The 5 Best Rookie Running Back Seasons Over the Last Decade
5. Doug Martin, 2012
The Boise State product broke out in 2012, especially in Week 9 of that 2012 season. Martin went bananas and rattled off 251 rushing yards to go along with 4 touchdowns. The last player to rush for over 250 yards and 4 touchdowns in a game was Mike Anderson for Denver in 2000. It should be noted that Anderson did it with 37 carries while Martin only needed 25.
While his Success Rate -- the percentage of carries that led to positive NEP gains for his team -- on 320 carries was only 40%, his Success Rate on 49 receptions was 67.35%. His rushing consistency was lacking, but he still outscored other big-name running backs on a per-carry basis. Martin averaged 0.04 Rushing NEP per rush, which was better than Alfred Morris, Jamaal Charles, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Matt Forte to name a few.
Just how successful was he from an advanced metrics standpoint?
| Player | Rushing NEP | Rank | Rushing NEP/P | Reception NEP | Rank | Reception NEP/Target | Total NEP | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Martin | 10.18 | 10th | 0.03 | 25.92 | 6th | 0.37 | 36.10 | 6th |
The man formerly known as "Muscle Hamster" finished in the top 10 in both Rushing and Reception NEP.
His 263 fantasy points in 2012 are still his career high, but he returned to greatness in 2015, scoring 199 fantasy points after two injury-riddled seasons.
