Give me a minute, I'm good. Give me an hour, I'm great. Give me six months, I'm unbeatable.

If I walk into a room and “The A Team” is playing, you’ve got me for at least 20 minutes. It’s the definition of a rewatchable. A memorable cast mixed with a somewhat forgettable plot. But there are action sequences and quotes (Alpha, Mike, Foxtrot) that stick in your mind and keep you coming back. Some of these advanced stats can generate a similar effect.

Admittedly, a metric like yards per route run (YPRR) isn’t on the same level as a $177.2M blockbuster movie. YPRR doesn’t quite roll off the tongue like AMF. But you hear an analyst speak complimentarily about a player you like using it, and there’s a connection. YPRR pops up more and becomes ubiquitous. And with a quick dive into its utility (instead of needing six months), you can see why player evaluation leans on this to contextualize a player’s skill set.

Yards Per Route Run - The Definition

“Yards per route run measures the average number of yards a receiver generates each time they run a route.”

After spending time walking through targets per route run, I was ready for the next “per route run” variant. Because, at first glance, the idea behind YPRR might not click. 

A pass catcher needs the ball to pick up yards. Well, actually, even before that, they need to be on the field running a route. Even still, let’s say they execute a pattern, earn a target, catch it, and move the chains ahead. The rock could go to someone else on the next play. Or they take a breather on the sidelines. In other words, their yards or routes might not be increasing after each snap. However, throughout a game, we can get a sense of how effective combining the two basic stats can be.

Complete aside, remember when Diontae Johnson was this essential to a team’s passing game?

Anyway, let’s pay attention to his receiving acumen. Kenny Pickett used Johnson on a couple of screens, forcing him to pick up yards after the catch. Johnson also got hit deep. Luckily for him, at the time, there was no question about his WR1 status. We knew he’d be getting the ball. But what happens after is where a stat like yards per route run comes into play.

Like with TPRR, we have two building blocks here: yards and routes. One points to production. The other signals involvement. Blending the two via division gives us a measure of a pass-catcher’s on-field efficiency. But I can already hear the counterarguments.

“We’ve already got yards per reception. Stop trying to bring math into my sports, lol.”

“I’ve got YAC and other simpler metrics to evaluate a player.”

Hey, easy on the math hate. Fair enough, though. But I try to keep things as simple as possible. And, I have to say, it doesn’t get any more basic than yards and routes. Plus, when assessing their connection to fantasy scoring, YPRR’s relevance over other traits sticks out.

Why do Yards Per Route Run Matter?

I used the term ‘on-field’ specifically when describing the type of production we’re considering because YPRR can provide a more holistic view of a receiver’s talent. Sure, stats like the aforementioned yards per reception or yards per target attempt to paint a similar picture. You’ve probably even seen me use YAC per reception, too. But they’re all limited in scope. I’ll explain.

 

Quick reminder: Two variables have a stronger correlation if the R2 value is closer to 1. Accordingly, a coefficient of 0.06 would have me rethinking my stance on the importance of YPR. I’d also check on YPT’s connection to fantasy points, too.

(Don’t worry. I did and got an R2 value of 0.20)

But why is there a weaker link? We know that targets matter. And if catching the ball doesn’t equate to scoring more fantasy points, then I’m completely lost. However, again, neither captures the full extent of a receiver’s role within the passing game. 

Yards per Reception require that the ball fall into someone’s hands (preferably on the same team as the QB). Yards per target takes a slight step back while demanding the player to earn the target. Put another way, the receiver has to be the main character of the play. And we know that’s not always the case. 

YPRR goes even further, taking a big-picture view. Critically, it uses routes. A pass catcher’s involvement, whether direct (i.e., the primary target) or indirect (e.g., forcing defensive consideration elsewhere on the field), matters. With yardage on top, we get a wider view of a player’s impact. The ability to gain separation (get a target), win a contested catch (receive the ball), or weave through traffic (pick up YAC) gets wrapped up into one benchmark. In short, yards per route run gives us insight into how much each receiver is producing, given their time on the field. However, despite its simplicity, there’s some context needed to use it properly.

How Can You Use Yards per Route Run?

Let’s think about how the components of YPRR change throughout a typical season. If a receiver’s role is developing as we’d like, they should be running more routes. Ideally, their total yards should also be gliding up, too. So, we should think of YPRR as a moving value. However, the number becomes an identifier when looking at trends between games. A.J. Brown’s 2024 campaign provides a solid example.

At a 3.04, the Eagles’ WR1 had the highest YPRR mark of any receiver last season (min. 50.0% route rate). He was at 4.64 in his Week 6 return against Cleveland alone. But his lack of usage late in games became a league-wide story. Despite being tied for the second-most 100-yard games when healthy, Brown was doing it on 26.3 routes per game.

For context, Quentin Johnston averaged 27.5 a week. As a result, Brown’s fantasy totals oscillated from week to week. Consequently, his YPRR took some time to get to league-leading status.

 

We learn more as we know more. Yes, Brown was already an established high-end WR commanding a hefty workload. But his ever-increasing YPRR as he continued to run routes was a strong indicator. The average starts to stabilize around 200 routes, giving us a threshold for where we can begin to trust what we’re measuring. The weekly trends can be our first signal that a player is worth keeping on our roster. However, it also works in the other direction.

I’ll go out on a limb and say that the Jets’ trade for Davante Adams didn’t work out as intended. New York got three wins out of it. Adams posted two ames over 100 yards. Everyone got fired or released shortly thereafter. But when looking back at the season, the outlook for Adams in ’25 should give us some pause.

  • 2020: 146 (targets), 464 (routes), 2.96 (YPRR)
  • 2021: 166, 551, 2.82  
  • 2022: 168, 617, 2.45
  • 2023: 171, 579, 1.97
  • 2024: 135, 519, 2.04

Last year was the first time since ’20 that Adams saw less than 150 looks in a single season. Missing almost a month of action didn’t help. Anyway, his role as the Rams’ 1B to Puka Nacua’s 1A isn’t the concern. His on-field efficiency could be. His YPRR has been on a steady decline for the last few years. While it’s not the strongest gauge that Father Time is coming for a player, dips in other areas lend credence to the idea. 

Adams’ 77.6 and 61.2 YPG over the last two seasons pale in comparison to the 91.8, 88.5, and 101.9-yard clip he was at in his late 20s. Meanwhile, Garrett Wilson and Brock Bowers have been his toughest competition to keep the ball coming his way. So, not only can we use YPRR to gauge how they’re performing relative to their peers, but we can also get a glimpse into any changes within themselves as the years go by.