Earlier this week I published the backfield dominator ratings (BDR) for the 2023 running back class. Chase Brown ranked No. 4 in BDR, thanks in large part to the number of opportunities he saw in Illinois’ offense. He had at least 20 touches and surpassed 100 total yards in every single game. Opponent RuAtts RuYds RuTDs RuAttMS RuYdMS Recs ReYds ReTDs Touches TotalYds Wyoming 19…...

Production is nearly always undervalued at the running back position. In part that’s because it’s not always the easiest thing to measure. Yes, we can easily look at the leaderboards in rushing and receiving yards and see who compiled the biggest numbers. But doing so leaves out a lot of context. For one thing, it doesn’t tell us much about a player’s offensive environment? Was…...

It’s hard not to love explosive running backs – players who can take a handoff, find a hole, juke past a linebacker, and race to the end zone. These are the type of plays that circle through our minds as we think about how a player’s skill set will translate to the NFL. There’s no denying that they’re exciting, but if they don’t translate to…...

Jalin Hyatt is widely expected to be taken in the first round of the reality draft. The speed and explosiveness he displayed at the combine only solidifies his draft stock. Yet he routinely slips to the second round of dynasty rookie mock drafts. Are NFL GMs overvaluing Hyatt’s final season production and tested athleticism? Or are fantasy GMs undervaluing Hyatt’s on-field abilities? The Box Score…...

The rookie class starts to come into focus after another thrilling NFL combine. Shawn Siegele projects the first round of 2023 superflex drafts. If you’re anything like me, the combine has your dynasty juices really flowing and you’re making a flurry of trades ahead of the upcoming NFL draft. My co-managers and I executed a couple of blockbusters in the FFPC’s RotoViz TriFlex format over…...

As a card-carrying member of the Jamaal Charles Super-Fan Club, it seems almost blasphemous to mention a 2022 rookie RB as a possible comparison to the former Chiefs great. Charles lived in the second level, seemingly never touched before gaining 5 yards. Once he got out in the open, it was usually a house call as few could keep up with his 4.38 speed. However,…...

How much does draft capital matter for players, particularly the running back position? In recent seasons, an undrafted player or late-round option in the NFL Draft exceeds expectations as a rookie. Blair has some research on the most predictive running back metrics to help us with that question. Sometimes a player earns volume via injuries or fitting better into an offense regardless of draft capital…....

Shawn Siegele looks at the WR Freak Scores for a 2023 class that could really use some quality sleepers. The 2023 NFL draft sports a bevy of dynamic small receivers. But does it offer game-breaking alphas? Two of the three stars opted not to run a 40 but left us with a mouthwatering sample of their potential star power. Quentin Johnston jumped 40.5 inches in…...

Bjorn Yang-Vaernet reviews the NFL combine results for the 2023 running back class and shares the players that helped or hurt themselves ahead of the NFL Draft. Thankfully the NFL combine, or as Blair called the event in his wide receiver combine winners and losers article, the “annual underwear Olympics,” is finally here. The period of time between the Super Bowl in February and the…...

Saturday was the day the real unsung heroes of American football got their chance to shine. I’m speaking of course of the tight ends. Overall, the players who chose to participate in the athletic testing did very well. One common factor that the group showcased was speed. Eight players managed to clock a sub-4.70 forty-yard-dash time. Here are four prospects who did themselves a lot…...

In many ways the NFL combine marks the unofficial start to the 2023 offseason. Although best balls drafts are in full swing, it’s not until the annual underwear olympics that we get new data on soon-to-be NFL players. In a lot of cases this new data just confirms what we already expected. But occasionally there are some surprises — both positive and negative. Those surprises…...

It’s rare for a player who didn’t go to a Power-Five school — let alone an FBS school — to make it big in the NFL. Yet occasionally, players from the FCS and lower divisions do hit in big ways. Christian Watson (North Dakota State) is the most recent example, but players like Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington), David Johnson (Northern Iowa), Tarik Cohen (North Carolina…...