RBs with most volume this year? (1 Viewer)

[Long Ball Larry]

Last year there were 15 running backs who played 60% of their teams snaps . Having a hard time finding the percentage of a team’s RB touches for each RB, but looking at total touches per game, it seems like it’s roughly the same.

This year, I would say that these 10 are the most likely to be at the top of that list

Hall
Taylor
Pacheco
Etienne
Barkley
R White
Connor
K williams
Mccaffrey
Henry

These guys have a pretty good shot
Jacobs
Kamara
Bijan
KWIII
Aaron jones
Zeke
Stevenson
James cook

Some chance

Mixon
Pollard
Moss


Anyone from this list or not in this list that you think is particularly likely to get the lion’s share of their team’s RB volume? Seems harder and harder to suss this out every year.

 

[FarFromHome]

Good work. Solid list. I think Gus Edwards can be in the "some chance" grouping. Chargers have limited weapons and a pretty decent offensive line. While they transition into the new regime I can see 250 rushing attempts from him.

 

[packdog]

zamir white should be on one of those lists. unless that white on the top list is zamir and not rachaad

 

[Proteus]

If this is accurate, Bijan's a bust then? Or do you predict substantial target volume?

 

[BobbyLayne]

2023 RBs Top 24 touches per game

(sorry LBL, couldn’t find by % or market share by team, that would be more helpful.)

NAME	TOUCHES/G	TM	GP	ATT	RUSH YDS	YPC	RUSH YDS/G	RUSH TD	REC YDS	REC	TGT	YPR	REC YDS/G	REC TD
1. Kyren Williams	21.7	LAR	12	228	1,144	5.0	95.3	12	206	32	48	6.4	17.2	3
2. Christian McCaffrey	21.2	SF	16	272	1,459	5.4	91.2	14	564	67	83	8.4	35.3	7
3. Josh Jacobs	20.8	LV	13	233	805	3.5	61.9	6	296	37	54	8.0	22.8	0
4. Saquon Barkley	20.6	NYG	14	247	962	3.9	68.7	6	280	41	60	6.8	20.0	4
5. Rachaad White	19.8	TB	17	272	990	3.6	58.2	6	549	64	70	8.6	32.3	3
6. Alvin Kamara	19.6	NO	13	180	694	3.9	53.4	5	466	75	86	6.2	35.8	1
7. Travis Etienne	19.1	JAX	17	267	1,008	3.8	59.3	11	476	58	73	8.2	28.0	1
8. Jonathan Taylor	18.8	IND	10	169	741	4.4	74.1	7	153	19	23	8.1	15.3	1
9. Joe Mixon	18.2	CIN	17	257	1,034	4.0	60.8	9	376	52	64	7.2	22.1	3
10. Derrick Henry	18.1	TEN	17	280	1,167	4.2	68.6	12	214	28	36	7.6	12.6	0
11. James Conner	18.1	ARI	13	208	1,040	5.0	80.0	7	165	27	33	6.1	12.7	2
12. Tony Pollard	18.1	DAL	17	252	1,005	4.0	59.1	6	311	55	67	5.7	18.3	0
13. Isiah Pacheco	17.8	KC	14	205	935	4.6	66.8	7	244	44	49	5.5	17.4	2
14. Breece Hall	17.6	NYJ	17	223	994	4.5	58.5	5	591	76	95	7.8	34.8	4
15. David Montgomery	16.8	DET	14	219	1,015	4.6	72.5	13	117	16	24	7.3	8.4	0
16. D'Andre Swift	16.8	PHI	16	229	1,049	4.6	65.6	5	214	39	49	5.5	13.4	1
17. Najee Harris	16.7	PIT	17	255	1,035	4.1	60.9	8	170	29	38	5.9	10.0	0
18. Kenneth Walker	16.5	SEA	15	219	905	4.1	60.3	8	259	29	37	8.9	17.3	1
19. James Cook	16.5	BUF	17	237	1,122	4.7	66.0	2	445	44	54	10.1	26.2	4
20. Javonte Williams	16.5	DEN	16	217	774	3.6	48.4	3	228	47	58	4.9	14.3	2
21. Austin Ekeler	16.4	LAC	14	179	628	3.5	44.9	5	436	51	74	8.5	31.1	1
22. Chuba Hubbard	16.3	CAR	17	238	902	3.8	53.1	5	233	39	44	6.0	13.7	0
23. R. Stevenson	16.2	NE	12	156	619	4.0	51.6	4	238	38	51	6.3	19.8	0
24. Bijan Robinson	16.0	ATL	17	214	976	4.6	57.4	4	487	58	86	8.4	28.6	4

 

[Instinctive]

Zamir White (or Rachaad whichever isn't the one you listed)

Kind of thinking maybe Najee Harris going under the radar on this stuff.

And Javonte Williams.

 

[BobbyLayne]

The Steelers two primary backs:

• Harris 284 touches 183.0 Pts
• Warren 210 touches 169.9

RB 21 & RB 25 - in 0.5 PPR

In 1.0 PPR, Warren was RB 21, Harris RB 23. Both played 17 G.

High value touches are more important than touches.

Slightly off topic…if you look at RB 1-12 each year over the last 20 years, the PPG is down for RBs. However, the % of points derived from Receiving has steadily gone up.

This doesn’t help us in the quest for relevant data, but on a macro level, this was an interesting study:

Fantasy Football Beneath the Surface: Historical RB Volume & Market Share Trends​

 

[Pigskin Fanatic]

2023 RBs Top 24 touches per game
market share by team

	Player	Tm	Gms	Total Touches	Touch/Gm	Touch%Tm	Touch%RB
1​	Kyren Williams	LAR	12​	260​	21.7	42.3	77.4
2​	Christian McCaffrey	SFO	16​	339​	21.2	42.9	72.9
3​	Josh Jacobs	LVR	13​	270​	20.8	47.5	85.2
4​	Saquon Barkley	NYG	14​	288​	20.6	44.2	84.2
5​	Rachaad White	TAM	17​	336​	19.8	41.8	76.0
6​	Alvin Kamara	NOR	13​	255​	19.6	37.6	70.1
7​	Travis Etienne	JAX	17​	325​	19.1	37.6	76.1
8​	Jonathan Taylor	IND	10​	188​	18.8	38.6	64.2
9​	Joe Mixon	CIN	17​	309​	18.2	38.5	78.8
10​	Derrick Henry	TEN	17​	308​	18.1	41.4	66.5
11​	James Conner	ARI	13​	235​	18.1	36.8	73.0
12​	Tony Pollard	DAL	17​	307​	18.1	34.3	67.9
13​	Isiah Pacheco	KAN	14​	249​	17.8	35.4	74.1
14​	Breece Hall	NYJ	17​	299​	17.6	40.4	68.3
15​	David Montgomery	DET	14​	235​	16.8	32.0	54.9
16​	D'Andre Swift	PHI	16​	268​	16.8	32.1	66.7
17​	Najee Harris	PIT	17​	284​	16.7	35.1	57.3
18​	Kenneth Walker III	SEA	15​	248​	16.5	37.1	68.3
19​	James Cook	BUF	17​	281​	16.5	31.3	62.2
20​	Javonte Williams	DEN	16​	264​	16.5	35.4	57.1
21​	Austin Ekeler	LAC	14​	230​	16.4	33.6	68.5
22​	Chuba Hubbard	CAR	17​	277​	16.3	34.9	61.1
23​	Rhamondre Stevenson	NWE	12​	194​	16.2	34.4	58.8
24​	Bijan Robinson	ATL	17​	272​	16.0	32.0	50.6

Touch%Tm is percentage of total team touches, Touch%RB is percentage of total RB touches. All numbers only include weeks where the player had stats, so omits from baseline any weeks that player did not play. The other columns should be same as Bobby's above, including the rankings, though it came from my own sheets of data.

 

[Soulfly3]

Josh Jacobs seems to be a lock for me if he's healthy all season.

 

[TheWinz]

Nowadays, 300 touches seems to be the number associated with a "workhorse" RB. Last year, only 6 RB's reached it. And with the new 17-game schedule, that amounts to 17.7 touches per game, which 13 RB's reached. But of the 6 to hit 300, CMC was the only one who missed even a single game (sat out final week). Here's my top 10-touch list for 2024 (not necessarily in order):

1 - Rachaad White - An every-down RB with a 20 pound advantage over his new backup. Bucky is there to give Rachaad a breather, and yes, Rachaad is a better receiver.
2 - Travis Etienne - Has same 2 RB's behind him on the depth chart that were there in 2023, and they didn't magically get better.
3 - Jonathan Taylor - Over the 17.7 touch per game threshold in each of his first 4 seasons. I won't predict injury for him, so he has to make the list.
4 - Christian McCaffrey - As much as Shanny wants to keep him fresh, the fact is CMC is what is going to get them there. Barring injury, he is a lock for 300+.
5 - Breece Hall - 1 touch away from 300 last year, after being brought back slowly (37 touches in first 4 games). From week 5 on, he was the touch leader with 262.
6 - Derrick Henry - Don't be scared by Lamar stealing carries. And at 30 years old, they won't be thinking about next year as they run Henry a ton.
7 - Saquon Barkley - In Philly, Swift had 268 in 2023/Sanders had 279 in 2022. I think Saquon's a tad better and the RB2 in PHI has stayed the same the last 3 seasons.
8 - Josh Jacobs - Which active RB has the highest touch per game average? Even if you removed his monster year, he's still at 19.8 (for reference, Henry is at 18.4 lifetime).
9 - Joe Mixon - Another high-touch RB who switched teams. Big-bodied plodder with good hands. Last fumble nearly 700 touches ago. This ain't a 1A/1B thing with Pierce.
10 - Gus Edwards - Had to throw in a dark horse here. Dobbins will not come back to health and Gus will have his highest touch season right before he turns 30.

I was about to post this, when I realized - my bottom 5 guys all switched teams this year.

 

[BobbyLayne]

2023 RBs Top 24 touches per game
market share by team

	Player	Tm	Gms	Total Touches	Touch/Gm	Touch%Tm	Touch%RB
1​	Kyren Williams	LAR	12​	260​	21.7	42.3	77.4
2​	Christian McCaffrey	SFO	16​	339​	21.2	42.9	72.9
3​	Josh Jacobs	LVR	13​	270​	20.8	47.5	85.2
4​	Saquon Barkley	NYG	14​	288​	20.6	44.2	84.2
5​	Rachaad White	TAM	17​	336​	19.8	41.8	76.0
6​	Alvin Kamara	NOR	13​	255​	19.6	37.6	70.1
7​	Travis Etienne	JAX	17​	325​	19.1	37.6	76.1
8​	Jonathan Taylor	IND	10​	188​	18.8	38.6	64.2
9​	Joe Mixon	CIN	17​	309​	18.2	38.5	78.8
10​	Derrick Henry	TEN	17​	308​	18.1	41.4	66.5
11​	James Conner	ARI	13​	235​	18.1	36.8	73.0
12​	Tony Pollard	DAL	17​	307​	18.1	34.3	67.9
13​	Isiah Pacheco	KAN	14​	249​	17.8	35.4	74.1
14​	Breece Hall	NYJ	17​	299​	17.6	40.4	68.3
15​	David Montgomery	DET	14​	235​	16.8	32.0	54.9
16​	D'Andre Swift	PHI	16​	268​	16.8	32.1	66.7
17​	Najee Harris	PIT	17​	284​	16.7	35.1	57.3
18​	Kenneth Walker III	SEA	15​	248​	16.5	37.1	68.3
19​	James Cook	BUF	17​	281​	16.5	31.3	62.2
20​	Javonte Williams	DEN	16​	264​	16.5	35.4	57.1
21​	Austin Ekeler	LAC	14​	230​	16.4	33.6	68.5
22​	Chuba Hubbard	CAR	17​	277​	16.3	34.9	61.1
23​	Rhamondre Stevenson	NWE	12​	194​	16.2	34.4	58.8
24​	Bijan Robinson	ATL	17​	272​	16.0	32.0	50.6

Touch%Tm is percentage of total team touches, Touch%RB is percentage of total RB touches. All numbers only include weeks where the player had stats, so omits from baseline any weeks that player did not play. The other columns should be same as Bobby's above, including the rankings, though it came from my own sheets of data.

Thanks, GB. I have a spreadsheet with the 2023 production data for all of the 167 RBs who saw a touch last year. Another tab has total touches by positions by teams. Was lazy/tired and didn't feel like doing a pivot table & doing the slicing/dicing lol.

Appreciate you doing this.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Nowadays, 300 touches seems to be the number associated with a "workhorse" RB. Last year, only 6 RB's reached it. And with the new 17-game schedule, that amounts to 17.7 touches per game, which 13 RB's reached. But of the 6 to hit 300, CMC was the only one who missed even a single game (sat out final week). Here's my top 10-touch list for 2024 (not necessarily in order):

1 - Rachaad White - An every-down RB with a 20 pound advantage over his new backup. Bucky is there to give Rachaad a breather, and yes, Rachaad is a better receiver.
2 - Travis Etienne - Has same 2 RB's behind him on the depth chart that were there in 2023, and they didn't magically get better.
3 - Jonathan Taylor - Over the 17.7 touch per game threshold in each of his first 4 seasons. I won't predict injury for him, so he has to make the list.
4 - Christian McCaffrey - As much as Shanny wants to keep him fresh, the fact is CMC is what is going to get them there. Barring injury, he is a lock for 300+.
5 - Breece Hall - 1 touch away from 300 last year, after being brought back slowly (37 touches in first 4 games). From week 5 on, he was the touch leader with 262.
6 - Derrick Henry - Don't be scared by Lamar stealing carries. And at 30 years old, they won't be thinking about next year as they run Henry a ton.
7 - Saquon Barkley - In Philly, Swift had 268 in 2023/Sanders had 279 in 2022. I think Saquon's a tad better and the RB2 in PHI has stayed the same the last 3 seasons.
8 - Josh Jacobs - Which active RB has the highest touch per game average? Even if you removed his monster year, he's still at 19.8 (for reference, Henry is at 18.4 lifetime).
9 - Joe Mixon - Another high-touch RB who switched teams. Big-bodied plodder with good hands. Last fumble nearly 700 touches ago. This ain't a 1A/1B thing with Pierce.
10 - Gus Edwards - Had to throw in a dark horse here. Dobbins will not come back to health and Gus will have his highest touch season right before he turns 30.

I was about to post this, when I realized - my bottom 5 guys all switched teams this year.

Yeah, I would normally put Jacobs up there as a no brainer, but with the team switch and AJ Dillon there, I’m not sure he is quite as high in volume. Same as mixon changing teams and Pierce there. They both give me a little pause, though maybe it shouldn’t.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

The Steelers two primary backs:

• Harris 284 touches 183.0 Pts
• Warren 210 touches 169.9

RB 21 & RB 25 - in 0.5 PPR

In 1.0 PPR, Warren was RB 21, Harris RB 23. Both played 17 G.

High value touches are more important than touches.

Slightly off topic…if you look at RB 1-12 each year over the last 20 years, the PPG is down for RBs. However, the % of points derived from Receiving has steadily gone up.

This doesn’t help us in the quest for relevant data, but on a macro level, this was an interesting study:

Fantasy Football Beneath the Surface: Historical RB Volume & Market Share Trends​

Yeah, I mean there’s no doubt that Harris COULD do it, but hard to bet on the split between him and Warren changing too muchZ

 

[Long Ball Larry]

If this is accurate, Bijan's a bust then? Or do you predict substantial target volume?

I’m thinking about total touches, but it will be a pretty big jump for him in terms of touches to get into the top 10. Certainly possible and he may not need as many touches as some to provide a lot of value. I mainly want to feel out better bets after the first two rounds based on volume.

 

[BobbyLayne]

The Steelers two primary backs:

• Harris 284 touches 183.0 Pts
• Warren 210 touches 169.9

RB 21 & RB 25 - in 0.5 PPR

In 1.0 PPR, Warren was RB 21, Harris RB 23. Both played 17 G.

High value touches are more important than touches.

Slightly off topic…if you look at RB 1-12 each year over the last 20 years, the PPG is down for RBs. However, the % of points derived from Receiving has steadily gone up.

This doesn’t help us in the quest for relevant data, but on a macro level, this was an interesting study:

Fantasy Football Beneath the Surface: Historical RB Volume & Market Share Trends​

Yeah, I mean there’s no doubt that Harris COULD do it, but hard to bet on the split between him and Warren changing too muchZ

To me the key factor there is Russ is cooked, and if Justin is running the show, those two guys are not getting peppered like we’re used to seeing.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Zamir White (or Rachaad whichever isn't the one you listed)

Kind of thinking maybe Najee Harris going under the radar on this stuff.

And Javonte Williams.

I guess I have a hard time having faith in zamir making that jump and mattison is there. But the raiders don’t have much behind that.

Javonte is an interesting one. I might have been giving McLaughlin too much credit when looking through the depth charts, and hopefully now Javonte is fully recovered

 

[LawFitz]

Nowadays, 300 touches seems to be the number associated with a "workhorse" RB. Last year, only 6 RB's reached it. And with the new 17-game schedule, that amounts to 17.7 touches per game, which 13 RB's reached. But of the 6 to hit 300, CMC was the only one who missed even a single game (sat out final week). Here's my top 10-touch list for 2024 (not necessarily in order):

1 - Rachaad White - An every-down RB with a 20 pound advantage over his new backup. Bucky is there to give Rachaad a breather, and yes, Rachaad is a better receiver.
2 - Travis Etienne - Has same 2 RB's behind him on the depth chart that were there in 2023, and they didn't magically get better.
3 - Jonathan Taylor - Over the 17.7 touch per game threshold in each of his first 4 seasons. I won't predict injury for him, so he has to make the list.
4 - Christian McCaffrey - As much as Shanny wants to keep him fresh, the fact is CMC is what is going to get them there. Barring injury, he is a lock for 300+.
5 - Breece Hall - 1 touch away from 300 last year, after being brought back slowly (37 touches in first 4 games). From week 5 on, he was the touch leader with 262.
6 - Derrick Henry - Don't be scared by Lamar stealing carries. And at 30 years old, they won't be thinking about next year as they run Henry a ton.
7 - Saquon Barkley - In Philly, Swift had 268 in 2023/Sanders had 279 in 2022. I think Saquon's a tad better and the RB2 in PHI has stayed the same the last 3 seasons.
8 - Josh Jacobs - Which active RB has the highest touch per game average? Even if you removed his monster year, he's still at 19.8 (for reference, Henry is at 18.4 lifetime).
9 - Joe Mixon - Another high-touch RB who switched teams. Big-bodied plodder with good hands. Last fumble nearly 700 touches ago. This ain't a 1A/1B thing with Pierce.
10 - Gus Edwards - Had to throw in a dark horse here. Dobbins will not come back to health and Gus will have his highest touch season right before he turns 30.

I was about to post this, when I realized - my bottom 5 guys all switched teams this year.

Yeah, I would normally put Jacobs up there as a no brainer, but with the team switch and AJ Dillon there, I’m not sure he is quite as high in volume. Same as mixon changing teams and Pierce there. They both give me a little pause, though maybe it shouldn’t.

Dillon and Pierce give you pause?

ETA: and Mattison?

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Nowadays, 300 touches seems to be the number associated with a "workhorse" RB. Last year, only 6 RB's reached it. And with the new 17-game schedule, that amounts to 17.7 touches per game, which 13 RB's reached. But of the 6 to hit 300, CMC was the only one who missed even a single game (sat out final week). Here's my top 10-touch list for 2024 (not necessarily in order):

1 - Rachaad White - An every-down RB with a 20 pound advantage over his new backup. Bucky is there to give Rachaad a breather, and yes, Rachaad is a better receiver.
2 - Travis Etienne - Has same 2 RB's behind him on the depth chart that were there in 2023, and they didn't magically get better.
3 - Jonathan Taylor - Over the 17.7 touch per game threshold in each of his first 4 seasons. I won't predict injury for him, so he has to make the list.
4 - Christian McCaffrey - As much as Shanny wants to keep him fresh, the fact is CMC is what is going to get them there. Barring injury, he is a lock for 300+.
5 - Breece Hall - 1 touch away from 300 last year, after being brought back slowly (37 touches in first 4 games). From week 5 on, he was the touch leader with 262.
6 - Derrick Henry - Don't be scared by Lamar stealing carries. And at 30 years old, they won't be thinking about next year as they run Henry a ton.
7 - Saquon Barkley - In Philly, Swift had 268 in 2023/Sanders had 279 in 2022. I think Saquon's a tad better and the RB2 in PHI has stayed the same the last 3 seasons.
8 - Josh Jacobs - Which active RB has the highest touch per game average? Even if you removed his monster year, he's still at 19.8 (for reference, Henry is at 18.4 lifetime).
9 - Joe Mixon - Another high-touch RB who switched teams. Big-bodied plodder with good hands. Last fumble nearly 700 touches ago. This ain't a 1A/1B thing with Pierce.
10 - Gus Edwards - Had to throw in a dark horse here. Dobbins will not come back to health and Gus will have his highest touch season right before he turns 30.

I was about to post this, when I realized - my bottom 5 guys all switched teams this year.

Yeah, I would normally put Jacobs up there as a no brainer, but with the team switch and AJ Dillon there, I’m not sure he is quite as high in volume. Same as mixon changing teams and Pierce there. They both give me a little pause, though maybe it shouldn’t.

Dillon and Pierce give you pause?

ETA: and Mattison?

Yes?

Pierce maybe shouldn’t be a worry based on what he did last year, but the packers seem to like dillon and the raiders obviously brought mattison in for reason.

How many touches do you see Z White and Jacobs getting?

 

[LawFitz]

If Jacobs, Mixon and White struggle to live up to their hype in 2024, it won't be b/c of Dillon, Pierce and Mattison IMO. The latter three are backup-level players.

That said, Jacobs and Mixon could be washed and Zamir could be a '23 pan flash.

 

[EWV1]

Re: Jacobs, I read somewhere that LaFleur typically uses a rotation so RBBC could emerge with a rejuvenated Dillon and/or Lloyd.
But of course coaching trends can change with new personnel as Jacobs has been a workhorse.

 

[zamboni]

Re: Jacobs, I read somewhere that LaFleur typically uses a rotation so RBBC could emerge with a rejuvenated Dillon and/or Lloyd.
But of course coaching trends can change with new personnel as Jacobs has been a workhorse.

Jacobs could earn his way into a big workload - or perhaps, more likely, Dillon and Lloyd could earn it for him.. Dillon has yet to show anything in his career, while Lloyd has been dinged up, and if the buzz is accurate, hasn't exactly impressed as of yet.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Re: Jacobs, I read somewhere that LaFleur typically uses a rotation so RBBC could emerge with a rejuvenated Dillon and/or Lloyd.
But of course coaching trends can change with new personnel as Jacobs has been a workhorse.

Jacobs could earn his way into a big workload - or perhaps, more likely, Dillon and Lloyd could earn it for him.. Dillon has yet to show anything in his career, while Lloyd has been dinged up, and if the buzz is accurate, hasn't exactly impressed as of yet.

Dillon has had over 200 touches per year for the last 3 years playing alongside a pro bowl caliber running back. The coach is still the same. I think this is really important to keep in mind when projecting Jacobs’ volume.

Now, Jacobs will probably be healthier than jones and is maybe more similar to Dillon than jones was, so perhaps Jacobs eats in to Dillon’s usual touches.

I’m just saying that there’s a decent chance that Dillon still gets his touches. Of course, it sounds like it might be on the roster bubble, so that would obviously change things

 

[Instinctive]

There are a lot of murky backfields this year. I'm only through DEN in my projections right now, but there's a bunch that will either be garbage, or have potential to way outperform ADP.

Jerome Ford: idk if I believe Foreman is taking carries, which means he may be a volume king until Chubb is back, which still has no timetable I can find?

Dallas: Either Zeke or Dowdle or someone TBD is gonna get carries. Someone has to. And that offense should still move the ball a lot, so there should be plenty of high value carries and targets to b had especially with lackluster receivers after Lamb/Ferguson.

Denver: with Payton and Nix...just feels like Javonte is super undervalued based on a year recovering from injury. I can see myself ending up with a lot of shares of him.

James Cook: idk who else they'll give the ball to and this guy is electric. Good receiving but bad goalline is unfortunate with Allen as the GLB.

Chicago: I split it up right now at 13/game to swift, 11/game to Herbert. Roschon Johnson could take from either? Another murky one but with MUCH improved receivers and QB you'd think there's value here too.