Key to the table below:

Fant – Player’s rank in a PPR fantasy league where all touchdowns are worth six points.

0-9% - This column represents the percentage of games in which a runner collected no more than nine touches.

0-9 - This column represents the actual number of games in which a runner collected no more than nine touches.

Note #1: Running backs had to play in at least eight games and average at least eight touches. The top 40 backs are all included, with “**” denoting the players that did not make the cut but figure to have some impact in 2013.

Note #2: You may sort the table by clicking on the column headers.

Observations: Of the 12 running backs that played in at least 15 games and received 15+ touches 75% of the time or more, eight finished in the top 10 in fantasy points. Only Chris Johnson (pathetic offensive line), Green-Ellis (average talent and not heavily involved as a receiver), Greene (read Green-Ellis) and Steven Jackson (limited supporting cast reduced scoring opportunities) were left out, but none of those outsiders finished lower than 22nd.

Running backs who commanded 20+ touches more than 40% of the time (and played at least 15 games) were a lock to wind up in the top 20 in overall fantasy points, as one would expect. Of the 14 backs who met the above criteria, all of them finished among the top 18 in fantasy. Even when the requirement is lowered to only 10 games, none of the 19 backs that qualified finished lower than 30th.

What effect did high-catch volume have on the final rankings? Of the 15 backs that recorded at least 40 catches in 2012, all but two were ranked inside the top 25. Only Reece (31st) and Ronnie Brown (38th) failed to fall within that range, which was due in large part to their limited roles – and even they finished inside the top 40.

Last but not least, sometimes the best ability is availability. Of the 31 backs on this list that played all 16 games, 20 landed in the top 30! In most cases – such as Ballard, Bryce Brown, Ingram, Pierce and Wilson – a late-season emergence was to blame for their somewhat low year-end fantasy-point total.

Fantasy impact: Find the backs that will get the touches and the fantasy points will almost always follow. Running back is the one position where owners can generally feel pretty good about volume leading to fantasy success, if only because the variables needed for their success are often less complex than for quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends. In other words, the number of times a defensive lineman or linebacker is able to generate penetration in a way that affect the running back’s movement behind the line of scrimmage pales in comparison to the number of times a quarterback is hurried, inaccurate with his throw, has his pass deflected or watches his intended receiver drop the ball. When running backs are asked to contribute as receivers, they rarely are asked to go downfield, which obviously leads to a much higher-percentage throw.

Wide Receivers

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