Volume is always a key component to a successful fantasy football season. In 2012, David Wilson averaged 5.0 ypc, 2.66 Yco/Att (yards after contact per attempt), and finished with six runs of 15 or more yards despite receiving just 71 carries. Volume was what kept Wilson back from being an elite fantasy contributor, and projected volume is what helped propel him into the second round of 2013 fantasy football drafts.
Projected volume and actual volume tend to differ on many occasions. Between offseason coach-speak, injuries, and concerns with pass protection, the reality is that projecting touches is a very futile exercise. Instead of guessing, in this column every week we will take a look at snaps, touches in both the running and passing game, pass protection, and other interesting stats only available on Pro Football Focus. One game never tells the entire story, as game flow often dictates a player’s usage. However, we can gauge a lot from week one when accounting for factors like game flow and more.
Each backfield will be broken up based on overall usage.
*You will notice that the three subcategories under total snaps do not always add up to the total. This is because a running back may be used as a “run blocker” on specific plays.
Workhorse Backfields
Chicago Bears
Total Snaps: Matt Forte (70), Ka’Deem Carey (4)
Total Snaps (Run Plays): Matt Forte (17), Ka’Deem Carey (1)
Total Snaps (Pass Plays): Matt Forte (42), Ka’Deem Carey (3)
Total Snaps (Pass Block): Matt Forte (11)
Total Targets: Matt Forte (9)
Total Touches: Matt Forte (25), Ka’Deem Carey (1)
Not much to see here. Forte is one of the true workhorse backs in the NFL and he played a whopping 70-of-74 snaps as his team played from behind.
Dallas Cowboys
Total Snaps: DeMarco Murray (64), Lance Dunbar (4)
Total Snaps (Run Plays): DeMarco Murray (22)
Total Snaps (Pass Plays): DeMarco Murray (37), Lance Dunbar (3)
Total Snaps (Pass Block): DeMarco Murray (2)
Total Targets: DeMarco Murray (3), Lance Dunbar (3)
Total Touches: DeMarco Murray (25), Lance Dunbar (3)
It turns out that Dunbar won’t be Linehan’s new Joique Bell—at least not this week. Despite going down several scores early, the Cowboys stuck with the run behind Murray. Dunbar was utilized on limited snaps catching all three of his targets, but volume is a concern until we see otherwise.
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