In dynasty, one of the most under-appreciated assets is the bench stash running back. These cheap assets can climb up depth charts and become useful to either your starting lineup or for trade. These types of players can be acquired for a fourth-round rookie pick or less in most leagues but can return a second-rounder or more in trades if they become a starter. Even if it’s only for a couple of weeks. For example, last season I was able to trade Ryan Nall and a third-round rookie pick for a second-round rookie pick when he took over for David Montgomery. The hardest part is finding which players are the best bets to not only remain on a team but also climb a depth chart. This article will go over certain metrics you can look for when deciding between these late-round or free-agent RBs.
Metrics to Look At
The first thing we want our running backs to have is size. They need to have the proper size so that they can be seen as workhorses and not satellite backs once they are given a starting opportunity. Ideally, I want my deep stash RBs to be at least 205 pounds and have a BMI over 30, or numbers close to these. Next, I look at stats from their college days. Most of the following stats are from each player’s best season only, I will mention if they are not.
I look at scrimmage yards per game (SYPG) which is their rushing yards plus receiving yards divided by games played. Their career yards per carry (YPC) in college, which are rushing yards divided by the number of attempts. Their total touchdown share (TD%), which are their total touchdowns divided by the number of touchdowns the team scored in games the player played. Their reception share (REC%), which is the players’ receptions divided by the teams’ completions. And the most important, yards per team play (Y/TP), is the players’ total yards divided by the combined pass attempts and rush attempts of the team. For SYPG I look for a number around 120 and for YPC I want the player to be around 6.0. For TD% I want my RB to be close to 30%, their REC% should be around 10% at least, and the target for Y/TP is 1.9. Using this information let’s look at the 2021 RB class and identify some cheap guys we should be stashing.
Jake Funk – Los Angeles Rams
Funk barely misses our size targets, he weighs in at 204 with a BMI of 29.3. These numbers both miss my preferred thresholds, but with these late-round guys, we just want players that are close. Funk’s SYPG was a solid 116.8 which again is just barely below my preferred mark, he also comes with a YPC stat of 7.2 which is way above the required 6.0. Funk managed a 60% TD% at Maryland, as well as a 10.2 REC%, and a Y/TP of 1.90. So, Funk hits all of the production metrics, barely misses SYPG, and barely misses the size metrics. This led me to owning a good amount of Funk prior to Akers even being injured. Now he is competing for an RB2 spot on a team that is open to running a committee. Funk is a perfect example of how these guys can be cheap to acquire and can quickly become sought-after assets. Let’s move on to some guys that are still cheap to acquire.
Jaret Patterson – Washington Football Team
Jaret Patterson is a guy that I have stashed a lot of in my dynasty rookie drafts so I was glad to see he performed well in his first preseason game. Let’s get into why he was a big target of mine. First of all, Patterson weighs in at 195 with a BMI of 31.5. BMI is more predictive than weight so we are ok with him missing the weight by 10 pounds. Jaret managed 154.5 SYPG along with a YPC of 6.1 in college, both exceeding my target points. Patterson scored 56% of the teams’ touchdowns, caught 8.7% of the teams’ receptions, and had a whopping 3.81 Y/TP. That mark was the highest in the whole class, followed by Chuba Hubbard at 2.48 (not even close), and Najee Harris at 2.10. So, Patterson has the size and he has the production, his only red spot is his reception share but 8.7% is still solid and close to the goal. I drafted Patterson in eight out of my twelve rookie drafts and if he is available in your league I highly recommend scooping him up.
Khalil Herbert – Chicago Bears
Herbert seems stuck deep on a depth chart behind entrenched starters like Tarik Cohen and David Montgomery, but I am here to tell you why he is worth stashing. Khalil Herbert weighs in at 210 pounds with a BMI of 31, so he definitely has the size. Herbert garnered 123.8 SYPG while posting 6.1 YPC, check and check. Herbert’s biggest red flags come in the following categories, but again with these late-round guys we just want numbers that are close. The guys that are hitting most or all of these categories are going in the first and second rounds of drafts. At this point, we are just trying to avoid the guys that miss a bunch of stats and aren’t even close. Herbert achieved a 22% TD%, 6.33 REC%, and 1.87 Y/TP. The most important of these numbers being Y/TP and Herbert being very close here is what makes me like him as a late-round dart throw target. I don’t have as much Herbert as I do of Patterson and Funk but I have grabbed a couple of shares of him when possible.
Jermar Jefferson – Detroit Lions
Jermar is a guy that is very much stuck behind good starters in D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams but remember we are just taking shots on guys that may climb depth charts due to injuries, trades, or free agency. Jefferson is still a good target because the talent will also rise and overcome the situation. Jermar weighs in at 206 pounds with a BMI of 29.6, these numbers are right on the line of both thresholds and make me happy to see. Next, Jefferson had an SYPG of 154.2 with a YPC of 5.7. He also achieved a TD% of 30%, a REC% of 9.7%, and a Y/TP of 1.7. Jefferson hits or nearly hits every single threshold and is another player that I drafted a lot of in my rookie drafts.
Kylin Hill – Green Bay Packers
Kylin has good size, he weighed in at 214 pounds with a BMI of 29.8. He only had 117.7 SYPG and 5.6 YPC, but the SYPG is very close and YPC is one of the less predictive stats I look at. Lastly, he had a 23% TD%, a huge 22.6% REC%, and a solid 1.81 Y/TP. This combination of good size and great receiving numbers is what really gets me excited about Kylin. He profiles as a three-down running back and these are the profiles we want in the guys we stash. His 22.6% REC% actually leads the class and his rushing stats aren’t too shabby either. Kylin has a good chance to find the field in Green Bay early due to the release of Jamaal Williams and the team now no longer having an established third-down back. If Kylin can overtake that role and get the coaches to trust him that would be huge. Remember, Kylin isn’t small, so the fact that he can catch and has good size is very enticing. I have a lot of him in dynasty.
Brenden Knox – Dallas Cowboys
Knox is probably the cheapest guy I have in this article, and that makes him a perfect guy to grab. In most leagues, you may even be able to pick him up off waivers, right now. Knox weighs in at 223 pounds with a BMI of 30.2 so great size there. He had 116.6 SYPG and a 5.2 YPC in college, not desirable, but at the price it is fine. Knox had a 31% TD%, a REC% of 7.4%, and a Y/TP of 1.71. Knox is pretty much the last guy in the class that meets the weight requirements and also has pretty solid production numbers. The reason I only target guys that meet or are very close to the weight requirements is not that I think they are super predictive. It is because NFL coaches tend to favor bigger running backs. For one of these stashes to remain on a team long enough to get a chance to climb the depth chart they need to be in the coach’s favor. Then they can use their talent to show the coach they deserve to stay on the team or move up. That is why I look at size and then talent.
There are still some more RBs out there that fit some categories and are close in other categories. But, these guys were the best and closest in my opinion so I chose to call them out specifically. However, with this newfound knowledge, you can take these stats and try to find your own deep stashes from past classes or in future seasons! Good luck and hopefully some of these guys will be sitting on your waiver wires.
Wow, you read all the way through! Thank you, I really appreciate you using your time to enjoy my content. If you would like to talk to me about my article or ask me any generic dynasty or trade questions. You can find me on Twitter @ChrisMiles1017, DFF Draft Director. Shoot me a DM, they are always open. Come join the #DFFArmy where I provide #Dynasty, #Redraft, and #Analytics content for @DFF_Dynasty. Thank you so much!
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