NFL Receiving Leaders

Comprehensive receiving statistics including EPA, target share, and efficiency metrics

Season EPA Target Detail Target Share
Player
GP
Targets
Recs
Yards
YPC
YPG
TDs
1st Downs
Total
/ Game
/ Catch
/ Target
/ Route
Target Rate
Catch Rate
CROE
aDOT
All
3rd Down
Red Zone
Jaxon Smith-Njigba headshot
J. Smith-Njigba
SEA25
9
85
63
1,041
16.5
115.7
5
45
+53.8
+6.0
+0.85
+0.63
74.1%
+14.09%
12.8
38.8%
34.4%
15.4%
Ja'Marr Chase headshot
J. Chase
CIN25
9
107
76
831
10.9
92.3
5
41
+27.3
+3.0
+0.36
+0.26
71.0%
+4.44%
8.3
33.5%
32.4%
31.8%
Puka Nacua headshot
P. Nacua
LAR25
8
79
66
775
11.7
96.9
4
40
+59.5
+7.4
+0.90
+0.75
83.5%
+16.14%
9.3
29.3%
29.7%
15.7%
George Pickens headshot
G. Pickens
DAL25
9
72
49
764
15.6
84.9
6
42
+57.6
+6.4
+1.18
+0.80
68.1%
+10.56%
11.8
21.8%
23.5%
21.2%
Amon-Ra St. Brown headshot
A. St. Brown
DET25
9
82
64
693
10.8
77.0
8
37
+44.4
+4.9
+0.69
+0.54
78.0%
+10.01%
7.7
31.2%
29.3%
40.5%
Drake London headshot
D. London
ATL25
8
86
53
691
13.0
86.4
6
34
+13.8
+1.7
+0.26
+0.16
61.6%
-1.54%
10.2
33.5%
24.6%
43.3%
Justin Jefferson headshot
J. Jefferson
MIN25
9
85
51
686
13.5
76.2
2
29
-4.2
-0.5
-0.08
-0.05
60.0%
-0.47%
11.7
30.5%
32.8%
23.5%
Emeka Egbuka headshot
E. Egbuka
TB25
9
77
40
677
16.9
75.2
6
26
+21.2
+2.4
+0.53
+0.27
51.9%
-8.69%
12.8
25.0%
29.7%
28.2%
Christian McCaffrey headshot
C. McCaffrey
SF25
10
90
69
672
9.7
67.2
4
32
+30.7
+3.1
+0.45
+0.34
76.7%
+1.35%
2.6
25.6%
23.0%
29.1%
Jaylen Waddle headshot
J. Waddle
MIA25
10
66
46
670
14.6
67.0
5
33
+39.3
+3.9
+0.86
+0.60
69.7%
+9.00%
13.1
21.9%
20.3%
21.4%
Chris Olave headshot
C. Olave
NO25
10
95
60
664
11.1
66.4
4
27
+14.2
+1.4
+0.24
+0.15
63.2%
-1.06%
10.6
28.9%
33.7%
27.0%
Stefon Diggs headshot
S. Diggs
NE25
11
72
59
659
11.2
59.9
3
34
+42.5
+3.9
+0.72
+0.59
81.9%
+16.66%
8.7
23.2%
26.7%
25.6%
DeVonta Smith headshot
D. Smith
PHI25
9
63
48
657
13.7
73.0
3
28
+46.1
+5.1
+0.96
+0.73
76.2%
+14.69%
11.3
27.3%
36.1%
26.9%
Ladd McConkey headshot
L. McConkey
LAC25
10
80
51
631
12.4
63.1
4
29
+18.4
+1.8
+0.36
+0.23
63.7%
-2.50%
9.0
22.7%
22.1%
20.0%
Zay Flowers headshot
Z. Flowers
BAL25
9
67
50
625
12.5
69.4
1
25
+21.3
+2.4
+0.43
+0.32
74.6%
+9.06%
8.6
28.9%
25.4%
20.7%
Tetairoa McMillan headshot
T. McMillan
CAR25
10
77
46
618
13.4
61.8
2
37
+13.4
+1.3
+0.29
+0.17
59.7%
+0.11%
11.0
26.8%
33.3%
20.4%
Tyler Warren headshot
T. Warren
IND25
10
68
50
617
12.3
61.7
3
30
+31.6
+3.2
+0.63
+0.46
73.5%
+2.37%
5.4
21.3%
17.4%
28.6%
Trey McBride headshot
T. McBride
ARI25
9
88
61
603
9.9
67.0
6
33
+41.3
+4.6
+0.68
+0.47
69.3%
+1.43%
6.9
28.9%
27.0%
32.8%
Wan'Dale Robinson headshot
W. Robinson
NYG25
10
80
53
602
11.4
60.2
2
24
+14.3
+1.4
+0.27
+0.18
66.3%
+0.62%
8.2
26.1%
34.4%
17.5%
Courtland Sutton headshot
C. Sutton
DEN25
10
67
41
590
14.4
59.0
4
28
+30.0
+3.0
+0.73
+0.45
61.2%
+2.62%
12.7
19.9%
26.5%
15.6%
Alec Pierce headshot
A. Pierce
IND25
8
52
28
585
20.9
73.1
1
24
+25.6
+3.2
+0.91
+0.49
53.8%
+0.71%
20.3
20.6%
20.0%
5.1%
Michael Pittman headshot
M. Pittman
IND25
10
73
54
580
10.7
58.0
6
35
+32.1
+3.2
+0.59
+0.44
74.0%
+7.99%
8.0
22.9%
17.4%
22.4%
Davante Adams headshot
D. Adams
LAR25
9
78
42
568
13.5
63.1
9
34
+21.2
+2.4
+0.51
+0.27
53.8%
-3.52%
12.8
25.7%
31.9%
36.7%
Rome Odunze headshot
R. Odunze
CHI25
9
70
37
559
15.1
62.1
6
32
+20.6
+2.3
+0.56
+0.29
52.9%
-4.39%
13.3
23.9%
33.8%
28.2%
Nico Collins headshot
N. Collins
HOU25
8
73
40
550
13.8
68.8
3
22
+4.5
+0.6
+0.11
+0.06
54.8%
-5.70%
11.4
26.3%
24.6%
34.1%
Travis Kelce headshot
T. Kelce
KC25
9
54
41
540
13.2
60.0
3
28
+29.4
+3.3
+0.72
+0.54
75.9%
+8.30%
5.9
17.9%
15.2%
18.9%
Keenan Allen headshot
K. Allen
LAC25
10
80
52
539
10.4
53.9
4
34
+26.9
+2.7
+0.52
+0.34
65.0%
+0.36%
8.6
22.7%
36.0%
23.6%
Marvin Harrison Jr. headshot
M. Harrison
ARI25
9
63
34
525
15.4
58.3
4
25
+28.4
+3.2
+0.83
+0.45
54.0%
-4.81%
12.3
20.7%
17.6%
19.0%
Rashid Shaheed headshot
R. Shaheed
SEA25
10
67
45
502
11.2
50.2
2
22
-0.9
-0.1
-0.02
-0.01
67.2%
+2.21%
11.1
21.3%
16.3%
22.2%
Quentin Johnston headshot
Q. Johnston
LAC25
8
62
37
502
13.6
62.8
6
18
+7.3
+0.9
+0.20
+0.12
59.7%
-4.24%
10.3
21.3%
22.1%
22.0%
DK Metcalf headshot
D. Metcalf
PIT25
9
54
32
502
15.7
55.8
5
23
+18.8
+2.1
+0.59
+0.35
59.3%
-3.47%
10.7
20.5%
16.4%
23.1%
Juwan Johnson headshot
J. Johnson
NO25
10
60
43
491
11.4
49.1
3
24
+19.4
+1.9
+0.45
+0.32
71.7%
+1.37%
7.4
18.2%
17.4%
18.9%
CeeDee Lamb headshot
C. Lamb
DAL25
5
54
35
491
14.0
98.2
1
19
+8.0
+1.6
+0.23
+0.15
64.8%
+2.78%
12.1
29.0%
28.9%
21.7%
Sam LaPorta headshot
S. LaPorta
DET25
9
49
40
489
12.2
54.3
3
23
+36.4
+4.0
+0.91
+0.74
81.6%
+12.58%
5.7
18.6%
20.0%
14.3%
Tucker Kraft headshot
T. Kraft
GB25
8
44
32
489
15.3
61.1
6
22
+39.1
+4.9
+1.22
+0.89
72.7%
+3.27%
4.6
18.7%
20.0%
31.6%
Kendrick Bourne headshot
K. Bourne
SF25
9
42
31
482
15.5
53.6
0
23
+25.4
+2.8
+0.82
+0.60
73.8%
+9.46%
10.9
13.2%
11.4%
4.4%
Tee Higgins headshot
T. Higgins
CIN25
9
57
32
481
15.0
53.4
6
24
+33.5
+3.7
+1.05
+0.59
56.1%
+0.89%
13.3
17.9%
26.8%
20.5%
Jameson Williams headshot
J. Williams
DET25
9
43
27
474
17.6
52.7
4
23
+26.4
+2.9
+0.98
+0.61
62.8%
+3.70%
14.9
16.3%
22.7%
7.1%
Bijan Robinson headshot
B. Robinson
ATL25
9
54
43
467
10.9
51.9
2
18
+15.3
+1.7
+0.36
+0.28
79.6%
+2.51%
1.5
18.8%
18.1%
25.8%
Oronde Gadsden II headshot
O. Gadsden
LAC25
8
44
35
466
13.3
58.3
2
18
+16.8
+2.1
+0.48
+0.38
79.5%
+14.53%
7.9
15.1%
11.0%
24.0%
Khalil Shakir headshot
K. Shakir
BUF25
9
59
45
457
10.2
50.8
3
21
+14.3
+1.6
+0.32
+0.24
76.3%
+3.33%
4.2
22.2%
21.9%
23.1%
Tre Tucker headshot
T. Tucker
OAK25
9
46
34
455
13.4
50.6
4
20
+26.2
+2.9
+0.77
+0.57
73.9%
+4.97%
8.7
17.4%
10.0%
13.5%
Dalton Kincaid headshot
D. Kincaid
BUF25
8
37
29
448
15.4
56.0
4
21
+32.1
+4.0
+1.11
+0.87
78.4%
+15.59%
9.3
15.4%
19.3%
16.7%
Romeo Doubs headshot
R. Doubs
GB25
9
57
35
446
12.7
49.6
4
27
+15.2
+1.7
+0.44
+0.27
61.4%
+2.62%
13.1
21.3%
21.6%
28.2%
Dalton Schultz headshot
D. Schultz
HOU25
9
60
45
438
9.7
48.7
1
25
+23.8
+2.6
+0.53
+0.40
75.0%
+6.46%
6.3
19.0%
26.3%
10.9%
Kayshon Boutte headshot
K. Boutte
NE25
9
31
23
431
18.7
47.9
5
20
+33.7
+3.7
+1.46
+1.09
74.2%
+21.01%
17.1
12.5%
16.2%
5.9%
Troy Franklin headshot
T. Franklin
DEN25
10
76
42
425
10.1
42.5
5
22
-2.7
-0.3
-0.06
-0.04
55.3%
-3.98%
12.4
22.6%
18.6%
37.8%
Hunter Henry headshot
H. Henry
NE25
11
53
34
422
12.4
38.4
4
24
+20.2
+1.8
+0.60
+0.38
64.2%
+0.07%
8.6
17.1%
16.3%
25.6%
Brian Thomas Jr. headshot
B. Thomas
JAX25
8
60
30
420
14.0
52.5
1
19
-0.0
-0.0
-0.00
-0.00
50.0%
-9.65%
12.8
21.0%
27.4%
12.1%
Kyle Pitts headshot
K. Pitts
ATL25
9
59
45
420
9.3
46.7
1
22
+5.4
+0.6
+0.12
+0.09
76.3%
+6.00%
7.3
20.6%
26.4%
16.1%
A.J. Brown headshot
A. Brown
PHI25
8
54
31
408
13.2
51.0
3
16
+15.8
+2.0
+0.51
+0.29
57.4%
-2.83%
12.0
25.6%
24.6%
23.8%
Deebo Samuel Sr. headshot
D. Samuel
WAS25
9
61
46
396
8.6
44.0
4
17
+13.6
+1.5
+0.30
+0.22
75.4%
+6.18%
5.6
26.2%
16.7%
40.7%
Harold Fannin Jr. headshot
H. Fannin
CLE25
9
59
42
396
9.4
44.0
2
18
+4.6
+0.5
+0.11
+0.08
71.2%
+2.73%
6.0
18.6%
18.9%
14.3%
Garrett Wilson headshot
G. Wilson
NYJ25
7
60
36
395
11.0
56.4
4
18
-2.1
-0.3
-0.06
-0.03
60.0%
-2.68%
8.9
33.7%
37.8%
21.7%
Jakobi Meyers headshot
J. Meyers
JAX25
8
52
36
393
10.9
49.1
0
17
+1.0
+0.1
+0.03
+0.02
69.2%
+2.50%
9.0
21.1%
27.3%
14.6%
DJ Moore headshot
D. Moore
CHI25
9
48
30
392
13.1
43.6
1
18
+9.0
+1.0
+0.30
+0.19
62.5%
-2.26%
9.7
16.4%
14.9%
10.3%
Jordan Addison headshot
J. Addison
MIN25
6
45
26
392
15.1
65.3
2
16
+10.9
+1.8
+0.42
+0.24
57.8%
-0.50%
13.3
21.2%
11.6%
23.7%
Marquise Brown headshot
M. Brown
KC25
9
53
34
389
11.4
43.2
4
21
+18.3
+2.0
+0.54
+0.34
64.2%
+0.80%
10.3
17.5%
21.2%
17.0%
Mack Hollins headshot
M. Hollins
NE25
10
38
30
387
12.9
38.7
2
21
+23.7
+2.4
+0.79
+0.62
78.9%
+17.77%
12.4
13.5%
12.5%
13.9%
Jake Ferguson headshot
J. Ferguson
DAL25
9
66
56
384
6.9
42.7
6
18
+11.4
+1.3
+0.20
+0.17
84.8%
+11.14%
4.5
19.9%
17.6%
26.9%
Brock Bowers headshot
B. Bowers
OAK25
6
44
32
383
12.0
63.8
3
18
+19.1
+3.2
+0.60
+0.43
72.7%
+6.75%
6.0
23.4%
21.3%
34.6%
Cooper Kupp headshot
C. Kupp
SEA25
8
35
26
367
14.1
45.9
1
16
+15.6
+1.9
+0.60
+0.45
74.3%
+5.63%
6.9
17.9%
27.8%
12.5%
Cade Otton headshot
C. Otton
TB25
8
49
35
353
10.1
44.1
0
16
+7.0
+0.9
+0.20
+0.14
71.4%
-1.09%
5.3
17.6%
12.1%
6.1%
Zach Ertz headshot
Z. Ertz
WAS25
10
50
35
345
9.9
34.5
4
16
+12.3
+1.2
+0.35
+0.25
70.0%
+5.14%
8.6
18.9%
20.8%
24.1%
Darius Slayton headshot
D. Slayton
NYG25
8
34
23
343
14.9
42.9
0
11
+9.8
+1.2
+0.43
+0.29
67.6%
+7.17%
14.3
13.8%
7.5%
8.8%
Jerry Jeudy headshot
J. Jeudy
CLE25
9
66
28
335
12.0
37.2
1
20
-21.1
-2.3
-0.75
-0.32
42.4%
-14.98%
12.0
20.8%
26.7%
19.0%
Dallas Goedert headshot
D. Goedert
PHI25
8
45
34
332
9.8
41.5
7
19
+20.9
+2.6
+0.61
+0.46
75.6%
+6.93%
8.1
21.4%
15.1%
26.9%
DeMario Douglas headshot
D. Douglas
NE25
10
35
23
332
14.4
33.2
3
13
+20.9
+2.1
+0.91
+0.60
65.7%
+3.52%
8.9
11.9%
11.1%
17.1%
Parker Washington headshot
P. Washington
JAX25
8
53
28
330
11.8
41.3
2
16
-3.8
-0.5
-0.14
-0.07
52.8%
-7.02%
11.4
18.9%
24.3%
25.0%
Keon Coleman headshot
K. Coleman
BUF25
9
51
32
330
10.3
36.7
3
22
+4.8
+0.5
+0.15
+0.10
62.7%
+3.80%
11.3
19.2%
14.1%
17.9%
Ricky Pearsall headshot
R. Pearsall
SF25
4
29
20
327
16.4
81.8
0
17
+19.7
+4.9
+0.99
+0.68
69.0%
+15.42%
16.0
19.6%
25.0%
13.0%
Jauan Jennings headshot
J. Jennings
SF25
8
52
28
324
11.6
40.5
3
16
-15.6
-2.0
-0.56
-0.30
53.8%
-6.93%
10.1
19.5%
29.4%
23.4%
Elic Ayomanor headshot
E. Ayomanor
TEN25
9
53
26
323
12.4
35.9
2
20
+1.3
+0.1
+0.05
+0.02
49.1%
-11.07%
12.9
19.3%
23.5%
20.8%
De'Von Achane headshot
D. Achane
MIA25
10
66
49
318
6.5
31.8
4
16
-15.2
-1.5
-0.31
-0.23
74.2%
-4.74%
0.3
21.9%
23.0%
16.7%
Theo Johnson headshot
T. Johnson
NYG25
10
51
33
314
9.5
31.4
5
17
+7.0
+0.7
+0.21
+0.14
64.7%
-1.63%
6.9
16.6%
21.1%
27.5%
Tyquan Thornton headshot
T. Thornton
KC25
7
28
14
311
22.2
44.4
3
11
+17.5
+2.5
+1.25
+0.62
50.0%
+8.56%
25.6
11.6%
16.4%
9.8%
Josh Downs headshot
J. Downs
IND25
9
48
36
309
8.6
34.3
3
23
+15.8
+1.8
+0.44
+0.33
75.0%
+7.28%
6.6
16.8%
25.8%
21.4%
Jalen Nailor headshot
J. Nailor
MIN25
9
37
19
302
15.9
33.6
2
15
+11.4
+1.3
+0.60
+0.31
51.4%
-5.17%
11.9
13.3%
21.3%
21.6%
Travis Hunter headshot
T. Hunter
JAX25
7
45
28
298
10.6
42.6
1
12
-2.3
-0.3
-0.08
-0.05
62.2%
-4.66%
7.9
17.8%
16.7%
17.9%
Sterling Shepard headshot
S. Shepard
TB25
9
40
30
295
9.8
32.8
1
14
+1.1
+0.1
+0.04
+0.03
75.0%
+7.12%
8.2
13.0%
23.0%
12.8%
JuJu Smith-Schuster headshot
J. Smith-Schuster
KC25
9
30
25
291
11.6
32.3
1
15
+8.2
+0.9
+0.33
+0.27
83.3%
+12.33%
5.6
9.9%
10.6%
13.2%
Calvin Ridley headshot
C. Ridley
TEN25
6
35
16
290
18.1
48.3
0
12
+11.4
+1.9
+0.71
+0.33
45.7%
-14.34%
12.7
19.0%
24.5%
12.5%
Colston Loveland headshot
C. Loveland
CHI25
8
30
21
289
13.8
36.1
2
13
+19.0
+2.4
+0.90
+0.63
70.0%
+7.90%
9.3
11.7%
11.1%
16.7%
David Njoku headshot
D. Njoku
CLE25
8
43
29
281
9.7
35.1
3
10
-1.8
-0.2
-0.06
-0.04
67.4%
-3.22%
5.6
14.4%
15.7%
20.0%
Chig Okonkwo headshot
C. Okonkwo
TEN25
9
39
29
281
9.7
31.2
0
12
+1.4
+0.2
+0.05
+0.04
74.4%
-1.60%
4.4
14.2%
10.3%
4.2%
Mason Taylor headshot
M. Taylor
NYJ25
10
49
34
276
8.1
27.6
1
18
+14.3
+1.4
+0.42
+0.29
69.4%
+1.89%
5.4
18.4%
14.7%
25.0%
Malik Nabers headshot
M. Nabers
NYG25
4
35
18
271
15.1
67.8
2
11
+2.3
+0.6
+0.13
+0.07
51.4%
-5.13%
15.9
28.7%
18.2%
23.5%
Tyreek Hill headshot
T. Hill
MIA25
4
29
21
265
12.6
66.3
1
17
+19.8
+5.0
+0.94
+0.68
72.4%
+13.20%
13.8
23.8%
31.3%
12.5%
Matthew Golden headshot
M. Golden
GB25
8
29
23
262
11.4
32.8
0
11
+19.2
+2.4
+0.83
+0.66
79.3%
+15.51%
11.7
12.3%
13.8%
5.3%
Jonathan Taylor headshot
J. Taylor
IND25
10
33
30
260
8.7
26.0
2
11
+9.7
+1.0
+0.32
+0.29
90.9%
+10.66%
-1.0
10.3%
5.8%
10.2%
Pat Freiermuth headshot
P. Freiermuth
PIT25
8
28
22
260
11.8
32.5
3
9
+9.9
+1.2
+0.45
+0.35
78.6%
+8.65%
6.1
11.6%
11.9%
15.6%
Xavier Worthy headshot
X. Worthy
KC25
7
40
24
256
10.7
36.6
1
11
+5.8
+0.8
+0.24
+0.14
60.0%
+0.56%
13.0
16.8%
10.2%
10.6%
Tez Johnson headshot
T. Johnson
TB25
8
30
19
255
13.4
31.9
4
12
+17.9
+2.2
+0.94
+0.60
63.3%
-0.15%
11.8
11.0%
9.2%
12.5%
Olamide Zaccheaus headshot
O. Zaccheaus
CHI25
9
51
32
248
7.8
27.6
1
11
-5.1
-0.6
-0.16
-0.10
62.7%
-5.58%
6.4
17.4%
24.3%
23.1%
Mark Andrews headshot
M. Andrews
BAL25
9
38
29
244
8.4
27.1
5
15
+9.0
+1.0
+0.31
+0.24
76.3%
+9.25%
7.3
16.4%
14.9%
24.1%
T.J. Hockenson headshot
T. Hockenson
MIN25
9
41
31
241
7.8
26.8
2
12
+7.3
+0.8
+0.23
+0.18
75.6%
+0.16%
4.2
14.7%
9.8%
15.7%
Calvin Austin III headshot
C. Austin
PIT25
7
36
21
237
11.3
33.9
2
9
-5.7
-0.8
-0.27
-0.16
58.3%
-5.19%
11.0
17.9%
18.5%
10.3%
Josh Jacobs headshot
J. Jacobs
GB25
8
34
28
237
8.5
29.6
0
7
+8.6
+1.1
+0.31
+0.25
82.4%
-0.09%
-1.2
14.1%
6.0%
5.6%
Andrei Iosivas headshot
A. Iosivas
CIN25
7
31
16
236
14.8
33.7
1
10
+0.9
+0.1
+0.06
+0.03
51.6%
-13.52%
9.6
11.5%
13.8%
12.8%
AJ Barner headshot
A. Barner
SEA25
8
26
21
236
11.2
29.5
4
11
+7.7
+1.0
+0.37
+0.30
80.8%
+15.32%
5.5
12.6%
12.1%
25.0%

NFL Receiving Leaders & Advanced Statistics

Current Season Overview

The 2025 NFL season has showcased exceptional receiving talent across all positions. Our receiving leaders tracker allows you to sort by traditional statistics like receiving yards, receptions, and touchdowns, as well as advanced analytics like total Expected Points Added (EPA)EPA per target, EPA per route run, catch rate over expected (CROE), and average depth of target (aDOT).

Here are the current leaders for receiving yards and total EPA, representing the most popular traditional and advanced statistics respectively:

2025 Receiving Leaders

PlayerTeamYardsRecs
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Seahawks
104163
Ja'Marr Chase
Bengals
83176
Puka Nacua
Rams
77566
George Pickens
Cowboys
76449
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Lions
69364
Drake London
Falcons
69153
Justin Jefferson
Vikings
68651
Emeka Egbuka
Buccaneers
67740
Christian McCaffrey
49ers
67269
Jaylen Waddle
Dolphins
67046
PlayerTeamTotal EPAEPA / Target
Puka Nacua
Rams
59.50.75
George Pickens
Cowboys
57.60.80
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Seahawks
53.80.63
DeVonta Smith
Eagles
46.10.73
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Lions
44.40.54
Stefon Diggs
Patriots
42.50.59
Trey McBride
Cardinals
41.30.47
Jaylen Waddle
Dolphins
39.30.60
Tucker Kraft
Packers
39.10.89
Sam LaPorta
Lions
36.40.74

Understanding Receiving Statistics

Traditional Season Stats

Traditional receiving statistics are widely used and a foundational way to assess receiver production in a given season. The table above includes the most relevant traditional stats for receivers, including total receiving yards, receptions, targets, touchdowns, and yards per catch. These metrics show pure production and opportunity volume.

Key Traditional Metrics:

  • Total Receiving Yards - Season accumulation of passing yards gained
  • Receptions - Total number of completed targets
  • Targets - Total passing attempts directed at the receiver
  • Receiving Touchdowns - Scoring receptions in the end zone
  • Yards per Reception - Average yards gained per completed catch

Advanced Analytics

Beyond the traditional stats, there are a number of less well known, but highly useful advanced statistics. Here's an overview of the most important advanced stats for receivers:

Expected Points Added (EPA)

EPA stands for Expected Points Added and measures how much a given play increases or decreases a team's expected points based on field position, down, and distance. EPA shows true impact beyond basic statistics by accounting for game situation and field position.

Learn more about Expected Points Added

In the context of receiving, EPA can be calculated from the plays the receiver was involved in. EPA can be calculated from a variety of different perspectives, each creating a different view of receiver performance.

EPA Breakdowns:

  • EPA per Reception - Efficiency metric similar to yards per recepetion.
  • EPA per Target - Measures efficiency like EPA per reception, but also includes the negative effects of incompletions, drops, and interceptions. Recievers with poor on ball skills or who are targeted too frequently will see a large fall off between EPA per reception and EPA per target since they have, on average, more negative plays.
  • EPA per Route - Perhaps the single best metric for evaluating receiver efficiency, EPA per route run takes the added context of EPA per Target, but also considers plays where a receiver is not targeted. In doing so, EPA per route run also encompasses an element of a receiver's ability to create seperation and opportunity for their quarterback. Receivers who see a lot of playing time, but fail to get open and earn targets tend to have a large fall off between EPA per reception and EPA per route run.
  • EPA per Game - EPA per game takes the efficiency measuring ability of EPA per reception, target, or route run, and adds an element of volume. You will see that the best receivers are not only efficient, but also accumulate a lot of total EPA as they sustain efficient production over a volume of plays. EPA per Game is a great metric for total impact.

Target Analysis

Beyond EPA, another area of more advanced analysis is to look at performance based on targets as it can speak to not only the concepts discussed above, but also a receiver's use within an NFL offense.

Catch Rate - Catch rate is the percent of targets that resulted in a catch. Leading receivers tend to convert more of their targets into receptions, which creates a higher catch rate. However, catch rate can be highly sensative to contextual factors. For instance, Running Backs who are mainly targeted on short passes, designed screens, and checkdowns will have higher catch rates because these throws are short and often not contested.

Average Depth of Target (aDOT) - aDOT is the average depth of a receiver's targets. This metric gives context on the types of routes a receiver runs and the types of targets they receive. "Deep Threat" receivers often have high aDOTs, while underneath receivers and running backs tend to have much lower aDOT. This metric is good as a contextual counter balance to catch rate, but it's not perfect.

Catch Rate Over Expected (CROE) - CROE measures the percentage of targets a receiver catches relative to what would be expected based on contextual factors like depth of target. It can be thought of as a combination of catch rate and aDOT, and generally correlates well with receiver quality.

Learn more about Over Expected metrics here

Target Share - The final family of metrics are Target Share, which represent the percent of a team's targets a receiver gets across a variety of contexts. Elite receivers will generally command upwards of 30% target share. Receivers with particular skillsets may also see higher target shares in different contexts, which is why this page includes Target Share on Third Down and Target Share in the Red Zone.