2021 Running Backs | Football Outsiders

RUSHING: Minimum 96 rushes

Player	Team	DYAR		YAR		DVOA		VOA		Runs	Yards	EYds		TD	FUM	Suc Rate
J. Taylor	IND	1	412	1	345	1	34.1%	1	27.2%	209	1,205	1	1,498	14	2	3	59%
L. Fournette	TB	2	187	5	159	3	19.9%	5	15.8%	139	621	4	866	7	0	2	59%
J. Robinson	JAX	3	184	4	169	2	23.9%	2	21.3%	129	654	5	786	7	1	10	54%
A. Ekeler	LAC	4	134	8	124	4	14.0%	6	12.4%	135	604	9	728	7	0	7	55%
J. Mixon	CIN	5	121	3	171	12	4.4%	9	9.8%	208	924	2	996	11	0	8	55%
N. Chubb
D. Henderson
T. Pollard
J. Conner
E. Elliott
A. Dillon
M. Gordon
M. Carter
D. Henry
A. Jones
D. Williams
D. Singletary
A. Collins
C. McCaffrey
D. Montgomery
E. Mitchell
J. Jacobs
N. Harris
D. Harris
J. Williams
D. Cook
A. Gibson
M. Ingram
A. Kamara
M. Gaskin
C. Hubbard
D. Swift
M. Davis

RUSHING: 18-95 rushes

Player	Team	DYAR	YAR	DVOA	VOA	Runs	Yards	EYds	TD	FUM
J. Williams	DET	95	89	15.0%	13.7%	93	388	499	2	0
J. Howard	PHI	91	110	31.4%	39.7%	51	274	344	3	0
C. Edmonds	ARI	89	95	18.4%	20.1%	76	430	429	1	0
D. Johnson	CLE	75	81	22.4%	25.0%	61	320	329	2	0
B. Scott	PHI	73	81	19.0%	22.2%	61	285	346	4	1
M. Sanders
N. Hines
J. McKissic
R. Jones
R. Stevenson
D. Freeman
K. Herbert
K. Hunt
C. Patterson
C. Edwards-Helaire
C. Carson
K. Drake
D. Hilliard
D. Foreman
E. Penny
L. Murray
M. Breida
Z. Moss
T. Sermon
D. Williams
40-D.Gore
T. Williams
T. Coleman
J. McNichols
S. Michel
B. Bolden
S. Barkley
M. Brown
E. Benjamin
32-J.Patterson
A. Peterson
D. Booker
C. Hyde
R. Freeman
S. Perine
K. Gainwell
M. Mack
T. Jones
A. Abdullah
L. Bell
W. Gallman
T. Johnson
J. Taylor
P. Barber
R. Burkhead
J. Wilson
S. Ahmed
L. Rountree
31-P.Lindsay
A. Mattison
D. Johnson

RECEIVING: Minimum 24 passes

Player	Team	DYAR		YAR		DVOA		VOA		Passes	Yards	EYds		TD	Catch Rate		FUM
C. Patterson	ATL	1	199	1	203	3	48.2%	3	49.6%	52	500	1	639	5	22	79%	0
A. Ekeler	LAC	2	152	2	150	10	26.6%	10	26.2%	66	473	2	576	7	27	77%	2
C. McCaffrey	CAR	3	118	3	128	5	34.8%	4	38.6%	41	343	3	419	1	4	90%	0
B. Bolden	NE	4	108	4	112	2	50.2%	2	52.8%	33	296	10	344	1	1	94%	0
K. Juszczyk	SF	5	100	6	107	1	65.1%	1	70.9%	25	210	14	297	1	8	84%	0
T. Johnson
D. Williams
A. Kamara
J. McKissic
K. Drake
A. Dillon
T. Pollard
D. Booker
L. Fournette
A. Jones
D. Johnson
D. Swift
K. Hunt
E. Elliott
M. Carter
N. Harris
K. Gainwell
M. Gordon
A. Abdullah
M. Gaskin
D. Cook
J. Taylor
J. Williams
Z. Moss
C. Hubbard
M. Ingram
J. McNichols
C. Edmonds
A. Gibson
J. Jacobs
G. Bernard
N. Hines
A. Mattison
M. Sanders
J. Mixon
S. Barkley
J. Robinson
D. Henderson
M. Davis
D. Singletary

RECEIVING: 8-23 passes

Player	Team	DYAR	YAR	DVOA	VOA	Passes	Yards	EYds	TD	Catch Rate	FUM
C. Evans	CIN	72	76	101.3%	108.0%	11	127	193	1	100%	0
D. Felton	CLE	67	54	54.7%	42.2%	15	147	207	1	87%	0
T. Homer	SEA	66	62	82.6%	76.5%	12	128	185	0	92%	0
N. Chubb	CLE	58	56	58.7%	56.7%	14	106	176	1	86%	0
J. Conner	ARI	53	54	35.6%	36.3%	21	173	187	1	90%	0
D. Freeman
S. Perine
E. Mitchell
C. Edwards-Helaire
D. Henry
A. Ingold
K. Smith
T. Williams
D. Harris
D. Montgomery
J. Williams
R. Burkhead
D. Johnson
J. White
C. Ham
S. Michel
R. Stevenson
J. Richard
A. Collins
J. McKinnon
S. Ahmed
J. Jackson
P. Ricard
D. Hilliard
D. Dallas
J. Hasty
K. Herbert
T. Coleman
D. Williams
B. Scott
C. Hyde

This table explained

Running backs are ranked according to DYAR, or Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement. This gives the value of the performance on plays where this RB carried/caught the ball compared to replacement level, adjusted for situation and opponent and then translated into yardage. DYAR (and its cousin, YAR, which isn't adjusted based on opponent) is further explained here.

The next statistic given is DVOA, or Defense-adjusted Value Over Average. This number represents value, per play, over an average running back in the same game situations. The more positive the DVOA rating, the better the player's performance. Negative DVOA represents below-average offense. DVOA (and its cousin, VOA, which isn't adjusted based on opponent) is further explained here.

The simple version: DYAR means a running back with more total value. DVOA means a running back with more value per play.

Because it is currently early in the season, there are not yet strength of schedule adjustments. They will begin after Week 4.

Effective Yards (EYds) translate DVOA into a yards per attempt figure. This provides an easy comparison: in general, players with more Effective Yards than standard yards played better than standard stats would otherwise indicate, while players with fewer Effective Yards than standard yards played worse than standard stats would otherwise indicate. Effective Yards are not the best way to measure total value because they are more dependent on usage than DYAR.

The final statistic is Success Rate. This number represents the player's consistency, measured by successful running plays (the definition of success being different based on down and distance) divided by total running plays. A player with higher DVOA and a low success rate mixes long runs with downs getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage. A player with lower DVOA and a high success rate generally gets the yards needed, but doesn't often get more. Success Rate is further explained here. It is not adjusted for opponent.

These numbers do not separate the performance of a running back from the performance of his offensive line. (You'll find numbers that try to do that on this page.) Be aware that one will affect the other.
All fumbles are considered equal, whether recovered by the offense or defense.

Clicking on a player's name will bring you to his FO player page with advanced stats through the most recent season.

Regular season only.

Note for 1987: strikebreaker games (Weeks 4-6) are not included.