Kayshon Boutte (WR, NE) led wide receivers in yards per target in 2025 at 11.98. 89 players with 40+ targets qualified.
Yards per target is what a team got back every time it threw at a player, whether or not he caught it. Because the denominator is targets rather than catches, drops and contested misses count against him, which is exactly what you want when judging efficiency.
| Rank | Player | Pos | Team | Yards Per Target | Targets | Receptions | Rec Yards | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kayshon Boutte | WR | NE | 11.98 | 46 | 33 | 551 | 14 |
| 2 | Alec Pierce | WR | IND | 11.94 | 84 | 47 | 1,003 | 15 |
| 3 | Christian Watson | WR | GB | 11.11 | 55 | 35 | 611 | 10 |
| 4 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | WR | SEA | 11.00 | 163 | 119 | 1,793 | 17 |
| 5 | Jameson Williams | WR | DET | 10.95 | 102 | 65 | 1,117 | 17 |
| 6 | Luther Burden III | WR | CHI | 10.87 | 60 | 47 | 652 | 15 |
| 7 | George Pickens | WR | DAL | 10.43 | 137 | 93 | 1,429 | 17 |
| 8 | Kendrick Bourne | WR | SF | 10.40 | 53 | 37 | 551 | 14 |
| 9 | Puka Nacua | WR | LA | 10.33 | 166 | 129 | 1,715 | 16 |
| 10 | Zay Flowers | WR | BAL | 10.26 | 118 | 86 | 1,211 | 17 |
| 11 | Ricky Pearsall | WR | SF | 9.96 | 53 | 36 | 528 | 9 |
| 12 | Stefon Diggs | WR | NE | 9.93 | 102 | 85 | 1,013 | 17 |
| 13 | DeMario Douglas | WR | NE | 9.72 | 46 | 31 | 447 | 16 |
| 14 | Terry McLaurin | WR | WAS | 9.70 | 60 | 38 | 582 | 10 |
| 15 | Nico Collins | WR | HOU | 9.31 | 120 | 71 | 1,117 | 15 |
| 16 | CeeDee Lamb | WR | DAL | 9.21 | 117 | 75 | 1,077 | 13 |
| 17 | Jalen Coker | WR | CAR | 9.16 | 43 | 33 | 394 | 11 |
| 18 | Jaylen Waddle | WR | MIA | 9.10 | 100 | 64 | 910 | 16 |
| 19 | DeVonta Smith | WR | PHI | 8.92 | 113 | 77 | 1,008 | 17 |
| 20 | Parker Washington | WR | JAX | 8.92 | 95 | 58 | 847 | 16 |
| 21 | Quentin Johnston | WR | LAC | 8.75 | 84 | 51 | 735 | 13 |
| 22 | Tee Higgins | WR | CIN | 8.63 | 98 | 59 | 846 | 15 |
| 23 | DK Metcalf | WR | PIT | 8.59 | 99 | 59 | 850 | 15 |
| 24 | Darius Slayton | WR | NYG | 8.54 | 63 | 37 | 538 | 14 |
| 25 | Romeo Doubs | WR | GB | 8.52 | 85 | 55 | 724 | 16 |
| 26 | Ryan Flournoy | WR | DAL | 8.48 | 56 | 40 | 475 | 15 |
| 27 | Cooper Kupp | WR | SEA | 8.47 | 70 | 47 | 593 | 16 |
| 28 | Mack Hollins | WR | NE | 8.46 | 65 | 46 | 550 | 14 |
| 29 | Jalen Nailor | WR | MIN | 8.38 | 53 | 29 | 444 | 17 |
| 30 | Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | ARI | 8.33 | 73 | 41 | 608 | 12 |
| 31 | Tetairoa McMillan | WR | CAR | 8.31 | 122 | 70 | 1,014 | 17 |
| 32 | A.J. Brown | WR | PHI | 8.29 | 121 | 78 | 1,003 | 15 |
| 33 | Drake London | WR | ATL | 8.21 | 112 | 68 | 919 | 12 |
| 34 | Courtland Sutton | WR | DEN | 8.20 | 124 | 74 | 1,017 | 17 |
| 35 | Matthew Golden | WR | GB | 8.20 | 44 | 29 | 361 | 14 |
| 36 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | WR | DET | 8.15 | 172 | 117 | 1,401 | 17 |
| 37 | DJ Moore | WR | CHI | 8.02 | 85 | 50 | 682 | 17 |
| 38 | Michael Wilson | WR | ARI | 7.98 | 126 | 78 | 1,006 | 17 |
| 39 | Marquise Brown | WR | KC | 7.93 | 74 | 49 | 587 | 16 |
| 40 | Brian Thomas Jr. | WR | JAX | 7.77 | 91 | 48 | 707 | 14 |
| 41 | Jayden Higgins | WR | HOU | 7.72 | 68 | 41 | 525 | 17 |
| 42 | Jordan Addison | WR | MIN | 7.72 | 79 | 42 | 610 | 14 |
| 43 | Pat Bryant | WR | DEN | 7.71 | 49 | 31 | 378 | 13 |
| 44 | Isaiah Bond | WR | CLE | 7.68 | 44 | 18 | 338 | 15 |
| 45 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | WR | KC | 7.67 | 45 | 33 | 345 | 17 |
| 46 | Ja'Marr Chase | WR | CIN | 7.63 | 185 | 125 | 1,412 | 16 |
| 47 | Jakobi Meyers | WR | JAX | 7.59 | 110 | 75 | 835 | 16 |
| 48 | Khalil Shakir | WR | BUF | 7.57 | 95 | 72 | 719 | 16 |
| 49 | Tre Tucker | WR | LV | 7.57 | 92 | 57 | 696 | 17 |
| 50 | Tre Harris | WR | LAC | 7.53 | 43 | 30 | 324 | 16 |
Showing the top 50 of 89 qualified players. Narrow it down by position: wide receivers · tight ends · running backs.
Yards Per Target leaders, all positions
Yards Per Target by position: tight ends · running backs
More 2025 leaderboards: Receiving EPA leaders · Rushing EPA leaders · Receiving Yards leaders · Rushing Yards leaders · all NFL stats
Kayshon Boutte (WR, NE) led wide receivers in yards per target in 2025 at 11.98. Alec Pierce (WR, IND) was next at 11.94.
Yards per target is what a team got back every time it threw at a player, whether or not he caught it. Because the denominator is targets rather than catches, drops and contested misses count against him, which is exactly what you want when judging efficiency.
89 players with 40+ targets qualified for the 2025 yards per target leaderboard among wide receivers. The table above lists the top 50.
Stats as of July 28, 2026. Data from nflverse (nflverse-data), licensed CC BY 4.0. Source: nflverse-data. License: CC-BY-4.0.