As advanced metrics become more innovative, the more difficult they are to track. Yards created being a prime example. But just because it is a difficult metric to track doesn’t mean we should stick to less significant stats. Yards after contact, for example, the closest living relative to yards created, is a common default in this area of analysis. The issue with yards after contact is that it can minimize the impact of smaller, more agile backs. Truck-sticking defenders all the way down the field is impressive, but isn’t the juke move to go untouched just as significant?
There are several ways a running back can gain “extra” yardage, so it’s only logical that we use several different metrics to measure a running back’s ability to create extra yards. There are different versions of yards created being tracked, and for this article, I’ll use SumerSports, which defines their metric as, “adjusting yards per carry based on situation and defensive pre-snap look.” Additionally, I will also utilize PFF’s elusiveness rating, which considers missed tackles forced and yards after contact per attempt. With all of this, we will zoom in on yards after contact to paint a full picture.
Here’s the full article on The Best & Worst Running Backs at Creating Yards. Let’s dive into a few notable names below.
Creating Yards in 2023 (Fantasy Football)
Top 10 RBs at Creating Yards
| Top 10 RBs in Yards Created per SumerSports | |
| Name | Yards Created |
| De’Von Achane | 3.52 |
| Jaleel McLaughlin | 0.98 |
| Jaylen Warren | 0.87 |
| Kyren Williams | 0.78 |
| James Conner | 0.75 |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | 0.72 |
| Christian McCaffrey | 0.65 |
| Aaron Jones | 0.54 |
| Raheem Mostert | 0.47 |
| Emari Demercado | 0.38 |
| Top 10 RBs in Elusiveness Rating per PFF | |
| Name | Elusiveness Rating |
| De’Von Achane | 153.5 |
| Keaton Mitchell | 152.2 |
| Jaylen Warren | 131.9 |
| Jaleel McLaughlin | 113.8 |
| Tyjae Spears | 109.8 |
| James Conner | 109.3 |
| Raheem Mostert | 94.4 |
| Breece Hall | 88.6 |
| Kenneth Walker III | 88 |
| Antonio Gibson | 86.9 |
| Top RBs in Yards After Contact per Attempt | ||||
| Name | Attempts | Yards | YAC | YAC per Attempt |
| Keaton Mitchell | 47 | 396 | 267 | 5.68 |
| De’Von Achane | 102 | 804 | 522 | 5.12 |
| James Conner | 209 | 1039 | 817 | 3.91 |
| Chris Rodriguez Jr. | 51 | 247 | 186 | 3.65 |
| Jaylen Warren | 149 | 785 | 543 | 3.64 |
| Emari Demercado | 58 | 284 | 205 | 3.53 |
| Antonio Gibson | 65 | 265 | 228 | 3.51 |
| Breece Hall | 222 | 993 | 761 | 3.43 |
| Christian McCaffrey | 272 | 1459 | 929 | 3.42 |
| Pierre Strong Jr. | 63 | 291 | 215 | 3.41 |
| Raheem Mostert | 209 | 1012 | 710 | 3.4 |
| Jaleel McLaughlin | 76 | 410 | 257 | 3.38 |
| Kyren Williams | 228 | 1144 | 761 | 3.34 |
| Derrick Henry | 280 | 1167 | 930 | 3.32 |
There’s a lot to take in, but lucky for you, that’s why I’m here. There are a handful of names that are consistent throughout each table, partially due to my extension of the yards after contact list, but obviously that is a good sign for those players.
Despite his reputation as a tough and physical runner, James Conner showed up at sixth in elusiveness rating at 109.3. He also landed at fifth in yards created with 0.75 and third in yards after contact per attempt with 3.91. Nobody is going to mistake Conner for an explosive runner like Achane, but his nimble feet and crafty running style are underrated. He had the eight-best juke rate and seventh-best breakaway run rate this season. Seriously.
Jaylen Warren quickly became everybody’s favorite backup running back, and with good reason. He’s not only the best running back on his team, but he finished third in yards created per attempt at 0.87, third in elusiveness rating at 131.9, and fifth in yards after contact per attempt with 3.64. He might be on the shorter side, but Warren weighs 215 pounds is closer to Austin Ekeler than Keaton Mitchell. Warren led the league in juke rate and came in third in breakaway run rate, while excelling as a receiver. He and Najee Harris each have one year left on their current contracts, and it would not be a surprise if Warren surpasses Harris this season and ends up with a new contract in Pittsburgh in 2025.
Raheem Mostert wasn’t the most elusive fish in the Miami sea, but he still came in seventh in PFFs elusiveness rating and ninth in yards created. His 3.4 yards after contact were eleventh-best among running backs. The Pro Bowl player had a career year and was undoubtedly one of the best backs at creating yards, thanks in large part to his health and Mike McDaniel’s prolific rushing offense. Mostert played 15 games this season, marking just the third time he played in 15 or more games. He finished with more than double his career touchdown total, with 18, and cracked 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his age 31 season. It’s a lot to hope that he can duplicate that next season, but any ball carrier in this system should have success provided they stay healthy.
Somehow, Christian McCaffrey fell short of a top 10 elusiveness rating, but he was seventh in yards created and ninth in yards after contact per attempt. He did so on a massive workload of 278 carries, but we already know the deal with CMC.
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