Breaking a pass-catcher's production into opportunity, depth of target, and yards after the catch.
By C. B. Zakarian · Published June 16, 2026
"He had 90 yards" tells you almost nothing about how a receiver got there. Did the ball travel 50 yards in the air and he ran the last 40? Did he catch a screen at the line and break tackles for the whole thing? Those are two completely different players with two completely different roles - yet the box score gives them the same line. Decomposing receiving production into air yards and yards after catch separates the deep threat from the YAC merchant, and a handful of opportunity metrics tell you how big a slice of the offense each player commands.
| Term | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Air yards | How far the ball travels past the line of scrimmage to the target point (charted on the throw, whether or not it is caught). |
| aDOT (average depth of target) | Air yards divided by targets - the typical distance downfield a player is thrown to. |
| YAC (yards after catch) | Yards gained by the receiver after securing the ball. |
| Target share | A player's share of his team's total targets. |
| Air-yards share | A player's share of his team's total air yards - captures who gets the high-value downfield looks. |
Average depth of target is a simple ratio that instantly classifies a receiver's role:
aDOT = Total Air Yards ÷ Total Targets
A low aDOT (short throws) points to a possession or screen-game role; a high aDOT points to a vertical, downfield role. But role is only half the story - you also want to know how central a player is to the offense. That is what the Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR) captures by blending target share and air-yards share. The standard nflfastR definition is:
WOPR = 1.5 × (Target Share) + 0.7 × (Air-Yards Share)
The weights reward volume and downfield usage together. A player who both sees a lot of targets and commands a big share of the team's air yards posts a high WOPR - the profile of a clear number-one option. One more useful ratio is RACR (Receiver Air Conversion Ratio), receiving yards divided by air yards, which captures how efficiently a player turns the air yards thrown his way into actual production.
The same number of receiving yards can come from wildly different shapes. Here are three clearly hypothetical profiles to show what the metrics reveal:
Classifies role at a glance - vertical threat vs. underneath/possession. Pairs well with separation and accuracy metrics.
Highlights run-after-catch ability and how a scheme manufactures yards. High YAC can flatter a receiver whose quarterback and design create easy space.
Measure how central a player is to the offense. The stickiest, most projection-friendly opportunity signals.
A lot of YAC comes from scheme design and accurate, in-stride throws from the quarterback. High YAC is not purely a measure of the pass-catcher's elusiveness.
Because air yards accumulate even on incompletions, a player on a pass-happy team who is targeted deep often can rack up air yards without efficient production. Check RACR alongside it.
Air yards are charted to the target point, and small differences in how data providers chart throws can shift the numbers. Stay within one source when comparing.
Injuries to other pass-catchers, scheme tweaks, or a quarterback change can reshape target and air-yards shares quickly. Recent usage often beats full-season averages.
Splitting receiving yards into air yards and YAC - and layering on aDOT, target share, air-yards share, WOPR (1.5 x target share + 0.7 x air-yards share), and RACR - turns a flat yardage total into a real profile: deep threat, YAC merchant, or central possession target. Because air yards accrue even on incompletions, they measure opportunity, and opportunity shares are stickier than results, which is why these metrics are so useful for projection. Just remember YAC is partly scheme and quarterback, and air yards reward volume, so read the pieces together rather than chasing any single number.
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