- Harold Fannin Jr. is making things happen after the catch: The rookie has been a surprise fantasy TE1 so far, ranking fourth at the position in targets (28), seventh in receiving yards at the position (254) and tied for eighth in yards after the catch (132)
- Chris Olave is getting plenty of volume, but top-end fantasy production hasn't followed: The New Orleans Saints pass catcher ranks second in targets (61) and fifth in receptions (39) among wide receivers, but before Week 6, he placed second to last in yards after the catch (67), second to last in yards per catch (8.8) and fifth to last in yards after the catch per reception (2.5).
- Unlock your edge with PFF+: Access Premium Stats, dominate fantasy with in-season tools and projections and make smarter bets with the new PFF Player Prop Tool. Get 25% off your PFF+ annual subscription with code PFFFANTASYPODCAST25.
Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
When looking across the league to decide which pass catchers with whom you want to stack your fantasy football roster, it’s becoming less about targets — although volume is king — and more about what players do after the catch. Understanding yards after the catch (YAC) and average depth of target (aDOT) can reveal hidden gems and alert us to potential fantasy traps.
The Creators: Turning Short Targets into Big Gains
Some players turn routine touches into points galore. Deebo Samuel is a textbook example. He owns the lowest aDOT (6.5) among wide receivers with 30-plus targets this season. His production would be capped if he were banking on air yards alone, but he ranks sixth in YAC (176), catching 80% of his targets thanks to their shallow nature. His 5.2 YAC per reception means he's essentially creating 0.5 fantasy points per catch (without PPR scoring), regardless of quarterback play.
Another standout is Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka. The 19th overall pick has taken the league by storm, with 469 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Of that receiving production, 151 yards have come after the catch. His 5.6 YAC per reception is tied for sixth in the league. Pair that with his 13.8 aDOT — a mark good enough for third among receivers with at least 30 targets — and a high proportion of red-zone targets (11), and it’s easy to see why he looks like a star out of the gate.
The Sufferers: Volume but No Value
Some players are getting volume but failing to capitalize due to a lack of separation, inefficient schemes or conservative quarterback play. It creates shaky ground: Without volume, fantasy output can utterly crater.
Chris Olave is the poster child for this in 2025. The New Orleans Saints pass catcher ranks second in targets (61) and fifth in receptions (39) among wide receivers, but before Week 6, he ranked second to last in YAC (67, before adding 31 against the New England Patriots), second to last in yards per catch (8.8) and fifth to last in YAC per reception (2.5).
Quarterback Spencer Rattler’s 7.6 aDOT isn’t deep enough to excuse Olave's lack of after-the-catch production, which makes for a capped ceiling. With Rashid Shaheed back from injury, and Alvin Kamara still getting a healthy dose of targets (26), Olave’s volume-based production is even more worrisome for fantasy managers. His saving grace is that he has 14 red-zone targets, the third most among wide receivers. Six have been end-zone shots, although that has translated to only a single score.
Similarly, the Cleveland Browns‘ Jerry Jeudy is struggling to build on his 2024 breakout campaign, which saw him rack up 1,229 receiving yards. Despite having a top-10 aDOT (13.0) at his position group (minimum of 30 targets), he’s caught fewer than half of his 45 targets and has the fourth-fewest yards after the catch (48). His lack of conversion and after-the-catch work neutralizes his deep usage.
Like Olave, Jeudy’s red-zone usage gives him some fantasy redemption, as he has 11 red-zone targets. However, the Browns receiver has yet to catch a single one, and with trips inside the opposition's 20 going to be limited for an offense quarterbacked by rookie Dillon Gabriel — and perhaps eventually Shedeur Sanders — Jeudy has to get his hands on more red-zone passes.
Tight Ends: Where YAC Reigns Supreme
Even with the new wave of seam-rippers at the position, tight ends still typically thrive underneath — and this year is no different. Five of the top six tight ends in yards after the catch — Tyler Warren, Sam LaPorta, Travis Kelce, Jake Ferguson and Trey McBride — place in the top 10 in fantasy scoring at the position. Four — Warren and Kelce (25), Ferguson (28) and McBride (31) — also lead the way in short targets (0-10 yards), highlighting their dual-threat ability in volume and efficiency.
Their consistent ability to turn checkdowns or shallow routes into chunk gains and create their own fantasy points, independent of scheme, is an invaluable asset to both their teams and your fantasy roster.
Tight ends who can get vertical and stretch opposing linebackers and safeties can be X-factors for an offense, but the bread and butter of the position from a pass-catching standpoint is still acting as a quarterback’s safety net.
Where this can come unstuck is when the tight end is being used in the low red zone or on quick routes, such as hitches and flats. That leaves the production entirely down to volume and touchdowns, which are both volatile at the position.
Case in point is the Baltimore Ravens’ Mark Andrews. Andrews' TE1 days may be in the past, as he currently sits as the TE17 in standard PPR leagues. Of tight ends with at least 25 targets, he ranks second to last in yards per catch (8.3) and dead last in yards after the catch (42). Andrews’ yards after the catch figure has declined each year since 2021, when he was the overall TE1 in standard PPR fantasy scoring. His finishes since (TE4, TE15 and TE6) all point to a player who is still effective, but his limited ability to pick up yards once the ball is in his hands is capping his production.
Yet, the former third-round pick is still a go-to option once the Ravens get inside the 20-yard line, with six red-zone targets — the second most on the team, behind Zay Flowers — of which two have turned into scores.
Since quarterback Lamar Jackson went down with an injury, Andrews’ after-the-catch production has plummeted. He registered just seven combined yards after the catch in Weeks 5 and 6, far and away the worst mark at the position among qualifying tight ends. The next lowest total is 20 from New York Jets rookie tight end Mason Taylor.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the season at tight end is Cleveland Browns third-round rookie Harold Fannin Jr. He ranks fourth at the position in targets (28), seventh in receiving yards at the position (254) and tied for eighth in yards after the catch (132) — all better than established veteran David Njoku.
Fannin’s optimistic start to his NFL career has made him a borderline TE1 in standard-scoring PPR leagues (TE12 overall). Fannin has benefited from the Browns' shallower wide receiver corps and bottom-ranked pass-blocking offensive line (32.3 PFF grade). That has led to a lot of two-tight-end sets to get their best players on the field and help chip rushers in pass protection.
Running Back: Paradise for Pass Catchers
In PPR leagues, pass-catching running backs are gold. Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara and De'Von Achane have all been multi-year league-winners, precisely because of their receiving ability in tandem with their penchant for creating big plays when rushing.
This season represents very little change in that. McCaffrey, Jonathan Taylor, Bijan Robinson, Achane and Javonte Williams form the position's top five in fantasy, and among them, only Williams ranks outside the top five in yards after the catch (12th among running backs with at least 20 targets).
Creating yards after the catch is paramount for the position due to the frequent short targets on swing routes, flat routes and screens. The Los Angeles Rams‘ Kyren Williams owns just a 3.0-yard aDOT, and that's a league-leading figure. Twenty-two of Achane’s 39 targets this year have come behind the line of scrimmage, and the third-year rusher has transformed those into 172 yards after the catch — critical, considering his other 17 targets (12 short and five at an intermediate depth) have resulted in 89 receiving yards.
The NFL is still a league where backs with less pass-catching chops can be hyper-productive, but receptions are very much the icing on the cake when it comes to fantasy production. Philadelphia Eagles back Saquon Barkley and Kyren Williams are evidence of this. Both are locked in as fantasy RB1s, but neither has cracked 20 receptions on the season.
While Williams owns the lowest yards after the catch figure in the NFL among running backs with at least 20 targets (86), his 8.6 yards per catch is good enough for fifth best among qualifiers. He has turned 18 catches into 155 yards and three touchdowns. Williams is money when the Rams get into the red zone, catching all eight of his targets. It’s also where he has logged all of his receiving touchdowns.
Barkley, on the other hand, has been more inconsistent as a pass catcher, evidenced by his 56.2 PFF receiving grade. However, the former New York Giant is averaging 7.2 yards per catch — more than Achane and Kamara — and has logged more yards after the catch (131) than prototypical pass-catching backs Jahmyr Gibbs (130) and Kamara (125). While Barkley ranks last in PFF rushing grade (59.4) among running backs with at least 75 carries, his pass-catching ability is helping prop up his fantasy value.
The bottom line is that many players are at the mercy of their quarterback's arm or team's scheme to get their production. But yards after the catch can be the great equalizer. Target share matters, but how those targets are converted is what separates WR3s from weekly winners. Whether it’s Deebo Samuel turning screens into 20-yard plays or tight ends dominating short-area work, understanding who creates their own value is the cheat code to fantasy dominance.
© 2026 PFF - all rights reserved.