Pulp Fiction is one of the greatest movies ever made.

The ensemble cast ranges from people you recognize to A-list celebrities. Almost every sequence of dialogue had a memorable quote. I can still quote Ezekiel 25:17, or at least the version Jules recites. However, what draws me back to rewatch it is the plot.

Directors have constantly tried to open thriller films with innocuous scenes. Quentin Tarantino doing the same with ‘Ringo’ and ‘Yolanda’ at a diner is no different. And in four minutes, you’re hooked. The need to understand how things got to this point becomes a priority.

On a (much) smaller scale, yards after the catch are like the much-needed but subtle details in a movie. I can look at a stat sheet and see the quantified result. But it’s not the full story. And by applying some context, we can start to see the bigger picture of the players involved.

The Definition of YAC

“Yards after the catch (YAC) is the distance gained by a receiver once they’ve caught a pass.”

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Sounds simple, right?

So, if someone hauls in a target, we start counting the yards once they secure the ball. There’s already a lot to take in on any given play, making a separate count for YAC seem difficult. But in some cases, the receivers make the story surrounding a reception easier to follow. 

Before you ask, the answer is zero. Tee Higgins caught the ball in traffic (as per usual), and the impact from the defender had him immediately on the ground. He didn’t gain any yards once the ball was in his hands. So, he accrued zero YAC on the play.

Think about recounting the sequence to another Bengals fan. It’d take ten seconds. And you’d spend most of the time detailing the defensive alignment and Joe Burrow’s ability to rifle the ball 21 yards between defenders after just 2.2 seconds of processing time. Higgins’s part, while the most physical, comes off as the most mundane without anything happening afterward. Compare that to whatever happens when his best friend gets the ball. 

Pandemonium.

I count four defenders within about five yards of Ja’Marr Chase shortly after the catch. And he still slipped right by them for a 67-yard score. I watched the play live, and I didn’t know he racked up 49 yards after the catch. But frankly, in the moment, I didn’t care. The action had my attention. Afterward, when the replays came, I could layer in the nuance of YAC and see just how much Chase was responsible for turning a big play into an explosive.

As always, I recognize these are just two plays. Despite Higgins averaging the eighth-fewest yards after the catch per reception (min. 75 targets), he can do some damage in the open field. And Chase doesn’t always scamper by CBs. However, we can see the differences between the two WRs just by examining how much YAC they generate. From their physical archetypes to on-field deployment (i.e., routes, pre-snap deployment), the way they play the game comes through in a single number. But let’s explore it a bit further to highlight its importance.

Why Are Yards After the Catch Important?

I’ll take a quick but related detour to answer this question. Here’s a list of the pass-catching stats I’ve “explained” (because I’m The Explai—nevermind) to date:

First off, the mini-catalogue isn’t there as clickbait. I mean, yes, please read up on each metric, but I’m bringing them up to point out a commonality. They require two people.

Air yards don’t happen without a QB. The same goes with targets and, to an extent, yards per route run. Even routes require the discretion of someone other than the receiver. In other words, the bulk of how we evaluate pass-catchers (partially) relies on someone else doing their job. After they get the ball, though, it’s all on them.

I’m willing to bet Kellen Moore didn’t have a “throw the ball to CeeDee Lamb, have him make one defender miss, outrun another, and then mush a third’s face in for another five yards” play on his callsheet. It likely just said, “Screen to 88.”

Now, to be clear, Moore knew Lamb would make a play. It’s why the former Oklahoma WR has either led or co-led the Cowboys in target share on screen passes since entering the NFL. But betting on a single player to pick up 33 yards after the catch gives us a glimpse into the difference between YAC and the other measures.

Subjectively, YAC tells us how many yards outside of the original play design come from the receiver. Or, put another way, if they can transcend their situation. Few other WRs could’ve gotten the same result out of a behind-the-LOS pass. But objectively, YAC points us in the direction of which pass-catchers have the best shot at producing points for our team.

Outside of targets and total receiving yards, YAC has one of the strongest correlations to fantasy output. Think about it like this. Let’s use Lamb’s explosive gain as an example. If Dak Prescott didn’t contribute any yards, but Dallas still moved forward 33 yards, Lamb’s output depends more on him than Prescott. It’s part of why Lamb’s yards per game only fell from 82.5 with Prescott last year to 76.3 over his final seven games. Lamb’s agility, fluidity, and power mitigated the drop-off to Cooper Rush.

At the same time, seeing short-area throws turn into long gains emphasizes why any receiver would get the ball in the first place.

Being able to create on your own is like being the kid in the group project with all the answers. The project will get an A. But everyone knows who was responsible. And everyone will want to work with you on the next assignment. It should be no surprise that six of the top-10 WRs in YAC from last year have first-round ADPs this year. They’re the main reason we give their offense an A! However, there are other ways we use the stat than sorting and finding names we recognize.

How Can You Use Yards After the Catch?

Well, first, we can use YAC to (partially) adjudicate a couple of myths.

“Players with low aDOTs can pick up YAC more easily because they have more room to operate.”

OK, I can understand this one. A short throw typically comes out quicker (with an average time to throw of 2.3 seconds), giving less time for defenses to react, enabling a receiver to wiggle forward a few extra steps. Look at Lamb’s play again. Fast throw. Behind the line of scrimmage. Chunk gain. Again, I get the logic, but the (somewhat) data disagrees.

We agreed earlier that YAC was for the player by the player. Where the play-caller has them line up, or the route the QB designates, are lesser factors. Speed and contact balance, traits inherent to the pass-catcher, take center stage. Sure, deeper routes (like Higgins’s) invite faster contact, as safeties process where the QB will throw the ball. But WR’s physical attributes will be the primary determining factor regarding what happens once they have the ball.

“More YAC means more explosive plays.”

Chase and Lamb just proved this is true, right? Well, not exactly.

Explosives come in many forms. They could be a shot down the sideline or a short dart with good blocks out in front. Besides, not all post-catch forward progress is a series converter. Sometimes, a (much-needed) yard or two is good enough. So, YAC isn’t an indicator of big plays. But it can help us find future value.

Quick refresher: “n vs. n+1” charts help quantify year-over-year stability or how much of one season influences the next. 

Understandably, YAC, a stat describing a player’s sole contribution to a play, has some level of consistency between campaigns. I can buy this idea. I’m not expecting Higgins to develop another gear. Nor would I foresee (or want) Chase to become the next Tyler Lockett. Players are who they are. Accordingly, if a WR underperformed, they could be due for regression. Coincidentally, a couple of teammates popped up when I was looking through the list of receivers who fell below their previous year’s YAC total.

It might be easier to denote the things that didn’t happen to Miami’s passing game, but let’s think it through.

It’s no wonder Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle were unable to meet their ADP expectations. The offense couldn’t function. “Being washed” doesn’t completely explain why a high-flying offense was at 7.6 yards per pass play one year and just 5.9 the following. But, low-key, it might hint at why a certain 29-year-old TE hit career highs in just about every metric.

Anyway, there’s reasonable uncertainty around “The Blur Brothers.” Tagovailoa’s health is chief among the concerns. I’m no doctor, so let’s look at the other risks.

Miami took a swing at RG on Day 2 of the draft and added an LG in FA. Miami’s biggest WR acquisition over the offseason was Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. At least on paper, the offensive situation has improved, with no threats to diminished looks for the primary receivers. So, let’s assume HC Mike McDaniel gets back to his old ways of targeting the intermediate areas of the field. Knowing both of his WRs can win at the catch point and have shown the ability to create afterward, betting on Hill and Waddle at their ADP will pay dividends in 2025.