We’re back with the running back advanced stats for Week 3. The format of this article could evolve as the season progresses, since we will examine more than just the best and worst in various advanced metrics. After Week 3, the narratives and performances shifted in a different direction, especially for the rookie running backs.
We’ll utilize the Advanced Stats Explorer and other tools to analyze notable players that we want to buy or sell. Specifically, we’ll focus on yards before and after contact, the inputs for evasion rate, stuff rate, and the expected fantasy points. That will tell us how the offensive line might be impacting an RB or if their volume might override the advanced stats if they struggle to force missed tackles.
Fighting For Yards After Contact
There were six running backs with 100% or more of their yards coming after contact in Week 3: Chase Brown, Cam Akers, Jaylen Warren, Ollie Gordon II, Trey Benson, and Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Brown’s percentage of yards after contact looks like a typo, but that’s what happens when a rusher is frequently hit behind the line and produces fewer yards than rush attempts.
Unsurprisingly, several of the running backs with high yards after contact per attempt (YAC/Att) tend to struggle to create yards before contact. When running backs struggle to generate yards before contact or play on a team with poor run blocking, we want them to break and force missed tackles to fight for extra yards.
Among the rushing leaders with 80% of their yards after contact in the first three weeks, the ones to worry about include Brown, Dylan Sampson, and Ashton Jeanty. For context, the league average in YAC/Att sits at 2.8 yards in 2025. On the flip side, several rookies stand out with an above-average YAC/Att through three weeks. That includes Quinshon Judkins, Cam Skattebo, RJ Harvey, and Ollie Gordon II on the positive end.
Jeanty and Omarion Hampton have been mediocre, though they have volume in their favor. Jeanty ranks 23rd in EP/G, with Hampton at No. 15, and we expect an uptick without Najee Harris. We’ll discuss these rookies more below.
