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Enjoy this week’s Top 5 , and be sure to check back each Thursday after the new year for a fresh Top 5 from the world of sports.

1 – Andre Johnson
When the Texans drafted Andre Johnson out of Miami we all knew he had the potential to be a very special wide receiver, now, in his sixth season, he’s emerging as the league’s very best. Johnson leads the NFL in both receptions (103) and receiving yards (1408), and his six touchdown receptions have him tied for 12th in the league. At a listed 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds, Johnson has all the physical tools of a young Terrell Owens, but none of the off-field baggage of the Dallas superstar. With two games left to play he’s already matched his career high for receiving yards in a single season and matched his career high in receptions, and he needs just two more touchdown receptions to match his career high of eight, set last season despite playing in only nine games.

Andre Johnson has been the best receiver in the NFL this season.

You could make a very strong argument for Larry Fitzgerald as the best receiver in football, and we couldn’t let him slip any lower than No. 2. Fitzgerald’s stats are phenomenal – 88 receptions (T-5th), 1,200 receiving yards (4th) and nine touchdown catches (T-4th) – but they don’t tell the whole story. Even in the pass-happy Arizona offense, sharing targets with Anquan Boldin (our pick at No. 4) certainly impacts his productivity, particularly in the red zone where Boldin is often able to out-physical defensive backs for jump balls and gets more looks in the passing game.

Larry Fitzgerald is about as fine a wide receiver as you’ll ever see.

3 – Roddy White
Although Roddy White struggled through his first two years in the league, he enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2007, catching 83 passes for 1202 yards and six touchdowns. This year the Falcons wide receiver has built on that success, hauling in 82 passes (8th) for 1310 yards (2nd) including six touchdown receptions (T-12th), and helped lead Atlanta to a 9-5 record and a chance to make the playoffs. Although White, in his fourth NFL season, may not be a household name yet, he’s been one of the top receivers in the league this season, and there’s no reason to believe that his production will do anything but increase as he and rookie quarterback Matt Ryan continue to become more familiar with each other’s habits on the field.

Don’t know Roddy White? He’s tearing up secondaries for the Falcons.

4 – Anquan Boldin
One of the most physical receivers in the league, the 6-foot-1, 217-pound Boldin is a red zone nightmare for defensive coordinators around the NFL. Boldin is a superb possession receiver and has the speed and burst to stretch plays down the field after the catch, and the strength to shed would-be tacklers in the secondary to pick up extra, hard-fought yards. This year he’s caught 89 passes (4th) for 1038 yards (10th) and has caught a league-leading 11 touchdown passes this season, despite sharing the ball with fellow superstar wide out Larry Fitzgerald.

Anquan Boldin would be the No. 1 receiver just about anyplace but Arizona.

Steve Smith may not be the biggest wide receiver in the league, or the strongest, or the fastest, but he’s certainly one of its very best. Standing just 5-foot-9 and weighing just 185 pounds, the Carolina Panther star has a decided size disadvantage when compared to most other NFL receivers, most of whom stand well over six feet tall, yet the numbers he puts up dwarf the productivity of most of those bigger players. Smith has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards five times in his 8-year career, including this season. So far this year he’s caught 70 passes (15th) for 1,240 yards (3rd) and hauled in six touchdown passes (T-12th).

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