Friday, October 30, 2015

NFL Week 8 Effective Touch Leaders

In this week's effective touch leaders, I'll raise your awareness of several running backs both getting a good amount of opportunity, and making use of that opportunity.  I'm looking at running backs' targets, attempts, catches, and the production from those.  I'm making this list a little long, as I'm including two guys from last night's game, and that won't particularly help your fantasy hopes this weekend.

Dion Lewis, New England Patriots
Lewis leads the pack, primarily due to 7.5 targets per game, that he turns into over 58 yards a game.  He's got 4 receiving touchdowns, and 2 rushing touchdowns as well, for almost 1 per game.  His 7.5 carries a game added in, give him 15 opportunities per game to produce, and he's been doing a lot with those opportunities, averaging 6.32 yards per.  That's pretty impressive.  With Tom Brady throwing the ball, and Draft Kings being PPR leagues, there's no reason to think he won't continue being one of the most valuable backs in the league this year.

Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams
Gurley and his ridiculous 6 yards per rush average this season bring him to second on this list almost on their own without targets.  Which is good, because he's almost completely uninvolved in the passing game, getting just 8 targets (of which he's caught 7) all season.  The only weak part of his game thus far has been the touchdown output, which has been just 2 overall (both rushing) so far.  Look for him to add to that this weekend, against the Browns' defense.

Lamar Miller, Miami Dolphins
Prior to last night's debacle against the Patriots, in which he rushed just 9 times, for only 15 yards and a touchdown, I'm sure Miller's numbers were a lot better, but this morning he's bringing an average of 5.5 yards per rush to the table, adding in just over 3 targets per game, and coming in third with an overall of 5.94 yards per opportunity-and he's getting A LOT more opportunities as of late.  Granted, he didn't produce against the Patriots, but that defense is underrated.  Pick him up in future weeks, depending on the matchup.

Karlos Williams, Buffalo Bills
While Williams is currently a bit broken, and the Bills are on a bye week so he won't help you much this week, he still belongs on this list, according to the production he's put up thus far.  He's averaging just over 5.5 yards per opportunity, and getting almost 12 opportunities per game-mostly on the ground.  When he comes back from concussion, he should continue that trend.

Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The muscle hamster has made a comeback this season, and he's rounding out the 5th place on the effective touch list this week, averaging 5.45 yards per opportunity, and headlining that production with 18 rushes per game for just about 90 yards a game.  He'll be a great play this weekend against a weak Falcons' rush defense.

Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons
The real surprise about Freeman's inclusion on this list is his placement outside the top 5, but the numbers don't lie right?  He's currently putting up 5.32 yards per opportunity, and 5.64 yards per touch.  He gets a few more opportunities in the passing game than some of the guys on this list, giving him about 25 opportunities per game.  The combination of workload and capitalization of that opportunity probably makes him the most valuable back on this list, if not the most productive per opportunity, by the numbers.

Chris Johnson, Arizona Cardinals
Chris Johnson has shocked the league, making a bit of a stunning comeback at age 30, after disappointing for several years after his 2,000 yard rushing season.  His 5.24 yards per opportunity show that his numbers are legit, and his 22 opportunities per game show the coaches' confidence in him.  Keep him playing, and keep winning that money!

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