As fantasy owners are well aware, the true workhorse running back
has become a rare breed. They still exist, of course, but many teams
have transitioned to the most frightening acronym in fantasy football:
RBBC, or running back by committee. To help fantasy owners navigate
the murky waters of teams that utilize a RBBC system, here are the
breakdowns of what those teams did last season, and how things might
play out in 2014.
| Buffalo - 2013 |
| Player |
Rush Att |
% of
Tm Atts |
Rush Yds |
% of
Tm Rush Yds |
Yds/Carry |
Rec |
Rec Yds |
| C.J.
Spiller |
202 |
37 |
933 |
40.4 |
4.6 |
33 |
185 |
| Fred
Jackson |
206 |
37.7 |
890 |
38.6 |
4.3 |
47 |
387 |
| All Others |
138 |
25.3 |
484 |
21 |
3.5 |
|
|
| Totals |
546 |
100.0 |
2307 |
100.0 |
4.1 |
|
|
|
2014 Outlook: Going into last season,
most fantasy owners thought the majority of the carries would go
to Spiller, but at age 32 Jackson continued to perform well and
earned his touches. Things got more complicated this offseason as
Buffalo acquired Bryce Brown and Anthony Dixon. At this point, it’s
hard to count Jackson out, but fantasy owners should still put more
faith in Spiller, albeit not at the level they had last year. He’s
no longer a first-round fantasy pick, and with so many backfield
mates, it’s hard to envision him breaking out like his natural
ability suggests he could.
| Carolina -
2013 |
| Player |
Rush Att |
% of
Tm Atts |
Rush Yds |
% of
Tm Rush Yds |
Yds/Carry |
Rec |
Rec Yds |
| DeAngelo
Williams |
201 |
41.6 |
843 |
41.6 |
4.2 |
26 |
333 |
| Mike Tolbert |
101 |
20.9 |
361 |
17.9 |
3.6 |
27 |
184 |
| Jonathan
Stewart |
48 |
9.9 |
180 |
8.8 |
3.8 |
7 |
44 |
| All Others |
133 |
27.6 |
642 |
31.7 |
4.8 |
|
|
| Totals |
483 |
100.0 |
2026 |
100.0 |
4.2 |
|
|
|
2014 Outlook: The Panthers have been
the ultimate RBBC team for a few years now, entrenching their stable
of running backs into fantasy mediocrity. Jonathan Stewart took
an extensive seat on the sidelines last year allowing DeAngelo Williams
to have bye-week filler value for much of the season. Stewart is
reportedly in great shape coming into 2014 and injury free for the
first time in a long time. He's four years to the younger than Williams
and if he can somehow stay out of the trainers room, he could easily
lead the team in rushing this season. That being said, the RBBC
approach isn't going anywhere, making Stewart or Williams nothing
more than a RB4 with potentially RB3 upside if the stars align.
| Cincinnati
- 2013 |
| Player |
Rush Att |
% of
Tm Atts |
Rush Yds |
% of
Tm Rush Yds |
Yds/Carry |
Rec |
Rec Yds |
| BenJarvus Green-Ellis |
220 |
45.7 |
756 |
43.1 |
3.4 |
4 |
22 |
| Giovani Bernard |
170 |
35.3 |
695 |
39.6 |
4.1 |
56 |
514 |
| All Others |
91 |
19 |
304 |
17.3 |
3.3 |
|
|
| Totals |
481 |
100.0 |
1755 |
100.0 |
3.6 |
|
|
|
2014 Outlook: Green-Ellis was not
exactly what one might describe as dynamic last season, leading
the Bengals to draft Jeremy Hill in the second round to complement
the uber-dynamic Bernard. In fact, during Cincinnati OTA’s,
BGE was reportedly behind both Bernard and Hill on the depth chart
and may not be on the team’s roster come Week 1. Bernard most
definitely will be though, and should go in the second round of
fantasy drafts, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see some
fantasy owners snag him at the end of the round 1.
| Detroit - 2013 |
| Player |
Rush Att |
% of
Tm Atts |
Rush Yds |
% of
Tm Rush Yds |
Yds/Carry |
Rec |
Rec Yds |
| Reggie Bush |
223 |
50.1 |
1006 |
56.1 |
4.5 |
54 |
506 |
| Joique Bell |
166 |
37.3 |
650 |
36.3 |
3.9 |
53 |
547 |
| All Others |
56 |
12.6 |
136 |
7.6 |
2.4 |
|
|
| Totals |
445 |
100.0 |
1792 |
100.0 |
3.6 |
|
|
|
2014 Outlook: Outside of Bush and
Bell, no Lions back amassed even 10 carries for the team in 2013.
More of the same should be expected this year, with the team essentially
staying put at the position. Bell’s eight touchdown runs last
year were twice the number Bush had, though it’s difficult
to predict that exact scenario playing out again this season. With
Bush getting more touches, he remains the higher-rated fantasy back
and will likely come off the board in the second or third round,
with Bell a couple rounds after that.
| Miami - 2013 |
| Player |
Rush Att |
% of
Tm Atts |
Rush Yds |
% of
Tm Rush Yds |
Yds/Carry |
Rec |
Rec Yds |
| Lamar Miller |
177 |
50.7 |
709 |
49.2 |
4 |
26 |
170 |
| Daniel Thomas |
109 |
31.2 |
406 |
28.2 |
3.7 |
15 |
63 |
| All Others |
63 |
18.1 |
325 |
22.6 |
5.2 |
|
|
| Totals |
349 |
100.0 |
1440 |
100.0 |
4.3 |
|
|
|
2014 Outlook: The Dolphins were among
the NFL’s worst running teams last year, ranking 26th in the
league in rushing yards and scoring only eight times on the ground.
They attempted to remedy that with the acquisition of Knowshon Moreno,
but a knee injury has sidelined him and questions about his viability
this season abound. Fantasy owners should really only put their
relative faith in one Fins runner, Lamar Miller. He was inconsistent
last season – eight games with 60 or more rushing yards and
seven games with 20 or fewer rushing yards – but Miami’s
rebuilt offensive line and the growth of Ryan Tannehill make Miller
a potential gem who shouldn’t cost fantasy owners a high draft
pick.
| New Orleans
- 2013 |
| Player |
Rush Att |
% of
Tm Atts |
Rush Yds |
% of
Tm Rush Yds |
Yds/Carry |
Rec |
Rec Yds |
| Pierre
Thomas |
147 |
37.6 |
549 |
37.3 |
3.7 |
77 |
513 |
| Mark
Ingram |
78 |
20.0 |
386 |
26.2 |
4.9 |
7 |
68 |
| Darren
Sproles |
53 |
13.5 |
220 |
14.9 |
4.2 |
71 |
604 |
| All Others |
113 |
28.9 |
318 |
21.6 |
2.8 |
|
|
| Totals |
391 |
100.0 |
1473 |
100.0 |
3.8 |
|
|
|
2014 Outlook: The Saints ranked just
ahead of the aforementioned Dolphins in team rushing yards last
season, but that is to be expected considering their prolific passing
attack. Darren Sproles may be gone, but that doesn’t mean
some other back will step in and automatically fill his role. Thomas
should continue to put up PPR-worthy numbers, but standard-league
owners will want to look past him (and Mark Ingram) towards the
direction of Khiry Robinson. He’s produced when given the
opportunity and has the best chance of any New Orleans runner to
put up fantasy-worthy numbers.
| New York Jets
- 2013 |
| Player |
Rush Att |
% of
Tm Atts |
Rush Yds |
% of
Tm Rush Yds |
Yds/Carry |
Rec |
Rec Yds |
| Chris Ivory |
182 |
36.9 |
833 |
38.6 |
4.6 |
2 |
10 |
| Bilal Powell |
176 |
35.7 |
697 |
32.3 |
4 |
36 |
272 |
| All Others |
135 |
27.4 |
628 |
29.1 |
4.7 |
|
|
| Totals |
493 |
100.0 |
2158 |
100.0 |
4.4 |
|
|
|
2014 Outlook: The Jets had a solid
rushing attack last season, ranking sixth in the league despite
not having an individual among the league’s top-15 rushers.
Ivory ranked 19th in rushing yards, but he’s unlikely to reach
that mark again due to the team’s acquisition of Chris Johnson.
The former Titan should slice into the carries of Ivory and all
but erase Powell from fantasy consideration. Yet fantasy owners
should cease from getting too excited about Johnson – he’s
shown signs of slowing and isn’t going to get nearly as many
touches in New York as he did in Tennessee.
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