Starting off the final day of looking at our Signature Stats, we turn to Yards Per Route Run for wide receivers. Our YPRR takes into account the opportunity players had to gain their receiving yards, potentially separating two receivers with similar yardage numbers but a significant difference in the number of routes run, or showing players who were among the most effective on a per-play basis, but did not have the same playing time opportunities as those near the top in total receiving yards.
Overall YPRR
Our leader A.J. Green had a career-low for total receiving yards in a season due to missing time with a toe injury, but he had one of his most effective seasons when on the field. His 2.96 YPRR is over a half-yard more on average than his previous high of 2.32 in his second year. Despite having more receiving weapons than most NFL offenses, the Broncos boasted two players in the Top 10 in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Pittsburgh also had two players near the top, and Antonio Brown makes the list even with having run more routes than any other player last year.
(To qualify a player must have logged at least 200 routes run this season).
Rank | Name | Team | Targets | Rec. Yards | Snaps in Route | YPRR |
1 | A.J. Green | CIN | 109 | 1041 | 352 | 2.96 |
2 | Demaryius Thomas | DEN | 178 | 1619 | 583 | 2.78 |
3 | Martavis Bryant | PIT | 48 | 549 | 200 | 2.75 |
4 | Odell Beckham Jr. | NYG | 129 | 1305 | 476 | 2.74 |
5 | Julio Jones | ATL | 156 | 1593 | 585 | 2.72 |
6 | Dez Bryant | DAL | 135 | 1320 | 494 | 2.67 |
7 | Jordy Nelson | GB | 146 | 1519 | 570 | 2.66 |
7 | Antonio Brown | PIT | 178 | 1698 | 638 | 2.66 |
9 | Emmanuel Sanders | DEN | 140 | 1409 | 574 | 2.45 |
10 | DeSean Jackson | WAS | 87 | 1169 | 479 | 2.44 |
Rookie Watch
It is impressive enough that Martavis Bryant and Odell Beckham Jr. cracked the Top 10 in their first seasons, but it should be noted just how much more effective they were than their fellow rookies. They were well ahead of third-place Mike Evans (2.05 YPRR) and last year’s breakout rookie Keenan Allen (2.06). They also eclipsed the previous high of 2.31 YPRR by Percy Harvin in his 2009 rookie campaign by a significant margin.
Slot YPRR
We also have the ability to look at the snaps and effectiveness of each wide receiver based on their alignment. Although Randall Cobb easily gained the most yards from the slot, Sanders edges him out in YPRR. Cobb’s 1,067 receiving yards are the third-most from the slot since 2008, but his 501 routes ran were also the most ran by any receiver over the same time period. T.Y. Hilton showed he can line up anywhere on the field and still be productive (2.60 YPRR when lined up outside). Continuing the trend of a strong 2014 draft class for wide receivers, Jordan Matthews and Jarvis Landry round out our Top 5.
(To qualify a player must have logged at least 200 routes run from a slot position).
Rank | Name | Team | Targets | Rec. Yards | Snaps in Route | YPRR |
1 | Emmanuel Sanders | DEN | 42 | 485 | 212 | 2.29 |
2 | Randall Cobb | GB | 106 | 1067 | 501 | 2.13 |
3 | T.Y. Hilton | IND | 51 | 461 | 231 | 2.00 |
4 | Jordan Matthews | PHI | 94 | 835 | 447 | 1.87 |
5 | Jarvis Landry | MIA | 78 | 623 | 355 | 1.86 |
Top on the Team
One last thing to look at is the most effective wide receiver on each team on a per-route basis and where that ranked across the league.
Rank | Name | Team | Targets | Rec. Yards | Snaps in Route | YPRR |
1 | A.J. Green | CIN | 109 | 1041 | 352 | 2.96 |
2 | Demaryius Thomas | DEN | 178 | 1619 | 583 | 2.78 |
3 | Martavis Bryant | PIT | 48 | 549 | 200 | 2.75 |
4 | Odell Beckham Jr. | NYG | 129 | 1305 | 476 | 2.74 |
5 | Julio Jones | ATL | 156 | 1593 | 585 | 2.72 |
6 | Dez Bryant | DAL | 135 | 1320 | 494 | 2.67 |
7 | Jordy Nelson | GB | 146 | 1519 | 570 | 2.66 |
8 | DeSean Jackson | WAS | 87 | 1169 | 479 | 2.44 |
9 | T.Y. Hilton | IND | 123 | 1346 | 572 | 2.35 |
10 | Calvin Johnson | DET | 124 | 1077 | 470 | 2.29 |
11 | DeAndre Hopkins | HST | 120 | 1210 | 534 | 2.27 |
12 | Steve L. Smith | BLT | 130 | 1068 | 494 | 2.16 |
13 | Steve Johnson | SF | 49 | 435 | 204 | 2.13 |
14 | Jeremy Maclin | PHI | 140 | 1318 | 622 | 2.12 |
15 | Eric Decker | NYJ | 110 | 962 | 456 | 2.11 |
16 | Mike Evans | TB | 116 | 1051 | 513 | 2.05 |
17 | Kenny Stills | NO | 80 | 931 | 458 | 2.03 |
17 | Andrew Hawkins | CLV | 101 | 825 | 406 | 2.03 |
19 | Julian Edelman | NE | 124 | 971 | 510 | 1.90 |
20 | Kelvin Benjamin | CAR | 142 | 1008 | 543 | 1.86 |
21 | Alshon Jeffery | CHI | 135 | 1133 | 622 | 1.82 |
22 | Jarvis Landry | MIA | 105 | 755 | 434 | 1.74 |
23 | Charles Johnson | MIN | 55 | 476 | 276 | 1.72 |
4 | Doug Baldwin | SEA | 90 | 825 | 500 | 1.65 |
25 | Allen Robinson | JAX | 76 | 548 | 334 | 1.64 |
26 | Kenny Britt | SL | 81 | 748 | 468 | 1.60 |
27 | Sammy Watkins | BUF | 124 | 982 | 619 | 1.59 |
28 | Keenan Allen | SD | 112 | 783 | 494 | 1.59 |
29 | Dwayne Bowe | KC | 90 | 755 | 479 | 1.58 |
30 | Kendall Wright | TEN | 86 | 715 | 456 | 1.57 |
31 | Larry Fitzgerald | ARZ | 100 | 784 | 506 | 1.55 |
32 | Andre Holmes | OAK | 91 | 693 | 474 | 1.46 |
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