RYOE (rushing yards over expected)
RYOE is the yardage a back gained beyond what the blocking and the defensive alignment predicted. James Cook of the Bills led 2025 at +358 yards over expected across 49 qualifying backs.
Next Gen Stats tracks where every defender stood at the handoff and estimates how many yards an average back gains from that picture. RYOE is the difference between what he actually gained and that number. It separates the runner from the run blocking, which raw yards per carry cannot do.
Rushing Yards Over Expected — 2025 leaders
| # | Player | Att | Yds | RYOE | RYOE/Att | TD | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Cook | 309 | 1,621 | 346.2 | 1.14 | 12 | |
| 2 | Derrick Henry | 307 | 1,595 | 319.6 | 1.05 | 16 | |
| 3 | Bijan Robinson | 287 | 1,478 | 248.9 | 0.88 | 7 | |
| 4 | Devon Achane | 238 | 1,350 | 243.5 | 1.04 | 8 | |
| 5 | Jonathan Taylor | 323 | 1,585 | 190.2 | 0.60 | 18 | |
| 6 | Rhamondre Stevenson | 130 | 603 | 173.4 | 1.33 | 7 | |
| 7 | Jahmyr Gibbs | 243 | 1,223 | 168.4 | 0.70 | 13 | |
| 8 | Jaylen Warren | 211 | 958 | 167.4 | 0.80 | 6 | |
| 9 | J.K. Dobbins | 153 | 772 | 156.7 | 1.04 | 4 | |
| 10 | Javonte Williams | 252 | 1,201 | 150.5 | 0.60 | 11 |
Why it matters
RYOE is the most useful number in the backfield because it survives an offensive line change. James Cook led in total at +358 and Derrick Henry of the Ravens was second at +340, while on a per-carry basis Rhamondre Stevenson of the Patriots led at +1.36 yards over expected per attempt. Total rewards the workhorse, per-attempt finds the back who was better than his volume. The gap between the two lists is usually a committee waiting to break open.
The counter
RYOE measures the running, not the touches — and touches are assigned by a coach, not a model.
More football stats explained
- EPA (expected points added)
- EPA per dropback
- Success rate
- CPOE (completion percentage over expected)
- ANY/A (adjusted net yards per attempt)
- Target share
- Air yards share
- WOPR (weighted opportunity rating)
- aDOT (average depth of target)
- YAC over expected
- Separation
- Pressure rate
- Blitz rate
- Man and zone coverage splits
- PROE (pass rate over expected)
- Stacked box rate
- Half-PPR (and how it differs from full PPR)
- The usage gap (snaps versus production)
- Pythagorean wins
- Stickiness (what repeats and what does not)
- Snap share
- Pass-snap share
- YPRR (yards per route run)
- Availability (the “stayed” rate)
- Handcuff
- Play-action rate
- Pre-snap motion rate
- Drop rate
- Contested catch rate
- Interception-worthy throws
- Quarterback-fault sacks
- Intended air yards (IAY)
- Deep ball rate
- QB Composite Rating
Follow the football you care about. Players, teams, stat boards — press Follow on any of them, and that is what your weekly email is made of. Nothing you didn't ask for.
Drafting this month? Follow the guys you end up with, and your first weekly email lands Week 1 — the real plays and the real numbers behind everyone on your list.
Follow what you care about — free →Ask this data a question
Every figure on this page comes out of Muffed's verified panel — and you can query the whole thing in plain English. No account, no key. Ask the data →
Use Muffed in your AI
Ask Claude or ChatGPT football questions and get these verified figures back, with sources. Add https://muffed.ai/api/mcp — free, no account, no API key.