Blair Andrews explores some of the advanced running back metrics available in the new Advanced Stats Explorer. Are drafters chasing the right stats when making draft day decisions? Or are certain metrics persistently undervalued?
In a previous article, I looked at some advanced wide receiver metrics we’ve added to the site to find some with hidden value, and to see how much they change the way we understand and predict wide receiver scoring. While the new metrics provide a ton of new insight, the old standbys more than hold their own.
But how does the picture look at running back?
The metrics I’m looking at today give us additional information on exactly how rushers tend to accumulate yardage. How often are they hit behind the line of scrimmage? How many tackles do they break? How many yards do they generate after being hit? While rushing yards in themselves are highly predictive, this extra layer of detail gives us new information about how sticky and predictive an individual rusher’s yards are compared to his peers.
