YAC is yards after catch: the distance a receiver gained from the point he caught the ball to the point he was tackled or scored. A pass caught 8 yards downfield and taken for a 30-yard gain is 8 air yards and 22 yards after catch. YAC credits the receiver's running, the play design and the blocking, not the throw.
Updated Sept. 16, 2026.
Through Week 1, Bijan Robinson (Atlanta Falcons) leads the NFL with 110 yards after the catch on 8 receptions, more than 99.9% of every receiver's start through the same week since 1999.
| # | Player | Team | YAC | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bijan Robinson | Atlanta Falcons | 110 | 8 |
| 2 | Zay Flowers | Baltimore Ravens | 83 | 5 |
| 3 | Bucky Irving | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 73 | 7 |
| 4 | Christian Watson | Green Bay Packers | 72 | 6 |
| 5 | Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chiefs | 63 | 3 |
| 6 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Seattle Seahawks | 62 | 8 |
| 7 | Emmett Johnson | Kansas City Chiefs | 52 | 2 |
| 8 | Rhamondre Stevenson | New England Patriots | 45 | 5 |
| 9 | RJ Harvey | Denver Broncos | 45 | 4 |
| 10 | Javonte Williams | Dallas Cowboys | 42 | 5 |
| 11 | Devin Singletary | New York Giants | 38 | 4 |
| 12 | Chuba Hubbard | Carolina Panthers | 38 | 3 |
| 13 | Dalton Kincaid | Buffalo Bills | 38 | 5 |
| 14 | Puka Nacua | Los Angeles Rams | 38 | 5 |
| 15 | Chris Godwin Jr. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 37 | 4 |
Every receiving yard is either an air yard or a yard after catch, so YAC is the half of production that happens after the ball arrives. Slot receivers, running backs and tight ends generate most of theirs on short throws in space; outside receivers generate less because their catches come deeper, with defenders closer.
YAC is partly a skill and partly a scheme. Receivers who consistently beat their expected YAC (Next Gen Stats publishes an expected version based on where the catch happened and where the defenders were) are the ones with real open-field ability. Receivers whose YAC is all scheme tend to lose it when they change teams.
For quarterbacks, a high share of passing yards from YAC is a warning sign in the efficiency numbers. Passing yards that come mostly after the catch inflate EPA and yards per attempt without saying much about the throwing, which is why analysts pair EPA with CPOE before rating a passer.
Deebo Samuel's 2021 season is the reference case: 1,405 receiving yards with roughly 60 percent of them after the catch, on an aDOT under 8. The 49ers built the passing game around throwing him the ball short and letting him run, and the YAC number is where that shows up.
YAC on a completion = total yards gained minus air yards. Season YAC = the sum over every reception. YAC per reception = season YAC / receptions. Expected YAC (from Next Gen Stats) models the typical gain from that catch point given the nearest defenders; YAC over expected is the receiver's contribution beyond it.
League average is around 5 yards per catch. Above 7 over a season is elite for a wide receiver; running backs and slot players run higher because their catches come in space. Below 3.5 is a receiver who is tackled where he catches it.
The receiver, in the stat. In practice it is shared: the quarterback's ball placement lets a receiver catch in stride, the scheme creates the space, and the receiver does the running. Expected-YAC models try to separate the receiver's share.
Yes. A quarterback's passing yards include everything the receiver gains after the catch, which is why two passers with the same yardage can have very different throwing seasons.
Category: Stats & Analytics. Part of the StickToTheModel NFL Encyclopedia.