This is a slightly different take on our consistency analysis. Rather than looking at just consistency, we’re examining how each player rates within specific categories leading to the production of fantasy points in both standard and PPR scoring.

The purpose is to pinpoint where players were most and least effective in relation to each other. We scored seven categories and created a composite score to illustrate how each player rates across the board. For example, some running backs thrive because of their ability to score high touchdown totals on the ground, whereas others excel via the passing game. Some are quite obvious, like LeGarrette Blount being an example of the former and Theo Riddick the latter. Others may not be so apparent.

The criteria required to evaluate the players began with a threshold of at least 120 offensive touches in 2016, leading to 42 running backs making the cut. Each category is measured against the average of these 42 players to show how much better or worse per category each back performed. The higher a player ranked in each category, the better his overall composite rating scores. This also allows fantasy gamers to see which running backs were more evenly efficient versus those inflated for doing well in just a few categories or, conversely, harmed by one terrible score.

The caveat to take away is this is just a tool. First of all, it is based on only one year, and 2017 is a new season. Don’t let what happened last year control what you expect to happen this year, but absorbing everything possible to create a bigger picture is the goal. It also helps if you’re stuck deciding between two players. As with any metric, situational elements cannot be ignored. Just because a part-time player fared well, it doesn’t mean fantasy gamers should draft said runner over a proven stud with a secure job.

Categories rated

Fantasy points per game (FP/G): Standard fantasy scored per game
PPR fantasy points per game (PPR/G): 1 point-per-game scored per game
Fantasy points per touch (FP/Tch): Standard fantasy points per offensive touch (rush+reception)
PPR points per touch (PPR/Tch): PPR points per offensive touch (rush+reception)
PPR points per reception (PPR/Rec): PPR points per catch
Yards per touch (Yds/Tch): Offensive yards (rush+receive) per touch (rush+reception)
Touchdown efficiency (Tch/TD): Number of offensive touches (rush+reception) per 1 TD scored

Highly efficient

The top-10 most efficient running backs of 2016

FP/G +/-	PPR/G	Yds/Tch	Tch/TD	FP/Tch	PPR/Tch	PPR/Rec	Rk	Player	Tm
1	13	3	1	1	1	1	1	Tevin Coleman	ATL
3	2	8	3	2	6	3	2	David Johnson	ARI
9	3	9	9	4	13	6	3	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL
6	4	7	6	3	8	30	4	LeSean McCoy	BUF
8	7	12	8	5	9	15	5	Devonta Freeman	ATL
10	8	17	10	12	4	9	6	Theo Riddick	DET
13	10	13	13	8	10	11	7	Mark Ingram	NO
11	5	21	11	16	17	7	8	Melvin Gordon	SD
4	27	24	4	7	18	5	9	Ryan Mathews	PHI
5	12	25	5	9	14	31	10	Latavius Murray	OAK

This is all about showing which players make the most of their opportunities. It also can be helpful to dispel notions of perceived worth from PPR to non-PPR scoring, as well.

Notable: Aside from PPR points per game, Tevin Coleman dominated with each opportunity presented. LeSean McCoy and David Johnson were the only backs to register top-10 placement in every category but PPR points per reception, where it became obvious McCoy’s efficiency was at its worst. Despite receiving prowess being heavily weighted against him, Latavius Murray racked up a top-10 finish on the strength of his effectiveness around the goal line.

How the top 10 scored against the field per category

Rk	Player	Tm	FP/G +/-	PPR/G +/-	Yds/Tch +/-	Tch/TD +/-	FP/Tch +/-	PPR/Tch +/-	PPR/Rec +/-
1	Tevin Coleman	ATL	100.0%	8.2%	22.7%	54%	35.4%	33.5%	30.6%
2	David Johnson	ARI	46.9%	47.6%	14.0%	36%	21.9%	22.8%	14.9%
3	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	44.2%	38.2%	13.3%	24%	16.8%	7.8%	12.1%
4	LeSean McCoy	BUF	33.0%	31.9%	14.2%	30%	19.7%	18.3%	-12.4%
5	Devonta Freeman	ATL	24.2%	24.6%	10.9%	26%	15.9%	16.2%	1.8%
6	Theo Riddick	DET	-0.8%	16.6%	2.7%	17%	7.5%	23.6%	10.0%
7	Mark Ingram	NO	10.7%	10.9%	10.1%	14%	11.2%	11.7%	7.9%
8	Melvin Gordon	SD	33.0%	31.1%	-1.8%	16%	4.1%	1.2%	11.8%
9	Ryan Mathews	PHI	-8.8%	-21.3%	-5.7%	36%	11.4%	0.9%	13.0%
10	Latavius Murray	OAK	13.5%	10.2%	-5.9%	35%	10.7%	7.5%	-13.4%

The idea here is to show on a percentage basis how much better than average each player performed. This is simply comparing raw stats and highlighting how much better or worse (-X%) a player fared in relation to his counterparts.

Notable: It goes to show how rare it is to be a consistently efficient elite running back. Only five of 42 players did not register a negative rating. Only three other players finished negatively in a single column.

Least efficient players scored

FP/G +/-	PPR/G	Yds/Tch	Tch/TD	FP/Tch	PPR/Tch	PPR/Rec	Rk	Player	Tm
14	26	40	14	31	38	38	33	Jonathan Stewart	CAR
29	30	28	29	33	30	27	34	Terrance West	BAL
34	38	26	34	35	33	24	35	Chris Ivory	JAC
32	35	34	32	36	35	20	36	Devontae Booker	DEN
36	18	35	36	38	39	32	37	Lamar Miller	HOU
37	32	38	37	39	36	26	38	Jerick McKinnon	MIN
41	34	33	41	40	27	40	39	T.J. Yeldon	JAC
40	39	23	40	37	41	37	40	Jacquizz Rodgers	TB
38	22	41	38	41	42	35	41	Todd Gurley	LAR
39	31	42	39	42	40	39	42	Rashad Jennings	NYG

The results are hardly surprising — none of these guys are excellent receiving backs, nor are they particularly explosive. Most are overachievers and volume players.

Notable: Todd Gurley can be given a pass because of how poor the entire offense performed. Lamar Miller gets some sympathy since Houston pounded him into the dirt in the first half of the season. He was overused to the point of exhaustion.

How they scored against the field

Rk	Player	Team	FP/G +/-	PPR/G +/-	Yds/Tch +/-	Tch/TD +/-	FP/Tch +/-	PPR/Tch +/-	PPR/Rec +/-
33	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	0.1%	-16.6%	-24.9%	14%	-10.2%	-28.1%	-16.6%
34	Terrance West	BAL	-27.7%	-26.2%	-9.8%	-30%	-15.1%	-13.2%	-9.1%
35	Chris Ivory	JAC	-50.5%	-47.6%	-7.1%	-57%	-18.2%	-16.2%	-5.7%
36	Devontae Booker	DEN	-48.4%	-45.1%	-14.2%	-41%	-20.9%	-17.6%	0.4%
37	Lamar Miller	HOU	5.3%	2.2%	-15.8%	-71%	-28.1%	-32.0%	-13.4%
38	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	-59.2%	-38.2%	-24.3%	-73%	-35.7%	-17.7%	-9.0%
39	T.J. Yeldon	JAC	-83.1%	-44.8%	-13.1%	-209%	-39.3%	-9.9%	-17.0%
40	Jacquizz Rodgers	TB	-40.8%	-48.5%	-5.4%	-144%	-26.7%	-33.4%	-16.3%
41	Todd Gurley	LAR	-12.1%	-7.8%	-29.4%	-84%	-41.8%	-36.7%	-15.9%
42	Rashad Jennings	NYG	-37.3%	-26.7%	-32.9%	-85%	-45.1%	-33.1%	-16.9%

Stuck in the middle with you

Running backs from No. 11-32

FP/G +/-	PPR/G	Yds/Tch	Tch/TD	FP/Tch	PPR/Tch	PPR/Rec	Rk	Player	Team
26	1	10	26	18	12	22	11	Le’Veon Bell	PIT
25	29	4	25	10	5	18	12	Darren Sproles	PHI
30	9	6	30	17	21	10	13	Jordan Howard	CHI
19	11	22	19	20	26	8	14	Carlos Hyde	SF
20	6	20	20	21	20	19	15	DeMarco Murray	TEN
28	23	5	28	13	7	25	16	Bilal Powell	NYJ
12	42	16	12	11	19	17	17	Derrick Henry	TEN
15	15	27	15	23	24	14	18	C.J. Anderson	DEN
31	28	2	31	6	2	34	19	Ty Montgomery	GB
2	14	39	2	14	28	42	20	LeGarrette Blount	NE
23	21	14	23	19	16	33	21	Isaiah Crowell	CLE
35	17	11	35	25	25	2	22	Spencer Ware	KC
21	40	19	21	24	22	13	23	Tim Hightower	NO
FP/G +/-	PPR/G	Yds/Tch	Tch/TD	FP/Tch	PPR/Tch	PPR/Rec	Rk	Player	Team
42	37	1	42	15	3	23	24	Duke Johnson	CLE
33	24	15	33	29	11	21	25	Giovani Bernard	CIN
17	33	29	17	26	32	12	26	Rob Kelley	WAS
7	36	37	7	22	23	36	27	Christine Michael	SEA
16	41	30	16	27	15	29	28	Matt Asiata	MIN
22	20	31	22	32	31	16	29	Matt Forte	NYJ
24	16	18	24	28	29	41	30	Jay Ajayi	MIA
27	19	32	27	34	37	4	31	Frank Gore	IND
18	25	36	18	30	34	28	32	Jeremy Hill	CIN

As one would expect with such a wide range of ranked players, there is no clear-cut description of playing style. Large frames, small bodies, plodders, sprinters, stone hands, baby-bird catchers … you name it.

Notable: The first stat to catch the eye is Le’Veon Bell finishing first in PPR per game and 10th or worse in every other metric. Frank Gore was dynamic as a receiver out of the backfield, which makes sense from a preservation perspective. Don’t pound him into a wall of humanity and expect optimal results. Duke Johnson dominated in yardage per touch but failed to score a receiving TD, which crushed his overall rating. Some of that is being unlucky, the rest attributed to Cleveland’s offensive struggles.

And facing the field

Rk	Player	Team	FP/G +/-	PPR/G +/-	Yds/Tch +/-	Tch/TD +/-	FP/Tch +/-	PPR/Tch +/-	PPR/Rec +/-
11	Le’Veon Bell	PIT	45.6%	49.0%	12.9%	-28%	3.7%	9.7%	-3.0%
12	Darren Sproles	PHI	-48.4%	-24.5%	17.6%	-25%	8.3%	23.4%	0.6%
13	Jordan Howard	CHI	18.6%	12.8%	14.8%	-38%	3.9%	-3.2%	8.7%
14	Carlos Hyde	SF	15.5%	10.6%	-3.5%	7%	-0.2%	-6.1%	10.1%
15	DeMarco Murray	TEN	26.3%	25.9%	-1.6%	1%	-0.8%	-1.2%	0.5%
16	Bilal Powell	NYJ	-24.8%	-8.4%	16.8%	-30%	6.9%	19.0%	-8.8%
17	Derrick Henry	TEN	-66.4%	-78.6%	4.2%	16%	7.9%	0.8%	0.7%
18	C.J. Anderson	DEN	11.4%	7.9%	-8.9%	13%	-1.1%	-4.8%	6.2%
19	Ty Montgomery	GB	-44.5%	-23.0%	26.6%	-38%	14.7%	27.6%	-13.9%
20	LeGarrette Blount	NE	22.6%	8.1%	-24.7%	42%	6.8%	-11.1%	-32.2%
21	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	-4.6%	-3.6%	8.3%	-16%	2.2%	3.0%	-13.5%
22	Spencer Ware	KC	7.7%	5.5%	11.9%	-70%	-2.8%	-5.4%	24.9%
23	Tim Hightower	NO	-56.9%	-59.6%	-1.2%	-6%	-2.7%	-4.2%	6.5%
Rk	Player	Team	FP/G +/-	PPR/G +/-	Yds/Tch +/-	Tch/TD +/-	FP/Tch +/-	PPR/Tch +/-	PPR/Rec +/-
24	Duke Johnson	CLE	-86.2%	-46.8%	29.5%	-336%	6.2%	26.3%	-3.6%
25	Giovani Bernard	CIN	-29.2%	-8.5%	5.7%	-49%	-5.8%	10.8%	-1.2%
26	Rob Kelley	WAS	-27.7%	-42.4%	-11.9%	12%	-3.6%	-15.8%	6.5%
27	Christine Michael	SEA	-40.8%	-45.6%	-20.3%	27%	-0.9%	-4.3%	-16.0%
28	Matt Asiata	MIN	-71.6%	-60.5%	-12.4%	12%	-3.7%	3.0%	-12.0%
29	Matt Forte	NYJ	1.0%	-1.7%	-12.6%	-6%	-10.7%	-13.9%	1.7%
30	Jay Ajayi	MIA	13.5%	6.9%	1.5%	-23%	-4.7%	-12.6%	-30.9%
31	Frank Gore	IND	1.0%	0.2%	-12.8%	-29%	-17.2%	-18.7%	13.6%
32	Jeremy Hill	CIN	-5.6%	-14.8%	-17.2%	7%	-8.7%	-17.5%	-11.6%

Bell was deflated because he touched the ball so much. Check out the -28 percent rating for touchdowns per touch. Relatively low figures in PPR points per touch and PPR points per reception acknowledge his role as a checkdown weapon and shows that Pittsburgh often chose to extend the running game through short-area passing.

Tennessee’s backfield is an obvious example of how player roles factor into production. Compare DeMarco Murray’s numbers (good in PPR, not so much in the non-receiving columns) to Derrick Henry’s. It is no secret Murray is the superior third-down weapon, which was proven based on each player’s role and corresponding statistics.

Opportunity knocks

This table shows which players made the most of their PPR chances. In other words, how did the player produce based on targets plus rushing attempts in relation to the 41 other backs studied.

Rk	Player	Team	PPR/Opp	Rk	Player	Team	PPR/Opp
1	Tevin Coleman	ATL	32.9%	22	Christine Michael	SEA	-3.4%
2	Ty Montgomery	GB	24.2%	23	Carlos Hyde	SF	-3.5%
3	LeSean McCoy	BUF	20.2%	24	Spencer Ware	KC	-4.0%
4	Theo Riddick	DET	20.2%	25	Jordan Howard	CHI	-5.7%
5	David Johnson	ARI	18.6%	26	LeGarrette Blount	NE	-6.1%
6	Duke Johnson	CLE	18.2%	27	C.J. Anderson	DEN	-6.2%
7	Darren Sproles	PHI	17.5%	28	Jay Ajayi	MIA	-10.2%
8	Devonta Freeman	ATL	17.1%	29	Terrance West	BAL	-13.0%
9	Bilal Powell	NYJ	15.9%	30	Rob Kelley	WAS	-13.9%
10	Mark Ingram	NO	11.9%	31	Matt Forte	NYJ	-14.2%
11	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	10.2%	32	Jeremy Hill	CIN	-14.7%
12	Le’Veon Bell	PIT	9.2%	33	T.J. Yeldon	JAC	-15.1%
13	Latavius Murray	OAK	8.0%	34	Frank Gore	IND	-16.4%
14	Giovani Bernard	CIN	7.2%	35	Chris Ivory	JAC	-17.2%
15	Ryan Mathews	PHI	5.1%	36	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	-17.6%
16	Matt Asiata	MIN	4.0%	37	Devontae Booker	DEN	-20.1%
17	Derrick Henry	TEN	4.0%	38	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	-29.1%
18	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	2.5%	39	Lamar Miller	HOU	-29.1%
19	Melvin Gordon	SD	0.8%	40	Jacquizz Rodgers	TB	-29.7%
20	DeMarco Murray	TEN	-0.3%	41	Rashad Jennings	NYG	-30.9%
21	Tim Hightower	NO	-1.8%	42	Todd Gurley	LAR	-36.3%

For the most part, we’re looking at the same faces from the least efficient table above. It is interesting to see, though, just how far below or above water each player finished on both ends of the spectrum.

As previously mentioned, all of this data should be used as part of the equation and not a direct cheat to solving the problem.