(Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire)
It is best to start with running backs because of the age-old question: Are running backs targeted because of their skill set or because of a particular quarterback’s tendencies? For a great discussion on that, check out Ryan Heath’s article. But, we are now checking out what the stats are telling us.
So, whether you are playing weekly fantasy or DFS, it is essential to know what running backs are getting the targets and who is being ghosted.
2022 Fantasy Football IDP Rankings
Fantasy Football Dynasty Trade Value Chart
2021-2022 The 16 Most Targeted Running Backs
| NAME | TOTAL TARGETS | WEEK TARGET | WEEK TARGET | WEEK TARGET | AVERAGE TARGETS/GAME |
| Austin Ekeler Los Angeles Chargers | 94 | Week2 v Dallas Cowboys
9 targets |
Week8 v New England Patriots
10 targets |
Week 12 v Denver Broncos
8 targets |
5.9 average targets per game |
| Najee Harris Pittsburgh Steelers | 94 | Week 3 v Cincinnati Bengals
19 targets |
Week 16 v Kansas City Chiefs
7 targets |
Week 11 v Los Angeles Chargers
6 targets |
5.5 average targets per game |
| Leonard Fournette Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 84 | Week 10 v Washington
9 targets |
Week 12 v Indianapolis Colts
8 targets |
Week 13 v Atlanta Falcons
8 targets |
6.0 average targets per game |
| D’Andre Swift Detroit Lions | 78 | Week 1 v San Francisco 49ers
11 targets |
Week 7 v Los Angeles Rams
10 targets |
Week 3 v Baltimore and Week 6 v Cincinnati
7 targets |
6.0 average targets per game |
| Cordarrelle Patterson
Atlanta Falcons |
69 | Week 5 v New York Jets
9 targets |
Week 2 v Tampa Bay and Week 3 v New York Giants
7 targets |
Week 4 v Washington and Week 9 v New Orleans
6 targets |
4.3 average targets per game |
| Alvin Kamara New Orleans Saints | 67 | Week 7 v Seattle Seahawks
11 targets |
Week 5 v Washington
8 targets |
Week 9 v Atlanta
7 targets |
5.2 average targets per game |
| Aaron Jones Green Bay Packers | 65 | Week 8 v Arizona Cardinals
11 targets |
Week 2 v Detroit; Week 10 v Seattle; Week 16 v Cleveland; and Week 17 v Minnesota
6 targets |
Week 5 v Cincinnati and Week 7 v Washington
5 targets |
4.3 average targets per game |
| Ezekiel Elliott Dallas Cowboys | 65 | Week 6 v New England Patriots
9 targets |
Week 12 v Las Vegas Raiders
8 targets |
Week 8 v Minnesota; Week 11 v Kansas City; and Week 14 v Washington
6 targets |
3.8 average targets per game |
| Josh Jacobs Las Vegas Raiders | 64 | Week 13 v Washington
9 targets |
Week 11 v Cincinnati Bengals
7 targets |
Week 14 v Kansas City Chiefs
6 targets |
4.3 average targets per game |
| Myles Gaskin Miami Dolphins | 63 | Week 5 v Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10 targets |
Week 3 v Las Vegas; Week 6 v Jacksonville; and Week 9 v Houston
6 targets |
Week 1 v New England and Week 2 v Buffalo
5 targets |
3.7 targets per game |
| Mike Davis Atlanta Falcons (now Baltimore Raven) | 58 | Week 2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7 targets |
Week 1 v Philadelphia; and Week 8/14 v Carolina
6 targets |
Week 5 v New York Jets
5 targets |
3.4 average targets per game |
| Darrel Williams Kansas City Chiefs (now with Arizona Cardinals) | 57 | Week 10 v Las Vegas Raiders
9 targets |
Week 8 v New York Giants
6 targets |
Week 5 v Buffalo Bills
5 targets |
3.4 average targets per game |
| Saquon Barkley New York Giants | 57 | Week 13 v Miami Dolphins
9 targets |
Week 15 v Dallas Cowboys
8 targets |
Week 3 v Atlanta Falcons
6 targets |
4.4 average targets per game |
| Nyheim Hines Indianapolis Colts | 57 | Week 1 v Seattle Seahawks
8 targets |
Week 3 v Tennessee Titans and Week 9 v New York Jets
6 targets |
Week 8 v Tennessee Titans
8 targets |
3.4 average targets per game |
2021 Most Targeted Running Backs by Average
It is great to have the raw numbers but what also matters is who is averaging the most targets per game?
Fournette is third in total targets for 2021. He played in 14 games and averaged 6.0 targets per game.
Swift tied Fournette for most average targets per game, but Swift only played in 13 games.
Ekeler played in 16 games last season while averaging 5.9 targets per game.
Meanwhile, Harris played in all 17 games, tied for the lead in targets, and averaged 5.5 targets per game (fourth-best). Harris will also be playing with a different quarterback this season. So, we will be monitoring who is under center and their propensity to throw to the running back.
Kamara only played in 13 games last season, and there is a chance he will be suspended for some games this season. In his 13 games, Kamara averaged 5.2 targets per game.
McKissic played in 11 games and averaged 4.8 targets.
Davis, Williams, and Hines only averaged 3.4 targets per game. Davis and Williams are on to new teams, and Hines will play with a new quarterback.
When you get beyond Ekeler, Harris, Swift, and Fournette, it is imperative to find teams with a high passing volume and those whose defenses are giving up the most points to the running back position.
Statistics To Consider
Stats from Teamrankings.com
2021 Teams Passing Attempts Per Game
| TEAM | Average Passing Attempts Per Game |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 43.3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 39.9 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 39.6 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 39.3 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 38.4 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 37.9 |
| Buffalo Bills | 37.7 |
| Miami Dolphins | 36.2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 37.7 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 35.7 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 35.5 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 35.5 |
| New York Jets | 35.5 |
Teams in bold will have new coaches for the 2022 NFL season, so let’s see what happens. But when you are looking for running backs to target (see what I did there?) see what teams are passing the ball the most on an average.
Stats from FootballDatabase.com
2021 Defenses That Gave Up the Most Targets to RB Position
| Team | RB Targets Given Up In 2021 Season |
| Seattle Seahawks | 147 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 144 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 140 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 135 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 131 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 130 |
| New York Jets | 125 |
| New England Patriots | 119 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 117 |
| Washington | 117 |
| Green Bay Packers | 112 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 112 |
| Miami Dolphins | 112 |
2021 Defenses That Gave Up the Most Rushing Touchdowns
| TEAMS | Rushing Touchdowns Allowed to the Running Back Position Season Total |
| New York Jets | 23 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 19 |
| Detroit Lions | 18 |
| Houston Texans | 18 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 17 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 16 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 14 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 14 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 14 |
| Buffalo Bills | 14 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 13 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 13 |
| New York Giants | 13 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 13 |
2021 Most Fantasy Points to RB Per Game Avg
| TEAM | Average Fantasy Points Given Up to RB |
| New York Jets | 24.6 |
| Detroit Lions | 21.4 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 20.7 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 20.7 |
| Houston Texans | 20.2 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 19.8 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 19.4 |
| New York Giants | 18.6 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 18.2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 18.1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 16.9 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 16.8 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 16.4 |
It helps when the defense your running backs are going up against are generous in giving fantasy points to the running back position.
Running Backs to Draft/Play
If you are drafting, how does your league score the running backs? For instance, for those playing in the ScottFishBowl, there are additional points for first downs (.5) and points deducted for fumbles (-2).
If you are playing in a PPR league (points per reception), targets are more important than those playing in a standard league.
Know your scoring.
When the league starts (September 11) and DFS starts, DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo, and the many other sites will have different scoring as different as their sites.
Keeping up with the changes in teams’ rosters, both offensively and defensively, is essential.
But we at Sportgamblingpodcast.com got you!
