Jaylen Warren leads the NFL in yards after the catch through five weeks. The Pittsburgh Steelers running back has 289 yards after the catch on 19 receptions, an average of 15.2 per catch, and that number is bigger than his 230 receiving yards.
That is possible because many of Warren’s catches come behind the line of scrimmage. Receiving yards count from the line, while yards after the catch count from the spot of the reception, so his catches have been made a net 59 yards behind the line before he turned them upfield. His biggest one came Sunday against Indianapolis: an 80-yard catch-and-run touchdown in a six-catch, 87-yard game.
Yards after the catch leaders after Week 5
| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | G | Rec | Rec yds | YAC | YAC per catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaylen Warren | PIT | RB | 5 | 19 | 230 | 289 | 15.2 |
| 2 | Drake London | ATL | WR | 5 | 27 | 488 | 222 | 8.2 |
| 3 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | RB | 5 | 27 | 243 | 196 | 7.3 |
| 4 | RJ Harvey | DEN | RB | 4 | 20 | 132 | 190 | 9.5 |
| 5 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA | WR | 5 | 37 | 583 | 186 | 5.0 |
| 6 | Zay Flowers | BAL | WR | 4 | 26 | 405 | 185 | 7.1 |
| 7 | Ashton Jeanty | LV | RB | 5 | 22 | 215 | 184 | 8.4 |
| 8 | Bijan Robinson | ATL | RB | 5 | 18 | 152 | 168 | 9.3 |
| 9 | Travis Kelce | KC | TE | 4 | 16 | 246 | 167 | 10.4 |
| 10 | Khalil Shakir | BUF | WR | 5 | 18 | 256 | 166 | 9.2 |
| 11 | CeeDee Lamb | DAL | WR | 5 | 39 | 507 | 159 | 4.1 |
| 12 | Puka Nacua | LAR | WR | 3 | 31 | 337 | 156 | 5.0 |
| 13 | Sam LaPorta | DET | TE | 5 | 27 | 316 | 145 | 5.4 |
| 14 | George Kittle | SF | TE | 5 | 21 | 268 | 145 | 6.9 |
| 15 | Christian Watson | GB | WR | 5 | 26 | 474 | 142 | 5.5 |
Atlanta’s Drake London is the top wide receiver and second overall with 222 yards after the catch, about 45% of his 488 receiving yards. Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs is third at 196. Denver’s RJ Harvey is fourth with 190 in four games, another back whose yards after the catch (190) top his receiving yards (132). Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson (168 on 152 receiving yards) is in the same group.
Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the league leader with 583 receiving yards, is fifth at 186. Most of his production comes before the catch: only about 32% of his yards have come after it. Kansas City’s Travis Kelce has the best average among the tight ends in the top 15 at 10.4 yards after each catch.
Most yards after the catch per reception (minimum 20 catches)
| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | Rec | YAC | YAC per catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RJ Harvey | DEN | RB | 20 | 190 | 9.50 |
| 2 | Ashton Jeanty | LV | RB | 22 | 184 | 8.36 |
| 3 | Drake London | ATL | WR | 27 | 222 | 8.22 |
| 4 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | RB | 27 | 196 | 7.26 |
| 5 | Zay Flowers | BAL | WR | 26 | 185 | 7.12 |
| 6 | George Kittle | SF | TE | 21 | 145 | 6.90 |
| 7 | Tucker Kraft | GB | TE | 20 | 127 | 6.35 |
| 8 | Matthew Golden | GB | WR | 24 | 139 | 5.79 |
| 9 | Malik Washington | MIA | WR | 23 | 132 | 5.74 |
| 10 | Chase Brown | CIN | RB | 24 | 136 | 5.67 |
Among the 46 players with at least 20 catches, Harvey has the best average at 9.5 yards after the catch per reception. Las Vegas’ Ashton Jeanty (8.36) and London (8.22) are next. Green Bay has two players in the top 10, tight end Tucker Kraft and receiver Matthew Golden.
At the other end, Arizona’s Trey McBride has the most catches in the league, 42, but averages only 2.31 yards after each one. His Cardinals teammate Michael Wilson (2.41) and the Giants’ Malik Nabers (2.45) are next lowest among players with 25 or more catches.
Fewest yards after the catch per reception (minimum 25 catches)
| Player | Team | Pos | Rec | Rec yds | YAC | YAC per catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trey McBride | ARI | TE | 42 | 308 | 97 | 2.31 |
| Michael Wilson | ARI | WR | 29 | 288 | 70 | 2.41 |
| Malik Nabers | NYG | WR | 29 | 329 | 71 | 2.45 |
| Devaughn Vele | NO | WR | 25 | 252 | 62 | 2.48 |
| Ja’Marr Chase | CIN | WR | 27 | 289 | 71 | 2.63 |
| Isaiah Likely | NYG | TE | 33 | 284 | 88 | 2.67 |
| George Pickens | DAL | WR | 27 | 355 | 80 | 2.96 |
| Garrett Wilson | NYJ | WR | 31 | 374 | 96 | 3.10 |
Week 6 tests: Warren and the Steelers visit Tampa Bay on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (8 p.m. Cairo). London and Robinson host Chicago at the same time. Harvey’s Broncos open the week against Seattle on Thursday night (3:15 a.m. Cairo Friday). Gibbs and the Lions are on their bye.
Totals cover every regular-season game through Monday night of Week 5 and do not include Thursday night’s Seahawks-Broncos game.
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