*S17 RB Rankings - Week 1

[SwagSloth]

As many people already know, I’m a fan of the RB position. My first player started out as a RB and it’s been a position I’ve continued to watch with interest over the lifespan of the league. It’s also a position that’s tougher to rank compared to other offensive positions; RBs are rather versatile and can serve a variety of purposes, functioning as rushers, receivers, and hybrid players. Here we’ll take a look at the top 10 RBs in terms of all-purpose yards and TDs. Week 1 is a hard point to gauge, but speculation is fun, so we’ll start here. Over course, there will be more of these as the season progresses. In addition to the top 10 list, I’ll also highlight a few honorable mentions who almost made the list… and could easily make it next time.

In order to be as objective as possible, I compared all high-performing RBs (including RBs listed as FBs) using a self-made algorithm that factors in total yards, total TDs, and YPC. The rushing yard scores are affected by YPC while receiving yards are treated neutral with no positive or negative impact from YPC. I may tweak the algorithm as the season goes on, but it serves as a starting point for the moment.

Now, to the list...

#10 - TIE
Marquise Brown - 87 Rushing Yards (4.1 YPC), 3 catches for 8 Receiving Yards @YoungTB
Thomas Carrasco - 77 Rushing Yards (2.9 YPC), 1 catch for 12 Receiving Yards, 1 Rushing TD @samee
Our #10, oddly enough, starts out with a tie. The two had very different performances, but were too close to properly rank one over the other. Brown is a RB with a hell of a career so far and, to be honest, his week 1 game was a very good one. You might expect him to be much higher in this list, but the competition was fierce coming out of the gate. The lack of any TDs so far hurt Brown, but he was efficient enough in rushing yards and YPC to still land a spot. On the other hand,.while Thomas Carrasco is not a name that people are as familiar with and his yardage comes primarily from sheer volume, he’s still a workhouse and he’ll be able to put together an impressive season if he can improve on his YPC.

# 9 - Tyler Swift - 65 Rushing Yards (3.4 YPC), 2 catches for 23 Receiving Yards, 1 Rushing TD @`BayleyIsland`
Tyler Swift has a reputation for being dangerous as both a rusher and a receiver, but in week 1, he stuck mainly to the ground attack, piling up 65 yards on the ground. He also caught 2 solid passes and found the end zone. Not a flashy game by any means, but the impact was there.

#8 - Morgan Marshall - 85 Rushing Yards (3.7 YPC), 3 catches for 14 yards, 1 Rushing TD @Baron1898
Like Swift, Marshall has shown that he possesses the skills needed to be a dual-threat, but his team opted to use him more in the rushing game to kick off the season. He didn’t catch a lot of passes, but he still functioned as a safety valve for his QB while putting together a good performance as a rusher. 3.7 YPC isn’t ideal, but it’s a step in the right direction.

#7 - Ashley Owens - 77 Rushing Yards (3.3 YPC), 10 catches for 68 Receiving Yards @run_CMC
For a RB playing his first professional game, 77 rushing yards would be a solid start to their career. The same could be said for a WR that put together 68 yards. Ashley Owens did both. Quite a coming out party for the S17 #1 draft pick and hopefully one of many good games to come.

#6 - Sam Torensen - 128 Rushing Yards (4.6 YPC), 2 catches for 9 Receiving Yards @Jonny2x
Much like Marquise Brown, Sam Torensen made his impact on the ground and it was an impressive display, putting together 128 yards with 4.6 YPC (the highest of any RB mentioned so far on this list). Torensen had a phenomenal season in S16 and could go on to continue to make a big impact in his second season. If he can find the end zone in his next few games, he’ll quickly climb the rankings like he did last season.

#5 - Forrest Gump - 40 Rushing Yards (2.7 YPC), 5 catches for 76 Receiving Yards, 2 Rushing TDs @TomHanks
While his YPC was far from desirable, Gump was still an absolute machine, combining for 116 yards from scrimmage and 2 TDs. He managed to function as one of his team’s best receivers while still finding the end zone twice in his first game. His rushing yards seem to be more of an added bonus to his receptions, but it’s good to know the Second Line can count on him when they get to the goal line.

#4 - Dorfus Jimbo - 139 Rushing Yards (5.3 YPC) @ScorpXCracker
Dorfus is one of only two RBs to crack 5.0 YPC so far and he holds the highest YPC as well as the most rushing yards by any RB. Dorfus is a one-dimensional rusher, but he’s damn good at what he does and I expect him to remain in the top 5 while possibly rising higher if he can find ways to score on a regular basis.

#3 - Jerrod Canton - 23 Rushing Yards (3.3 YPC), 9 catches for Receiving 82 Yards, 3 Receiving TDs @Sweetwater
Probably a controversial pick, but the numbers speak for themselves. Canton is an effective receiver, putting together strong numbers through the air and finding the end zone 3 times in his first week, rivaled only by one other RB. Traditionalists may refuse to acknowledge RBs like Canton as "true" RBs given that they are primarily used in the passing game, but with these kinds of numbers, his effectiveness as a receiving RB is unparalleled at this point.

#2 - Apollo Reed - 98 Rushing Yards (3.9 YPC), 7 catches for 51 Receiving Yards, 2 Rushing TDs, 1 Receiving TD @NylarthePhoenix
Jerrod Canton was one of two RBs to make 3 TDs in week 1. The other… Apollo Reed. Reed fell just shy of the 4.0 YPC mark, but he put up big numbers nonetheless, totalling almost 150 yards. His ability to find the endzone both through the air and on the ground is something no other RB managed to do in week 1. Heck of a start this season for a promising player who may be ready to break out big.

#1 - Slim Shady - 130 Rushing Yards (5.0 YPC), 4 catches for 51 Receiving Yards, 2 Rushing TDs @J.G.10
Yes, he’s back. Back again. Slim Shady is back for real this season. Arizona experimented with a lot of roles for him last season, leaving many to question what his on-going usage would look like, but this season, his mission seems pretty simple: Rack up yards on the ground and find the end zone. Shady holds claim to the most yards from scrimmage by any player so far this season and, even if we discount his 50 yards in the air, he still put up a great game on his rushing alone, piling up almost the type of yards needed to rival great rushers like Marquise Brown and Sam Torensen. It will be interesting to see if this pace can be maintained and some regression almost seems to be guaranteed given his week 1 performance, but give credit where credit is due… Slim Shady is off to a great start on the season.

Honorable Mentions:
Vander Jones -7 catches for 79 Receiving Yards @`Vander Jones`
Terry Taffy - 77 Rushing Yards (2.9 YPC), 1 catch for 7 Receiving Yards, 1 Rushing TD @KingCollins

Let me know what you think in the comments. Did someone get shafted? Did someone else get lucky? Should the formula be reevaluated? All feedback and discussion is encouraged.

1316 Words
Ready for Grading

[YoungTB]

I'm super interested in this algorithm. How would it suit looking at whole seasons?

[SwagSloth]

I'm super interested in this algorithm. How would it suit looking at whole seasons?

Could be worth trying. The formula and rankings are available here. It basically comes down to this:
Receiving Yards are worth 1 point each.
Rushing and Receiving TDs are worth 30 points each.
Rushing Yards are worth 1 point, but they are multiplied by your YPC divided by 4.0. So, a RB with 5.0 YPC gets 125% of his rushing yards while a RB with 3.0 only gets 75%. It's meant to punish RBs that rely on pure volume and reward RBs that frequently get bigger runs. (For example, in S13, Slim Shady had the most yards, but he didn't have the highest YPC.)

I don't plan to do one of these for every game week, but I'd like to get one out every IRL week and I'm curious to see who falls/climbs over the course of the season.

[YoungTB]

Could be worth trying. The formula and rankings are available here. It basically comes down to this:
Receiving Yards are worth 1 point each.
Rushing and Receiving TDs are worth 30 points each.
Rushing Yards are worth 1 point, but they are multiplied by your YPC divided by 4.0. So, a RB with 5.0 YPC gets 125% of his rushing yards while a RB with 3.0 only gets 75%. It's meant to punish RBs that rely on pure volume and reward RBs that frequently get bigger runs. (For example, in S13, Slim Shady had the most yards, but he didn't have the highest YPC.)

I don't plan to do one of these for every game week, but I'd like to get one out every IRL week and I'm curious to see who falls/climbs over the course of the season.

Makes sense. Comparing seasons between RBs could get wonky though, especially when looking at pre-S11 RBs since touchdown numbers were wildly different than today. There's probably a way to level that though.

[ScorpXCracker]

0/10 dorfus not at 1

[Rising Equinox]

Too bad week 1 was resimmed! ;D Now, any rankings anyone made are useless. If you can't tell, I'm salty!

[shadyshoelace]

Too bad week 1 was resimmed! ;D Now, any rankings anyone made are useless. If you can't tell, I'm salty!

We can tell

[Jonny2x]

At least I will have this article to look back on rather than Torenson’s worst rushing week ever.

[run_CMC]

#7 - Ashley Owens - 77 Rushing Yards (3.3 YPC), 10 catches for 68 Receiving Yards @run_CMC
For a RB playing his first professional game, 77 rushing yards would be a solid start to their career. The same could be said for a WR that put together 68 yards. Ashley Owens did both. Quite a coming out party for the S17 #1 draft pick and hopefully one of many good games to come.

First: great article! Much love <3
Second: gotta love resims lmao, rip Owens

[SwagSloth]

Yeah, unfortunately, this was written right before the re-sim picked up steam. Definitely didn't mean to be a tease.