At what point should we start selecting backup running backs? These guys tend to be lightly regarded during drafts, but invariably they account for a lot of notable games before the season is through.
For example, there were 95 games during the 2019 season that a running back ran for at least 100 yards. By my count, 21 of those games were authored by backs who weren’t the first chosen in drafts backs in August. (That’s using ADP data for PPR leagues).
I’ve got those guys in bold. Two of those players weren’t even one of the top 2 chosen on their teams, and I’ve got them also tagged with dots. Raheem Mostert (pictured) and Jonathan Williams. Benny Snell almost had one of those games for the Steelers (at Cincinnati).
| 100-YARD RUSHERS IN 2019 SEASON | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Opp | Result | Att | Yards | Avg | TD |
| Leonard Fournette, JAC | at DEN | W 26-24 | 29 | 225 | 7.8 | 0 |
| • Raheem Mostert, SF | GB | W 37-20 | 29 | 220 | 7.6 | 4 |
| Derrick Henry, TEN | at HOU | W 35-14 | 32 | 211 | 6.6 | 3 |
| Derrick Henry, TEN | at BAL | W 28-12 | 30 | 195 | 6.5 | 0 |
| Derrick Henry, TEN | KC | W 35-32 | 23 | 188 | 8.2 | 2 |
| Derrick Henry, TEN | at NE | W 20-13 | 34 | 182 | 5.4 | 1 |
| Christian McCaffrey, CAR | JAC | W 34-27 | 19 | 176 | 9.3 | 2 |
| Marlon Mack, IND | at LAC | L 24-30 | 25 | 174 | 7.0 | 1 |
| Kenyan Drake, ARI | at SEA | W 27-13 | 24 | 166 | 6.9 | 2 |
| Nick Chubb, CLE | at BAL | W 40-25 | 20 | 165 | 8.3 | 3 |
| Joe Mixon, CIN | CLE | W 33-23 | 26 | 162 | 6.2 | 2 |
| Carlos Hyde, HOU | at JAC | W 26-3 | 19 | 160 | 8.4 | 0 |
| Derrick Henry, TEN | JAC | W 42-20 | 19 | 159 | 8.4 | 2 |
| Aaron Jones, GB | at MIN | W 23-10 | 23 | 154 | 6.7 | 2 |
| Dalvin Cook, MIN | at GB | L 16-21 | 20 | 154 | 7.7 | 1 |
| Christian McCaffrey, CAR | at ARI | W 38-20 | 24 | 153 | 6.4 | 1 |
| Derrick Henry, TEN | at IND | W 31-17 | 26 | 149 | 5.7 | 1 |
| • Raheem Mostert, SF | at BAL | L 17-20 | 19 | 146 | 7.7 | 1 |
| Joe Mixon, CIN | at CLE | L 19-27 | 23 | 146 | 6.4 | 1 |
| Christian McCaffrey, CAR | TEN | W 30-20 | 24 | 146 | 6.1 | 2 |
| James Conner, PIT | MIA | W 27-14 | 23 | 145 | 6.3 | 1 |
| Dalvin Cook, MIN | at DET | W 42-30 | 25 | 142 | 5.7 | 2 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, DAL | at NYG | W 37-18 | 23 | 139 | 6.0 | 0 |
| Kenyan Drake, ARI | CLE | W 38-24 | 22 | 137 | 6.2 | 4 |
| Joe Mixon, CIN | NE | L 13-34 | 25 | 136 | 5.4 | 0 |
| David Montgomery, CHI | LAC | L 16-17 | 27 | 135 | 5.0 | 1 |
| Aaron Jones, GB | WAS | W 20-15 | 16 | 134 | 8.4 | 1 |
| Dalvin Cook, MIN | at NYG | W 28-10 | 21 | 132 | 6.3 | 0 |
| Marlon Mack, IND | at KC | W 19-13 | 29 | 132 | 4.6 | 0 |
| Leonard Fournette, JAC | at CIN | W 27-17 | 29 | 131 | 4.5 | 0 |
| Nick Chubb, CLE | at NE | L 13-27 | 20 | 131 | 6.6 | 0 |
| Tony Pollard, DAL | LAR | W 44-21 | 12 | 131 | 10.9 | 1 |
| Gus Edwards, BAL | PIT | W 28-10 | 21 | 130 | 6.2 | 0 |
| Rashaad Penny, SEA | at PHI | W 17-9 | 14 | 129 | 9.2 | 1 |
| Derrius Guice, WAS | at CAR | W 29-21 | 10 | 129 | 12.9 | 2 |
| Christian McCaffrey, CAR | LAR | L 27-30 | 19 | 128 | 6.7 | 2 |
| Nick Chubb, CLE | at ARI | L 24-38 | 17 | 127 | 7.5 | 1 |
| Chase Edmonds, ARI | at NYG | W 27-21 | 27 | 126 | 4.7 | 3 |
| Damien Williams, KC | MIN | W 26-23 | 12 | 125 | 10.4 | 1 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, DAL | MIA | W 31-6 | 19 | 125 | 6.6 | 0 |
| Kerryon Johnson, DET | KC | L 30-34 | 26 | 125 | 4.8 | 0 |
| Josh Jacobs, OAK | at GB | L 24-42 | 21 | 124 | 5.9 | 0 |
| Damien Williams, KC | LAC | W 31-21 | 12 | 124 | 10.3 | 2 |
| Josh Jacobs, OAK | CHI | W 24-21 | 26 | 123 | 4.7 | 2 |
| Miles Sanders, PHI | at WAS | W 37-27 | 19 | 122 | 6.4 | 1 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, DAL | WAS | W 47-16 | 18 | 122 | 6.8 | 1 |
| Nick Chubb, CLE | SEA | L 28-32 | 20 | 122 | 6.1 | 2 |
| Josh Jacobs, OAK | DET | W 31-24 | 28 | 120 | 4.3 | 2 |
| Latavius Murray, NO | at CHI | W 36-25 | 27 | 119 | 4.4 | 2 |
| Adrian Peterson, WAS | at MIA | W 17-16 | 23 | 118 | 5.1 | 0 |
| Christian McCaffrey, CAR | at SF | L 13-51 | 14 | 117 | 8.4 | 1 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, DAL | LAR | W 44-21 | 24 | 117 | 4.9 | 2 |
| Carlos Hyde, HOU | at KC | W 31-24 | 26 | 116 | 4.5 | 1 |
| • Jonathan Williams, IND | JAC | W 33-13 | 13 | 116 | 8.9 | 0 |
| Aaron Jones, GB | MIN | W 21-16 | 23 | 116 | 5.0 | 1 |
| Nick Chubb, CLE | BUF | W 19-16 | 20 | 116 | 5.8 | 0 |
| Mark Ingram, BAL | NE | W 37-20 | 15 | 115 | 7.7 | 0 |
| Phillip Lindsay, DEN | at LAC | W 20-13 | 15 | 114 | 7.6 | 1 |
| Joe Mixon, CIN | BAL | L 13-49 | 30 | 114 | 3.8 | 0 |
| David Montgomery, CHI | at MIN | W 21-19 | 23 | 113 | 4.9 | 1 |
| Gus Edwards, BAL | HOU | W 41-7 | 8 | 112 | 14.0 | 1 |
| Josh Jacobs, OAK | CIN | W 17-10 | 23 | 112 | 4.9 | 0 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, DAL | at WAS | W 31-21 | 23 | 111 | 4.8 | 1 |
| Mark Ingram, BAL | at LAR | W 45-6 | 15 | 111 | 7.4 | 1 |
| Dalvin Cook, MIN | ATL | W 28-12 | 21 | 111 | 5.3 | 2 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, DAL | PHI | W 37-10 | 22 | 111 | 5.1 | 1 |
| Dalvin Cook, MIN | OAK | W 34-14 | 16 | 110 | 6.9 | 1 |
| Kenyan Drake, ARI | SF | L 25-28 | 15 | 110 | 7.3 | 1 |
| Frank Gore, BUF | NE | L 10-16 | 17 | 109 | 6.4 | 0 |
| Marlon Mack, IND | JAC | W 33-13 | 14 | 109 | 7.8 | 1 |
| Phillip Lindsay, DEN | DET | W 27-17 | 19 | 109 | 5.7 | 1 |
| Adrian Peterson, WAS | at BUF | L 9-24 | 18 | 108 | 6.0 | 0 |
| Christian McCaffrey, CAR | at GB | L 16-24 | 20 | 108 | 5.4 | 1 |
| Leonard Fournette, JAC | at CAR | L 27-34 | 23 | 108 | 4.7 | 1 |
| Melvin Gordon, LAC | at OAK | L 24-26 | 22 | 108 | 4.9 | 1 |
| Aaron Jones, GB | at DAL | W 34-24 | 19 | 107 | 5.6 | 4 |
| Mark Ingram, BAL | at MIA | W 59-10 | 14 | 107 | 7.6 | 2 |
| Ronald Jones, TAM | ATL | L 22-28 | 11 | 106 | 9.6 | 0 |
| Devin Singletary, BUF | DEN | W 20-3 | 21 | 106 | 5.1 | 0 |
| Nick Chubb, CLE | CIN | W 27-19 | 15 | 106 | 7.1 | 0 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, DAL | at NYJ | L 22-24 | 28 | 105 | 3.8 | 1 |
| Tevin Coleman, SF | CAR | W 51-13 | 11 | 105 | 9.6 | 3 |
| Tevin Coleman, SF | MIN | W 27-10 | 22 | 105 | 4.8 | 2 |
| Damien Williams, KC | SF | W 31-20 | 17 | 104 | 6.1 | 1 |
| • Jonathan Williams, IND | at HOU | L 17-20 | 26 | 104 | 4.0 | 1 |
| Carlos Hyde, HOU | at TEN | W 24-21 | 26 | 104 | 4.0 | 1 |
| Josh Jacobs, OAK | at KC | L 9-40 | 17 | 104 | 6.1 | 0 |
| Jamaal Williams, GB | DET | W 23-22 | 14 | 104 | 7.4 | 0 |
| Derrick Henry, TEN | at OAK | W 42-21 | 18 | 103 | 5.7 | 2 |
| Mark Ingram, BAL | at KC | L 28-33 | 16 | 103 | 6.4 | 3 |
| Tony Pollard, DAL | MIA | W 31-6 | 13 | 103 | 7.9 | 1 |
| Latavius Murray, NO | ARI | W 31-9 | 21 | 102 | 4.9 | 1 |
| Austin Ekeler, LAC | at JAC | W 45-10 | 8 | 101 | 12.6 | 0 |
| Aaron Jones, GB | at DET | W 23-20 | 25 | 100 | 4.0 | 0 |
| Derrick Henry, TEN | at ATL | W 24-10 | 27 | 100 | 3.7 | 0 |
—Ian Allan