02-27-2020, 02:14 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-01-2020, 11:39 PM by JKortesi81.)
Alright, welcome back, folks! Considering I am sick today and have some free time on my hands, I wanted to do another one of my long form articles that dive into a position that I have absolutely no bias towards. This'll also hopefully break up some of the monotony for the graders that have to grade a billion draft articles. I will be looking at every running back from the S18 draft that is currently on an NSFL team and ranking them. Keep in mind that these are personal rankings, but I’ll try to be as fair as I can. These are also not predictions for the future! Any of the guys on this list could have a sudden surge and crush the competition, this is just a ranking of the S18 running back class in S20. Any IAs wallowing down in the DSFL, well, sorry. Should have stayed with the cool kids (And not like you’re gonna read this anyways). I am going off of the TPE tracker to see who is where, so if something is incorrect, tough.
The Players
Marcella Toriki, New Orleans Second Line
Jake Utler, Chicago Butchers
Michael Vincent, Colorado Yeti
Fuzzy Dotson, Philadelphia Liberty
Orien Drake, Yellowknife Wraiths
Mathias Hanyadi, Yellowknife Wraiths
Ruff Ruff, Arizona Outlaws
There’s a solid amount of representation here! 6 teams use running backs from the S18 class, with Yellowknife having two of them. Though some of these guys might have lower usage than others in the class, they’ve all done something. So, time to rank. And, well, someone has to start out at the bottom of this list.
#7: Jake Utler, Chicago Butchers
S20 Stats
50 Rushing Attempts, 207 Rushing Yards, 4.1 YPC
20 Receptions, 161 Receiving Yards, 1 TD
Sooooo, yeah. Utler kinda sucks. No shade to the man behind him, but Utler is a 200 TPE IA running back. Not only that, the guy he was backing up also kind of sucked, which just makes Utler look that much worse. With some of the other low usage guys up higher on this list, they at least have reasons as to why they aren’t the cream of the crop. Every single one of the guys coming up has a running back that’s simply better. Utler had a guy that was pretty mediocre ahead of him, so that just tells you how bad Utler is. Now, time to move on.
#6: Fuzzy Dotson, Philadelphia Liberty
S20 Stats
18 Rushing Attempts, 108 Rushing Yards, 6 YPC
48 Receptions, 500 Receiving Yards, 2 TDs
And this is what I mean when I say some of these guys have to back up superior talent. Dotson is sitting behind Sam Torenson, one of if not the best running back in the league currently. That’s not to say he had a bad season, quite the opposite. He was a solid pass catcher, actually better than Torenson by a solid margin, but in terms of rushing… Yeah, Torenson wins out there. If he was even slightly better he’d take the #5 spot, but the numbers just weren’t in his favor this season. Get ‘em next year.
#5: Michael Vincent, Colorado Yeti
S20 Stats
99 Rushing Attempts, 356 Rushing Yards, 3.6 YPC, 3 TDs
28 Receptions, 199 Receiving Yards, 2 TDs
Well, this is becoming a trend for the guys at the bottom. Vincent is stuck behind possibly the best dual purpose running back in the league, Ashley Owens. Having said that, Vincent still carved out a decent season for himself with nearly a hundred rush attempts as well as scoring three times. He might not be as versatile as Owens, but he still has some use for the Yeti. Not bad, Vincent.
#4: Marcella Toriki, New Orleans Second Line
S20 Stats
218 Rushing Attempts, 926 Rushing Yards, 4.2 YPC, 3 TDs
22 Receptions, 136 Receiving Yards
Once again, someone stuck with a partner that’s much better than they are. No shade to Toriki, but Gump is also one of the best running backs in the league and he sucked up all of the scoring. She had solid numbers, but the points were just not there for her. If we were ranking it based on overall careers (which is something I might do eventually), she’d probably be first on that list, maybe second. But for Season 20, she stumbled for just a moment and tumble down to be middle of the pack
#3: Ruff Ruff, Arizona Outlaws
S20 Stats
232 Rushing Attempts, 907 Rushing Yards, 3.9 YPC, 7 TDs
40 Receptions, 282 Receiving Yards, 1 TD
Unlike everyone else on this list who came before him (and spoiler: everyone who comes after), Ruff didn’t have to share the backfield with anyone. Considering that, his season was… Pedestrian. Not to say he was bad, far from it in fact. Ruff had a solid season for the Outlaws. But considering he was the only one running, it could have been better. Maybe once he comes back and starts earning again, Ruff will become the superstar I know he can be. But as of right now, he’s within the top three, though he might trade this spot with Toriki by next season.
#2: Orien Drake, Yellowknife Wraiths
S20 Stats
192 Rushing Attempts, 780 Rushing Yards, 10 TDs
50 Receptions, 321 Receiving Yards, 1 TD
Now, you might yell homerism. I will yell he scored 3 more touchdowns than Ruff and 7 more than Toriki. I’d rather win a game of football rather than gain a few extra yards every game. Despite sharing a backfield with a superstar that’s blazed to the top this season in Hanyadi, Drake still found the endzone a total of 11 times. He might have slightly lower numbers than those ranked below him, but the fact that he scored 10 times is not something that I can ignore.
#1: Mathias Hanyadi, Yellowknife Wraiths
S20 Stats
255 Rushing Attempts, 1100 Yards, 4.3 YPC, 11 TDs
50 Receptions, 402 Rushing Yards, 4 TDs
The new king of the north tops of this list, and it’s not hard to see why. He’s the only running back to eclipse 1000 rushing yards on this list, he scored the most touchdowns by far, he won several awards, what more could you want? I think putting him at the top of this list is the obvious conclusion. I will freely admit Toriki and Ruff were better in S19, hell, even Drake arguably had a better season than Hanyadi last year. But this year, he took the league by storm, and it showed.
Well, that’s pretty much everything I had to say! If you want to flame me, please, go ahead and do so! I love a little bit of flame in the afternoon, it helps warm my cold, dead heart. Thanks for reading, and have a nice night!
The Players
Marcella Toriki, New Orleans Second Line
Jake Utler, Chicago Butchers
Michael Vincent, Colorado Yeti
Fuzzy Dotson, Philadelphia Liberty
Orien Drake, Yellowknife Wraiths
Mathias Hanyadi, Yellowknife Wraiths
Ruff Ruff, Arizona Outlaws
There’s a solid amount of representation here! 6 teams use running backs from the S18 class, with Yellowknife having two of them. Though some of these guys might have lower usage than others in the class, they’ve all done something. So, time to rank. And, well, someone has to start out at the bottom of this list.
#7: Jake Utler, Chicago Butchers
S20 Stats
50 Rushing Attempts, 207 Rushing Yards, 4.1 YPC
20 Receptions, 161 Receiving Yards, 1 TD
Sooooo, yeah. Utler kinda sucks. No shade to the man behind him, but Utler is a 200 TPE IA running back. Not only that, the guy he was backing up also kind of sucked, which just makes Utler look that much worse. With some of the other low usage guys up higher on this list, they at least have reasons as to why they aren’t the cream of the crop. Every single one of the guys coming up has a running back that’s simply better. Utler had a guy that was pretty mediocre ahead of him, so that just tells you how bad Utler is. Now, time to move on.
#6: Fuzzy Dotson, Philadelphia Liberty
S20 Stats
18 Rushing Attempts, 108 Rushing Yards, 6 YPC
48 Receptions, 500 Receiving Yards, 2 TDs
And this is what I mean when I say some of these guys have to back up superior talent. Dotson is sitting behind Sam Torenson, one of if not the best running back in the league currently. That’s not to say he had a bad season, quite the opposite. He was a solid pass catcher, actually better than Torenson by a solid margin, but in terms of rushing… Yeah, Torenson wins out there. If he was even slightly better he’d take the #5 spot, but the numbers just weren’t in his favor this season. Get ‘em next year.
#5: Michael Vincent, Colorado Yeti
S20 Stats
99 Rushing Attempts, 356 Rushing Yards, 3.6 YPC, 3 TDs
28 Receptions, 199 Receiving Yards, 2 TDs
Well, this is becoming a trend for the guys at the bottom. Vincent is stuck behind possibly the best dual purpose running back in the league, Ashley Owens. Having said that, Vincent still carved out a decent season for himself with nearly a hundred rush attempts as well as scoring three times. He might not be as versatile as Owens, but he still has some use for the Yeti. Not bad, Vincent.
#4: Marcella Toriki, New Orleans Second Line
S20 Stats
218 Rushing Attempts, 926 Rushing Yards, 4.2 YPC, 3 TDs
22 Receptions, 136 Receiving Yards
Once again, someone stuck with a partner that’s much better than they are. No shade to Toriki, but Gump is also one of the best running backs in the league and he sucked up all of the scoring. She had solid numbers, but the points were just not there for her. If we were ranking it based on overall careers (which is something I might do eventually), she’d probably be first on that list, maybe second. But for Season 20, she stumbled for just a moment and tumble down to be middle of the pack
#3: Ruff Ruff, Arizona Outlaws
S20 Stats
232 Rushing Attempts, 907 Rushing Yards, 3.9 YPC, 7 TDs
40 Receptions, 282 Receiving Yards, 1 TD
Unlike everyone else on this list who came before him (and spoiler: everyone who comes after), Ruff didn’t have to share the backfield with anyone. Considering that, his season was… Pedestrian. Not to say he was bad, far from it in fact. Ruff had a solid season for the Outlaws. But considering he was the only one running, it could have been better. Maybe once he comes back and starts earning again, Ruff will become the superstar I know he can be. But as of right now, he’s within the top three, though he might trade this spot with Toriki by next season.
#2: Orien Drake, Yellowknife Wraiths
S20 Stats
192 Rushing Attempts, 780 Rushing Yards, 10 TDs
50 Receptions, 321 Receiving Yards, 1 TD
Now, you might yell homerism. I will yell he scored 3 more touchdowns than Ruff and 7 more than Toriki. I’d rather win a game of football rather than gain a few extra yards every game. Despite sharing a backfield with a superstar that’s blazed to the top this season in Hanyadi, Drake still found the endzone a total of 11 times. He might have slightly lower numbers than those ranked below him, but the fact that he scored 10 times is not something that I can ignore.
#1: Mathias Hanyadi, Yellowknife Wraiths
S20 Stats
255 Rushing Attempts, 1100 Yards, 4.3 YPC, 11 TDs
50 Receptions, 402 Rushing Yards, 4 TDs
The new king of the north tops of this list, and it’s not hard to see why. He’s the only running back to eclipse 1000 rushing yards on this list, he scored the most touchdowns by far, he won several awards, what more could you want? I think putting him at the top of this list is the obvious conclusion. I will freely admit Toriki and Ruff were better in S19, hell, even Drake arguably had a better season than Hanyadi last year. But this year, he took the league by storm, and it showed.
Well, that’s pretty much everything I had to say! If you want to flame me, please, go ahead and do so! I love a little bit of flame in the afternoon, it helps warm my cold, dead heart. Thanks for reading, and have a nice night!
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