Air yards are how far a pass traveled in the air past the line of scrimmage before it was caught or fell incomplete. A 10-yard out that the receiver takes 30 yards after the catch is 10 air yards and 30 yards after catch. Air yards are counted on every target, complete or not, so they measure how much of the offense is being thrown at a player, not just how much he caught.
Updated Sept. 16, 2026.
Through Week 1, Chris Olave (New Orleans Saints) leads the NFL with 234 air yards on 13 targets, more than 99.9% of every receiver's start through the same week since 1999.
| # | Player | Team | Air yards | Targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Olave | New Orleans Saints | 234 | 13 |
| 2 | DK Metcalf | Pittsburgh Steelers | 204 | 10 |
| 3 | DJ Moore | Buffalo Bills | 158 | 8 |
| 4 | Matthew Golden | Green Bay Packers | 137 | 12 |
| 5 | Malik Washington | Miami Dolphins | 135 | 8 |
| 6 | Jameson Williams | Detroit Lions | 127 | 9 |
| 7 | Christian Watson | Green Bay Packers | 127 | 8 |
| 8 | Roman Wilson | Pittsburgh Steelers | 126 | 6 |
| 9 | Jalen Coker | Carolina Panthers | 124 | 9 |
| 10 | Nico Collins | Houston Texans | 120 | 10 |
| 11 | Tetairoa McMillan | Carolina Panthers | 119 | 8 |
| 12 | Tee Higgins | Cincinnati Bengals | 117 | 6 |
| 13 | Puka Nacua | Los Angeles Rams | 115 | 9 |
| 14 | Denzel Boston | Cleveland Browns | 114 | 4 |
| 15 | George Pickens | Dallas Cowboys | 104 | 6 |
Receiving yards blend two different skills: getting open downfield and running after the catch. Air yards isolate the first. They also count the incompletions, which is what makes them useful: a receiver who was targeted 12 times at an average of 15 yards downfield had 180 air yards even if he caught four of them, and that volume of intended usage predicts future production better than the four catches do.
Two derived numbers do most of the work. Average depth of target (aDOT) is air yards per target, the depth profile of a receiver or a quarterback. Air yards share is a receiver's air yards as a fraction of his team's total, which, combined with target share, gives a weighted opportunity number fantasy analysts call WOPR.
Air yards are also the basis of the completion-probability models behind CPOE: the deeper the throw, the less likely it is to be completed, so the model prices every attempt by its air yards first.
Over a season, a receiver with 1,800 air yards and 1,000 receiving yards is a deep threat whose quarterback missed him often; one with 700 air yards and 1,100 receiving yards is a slot receiver making his living after the catch. Their fantasy value and their trade value are built differently.
Air yards on a pass = the yard line where the ball was caught (or would have been caught) minus the line of scrimmage. Negative air yards are possible on screens and checkdowns thrown behind the line. Receiving yards = air yards on completions + yards after catch.
For a full season, 1,500 air yards puts a receiver among the league leaders, and 2,000 is a rare, deep-target season. Per game, 100 air yards is a true number-one usage.
Yes. That is the point. Air yards measure where the offense tried to throw the ball, so every target counts whether or not it was caught. Only receiving yards require a completion.
A receiver's air yards divided by his team's total air yards. A share above 35 percent means the passing game is built around him; combined with target share it forms WOPR, one of the better predictors of fantasy points.
Category: Stats & Analytics. Part of the StickToTheModel NFL Encyclopedia.