If I was given one wish for the 2020 fantasy football season, it would be to properly handicap the RB1 opportunity share for every NFL team. This is the most critical position in fantasy football, especially with an overwhelming number of running backs drafted in the first two rounds. When projecting running back opportunity shares for the upcoming season, it is important to include several different factors.<\/p>\n
Most fantasy drafters simply examine the running back opportunity share based on what a player did last year and if a new running back was added to the depth chart. Those factors are not nearly as important as examining how a running back performed in games they were healthy and received the majority of touches. Even if that was a reduced sample, it provides the best window into the potential opportunity share for the 2020 season.<\/p>\n
For each team’s projected starting running back, I listed the opportunity share from the 2019 season in games they started and did not leave due to injury. For players that joined new teams (i.e Todd Gurley<\/a><\/strong> in Atlanta), I used the stats from last year’s primary starting running back (i.e. Devonta Freeman<\/a><\/strong>). While the skill set may not match perfectly, it gives us the best projection of usage for 2020.<\/p>\n In this eight-part series, we will examine the projected lead running backs for each NFL division. Let’s start with the NFC East.<\/p>\n 2019 RB: Ezekiel Elliott<\/strong> .@EzekielElliott<\/a>'s best carries from a 1,357-yard rushing season! \ud83c\udf1f pic.twitter.com\/dO8togOio0<\/a><\/p>\n — NFL (@NFL) March 7, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nNFC East<\/h2>\n
Dallas Cowboys<\/h3>\n
\nGames:<\/strong> 16
\nRushes:<\/strong> 67.04%
\nRushing Yards:<\/strong> 63.03%
\nTargets:<\/strong> 12.33%
\nReceptions:<\/strong> 13.92%
\nReceiving Yards:<\/strong> 8.57%
\nTouchdowns:<\/strong> 29.17%
\n2020 RB1:<\/strong> Ezekiel Elliott<\/p>\n\n