The first quarter of the NFL season has been friendly to wide receivers. A total of 27 are on pace to put up 1,000-plus receiving yards with just as many on pace to tally 80-plus receptions. Heck, a total of 22 receivers are averaging 10-plus fantasy points per outing. 

With so much success at this position, it's hard to come up with the top-five most surprising fantasy receivers through the first quarter of the season. But that's what we plan on doing below. 

1. Brandon Marshall, Wide Receiver, New York Jets

Stats: 30 receptions, 400 yards and three touchdowns (56.0 fantasy points)

A player with Marshall's previous success being the most surprising fantasy receiver? How in the world does that make any sense? Well, if you were to tell me Marshall would be the sixth-best fantasy receiver with Ryan Fitzpatrick tossing him the rock, I would have laughed in your face. 

Not only is Marshall among the best fantasy players at his position thus far, his splits suggest he's going to maintain this high level of play in his first season with the Jets. The 31-year-old receiver is catching 68 percent of the passes thrown in his direction and has been targeted a whopping 11 times per game. Seemingly on the same page as Fitzpatrick, we can expect Marshall to finish this season as a bottom-end WR1 option. No one could have anticipated this prior to the season. 

2. James Jones, Wide Receiver, Green Bay Packers

Stats: 17 receptions, 317 yards and four touchdowns (55.70 fantasy points) 

Released by both the Oakland Raiders and New York Giants over a several-month span, Jones was on the street looking for a job back in August. When Jordy Nelson went down for the season to a turn ACL during the preseason, Green Bay was smart to call up the veteran. 

Proving that quarterback-wide recever relationships do matter, Jones is once against producing at a high level for a Packers team that saw him put up 34 touchdowns from 2009-14. Through four games, the former San Jose State standout ranks as the seventh-best fantasy receiver. He's also catching 81 percent of the passes thrown in his direction and has put up a touchdown about every five times he's targeted.

With Davante Adams struggling in the injury department, there's a good chance Jones will remain one of Aaron Rodgers' favorite targets. If so, he's going to continue making a solid fantasy contribution. 

3. Rishard Matthews, Wide Receiver, Miami Dolphins

Stats: 17 receptions, 278 yards and three touchdowns (45.80 fantasy points) 

Here's a name most of you outside of South Beach are just now getting familiar with. After putting up two consecutive 100-yard performances against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, Matthews was held to one catch on three targets against a vastly improved New York Jets defense on Sunday. While this should be cause for alarm, it's worth noting that Matthews still did play in the second-most snaps among Dolphins receivers. He just couldn't break good coverage in a game that saw Miami's passing attack muted by the Jets. 

Back to the Jaguars and Bills games. Not only did Mathew tally 12 receptions for 228 yards and two scores in those two losses, he was targeted a total of 17 times. This is a sign that Ryan Tannehill has confidence in the fourth-year pro to make plays. Still, it's hard to rely on anyone in Miami right now. With so many moving parts at receiver and a struggling quarterback, we can't expect consistent production frm Matthews moving forward. 

4. Travis Benjamin, Wide Receiver, Cleveland Browns

Stats: 16 receptions, 328 yards and four touchdowns ( 54.80 fantasy points)

On pace for over 1,400 yards, Benjamin his doing his best Josh Gordon-lite impersonation. Through just four games, this former Miami (F) standout has already surpassed his career high in yards. He's also averaging 20 yards per reception and catching about 60 percent of the passes thrown in his direction. Considering Benjamin has acted the part of a deep threat for a Browns team void of much talent at receiver, that reception percentage is highly impressive. 

Likely a better option with Johnny Manziel under center than Josh McCown, it might make more sense to take a wait-and-see approach here as it relates to year-long leagues. At some point this season, Manziel will likely find himself under center — further pushing up Benjamin's week-to-week values. In terms of DFS contests, his price tag still hasn't reached the production we have seen. He's a good play in non-PPR contests. 

5. Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver, Oakland Raiders

Stats: 24 receptions, 339 yards and two touchdowns (43.90 fantasy points)

Through four games, Cooper is on pace to put up one of the best stat lines we have seen from a rookie receiver in recent NFL history. And he's been darn consistent. Coming off a four-catch, 49-year performance against the Chicago Bears, Cooper was still able to provide fantasy points by scoring a touchdown. Couple in the two consecutive 100-yard games he had prior to this week's outing, and it's safe to assume Cooper will remain a reliable fantasy option moving forward. 

It's also important to note tha the Alabama product is catching just 60 percent of his passes on a whopping 40 targets. These splits tells us a story of a young pass catcher that's prepared to continue his stellar rookie campaign during the final 12 games of the season.