In an age where the NFL has truly gone the way of positional specialty, it has become crucial to understand which players excel in certain situations on the football field.
When discussing fantasy football, touchdown production from non-quarterback players is as important a factor as anything else when it comes to finding success on a weekly basis. In almost every league you may find yourself in, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends are all awarded six points for each touchdown they score.
Today I want to focus on the running back position, and more specifically, which running backs are most likely to score touchdowns inside the opponents’ 5-yard line. Players who can punch it in close to the goal line are what real-life coaches covet, and we as fantasy owners should feel the same way.
Below I’ve listed each running back who received 12 or more carries from inside the opponents’ 5-yard line during the 2013 season. I’ve sorted these players by their respective conversions, or success rates (Touchdowns/Attempts).
| Player | Attempts | Touchdowns | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Lacy | 13 | 9 | 69.23% |
| Joique Bell | 12 | 7 | 58.33% |
| Jamaal Charles | 16 | 8 | 50.00% |
| Knowshon Moreno | 15 | 7 | 46.66% |
| Matt Forte | 13 | 6 | 46.15% |
| DeMarco Murray | 16 | 7 | 43.75% |
| Zac Stacy | 12 | 5 | 41.66% |
| Fred Jackson | 18 | 7 | 38.88% |
| Marshawn Lynch | 26 | 10 | 38.46% |
| Steven Jackson | 13 | 5 | 38.46% |
| Mike Tolbert | 13 | 5 | 38.46% |
| Le'Veon Bell | 19 | 7 | 36.84% |
| Rashad Jennings | 12 | 4 | 33.33% |
| Ray Rice | 15 | 4 | 26.66% |
| Willis McGahee | 15 | 2 | 13.33% |
Overachievers
1. In case you needed another reason to consider an extremely dangerous offense this season.
2. Despite being labeled as a “smallish†running back, While head coach Andy Reid may look to get Davis more involved this season, Charles’ combination of speed, agility, pass-catching and goal-line adeptness makes him a sure-fire top-three fantasy pick this season.
3. If Lombardi employs a similar approach to what he used in New Orleans, Bell could carve out a decent role in a multi-faceted backfield with teammate Ball could exceed his current RB8 average draft position if he can retain a similar level of efficiency.
Underachievers
1. Despite receiving a whopping 26 goal-line attempts last season, Best known as an angry, tough runner, it seems Lynch should be better inside the opponents 5-yard line. Lynch was last season’s second-best running back in terms of Rushing NEP, behind only who converted his only goal-line carry into a touchdown in the Giants’ first preseason game. This is another situation to monitor as we inch closer to opening weekend.
4. Although will be used in multiple ways in an effort to increase his touches, including as a receiver. Assuming rookie his current 2.07 ADP in standard scoring leagues into question.