frank Wycheck	1993	5,341	-0.0	105.4	+0.4	+0.3
Roddy White	2005	7,652	-0.0	111.3	+0.4	+0.4
Alfred Jenkins	1975	6,925	-0.0	91.3	-0.5	-0.5
Eric Metcalf	1989	5,552	-0.0	92.7	+0.0	-0.0
Darnay Scott	1994	5,452	-0.0	93.0	-0.3	-0.3
Laveranues Coles	2000	8,191	-0.0	93.4	-0.4	-0.0
Marvin Harrison	1996	13,909	-0.0	131.1	+1.5	+1.4
Bryant Johnson	2003	3,454	-0.0	87.3	-0.6	-0.3
Willie Jackson	1995	3,405	-0.0	102.0	+0.0	+0.0
Torry Holt	1999	11,466	-0.0	116.1	+0.5	+0.4
Calvin Johnson	2007	6,182	-0.0	95.1	-0.4	-0.2
Santonio Holmes	2006	4,825	-0.1	103.6	+0.2	+0.2
Reggie Langhorne	1985	4,956	-0.1	86.9	+0.1	+0.1
Jerome Pathon	1998	3,029	-0.1	114.2	+0.7	+0.8
Keith Jackson	1988	5,230	-0.1	111.6	+0.6	+0.4
Chad Johnson	2001	9,851	-0.1	105.6	+0.2	+0.1
Ricky Proehl	1990	8,411	-0.1	98.5	-0.1	-0.1
Ahman Green	1998	3,090	-0.1	109.5	+0.6	+0.6
Corey Bradford	1998	3,116	-0.1	86.3	-0.5	-0.5
Tiki Barber	1997	5,145	-0.1	94.5	-0.1	-0.2
Dennis Northcutt	2000	4,585	-0.1	87.0	-0.7	-0.5
Rod Gardner	2001	3,039	-0.1	82.7	-0.7	-0.5
Webster Slaughter	1986	7,328	-0.1	97.8	+0.1	+0.1
Mike Renfro	1978	4,729	-0.1	94.2	-0.4	-0.1
Kimble Anders	1991	3,043	-0.1	101.7	+0.1	+0.5
Henry Ellard	1983	12,584	-0.1	100.5	+0.2	+0.1
Amani Toomer	1996	8,506	-0.1	96.9	-0.1	-0.2
Anthony Carter	1985	7,293	-0.1	105.1	+0.1	+0.1
Michael Westbrook	1995	3,981	-0.1	104.4	+0.3	+0.1
Marcedes Lewis	2006	3,022	-0.1	99.5	-0.5	-0.4
Hassan Jones	1986	3,545	-0.1	107.4	+0.3	+0.1
Travis Taylor	2000	3,839	-0.2	85.1	-0.8	-0.3
Zach Miller	2007	3,219	-0.2	83.3	-0.9	-0.9
Andre Reed	1985	12,815	-0.2	108.5	+0.4	+0.3
Steve Jordan	1982	6,011	-0.2	105.0	+0.1	+0.1
Qadry Ismail	1993	4,504	-0.2	94.8	-0.3	+0.0
Robert Brooks	1992	3,891	-0.2	122.5	+1.2	+0.6
Michael Jenkins	2004	4,178	-0.2	104.1	-0.2	+0.0
LaDainian Tomlinson	2001	5,179	-0.2	114.8	+0.5	+0.8
James Thrash	1997	3,451	-0.2	100.5	+0.2	+0.2
Darrell Jackson	2000	6,632	-0.2	103.2	-0.0	-0.2
Steven Jackson	2004	3,193	-0.2	84.7	-0.6	-0.4
Deion Branch	2002	5,988	-0.2	113.8	+0.7	+0.9
Wallace Francis	1973	4,048	-0.2	90.2	-0.4	-0.3
Ronnie Harmon	1986	6,163	-0.2	104.5	-0.0	-0.0
Rob Moore	1990	8,370	-0.2	87.3	-0.5	-0.1
Jeff Chadwick	1983	4,244	-0.2	92.8	-0.7	-0.5
Jeremy Shockey	2002	5,768	-0.2	109.6	+0.3	+0.4
Larry Centers	1990	6,969	-0.2	90.6	-0.3	-0.1
Drew Bennett	2001	3,993	-0.2	97.9	-0.0	+0.1
Jerricho Cotchery	2004	4,577	-0.2	96.0	-0.7	-0.2
Kelvin Martin	1987	4,466	-0.2	87.4	-0.8	-0.5
Johnny Perkins	1977	3,051	-0.2	78.6	-1.0	-0.9
T.J. Houshmandzadeh	2001	6,751	-0.2	100.7	-0.0	+0.1
Mike Quick	1982	5,878	-0.3	84.3	-0.4	-0.0
Mark Jackson	1986	5,129	-0.3	102.7	+0.1	+0.3
Antonio Freeman	1995	6,647	-0.3	116.5	+0.9	+0.5
Kevin House	1980	4,979	-0.3	90.7	+0.1	+0.1
Bill Brooks	1986	7,674	-0.3	90.6	-0.5	-0.2
John L. Williams	1986	5,156	-0.3	90.8	-0.7	-0.6
Chris Chambers	2001	7,236	-0.3	94.5	-0.3	-0.1
Oronde Gadsden	1998	3,140	-0.3	95.7	-0.1	+0.4
Ben Watson	2004	3,525	-0.3	112.2	+0.4	+0.4
Jessie Hester	1985	5,202	-0.3	77.6	-0.6	-0.3
Hoby Brenner	1981	3,899	-0.3	95.0	-0.6	-0.2
Freddie Jones	1997	4,042	-0.3	73.5	-1.5	-0.9
Andre Hastings	1993	3,196	-0.3	88.3	-0.9	-0.7
Herschel Walker	1986	4,953	-0.3	95.1	-0.4	-0.1
Marcus Pollard	1995	4,168	-0.3	119.0	+1.0	+1.2
Desmond Clark	1999	3,576	-0.3	92.3	-0.7	-0.4
Calvin Williams	1990	3,912	-0.3	96.3	-0.3	-0.2
Kevin Faulk	1999	3,723	-0.3	121.8	+0.8	+0.9
Ted Brown	1979	3,047	-0.3	95.3	-0.3	-0.1
Alge Crumpler	2001	4,875	-0.3	98.6	-0.5	-0.2
Dwight Clark	1979	6,936	-0.3	116.0	+1.4	+1.3
Fred Barnett	1990	5,004	-0.4	97.6	-0.2	+0.0
Courtney Hawkins	1992	4,391	-0.4	87.1	-0.8	-0.5
Ernest Givins	1986	7,539	-0.4	112.8	+0.4	+0.2
Charles Johnson	1994	4,429	-0.4	96.4	-0.5	-0.2
Tim McGee	1986	4,930	-0.4	111.2	+0.3	+0.4
Chris Burkett	1985	4,055	-0.4	87.6	-0.3	-0.1
Torrance Small	1992	4,354	-0.4	91.1	-0.3	+0.3
Marty Booker	1999	6,138	-0.4	84.3	-0.9	-0.4
Drew Hill	1979	9,172	-0.4	110.3	+0.3	+0.1
Pete Metzelaars	1982	4,088	-0.4	102.4	+0.1	+0.4
Bill Schroeder	1997	4,026	-0.4	100.9	+0.2	+0.2
Jackie Harris	1990	4,437	-0.5	92.8	-0.5	-0.1
Frank Sanders	1995	5,864	-0.5	81.0	-0.9	-0.3
Greg Olsen	2007	3,269	-0.5	96.8	-0.3	+0.1
Neal Anderson	1986	3,169	-0.6	101.4	-0.4	-0.3
Earnest Gray	1979	3,819	-0.6	77.0	-0.8	-0.6
Vance Johnson	1985	5,357	-0.6	108.0	+0.1	+0.3
David Boston	1999	4,205	-0.6	84.4	-0.6	-0.1
Sterling Sharpe	1988	7,660	-0.6	99.4	-0.2	+0.1
Preston Dennard	1978	3,838	-0.6	93.5	-0.7	-0.2
Randy McMichael	2002	4,332	-0.7	87.4	-0.8	-0.2
David Patten	1997	4,187	-0.7	105.3	+0.2	+0.7
James Wilder	1981	4,047	-0.7	90.9	-0.2	+0.1
Gary W. Anderson	1985	3,031	-0.7	89.4	-0.6	+0.0
Troy Brown	1993	5,995	-0.8	106.6	+0.3	+0.8
Randal Hill	1991	3,516	-0.8	83.8	-0.9	-0.4
Gerald Carter	1980	3,211	-1.0	87.5	-0.6	+0.0
Mark Carrier	1987	8,009	-1.3	86.3	-0.8	-0.1

Here’s what those column headers mean:

• Debut – 1st NFL season
• Career TRY – Lifetime total True Receiving Yards
• QB WOWY – The metric described above — an average of the differences between each receiver’s quarterbacks’ RANY/A that season and every other season of their careers, weighted by the player’s TRY in each season
• Tm Off Rating – The team’s offensive rating (points per drive relative to league average), according to Doug’s AV formula, weighted by TRY in each season
• Tm RANY/A – The team’s ANY/A, relative to league average, for the seasons the receiver played (also weighted by TRY in each season)
• QB Career RANY/A – The career RANY/A of every QB the receiver played with, weighted by the QB’s playing time and the receiver’s TRY in each season

At the other end of the spectrum, consider the career of Mark Carrier (no, not the safety of the same name). For starters, as a rookie Carrier just missed Steve DeBerg’s insane 1990 season (although in fairness, DeBerg was still good in 1987). Then, in Carrier’s second season, Vinny Testaverde assumed the mantle of Tampa’s starting QB, beginning a relationship with Carrier that would span the next 7 seasons (including 2 in Cleveland).

While our age adjustment may be giving old Testaverde too much credit — he’s certainly in the discussion of the best late bloomer QBs ever — Vinny T.’s RANY/A while playing with Carrier was a shocking 1.8 points (!) lower than it was over the rest of his career, after adjusting for aging effects. With Carrier, in what should have been the prime of his career (ages 24-31), Testaverde put up an ANY/A 0.8 points below the league average, and was only in the black for 1 of 8 seasons.

After parting ways with Carrier, Testaverde promptly produced a +1.2 RANY/A throwing to Michael Jackson and Derrick Alexander, and two years later had a +2.4 mark (at age 35) with Keyshawn Johnson and Wayne Chrebet. Meanwhile, in Carolina, Carrier was a part of 1 good Kerry Collins season (1996) but 2 awful ones (1995 and 1997), plus an average Steve Beuerlein season in 1998. Tellingly, the year after Carrier retired, Beuerlein immediately had one of the craziest out-of-nowhere QB seasons ever.

Other observations of note:

• The relationship between John Elway, Ed McCaffrey, and Rod Smith continues to be one of the most interesting in NFL history. Chase covered at length the way Elway’s RANY/A jumped markedly when his receiving-corps quality improved late in his career. Mike Shanahan, McCaffrey and Smith arrived in Denver the same year (1995), which happened to basically be the same time that Elway’s numbers improved for good (he’d never strung two +1.0 RANY/A seasons together before 1995-96). For Smith’s part, he was also on hand for the best years of Brian Griese and Jake Plummer’s careers, and McCaffrey was almost never part of a below-average passing offense. Did they “make” Elway or did Elway simply never have above-average receivers until they arrived? The debate rages on.
• J.J. Birden didn’t have a long career, but he was on hand for renaissance seasons by three veteran Kansas City quarterbacks (DeBerg, Dave Krieg, Joe Montana), plus one of George’s best seasons at the helm of the run-and-shoot Falcons. Likewise, Mike Pritchard was there for the best years of Chris Miller’s career, Elway’s aforementioned ’95, and some good-for-his-age Warren Moon seasons in Seattle. Neither was a superstar, but each consistently found roles in solid passing offenses, and it’s likely they’re both quite underrated by popular perception. ^[4]Chase note: It would be difficult to argue that they’re overrated by popular perception!
• Along with Moss, it’s no surprise to see Wes Welker rank so highly. In addition to 2007-2009, he stuck around during the Pats’ surprisingly powerful post-Moss attack (speaking of which, not listed above is Rob Gronkowski, whose +1.3 WOWY score would have led the list if he’d qualified). Welker gets well-deserved credit for bridging the gap between two very different flavors of dominant Brady-led offenses.
• John Taylor looks like a beast in this metric. He had one of the highest WOWY scores of any receiver with 3,000 TRY, and nobody on the list above played for better passing offenses (+2.3 RANY/A) or overall offenses (143.3 team offensive rating) than Taylor. This could be used as both an argument for and against Taylor, but his quarterbacks played extremely well (and better than their typical average) when he was on their team.
• It’s probable that Wesley Walker and Terance Mathis were hugely underrated in their day. ^[5]Chase note: not by me! Both racked up over 8,300 True Receiving Yards, and each saw their QBs’ RANY/A improve by +0.7 when they were in the receiving corps.
• Marvin Harrison’s sample of QBs other than Peyton Manning is practically nonexistent (FWIW, Jim Harbaugh’s 1996-97 WOWYs were above-average but hardly great), so it’s tough to say what this means for him. But you definitely can’t say he ever elevated a QB either.
• As much as he was admired for his contributions to the early-to-mid-2000s dynasty-era Patriots, Troy Brown does not look good here. As soon as his role in the Pats’ offense shrunk, New England suddenly started throwing the ball with much more effectiveness, and Brady backers suddenly stopped having to make excuses for his lack of production relative to Peyton Manning.
• It’s surprising to see Sterling Sharpe rank so low, given that in his short career he produced four of the best TRY seasons ever. But Don Majkowski only ever had one above-average year on Sharpe’s watch, and Brett Favre would reach much greater heights without Sharpe, even after adjusting for age effects.
• If McCaffrey and Smith get the credit for boosting Elway, somebody has to get blamed for holding him back, and that somebody is Vance Johnson (-0.6 WOWY).
• In addition to Carrier, a lot of other mid-to-late-80s Bucs bear the brunt of WOWY punishment for the underperforming stats of Testaverde, DeBerg, and Steve Young while they were in Tampa. Gerald Carter is 2nd-worst behind Carrier, while RBs Gary Anderson and James Wilder aren’t far behind.

At any rate, while the WOWY metric is hardly infallible, hopefully it can give us new perspective on which receivers seem to elevate the play of their passing offenses, and which receivers tend to have an underwhelming impact despite decent-looking numbers.