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RB Touches and Efficiency Breakdown - Week 6 Preview

It’s frustrating. I don’t claim to be smarter than NFL executives or general managers. While that would be a dream job, I’m content right here at my computer giving my opinion. With that being said, I would love to be in the coach’s room while they try to justify leaving running backs on the bench while they are performing better than anyone on the team. Watching these guys be underutilized every single week will drive a fantasy owner nuts. Or maybe your favorite team spent a high draft pick on a running back and just never used them.

This season has been chock full of surprises. Scoring is way up and with that comes the ripple effect of more players being more fantasy viable. The only issue that arises from more fantasy viable players, is the need for your studs to be actual studs. If you have been dealing with injuries or ineffective players, then you may have gotten off to a rough start. If you need to get your team on track, let’s look at some players trending in the right direction that you could buy low on.

This article is all about watching how a backfield is being used for every team. Snap counts are very useful, but I want to know what a player is doing when he has the ball in his hands. Anytime a running back gets a touch, what is being done with that touch? Watching a trend with touches for running backs will not only let us know their usage for any given week or period, but how effective they are with the ball. High volume plus high effectiveness is always the best outcome. High volume with low effectiveness can be great and low volume with high efficiency can be streaky at times. Let’s dive into our Week 6 preview.

Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including Best NFL Series, MLB Series, NBA Writer, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!

 

RB Touches and Efficiency Breakdown

Week 5 Report

Teams Car Rec Total Touches Total Yards Yards Per Touch %RB Touches Week 1% Week 2% Week 3% Week 4% Week 5%
Arizona Cardinals
David Johnson 18 2 20 71 3.6 95% 64% 70% 76% 86% 95%
Yearly Total 74 15 89 363 4.1 79%
Chase Edmonds 1 1 -1 -1.0 5% 36% 30% 24% 14% 5%
Yearly Total 14 10 24 78 3.3 21%
Atlanta Falcons
Devonta Freeman 8 2 10 41 4.1 43% 47% 0% 0% 0% 43%
Yearly Total 14 5 19 91 4.8 16%
Tevin Coleman 7 2 9 30 3.3 39% 53% 69% 77% 63% 39%
Yearly Total 61 12 73 324 4.4 61%
Ito Smith 3 1 4 10 2.5 17% 0% 31% 23% 37% 17%
Yearly Total 21 7 28 147 5.3 23%
Baltimore Ravens
Kenneth Dixon 0 0 0% 43% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 13 0 13 44 3.4 9%
Javorius Allen 8 6 14 78 5.6 50% 30% 48% 30% 46% 50%
Yearly Total 34 21 55 227 4.1 40%
Alex Collins 12 1 13 66 5.1 46% 27% 52% 70% 46% 46%
Yearly Total 57 9 66 294 4.5 48%
De'Lance Turner 1 1 7 7.0 4% 0% 0% 0% 8% 4%
Yearly Total 1 2 3 21 7.0 2%
Buffalo Bills
LeSean McCoy 24 2 26 108 4.2 65% 47% 65% 0% 57% 65%
Yearly Total 45 10 55 236 4.3 45%
Marcus Murphy 0 0 0% 35% 20% 28% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 17 2 19 78 4.1 15%
Chris Ivory 14 14 43 3.1 35% 18% 15% 72% 43% 35%
Yearly Total 45 4 49 224 4.6 40%
Carolina Panthers
Christian McCaffrey 17 5 22 93 4.2 81% 67% 88% 88% 81%
Yearly Total 63 27 90 521 5.8 82%
CJ Anderson 4 4 9 2.3 15% 29% 12% 9% 15%
Yearly Total 16 1 17 108 6.4 15%
Alex Armah 1 1 4 4.0 4% 4% 0% 3% 4%
Yearly Total 3 0 3 6 2.0 3%
Chicago Bears
Jordan Howard 0 0 71% 77% 76% 34%
Yearly Total 64 10 74 281 3.8 64%
Tarik Cohen 0 0 29% 23% 24% 63%
Yearly Total 27 14 41 308 7.5 35%
Benny Cunningham 0 0% 0% 0% 3%
Yearly Total 1 0 1 0 0.0 1%
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon 22 3 25 115 4.6 93% 92% 69% 0% 0% 93%
Yearly Total 60 9 69 351 5.1 55%
Giovani Bernard 0 0 0 0% 8% 31% 100% 73% 0%
Yearly Total 34 14 48 237 4.9 38%
Mark Walton 2 2 3 1.5 7% 0% 0% 0% 27% 7%
Yearly Total 5 4 9 40 4.4 7%
Cleveland Browns
Carlos Hyde 17 0 17 63 3.7 65% 79% 71% 81% 71% 65%
Yearly Total 100 4 104 363 3.5 74%
Duke Johnson 5 1 6 41 6.8 23% 21% 21% 13% 19% 23%
Yearly Total 17 10 27 165 6.1 19%
Nick Chubb 3 3 2 0.7 12% 0% 8% 6% 10% 12%
Yearly Total 10 0 10 127 12.7 7%
Dallas Cowboys
Ezekiel Elliott 20 7 27 84 3.1 87% 95% 88% 83% 78% 87%
Yearly Total 93 22 115 635 5.5 85%
Rod Smith 3 3 10 3.3 10% 5% 0% 0% 19% 10%
Yearly Total 10 1 11 37 3.4 8%
Tavon Austin 1 1 44 44.0 3% 0% 12% 17% 3% 3%
Yearly Total 3 6 9 165 18.3 7%
Denver Broncos
Phillip Lindsay 12 3 15 81 5.4 54% 47% 56% 14% 58% 54%
Yearly Total 57 8 65 384 5.9 45%
Royce Freeman 5 3 8 50 6.3 29% 42% 30% 48% 33% 29%
Yearly Total 49 4 53 274 5.2 37%
Devontae Booker 5 5 59 11.8 18% 11% 11% 34% 8% 18%
Yearly Total 11 13 24 147 6.1 17%
Andy Janovich 0 0% 0% 4% 3% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 1 1 2 13 6.5 1%
Detroit Lions
Theo Riddick 3 2 5 23 4.6 16% 43% 29% 8% 23% 16%
Yearly Total 8 23 31 168 5.4 22%
Kerryon Johnson 12 2 14 85 6.1 45% 38% 42% 46% 45% 45%
Yearly Total 50 13 63 354 5.6 44%
LeGarrette Blount 12 12 22 1.8 39% 19% 29% 46% 32% 39%
Yearly Total 47 3 50 144 2.9 35%
Green Bay Packers
Jamaal Williams 6 2 8 52 6.5 36% 75% 76% 29% 37% 36%
Yearly Total 53 7 60 234 3.9 50%
Ty Montgomery 4 1 5 38 7.6 23% 25% 24% 42% 23% 23%
Yearly Total 20 13 33 244 7.4 27%
Aaron Jones 7 2 9 59 6.6 41% 0% 0% 29% 40% 41%
Yearly Total 24 4 28 188 6.7 23%
Houston Texans
Lamar Miller 0 0 0% 81% 70% 75% 52% 0%
Yearly Total 58 8 66 279 4.2 53%
Alfred Blue 20 8 28 119 4.3 100% 19% 30% 25% 48% 100%
Yearly Total 49 9 58 239 4.1 47%
Indianapolis Colts
Jordan Wilkins 6 2 8 48 6.0 27% 59% 43% 44% 35% 27%
Yearly Total 44 9 53 208 3.9 41%
Nyheim Hines 15 7 22 90 4.1 73% 41% 18% 56% 57% 73%
Yearly Total 33 29 62 267 4.3 48%
Marlon Mack 0 0% 0% 39% 0% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 10 1 11 36 3.3 9%
Jeremy McNichols 0 0% 0% 0% 0% 9% 0%
Yearly Total 2 0 2 4 2.0 2%
Jacksonville Jaguars
T. J. Yeldon 10 8 18 122 6.8 86% 57% 55% 62% 58% 86%
Yearly Total 59 22 81 452 5.6 62%
Leonard Fournette 0 0 0% 40% 0% 0% 33% 0%
Yearly Total 20 4 24 90 3.8 18%
Corey Grant 1 1 8 8.0 5% 3% 45% 33% 8% 5%
Yearly Total 13 9 22 107 4.9 17%
Brandon Wilds 2 2 6 3.0 10% 0% 0% 5% 0% 10%
Yearly Total 3 0 3 11 3.7 2%
Kansas City Chiefs
Kareem Hunt 22 1 23 94 4.1 88% 80% 95% 86% 92% 88%
Yearly Total 93 5 98 442 4.5 88%
Spencer Ware 1 1 2 13 6.5 8% 20% 5% 14% 8% 8%
Yearly Total 8 4 12 92 7.7 11%
Damien Williams 1 1 0.0 4% 0% 0% 0% 0% 4%
Yearly Total 1 0 1 0 0.0 1%
Los Angeles Chargers
Melvin Gordon 19 4 23 120 5.2 77% 71% 52% 71% 69% 77%
Yearly Total 73 28 101 595 5.9 68%
Austin Ekeler 6 1 7 59 8.4 23% 29% 48% 29% 31% 23%
Yearly Total 34 14 48 410 8.5 32%
Los Angeles Rams
Todd Gurley 22 4 26 113 4.3 100% 100% 65% 85% 100% 100%
Yearly Total 101 19 120 645 5.4 88%
Malcom Brown 0 0 0% 0% 35% 15% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 17 0 17 0 0.0 12%
Miami Dolphins
Kenyan Drake 6 7 13 115 8.8 50% 65% 60% 54% 22% 50%
Yearly Total 39 17 56 277 4.9 52%
Frank Gore 12 0 12 63 5.3 46% 35% 40% 46% 72% 46%
Yearly Total 47 3 50 237 4.7 46%
Kalen Ballage 1 1 2 2.0 4% 0% 0% 0% 6% 4%
Yearly Total 2 0 2 5 2.5 2%
Minnesota Vikings
Dalvin Cook 0 0 0% 67% 76% 0% 67% 0%
Yearly Total 36 9 45 205 4.6 48%
Latavius Murray 11 2 13 56 4.3 68% 33% 24% 70% 27% 68%
Yearly Total 30 9 39 166 4.3 41%
Mike Boone 1 1 1 1.0 5% 0% 0% 30% 0% 5%
Yearly Total 3 1 4 12 3.0 4%
Roc Thomas 4 1 5 14 2.8 26% 0% 0% 0% 7% 26%
Yearly Total 5 1 6 18 3.0 6%
New England Patriots
Rex Burkhead 0 0 0% 58% 21% 8% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 24 3 27 117 4.3 17%
James White 2 10 12 77 6.4 39% 27% 39% 29% 39% 39%
Yearly Total 23 32 55 380 6.9 35%
Sony Michel 18 1 19 110 5.8 61% 0% 39% 63% 61% 61%
Yearly Total 67 3 70 312 4.5 45%
Jeremy Hill 0 0% 15% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 4 1 5 31 6.2 3%
New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara 6 3 9 39 4.3 33% 81% 68% 86% 83% 33%
Yearly Total 62 38 100 650 6.5 71%
Mike Gillislee 0 0 0% 14% 29% 8% 10% 0%
Yearly Total 16 1 17 52 3.1 12%
Jonathan Williams 0 0% 5% 4% 6% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 3 1 4 1 0.3 3%
Mark Ingram 16 2 18 73 4.1 67% 0% 0% 0% 0% 67%
Yearly Total 16 2 18 73 4.1 13%
Dwayne Washington 0 0% 0% 0% 0% 7% 0%
Yearly Total 2 0 2 2 1.0 1%
New York Giants
Saquon Barkley 15 4 19 129 6.8 100% 80% 93% 73% 76% 100%
Yearly Total 71 31 102 582 5.7 84%
Jonathan Stewart 0 0 0% 8% 0% 7% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 4 0 4 16 4.0 3%
Wayne Gallman 0 0% 12% 7% 20% 24% 0%
Yearly Total 10 6 16 59 3.7 13%
New York Jets
Bilal Powell 20 20 99 5.0 56% 43% 42% 44% 71% 56%
Yearly Total 59 10 69 369 5.3 50%
Isaiah Crowell 15 1 16 231 14.4 44% 33% 58% 56% 29% 44%
Yearly Total 57 6 63 426 6.8 45%
Trenton Cannon 0 0% 23% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 6 1 7 21 3.0 5%
Oakland Raiders
Jalen Richards 1 6 7 57 8.1 35% 42% 7% 16% 13% 35%
Yearly Total 9 24 33 234 7.1 22%
Marshawn Lynch 9 2 11 41 3.7 55% 39% 67% 59% 72% 55%
Yearly Total 77 12 89 401 4.5 59%
Doug Martin 2 2 1 0.5 10% 18% 27% 24% 16% 10%
Yearly Total 27 3 30 102 3.4 20%
Philadelphia Eagles
Jay Ajay 8 1 9 34 3.8 60% 52% 42% 0% 69% 60%
Yearly Total 45 5 50 204 4.1 41%
Darren Sproles 0 0 0% 31% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 5 4 9 32 3.6 7%
Corey Clement 0 0% 17% 58% 59% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 27 8 35 186 5.3 29%
Wendell Smallwood 3 3 6 68 11.3 40% 0% 0% 41% 31% 40%
Yearly Total 18 9 27 213 7.9 22%
Pittsburgh Steelers
James Conner 21 4 25 185 7.4 83% 100% 87% 87% 100% 83%
Yearly Total 84 22 106 581 5.5 100%
Stevan Ridley 5 5 8 1.6 17% 0% 13% 13% 0% 17%
Yearly Total 0 0 0 0 0 0%
San Francisco 49ers
Alfred Morris 18 3 21 91 4.3 58% 50% 53% 48% 29% 58%
Yearly Total 62 6 68 294 4.3 50%
Matt Breida 8 1 9 61 6.8 25% 50% 47% 45% 71% 25%
Yearly Total 49 11 60 459 7.7 44%
Raheem Mostert 5 1 6 9 1.5 17% 0% 0% 7% 0% 17%
Yearly Total 6 2 8 17 2.1 6%
Seattle Seahawks
Rashaad Penny 0 0 0% 52% 53% 8% 26% 0%
Yearly Total 29 4 33 127 3.8 23%
Chris Carson 19 1 20 127 6.4 59% 48% 32% 92% 0% 59%
Yearly Total 64 6 70 354 5.1 48%
C.J. Prosise 0 0% 0% 16% 0% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 0 3 3 22 7.3 2%
Mike Davis 12 2 14 75 5.4 41% 0% 0% 0% 74% 41%
Yearly Total 33 6 39 199 5.1 27%
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Peyton Barber 0 0 83% 65% 57% 42%
Yearly Total 50 2 52 161 3.1 63%
Jacquizz Rodgers 0 0 13% 31% 29% 0%
Yearly Total 9 6 15 56 3.7 18%
Shaun Wilson 0 4% 4% 14% 0%
Yearly Total 2 2 4 24 6.0 5%
Ronald Jones 0 0% 0% 0% 58%
Yearly Total 10 1 11 28 2.5 13%
Tennessee Titans
Dion Lewis 12 3 15 48 3.2 58% 66% 45% 40% 57% 58%
Yearly Total 55 21 76 307 4.0 53%
Derrick Henry 11 0 11 56 5.1 42% 34% 55% 60% 43% 42%
Yearly Total 65 3 68 231 3.4 47%
Washington Redskins
Adrian Peterson 4 2 6 42 7.0 25% 67% 44% 68% 25%
Yearly Total 60 7 67 378 5.6 53%
Chris Thompson 8 6 14 59 4.2 58% 26% 53% 25% 58%
Yearly Total 23 26 49 297 6.1 39%
Rob Kelley 0 0% 7% 3% 0% 0%
Yearly Total 4 0 4 8 2.0 3%
Kapri Bibbs 4 4 9 2.3 17% 0% 0% 7% 17%
Yearly Total 6 0 6 12 2.0 5%

Can we PLEASE get Aaron Jones more touches?

What in the world is going on in Green Bay? It astonishing that Aaron Jones played so well in the first half against Detroit and just disappeared after that. Since returning this year, Jones has averaged 6.7 yards per touch, including 6.6 yards per touch on 41% of the touches last week.

This is the same argument I make for Kerryon Johnson who is averaging 5.6 yards per touch. These guys should be getting more than 50% of the touches each week. Honestly, they should be between 60% and 70% each week. They are the most dynamic backs on their team and make the offense better when they are on the field. Jamaal Williams had his shot to take the starting job but has only averaged 3.9 yards per touch on 50% of the touches this season. It’s time to play your best players.

Tevin Coleman may get one more chance to earn his job

In Week 1, we saw what appeared to be a time share between Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman before Freeman left the game with an injury. You could have argued that Coleman looked to be favored in the backfield at that time. Since Freeman went out with an injury though, Coleman didn’t do anything to justify keeping the lead back role.

Freeman returned Week 5 to post 43% of the touches in the Falcons backfield and average 4.1 yards per touch. Another underwhelming performance from Coleman saw him only get 39% of the touches and average 3.3 yards per touch. So far on the season, Coleman is only averaging 4.4 yards per touch, well down from his average of 5.06 yards per touch in 2017. Coleman is playing for the majority share the rest of the season and is still auditioning for a new team in 2019. If Freeman will be out this week, we need to see a big performance from Coleman against a Tampa Bay defense giving up 23.60 fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Where will LeSean McCoy be after this week?

It appears that LeSean McCoy still has some left in the tank, but these final gallons need to be used on another team instead of wasted away in Buffalo. The Bills are not good on offense, regardless of their wins or performance against the Vikings. There will continue to be opportunities and volume for McCoy, but let’s add some efficiency to that volume.

Rumors have swirled that the Eagles are interested in bringing McCoy back to Philadelphia after the season ending injury to Jay Ajayi. McCoy is only averaging 4.3 yards per carry compared to his career average of 5.11 and I don’t see it coming close while he is in Buffalo. This past week McCoy had 26 touches, almost the same amount of touches he had coming into Week 5. A better team and a better offense would allow him to improve on these.

T.J. Yeldon is a legit RB1 with Leonard Fournette out

I still see a ton of questions about T.J. Yeldon on a weekly basis. It’s time to answer the question once and for all. Until Leonard Fournette returns and plays an entire game without leaving due to an injury, Yeldon needs to be in your lineup. Yeldon is doing a far better job of earning a contract this off-season than Coleman right now.

Yeldon is currently the RB11 in PPR leagues, but he has been terrific this season. Yeldon is averaging 5.6 yards per touch this season on 81 touches. The only running backs with similar or better numbers? Christian McCaffrey, Melvin Gordon, Alvin Kamara and Saquon Barkley. Yeldon has done enough to earn our respect at this point and be a weekly RB2 play with RB1 upside each week.

Imagine this…………

Your favorite team gutted their defense over the off-season and watched some staples of the team be forced out. It’s draft time and even though you could use help on defense or the offensive line, you use a first round pick on a running back. Now imagine it’s Week 5 and your first-round pick has zero touches compared to 20 touches for a seventh-round pick the year before and a former fourth-round pick.

If you can imagine this, then you know as well as me that the Seahawks have no clue what they are doing. This must be one of the worst draft picks in recent history. Pete Carroll has said that Rashaad Penny will be more involved as the season goes on, but if he is not involved while guys are down with an injury, how am I supposed to believe he will be involved moving forward? A quick thanks to the Seahawks for ruining one of the favorite players in the draft.

Le’Veon who?

This is just a quick weekly update of how well James Conner has played this season. Currently with 83% of the touches in 2018, Conner is still averaging 5.5 yards per touch while shouldering a Le’Veon Bell like workload. If you are targeting Bell in trades right now, trying to buy low, stop. More than likely you won’t be getting him at a low price. There is no guarantee Bell sees a significant, fantasy reliable touch share when he returns. Conner recently received the praise of Ben Roethlisberger and if he keeps playing like this, deserves to be on the field.




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