Fantasy Football Stat of the Day: The power of the breakaway run

Tyler Loechner

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(Leading up to the 2021 NFL season, FTN’s Tyler Loechner will dive into the fantasy football numbers to bring you his Fantasy Stat of the Day, five days a week.)

Power rushing pays the bills down by the goal line, but nothing is more exciting on rushing plays than when a running back rips off a long gain.

But who were the best breakaway runners in the NFL in 2020? The name at the top of the list won’t be a surprise, but some other names near the top should pique your interest.

Derrick Henry is truly the king of RBs

player	pos	20+ Yd Rushes	All Attempts	Yds Gained on 20+	Total Yards	% of Rushes Go For 20+	% of Yds From 20+ Rushes
Derrick Henry	RB	14	383	509	1900	3.7%	26.8%
Nick Chubb	RB	11	194	328	963	5.7%	34.1%
J.K. Dobbins	RB	8	139	282	752	5.8%	37.5%
Gus Edwards	RB	8	146	204	734	5.5%	27.8%
Alvin Kamara	RB	7	191	219	901	3.7%	24.3%
Jonathan Taylor	RB	7	245	257	1122	2.9%	22.9%
Dalvin Cook	RB	7	318	262	1487	2.2%	17.6%
Aaron Jones	RB	6	205	300	1081	2.9%	27.8%
Kenyan Drake	RB	6	243	194	940	2.5%	20.6%
Ronald Jones	RB	5	195	213	961	2.6%	22.2%
David Montgomery	RB	5	250	224	1085	2.0%	20.6%
Antonio Gibson	RB	5	175	142	720	2.9%	19.7%
James Robinson	RB	5	249	155	1065	2.0%	14.6%

Henry earned his King Henry moniker last season, ripping off 14 rushes of 20-plus yards. But not too far behind (11) — on half as many attempts — was Nick Chubb, who is also earning his reputation as the “best pure runner” in the league.

Chubb ranked second among RBs (minimum 100 attempts) with 5.7% of his rushing attempts going for over 20 yards. He was just behind J.K. Dobbins (5.8%), who is one of the higher-upside young RBs on draft boards in 2021.

Interestingly, fellow Baltimore RB Gus Edwards was third in the league with 5.5% of his attempts going for 20-plus yards. This trio was so far ahead of the rest of the league in terms of breakaway hit rate, with only one other player gaining 20-plus yards on more than 4% of attempts.

Which RBs gain the highest percentage of their yards on breakaway runs?

player	pos	20+ Yd Rushes	All Attempts	Yds Gained on 20+	Total Yards	% of Rushes Go For 20+	% of Yds From 20+ Rushes
J.K. Dobbins	RB	8	139	282	752	5.8%	37.5%
Nick Chubb	RB	11	194	328	963	5.7%	34.1%
Miles Sanders	RB	4	167	256	812	2.4%	31.5%
Gus Edwards	RB	8	146	204	734	5.5%	27.8%
Aaron Jones	RB	6	205	300	1081	2.9%	27.8%
Phillip Lindsay	RB	4	120	115	425	3.3%	27.1%
Derrick Henry	RB	14	383	509	1900	3.7%	26.8%
Leonard Fournette	RB	3	100	95	356	3.0%	26.7%
Cam Akers	RB	4	149	167	627	2.7%	26.6%
Brian Hill	RB	3	103	119	455	2.9%	26.2%
Alvin Kamara	RB	7	191	219	901	3.7%	24.3%
Jonathan Taylor	RB	7	245	257	1122	2.9%	22.9%
Joshua Kelley	RB	3	113	81	361	2.7%	22.4%

Dobbins also led the league last year in percentage of total yards gained on 20-plus yard rushes (37.5%). Chubb was just behind at 34.1%, followed by Miles Sanders at 31.5%. Sanders only had four breakaway runs, but he gained an average of 64 yards on those runs.

There’s another round RB to keep an eye on from this list: Cam Akers gained 26.6% of his total yards on breakaway runs, ninth-highest rate among RBs.