This week's picks

Receiving yards vs. explosive catches

College Football Charts
Data updatedOct 31, 2026

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Receiving yards vs. explosive catches

Top 50 of 686 receivers and tight ends by both stats combined. Season so far, games through Oct 24, 2026. Dashed lines are the averages; up and right is better on both.

From the play-by-play. Players with 30+ pass attempts, 15+ carries, 8+ catches, a sack, an interception or a fumble recovery this season. Labels mark the best on both stats and anyone you highlight. Hover or tap a dot for the numbers.

What this shows

Each dot is one of 50 receivers and tight ends, placed by receiving yards (across) and explosive catches (up). Explosive catches: receptions that gain 16 yards or more. The dashed lines are the averages: 647 and 14.9.

There is moderate relationship here (r = +0.63; r runs from −1 to +1). Players who are better at one tend to be better at the other. One explains about 40% of the differences in the other.

14 of 50 (28%) are above average on both. 6 are above average only on receiving yards, 9 only on explosive catches, and 21 on neither.

Where the data comes from. Play-by-play from CollegeFootballData.com (the public cfbfastR files), games through Oct 24, 2026. Every stat here is computed from those plays.

Best on both

  1. Jesse Legree, Oregon State: 1,042 receiving yards, 23 explosive catches
  2. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State: 984 receiving yards, 22 explosive catches
  3. Malachi Toney, Miami: 952 receiving yards, 20 explosive catches
  4. Umari Hatcher, Syracuse: 887 receiving yards, 19 explosive catches
  5. Reed Harris, Arizona State: 800 receiving yards, 20 explosive catches
  6. Easton Messer, Florida Atlantic: 950 receiving yards, 16 explosive catches

Great at one, not the other

  1. KJ Duff, Rutgers: 774 receiving yards, 12 explosive catches
  2. Kelby Valsin, Florida Atlantic: 761 receiving yards, 12 explosive catches
  3. Easton Messer, Florida Atlantic: 950 receiving yards, 16 explosive catches
  4. Justin Stevenson, North Texas: 781 receiving yards, 13 explosive catches
  5. Deondre Johnson, Jacksonville State: 438 receiving yards, 15 explosive catches
  6. Griffin Wilde, Northwestern: 607 receiving yards, 18 explosive catches

About the stats on this chart

Why do receiving yards matter?

Receiving yards are the headline number for receivers. Check explosive catches next to it to see who's actually stretching a defense.

Where does the receiving yards data come from?

From play-by-play from CollegeFootballData.com (the public cfbfastR files), games through Oct 24, 2026.

What is explosive catches?

Explosive catches: receptions that gain 16 yards or more.

Why do explosive catches matter?

Catches of 16+ yards are the deep threats. Defenses build game plans around these guys.

Where does the explosive catches data come from?

From play-by-play from CollegeFootballData.com (the public cfbfastR files), games through Oct 24, 2026.