Yards After Contact | NFL Advanced Stats - NFL Advanced Stats

What Is Yards After Contact?

Yards After Contact (YAC) is an advanced rushing statistic that measures how many yards a ball carrier gains after first being touched by a defender. Unlike Yards Before Contact, which reflects blocking and play design, YAC highlights a running back’s ability to break tackles, maintain balance, and generate extra yardage on their own. High YAC numbers often point to physical, elusive runners who can consistently extend plays beyond what is blocked for them. For fantasy football players, DFS enthusiasts, and bettors, Yards After Contact is one of the most telling stats for predicting sustainable rushing success. It isolates a runner’s skill from offensive line performance, showing who can create production even when blocking breaks down. Comparing YAC across players and matchups can reveal which backs thrive in difficult situations, which teams struggle to limit second-effort yardage, and where the biggest upside opportunities exist in fantasy lineups and betting markets. At StatRankings, we track Yards After Contact alongside hundreds of other advanced NFL stats, giving you the tools to evaluate rushing performance with deeper context. Explore more rushing stats like Yards Before Contact, Broken Tackles, and Run Block Win Rate to understand both team blocking strength and individual runner talent.