Hidden Stat Line: Week 17 Backfield Breakdown

Hidden Stat Line: Week 17 Backfield Breakdown

This article is part of our Hidden Stat Line series.

We'll do this a little different after Week 17, focusing on the 14 playoff teams. The other 18 backfields will get a closer look later this month in our special, end-of-year edition of Hidden Stat Line, which we hope will be a useful offseason resource for anyone playing dynasty or best ball.

Week 17 RB Leaderboard

All Running Backs

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB
1Dare Ogunbowale97%14717.5%370.77
2Darwin Thompson92%14723.0%260.79
3David Montgomery83%22922.0%300.70
4Jeff Wilson83%20720.0%280.70
5Derrick Henry82%3400.0%140.48
6Jonathan Taylor80%3027.7%140.52
7Aaron Jones70%11520.8%140.56
8Ty Montgomery69%1826.9%170.49
9Boston Scott68%15517%180.51
10Cam Akers66%21410.8%170.40
11James Conner64%9818.6%140.31
12Melvin Gordon64%26615.0%160.36
13Alexander Mattison63%2137.9%180.42
14Sony Michel63%16310.0%80.24
15Rodney Smith63%1012.8%230.56
16Antonio Gibson59%1913.5%110.31
17Ezekiel Elliott58%1449.1%200.38
18Kareem Hunt57%1013.9%170.55
19Wayne Gallman57%1100.0%100.37
20D'Andre Swift55%1239.7%140.44
21Kenyan Drake55%10311.1%100.32
22Ronald Jones54%1200.0%140.33
23Ty Johnson54%1126.1%160.43
24Josh Jacobs54%1512.9%120.29
25Chris Carson46%1126.3%160.42
26Leonard Fournette45%525.3%120.29
27Nick Chubb44%1413.9%100.32
28Antonio Williams44%1212.7%60.15
29J.D. McKissic44%2827.6%210.60
30Samaje Perine44%900.00%50.24
31Austin Ekeler44%7723.3%170.49
32J.K. Dobbins43%1300.0%90.47
33Rashaad Penny43%600.0%120.32
34Brian Hill43%937.3%150.33
35Tony Pollard41%5511.4%190.36
36Chase Edmonds40%327.4%90.29
37Todd Gurley39%912.4%110.24
38Josh Adams38%11412.1%90.24
39Kalen Ballage35%1300.0%60.17
40Malcolm Brown32%312.7%140.33
41James White31%0723.3%110.32
42Justin Jackson30%926.7%90.26
43Devin Singletary28%312.7%90.23
44Zack Moss28%312.7%110.28
45Adrian Peterson27%700.0%40.13
46Gus Edwards26%1215.3%40.21
47Jamaal Williams26%500.0%60.24
48Devontae Booker25%500.0%50.12
49Mark Ingram23%900.0%20.11
50Alfred Morris22%514.0%40.15
51Theo Riddick21%0514.3%100.24
52Anthony McFarland20%512.3%50.11
53Nyheim Hines18%2726.9%70.26
54Ito Smith18%349.8%80.18

    

RBs from Playoff Teams Only

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB
1Darwin Thompson92%14723.0%260.79
2David Montgomery83%22922.0%300.70
3Derrick Henry82%3400.0%140.48
4Jonathan Taylor80%3027.7%140.52
5Aaron Jones70%11520.8%140.56
6Ty Montgomery69%1826.9%170.49
7Cam Akers66%21410.8%170.40
8James Conner64%9818.6%140.31
9Antonio Gibson59%1913.5%110.31
10Kareem Hunt57%1013.9%170.55
11Ronald Jones54%1200.0%140.33
12Chris Carson46%1126.3%160.42
13Leonard Fournette45%525.3%120.29
14Nick Chubb44%1413.9%100.32
15Antonio Williams44%1212.70%60.15
16J.D. McKissic44%2827.6%210.60
17J.K. Dobbins43%1300.0%90.47
18Rashaad Penny43%600.0%120.32
19Malcolm Brown32%312.7%140.33
20Devin Singletary28%312.7%90.23
21Zack Moss28%312.7%110.28
22Gus Edwards26%1215.3%40.21
23Jamaal Williams26%500.0%60.24
24Mark Ingram23%900.0%20.11
25Anthony McFarland20%512.3%50.11
26Nyheim Hines18%2726.9%70.26
27Cordarrelle Patterson16%400.0%60.14
28Jeremy McNichols16%000.0%20.07
29A.J. Dillon11%100.0%30.12
30Alex Collins11%500.0%10.03
31Peyton Barber10%400.0%10.03
32Darrel Williams8%013.2%30.09

      

Game-by-Game Breakdowns

(Snap totals, snap shares, carries and targets come from pro-football-reference.com or NFL.com's game books. Data on dropbacks and routes run come from Pro Football Focus.)

Dolphins (26) at Bills (56)

Dolphins

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Myles Gaskin61%758.5%240.4115.7
Salvon Ahmed38%635.1%130.2212.3

  

Bills

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Antonio Williams44%1212.7%60.1520.8
Devin Singletary28%312.7%90.231.8
Zack Moss28%312.7%110.282.6
  • Williams didn't play at all in the first half. Prior to halftime, Moss and Singletary both had three carries and one target, with the rookie holding an 18-17 snap advantage.
  • Williams then played 97% of snaps in the second half, putting up 12-63-2 and a catch for 20 yards against Miami's starting defense. This was the undrafted rookie's NFL debut, after spending most of the year on the Buffalo practice squad.

  

Ravens (38) at Bengals (3)

Ravens

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
J.K. Dobbins43%1300.0%90.4728
Gus Edwards26%1215.3%40.217.5
Mark Ingram23%900.0%20.113.9
Justice Hill12%200.0%20.112.1
  • Dobbins got 54% of snaps and 13 carries through three quarters, but Edwards (32%, 12 carries) wasn't too far behind, and Ingram (10%, three carries) also got some work.
  • Ingram played 73% of snaps in the fourth quarter, accounting for six of his nine carries. He was a distant third in the RB pecking order before the Ravens removed their starters.
  • Hill played six of the nine snaps (67%) on third-and-medium/long. Apart from that, he played just three snaps. He's been getting most of the third-down work for a couple months now, but it hasn't led to many touches. Hill finishes the regular season with 12 carries, five targets and 80 total yards on 73 offensive snaps. He was active for 12 games and played 192 snaps on special teams.
  • Dobbins scored a four-yard TD early in the third quarter and a 72-yard dagger late in the third.
  • Dobbins' TD was the only Baltimore snap inside the Cincinnati 5-yard line. The only other snap inside the 10 was a nine-yard TD pass to Marquise Brown, which Dobbins also was on the field for.
  • Dobbins enters the playoffs with a six-game touchdown streak, averaging 12.8 carries for 82.5 yards (6.4 YPC) and 1.17 TDs in that stretch. The first of those games came Week 11 against the Titans, who he'll now face again in the wild-card round. Dobbins ran for 15-70-1 and a two-point conversion in the first matchup, adding two catches for 15 yards while playing 63% of snaps. Gus Edwards had his quietest game of the season (three carries for six yards) and Ingram was also invisible (two carries for two yards).
  • Dobbins missed Week 12. In the five games since, he's taken five of Baltimore's seven carries inside the 5-yard line, with Edwards and Lamar Jackson getting one apiece. Dobbins has played eight of 12 snaps (67%) inside the five during that time.

  

Bengals

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Samaje Perine44%900.0%50.245.1
Giovani Bernard37%315.0%50.240.7
Trayveon Williams21%415.0%10.058.2

  

Steelers (22) at Browns (24)

Steelers

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
James Conner64%9818.6%140.318.7
Anthony McFarland20%512.3%50.111.7
Benny Snell17%300.0%40.091
  • Conner played a full game, getting at least 45% of the snaps in each quarter. He logged 80% in the first quarter and 70% in the fourth, and the eight targets were three more than his previous season high.
  • After missing Weeks 12, 13 and 15, Conner played 62% and 64% of snaps over the final two games, seeing nearly as many targets (13) as carries (14). He should maintain his lead role in the playoffs, but it's been over two months now since he got more than 13 carries in a game. The Steelers haven't really been able to run the ball since October, and OC Randy Fichtner — for better or worse — is quick to #AbandonIt when it isn't working.
  • Conner and McFarland got one snap apiece inside the 5-yard line, but both plays were passes.

  

Browns

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Kareem Hunt57%1013.9%170.554.6
Nick Chubb44%1413.9%100.3216.8
  • Hunt again dominated work in the fourth quarter, getting 87% of snaps and four of the six carries.
  • Prior to the fourth quarter, Chubb handled 53% of snaps and 12 of the 18 RB carries.
  • The Browns had both Chubb and Hunt healthy for eight straight games to close out the regular season. Here's the split for Quarters 1-3 in those eight games:
  • Now here's the split in Q4:
  • In terms of inside the-five carries, Chubb only has a 7-5 advantage, but he scored on four of those, while Hunt punched it in just once. And Chubb got seven of the nine inside-the-five carries the past six weeks.

   

Vikings (37) at Lions (35)

Vikings

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Alexander Mattison63%2137.9%180.4228
Ameer Abdullah20%037.9%130.308.2
Mike Boone15%500.0%30.072.9

  

Lions

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
D'Andre Swift55%1239.7%140.4414.5
Adrian Peterson27%700.0%40.1312.3
Kerryon Johnson16%013.2%40.130

  

Jets (14) at Patriots (28)

Jets

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Ty Johnson54%1126.1%160.437.8
Josh Adams38%11412.1%90.2412.9

  

Patriots

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Sony Michel63%16310.080.2421.1
James White31%0723.3%110.3211.1
J.J. Taylor6%000.010.030

   

Cowboys (19) at Giants (23)

Cowboys

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Ezekiel Elliott58%1449.1%200.3813.6
Tony Pollard41%5511.4%190.364.8

  

Giants

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Wayne Gallman57%1100.0100.376.5
Alfred Morris22%514.0%40.151.2
Dion Lewis21%114.0%70.260.7

   

Falcons (27) at Buccaneers (44)

Falcons

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Brian Hill43%937.3%150.3315.1
Todd Gurley39%912.4%110.244
Ito Smith18%349.8%80.182.1

  

Bucs

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Ronald Jones54%1200%140.3313.8
Leonard Fournette45%525.3%120.293.7
  • LeSean McCoy was a healthy scratch, and Ke'Shawn Vaughn didn't play until garbage time. Jones and Fournette split work pretty evenly throughout most of the game, but Jones took over in the fourth quarter, playing 95% of snaps and taking seven carries for 42 yards and a touchdown.
  • Through three quarters, Fournette played 57% of snaps and had the same number of carries (five) as Jones.
  • Jones got two of three snaps inside the 5-yard line, including the only carry (which he took for a three-yard TD).
  • Fournette played 82% of the third-down snaps, but only 38% of snaps on first and second downs.

  

Saints (33) at Panthers (7)

Saints

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Ty Montgomery69%1826.9%170.4911.2
Tony Jones8%300.0%20.061.3
  • Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray and Dwayne Washington all were on the COVID-19 list.
  • Jones was called up from the practice squad. He got three carries on five snaps in the first half, but didn't play at all after halftime. Jones did appear to be limping at one point, though no injury was ever reported.
  • The Saints play their wild-card game Sunday, which means Kamara can return from the COVID-19 list if he remains asymptomatic and tests negative this week. Murray and Washington were only close contacts, so they'll be able to play as long as they don't test positive.

  

Panthers

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Rodney Smith63%1012.8%230.5610.9
Tommy Stevens8%400.0%10.022.4

     

Packers (35) at Bears (16)

Packers

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Aaron Jones70%11520.8%140.5616.5
Jamaal Williams26%500%60.242.6
A.J. Dillon11%100%30.120.3
  • With a bye week on the line and Williams healthy, Dillon didn't have an opportunity to build on his Week 16 breakout. The rookie took just two snaps and one carry before the fourth quarter, while Jones reached 70% snap share for just the third time this year.
  • Jones played 84% and 65% of snaps in two playoff games last season, scoring four touchdowns despite being held to 118 yards on 33 carries (3.6 YPC) and 31 yards on six receptions. Williams got only four carries and four targets in the playoffs, with Jones taking on a larger share of the workload.

  

Bears

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
David Montgomery83%22922.0%300.7023.7
Cordarrelle Patterson16%400.060.141.8
  • Montgomery scored at least 20 PPR points and 19 half-PPR points in six consecutive games to close out the season. Green Bay became the first team to keep him below 4.1 YPC in that stretch, but Montgomery made up for it with season highs for targets (nine), catches (nine) and receiving yards (63).
  • Monty had a decent game against the Saints (his wild-card opponent) back in Week 8 before his breakout, putting up 21-89-0 rushing and 2-16-0 on five targets. New Orleans allowed a league-low 16.0 fantasy points per game (half-PPR) to RBs this season, limiting them to 3.9 YPC and 4.4 YPT. The Saints did lose LB Kwon Alexander (Achilles) a couple weeks ago, but they got along fine without him in Sunday's 33-7 win over the Panthers, limiting Rodney Smith and Curtis Samuel to 13-43-1 on the ground.

Titans (41) at Texans (38)

Titans

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Derrick Henry82%3400.0%140.4835.0
Jeremy McNichols16%000.0%20.070
  • McNichols played nine of 10 snaps (90%) on third down. Henry played 57 of 60 (95%) on first and second downs.
  • Over the final three weeks of the regular season, Henry played 85% of the snaps on first and second downs, and got 81 of the team's 90 RB carries (Darrynton Evans took the other nine).
  • Evans played one snap Week 17, after getting 19 snaps over the previous two games combined.

  

Texans

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
David Johnson98%14512.5%250.5719.5

   

Jaguars (14) at Colts (28)

Jaguars

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Dare Ogunbowale97%14717.5%370.779.2

  

Colts

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Jonathan Taylor80%3027.7%140.5237.9
Nyheim Hines18%2726.9%70.269.7
  • With the Colts' season on the line, Taylor put up season highs for carries, rushing yards (253), fantasy points, snaps (55) and snap share. The yardage was a franchise record, tying DeMarco Murray (Oct. 23, 2011) for ninth place on the single-game leaderboard.
  • Taylor even played four of six snaps on third-and-medium/long, so apart from the two-minute drill, he seems to be preferred over Hines for any type of situation.
  • Jordan Wilkins was on the COVID list for this game, after only playing special teams the week before. Don't expect to see him in the playoffs.
  • Hines was targeted on each of his seven routes, incredibly. He finishes the season with 76 targets on 251 routes, which works out to 30.3%. That's Kamara-level usage.

   

Chargers (38) at Chiefs (31)

Chargers

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Austin Ekeler44%7723.3%170.4914.1
Kalen Ballage35%1300.0%60.179.6
Justin Jackson30%926.7%90.2612.9

  

Chiefs

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Darwin Thompson92%14722.6%260.7926.5
Darrel Williams8%013.2%30.090.7

  

Raiders (32) at Broncos (31)

Raiders

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Josh Jacobs54%1512.9%120.2920.9
Devontae Booker25%500.0%50.121.6
Theo Riddick21%0514.3%100.246

  

Broncos

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Melvin Gordon64%26615.0%160.3619
Royce Freeman35%212.5%190.432.7

   

Cardinals (7) at Rams (18)

Cardinals

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Kenyan Drake55%10311.1%100.326.6
Chase Edmonds40%327.4%90.293.5

  

Rams

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Cam Akers66%21410.8%170.408.6
Malcolm Brown32%312.7%140.332.3
  • Akers returned to the lead role after missing just one game with a high-ankle sprain. He managed just 1.6 YPC and lost a fumble, but he did at least finish with career highs for targets, catches (four) and receiving yards (52).
  • Darrell Henderson (ankle) was placed on IR last week, so he'll be ineligible for the first two rounds of the playoffs. It doesn't appear likely the Rams make it past the divisional round, but if they do, it's possible Henderson could return. He's also dealing with a high-ankle sprain, and it's apparently more severe than Akers'.

  

Seahawks (26) at 49ers (23)

Seahawks

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Chris Carson46%1126.3%160.429.3
Rashaad Penny43%600.0120.321.9
Alex Collins11%500.010.038.9
  • With Carlos Hyde (illness), DeeJay Dallas (ankle) and Travis Homer (IR - knee) all unavailable, Carson and Penny split work through three quarters. At the end of the third quarter, Carson had seven carries and one target on 45% of snaps, while Penny had four carries and no targets on 55%.
  • Seattle then dusted off Collins late in the fourth quarter, bringing him in for the final five carries, which he took for 29 yards and a TD. The game was still close at that point, but the Saints and Packers had comfortable leads, so the Seahawks knew they had nothing to play for. Collins likely will be sent back to the practice squad for the playoffs.
  • Just a reminder: Homer was the team's third-down back earlier this season, while Hyde had been handling the work recently. However, Carson is a perfectly capable receiver, so he could get some of those snaps now that it's playoff time and nobody really cares about workload management.

  

49ers

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Jeff Wilson83%20720.0%280.7022.3
Jerick McKinnon14%012.940.101.1
Tevin Coleman3%000.000.000

   

Washington Football Team (20) at Eagles (14)

WFT

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Antonio Gibson59%1913.5%110.318.6
J.D. McKissic44%2827.6%210.605.5
Peyton Barber10%400.0%10.031
  • OC Scott Turner blamed game script when Gibson got just 10 carries and 30% snap share in his first game back from a toe injury Week 16 against Carolina. With Washington leading for the majority of the Week 17 contest, Gibson got his third-largest snap share and second-most carries of the season. The rookie shouldn't have any limitations in the playoffs, apart from his tough matchup with the Bucs defense.
  • Washington's only snap inside the Philadelphia 5-yard line was a carry where Gibson lost six yards.
  • McKissic played two-third of snaps on third downs, and three-quarters (9/12) on third-and-medium/long.
  • McKissic finishes the regular season with 51 of the 209 targets (24.4%) from Alex Smith, ahead of even Terry McLaurin (21.1%) and Logan Thomas (17.2%).
  • Gibson played four full games (Weeks 10-12, 17) with Smith as the starting QB. In those four games, the rookie averaged 17 carries for 82.3 yards and 1.5 TDs, plus 2.8 catches for 14.3 yards on 3.5 targets.

  

Eagles

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB1/2 PPR Points
Boston Scott68%15517.2%180.518.9
Jason Huntley29%213.5%60.171
Corey Clement21%113.5%40.111.3

   

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jerry Donabedian
Jerry was a 2018 finalist for the FSWA's Player Notes Writer of the Year and DFS Writer of the Year awards. A Baltimore native, Jerry roots for the Ravens and watches "The Wire" in his spare time.
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