Jay Ajayi comes off a breakout season for the Dolphins, impressive because he wasn't even active in Week 1 and wasn't a starter until Week 5. And the Dolphins are suggesting he'll have an even bigger workload in 2017.
According to Adam Gase, Ajayi could be in line for as many as 350 carries this season. That would be a big uptick from last year, when he had only 260.
Ajayi's late-ish start to being the team's starter makes his share of the team's carries even more remarkable. He accounted for 64 percent of Miami's rushing attempts a year ago. Only four running backs had a higher number: Gurley, Johnson, Howard and Elliott.
Ajayi had some duds last year, notably his last two games against New England and Pittsburgh. But it's clear he's in for a heavy workload this season, and a chance to be one of the top fantasy backs.
| RUNNING BACK % OF TEAM ATTEMPTS, 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | InAtt | TmAtt | Pct |
| Todd Gurley, L.A. | 278 | 375 | 74% |
| David Johnson, Ariz. | 293 | 399 | 73% |
| Jordan Howard, Chi. | 252 | 380 | 66% |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 322 | 499 | 65% |
| Jay Ajayi, Mia. | 260 | 405 | 64% |
| Frank Gore, Ind. | 263 | 409 | 64% |
| Melvin Gordon, S.D. | 254 | 398 | 64% |
| LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 261 | 409 | 64% |
| LeGarrette Blount, N.E. | 299 | 482 | 62% |
| DeMarco Murray, Tenn. | 293 | 476 | 62% |
| Lamar Miller, Hou. | 268 | 456 | 59% |
| Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 198 | 350 | 57% |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 227 | 421 | 54% |
| Terrance West, Balt. | 193 | 367 | 53% |
| Matt Forte, NYJ | 218 | 418 | 52% |
| Spencer Ware, K.C. | 214 | 412 | 52% |
| Mark Ingram, N.O. | 205 | 404 | 51% |
| Jeremy Hill, Cin. | 222 | 446 | 50% |
| Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 218 | 453 | 48% |
| LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 234 | 492 | 48% |
| Carlos Hyde, S.F. | 217 | 458 | 47% |
| Rashad Jennings, NYG | 181 | 398 | 45% |
| Latavius Murray, Oak. | 195 | 434 | 45% |
| Robert Kelley, Wash. | 168 | 379 | 44% |
| Devontae Booker, Den. | 174 | 410 | 42% |
| Jerick McKinnon, Minn. | 159 | 380 | 42% |
| Ryan Mathews, Phil. | 155 | 438 | 35% |
| T.J. Yeldon, Jac. | 130 | 392 | 33% |
| Tim Hightower, N.O. | 133 | 404 | 33% |
| Matt Asiata, Minn. | 121 | 380 | 32% |
| Doug Martin, T.B. | 144 | 453 | 32% |
| Bilal Powell, NYJ | 131 | 418 | 31% |
| Chris Ivory, Jac. | 117 | 392 | 30% |
| Christine Michael, Sea. | 117 | 403 | 29% |
| Jacquizz Rodgers, T.B. | 129 | 453 | 28% |
| Paul Perkins, NYG | 112 | 398 | 28% |
| Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 118 | 421 | 28% |
| Thomas Rawls, Sea. | 109 | 403 | 27% |
| C.J. Anderson, Den. | 110 | 410 | 27% |
| Theo Riddick, Det. | 92 | 350 | 26% |
| Matt Jones, Wash. | 99 | 379 | 26% |
| Dwayne Washington, Det. | 90 | 350 | 26% |
| Zach Zenner, Det. | 88 | 350 | 25% |
--Andy Richardson