Do yards after the catch count as air yards?
No. Air yards only cover the distance the ball travels in the air. Any yards the receiver gains after the catch are tracked separately.
Air Yards
Air yards measure how far down the field a pass travels from the line of scrimmage to where it is caught or falls incomplete.
Air yards are the distance a football travels in the air on a pass, measured from the line of scrimmage to the spot where the ball is caught or hits the ground. If a quarterback throws a pass 30 yards downfield and it falls incomplete, those 30 yards still count as air yards. If he completes a short pass behind the line and the receiver runs for 20 more yards, only the air distance counts toward air yards, not the yards after the catch.
In fantasy football, air yards matter because they show which receivers are being targeted down the field rather than just on dump-offs and screens. A wide receiver with lots of air yards per target is being used as a deep threat, which usually means big-play potential. A receiver with high total air yards but disappointing fantasy numbers may be due for better results, because the opportunities are already there and only the finishing is missing.
Two common stats built from air yards are average depth of target (aDOT), which is air yards divided by targets, and air yards share, which is the portion of a team's total air yards going to one player. Both help fantasy managers figure out who is really involved in the passing game, even when the raw catches and yards have not shown up yet.
Common questions
Why do fantasy players care about air yards?
Air yards show which receivers are getting real downfield opportunities. A player with a large share of his team's air yards is a key part of the passing attack, even if his recent fantasy numbers have been quiet.
What is average depth of target (aDOT)?
aDOT is a player's air yards divided by his targets. A high aDOT means deep threats and boom-or-bust scoring, while a low aDOT points to short, safe passes.
Related terms
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