With the NFL's morphing into a passing league, quarterback is obviously a position paramount to team success. On the other end of that connection is the play-making wide receiver, the one who executes with flair (and more than the 15 mandated pieces if you know what I mean) and athleticism.

2014 saw some amazing performances and potentially the best rookie wide receiving class ever with players such as Drew Dinkmeyer's DraftKings million-dollar-winning lineup.

7. Julio Jones, Week 3
Target NEP: 16.71
Receiving Yards: 161
Receiving Touchdowns: 2

The early season narrative on Thursday night football was one of lopsided games. Week 3 was no different, as the Atlanta Falcons took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers behind the proverbial woodshed, 56-14. The theme song of that night was "Me and Julio down by the endzone," as Julio Jones dominated the Bucs secondary for 9 catches on 11 targets for 161 yards, including touchdowns from 40 yards and 8 yards. Jones' Reception NEP of 17.67 for the game also put him in the top-10 in individual game Reception NEP as well. This game foreshadowed future huge games by Jones and was the second time the Bucs defense was victim to a top-10 receiver.

6. Calvin Johnson, Week 1
Target NEP: 16.90
Receiving Yards: 164
Receiving Touchdowns: 2

Johnson makes the list for a second time with his impressive Week 1 performance against the New York Giants. Buoyed by 2 first-quarter touchdowns spanning 67 and 16 yards, Megatron caught 7 of 11 targets for 164 yards in a Lions 35-14 win. Johnson's Reception NEP of 18.86 for the game was the eighth-highest individual performance for all players on the season in that category.

5. Mike Evans, Week 11
Target NEP: 17.20
Receiving Yards: 209
Receiving Touchdowns: 2

The inclusion of a rookie in the top Target NEP performances of 2014 is not surprising. What potentially is surprising, however, is which rookie had the performance. After the recency of Beckham's domination down the stretch, one would think that some of his monster games would land him in the top-10 Target NEP performances. However, it was Mike Evans, the seventh-overall draft choice this year, who found himself dominating like it was an SEC game. Evans torched the Washington secondary for touchdowns of 56 and 36 yards and crossed over the 200-yard receiving mark in the game as well, catching 7 of his 9 targets. His Reception NEP of 19.46 was the sixth-highest in that category for the season.

4. Eric Decker, Week 17
Target NEP: 17.51
Receiving Yards: 221
Receiving Touchdowns: 1

One only has to look back a few days to grab the fourth-best Target NEP performance of the season. Eric Decker, a high-priced free agent in the 2014 offseason, finally was able to show how good he really is when a quarterback can find him and the offense opens up. Decker caught 10 of 11 targets from all-of-a-sudden gunslinger Geno Smith in coach Rex Ryan's DGAF finale as Jets coach. Decker put up an impressive 221 yards and a 74-yard touchdown (and a Reception NEP of 18.62, ninth-best on the season) against the Miami Dolphins in a 37-24 win that may give a glimmer of hope to Jets fans or fantasy football speculators for 2015.

3. Julio Jones, Week 14
Target NEP: 19.11
Receiving Yards: 259
Receiving Touchdowns: 1

Jones again found his name on the Target NEP list in Week 14. Our JJ Zachariason boldly predicted that Jones would be the second half's best receiver, and he pretty much nailed it. Jones capitalized on 11 of 18 targets for a season high 259 yards and a touchdown, barely missing another long touchdown after being tackled near the goal line. This resulted in a Reception NEP of 24.33, which was the second-best individual performance of the season.

Jones' performance also brought back several fantasy owners from the dead in playoff matchups that they had already written off and sent the owners who thought they had their games won to the showers to cry. Those victories ended up being bittersweet for Jones owners, however, as he couldn't finish his amazing game against the Packers due to an injury and ended up missing a crucial fantasy playoff game in Week 15 thereafter.

2. T.Y. Hilton, Week 6
Target NEP: 19.81
Receiving Yards: 223
Receiving Touchdowns: 1

T.Y. Hilton owns the Houston Texans. He destroyed them in 2013 with a 121-yard, 3-touchdown performance. So, it was only natural when Hilton went off in Week 6 in Houston on a Thursday night to the tune of catching all 9 targets for 223 yards and a 33-yard touchdown. Hilton's Reception NEP of 19.81 (same as his Target NEP because he caught all passes thrown his way) was the fifth-best Reception NEP of the season.

1. DeAndre Hopkins, Week 13
Target NEP: 23.30
Receiving Yards: 238
Receiving Touchdowns: 2

The winner of the Target NEP bowl, however, is someone who was not necessarily pegged as his team's primary option heading into the 2014 season. However, DeAndre Hopkins worked his chemistry with returning quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to achieve the highest single-game Target NEP of 2014. Hopkins caught 2 of Fitzmagic's 6 touchdown passes spanning 58 and 34 yards, respectively, against the Titans. He also caught all 9 of his targets, making his Reception NEP (23.30) the third-highest on the season, as well. Hopkins' timing was also impeccable as many a fantasy owner needing a Week 13 victory were able to ride his performance to the playoffs.