Denver’s Dynamic Duo

In 2017, the Broncos offense labored through mediocrity. Yes, the main problem was that they lacked a competent quarterback, but we cannot deny the fact that they had no go-to running back to rely upon on early downs and short-yardage situations. Devontae Booker was the one touted with potential, while C.J. Anderson was the lead back. To put their actual talent in perspective, Anderson now serves as a reserve back for the Panthers, while Booker is the third-string option in this new-look Broncos backfield.

Entering this offseason, getting a legitimate running back became a priority of the utmost importance for Denver. After throwing their pole in the water on some potential free agent replacements, the Broncos made their real mark in the draft.

Early in the third round, after already having seen the likes of Saquon Barkley , Rashaad Penny , Sony Michel , Nick Chubb , Kerryon Johnson , Ronald Jones , and Derrius Guice come off the board, the Broncos figured the time was now or never to get their back of the future.

Enter, Royce Freeman .

Built almost in the complete opposite mold of the modern running back archetype, Freeman is bulky, slow, and offers little help as a receiver out of the backfield. What separates him from the pack is, ironically, what makes him work in this league though, as he is one of the few true downhill running backs that have been feared in college football over the last handful of years. In my pre-draft scouting report of Freeman, I said this:

“Right off the bat when watching the tape, Freeman displays a defining quality that no other back in this class has. He possesses the unique ability, with his bulky frame, to bury would-be tacklers without even having to break stride or lower his shoulder. It’s a testament of his raw power and explosion as a runner really, as his burst through the line is surprising for his size... I’m comfortable knowing that Freeman is a back with patience and vision as a runner, while he always displays determination to get north and south. Giving ground is not an option for him, as he finishes off runs strong, necessitating gang tackling from the defense.”

Simply put, Freeman is a throwback; a type of back that we haven’t seen in this league for quite a while, save for LeGarrette Blount and Marshawn Lynch .  

With Freeman in place now and assumed to be the early down back, the further assumption was that Devontae Booker would continue to serve in his role as the receiving back. While it was no secret that Booker had done little in his career up to that point to deserve no competition for that role, many still believed in his potential and that it was enough to keep him with consistent touches.

Enter, Phillip Lindsay .

Want to talk about a guy with a boulder sized chip on his shoulder, look no further than Boulder, Colorado grad, Phillip Lindsay . He’s 5-foot-8, 190 lbs. and one of the best players in the draft that you never heard of leading up to it. Growing up in Colorado, Lindsay has set state records at every stop of his football career. He finished his high school career as the all-time leading rusher, while in college he earned the nickname “Tasmanian Devil” on his way to setting school records in all-purpose yardage and yards from scrimmage. Despite his accolades, Lindsay went largely unnoticed during the draft process, as he was even snubbed from a Combine invitation. Instead he had to wow scouts at his pro-day, where he posted an astonishing 4.39 40-time. Even after that spectacular feat, scouts and GM’s alike still felt that he was too small, as he went undrafted through seven rounds of April’s three-day draft. When he finally got a training camp invite from the Broncos, it almost felt like they were doing a favor to one of the best backs in the history of their state. Little did anyone know that Lindsay would end up blowing away his competition, even on the NFL level. Well, maybe if we had been paying closer attention to his amaetur career we could have predicted it...

Since being drafted, Lindsay has done nothing but silence the doubters. So far, Lindsay has proven to be a little ball of lightning with electric footwork and superhuman vision. He’s currently averaging 5.9 yards per carry on 45 attempts, while he has all but completely taken the complementary role that was seemingly hand-wrapped and delivered for Devontae Booker (Booker has just 11 carries and eight receptions so far this season).  

Through all reasonable doubt, the Broncos are producing one of the most dynamic backfield duos in the game. Most surprisingly of all, they are doing it with two rookies and longshot rookies at that. People believed that seven other backs in this draft were better than Royce Freeman who is “too slow”, while not a single team other than Denver even gave a second glance at the pint sized Phillip Lindsay . Here we are now though, and both backs are averaging well over 3.0 yards after contact (min 45 touches). They are currently the only pair of teammates in the league that both reside in the top-10 of that category. Over the years we have heard the moniker used ad nauseam when describing a backfield tandem, but for these two it really seems fitting… From henceforth, Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay shall be known as “Thunder and Lightning!”  

Backfield State of the Union: 1st Quarter

It’s now been four weeks; a full quarter of the season has come and gone. Here’s a few quick facts to take note of going forward for your backfield convenience…

– Carlos Hyde currently leads the league in carries with 83 (told ya so!), Todd Gurley is right behind him with 79, while Ezekiel Elliott is third with 73.

– Speaking of Zeke, he leads the league in rushing by a wide margin with 426 yards – almost 100 yards more than second place, Todd Gurley , who has just 338. Elliott is currently on pace for 1,704 yards, which would give him 73 more yards than his league-leading numbers from his historic 2016 rookie campaign.

– In terms of yards per carry (min 40 carries), Matt Breida is leading with a stunning 7.6 yards per tote, while he’s followed by fellow speedsters Phillip Lindsay and Christian McCaffrey with 5.9 ypc.

– Another category that Carlos Hyde leads the league in is rushing touchdowns (told ya so!) with five, however he is tied currently with Alvin Kamara .

Speaking of Kamara, he leads all running backs with 35 receptions, 47 targets, and 336 receiving yards. At current pace, all of those numbers would be record shattering at the running back position for a single season. It should go as no surprise that Kamara also leads all fantasy running backs in total points, and by a whopping margin of 30 over Todd Gurley .

– To get into a little bit more into the “advanced stats,” Pro Football Focus has veteran Marshawn Lynch as the highest rated running back so far this season, with a 79.5 rush rating. He also leads the league in elusiveness, earning a PFF mark of 105.4 in that category. PFF also loves what the aforementioned Royce Freeman has done this season, along with Melvin Gordon , Saquon Barkley , Dion Lewis , Kareem Hunt , and Christian McCaffrey . Perhaps you should consider adjusting your roster accordingly.

NostraDomUs Boldly Predicts

Each week – whether through a DFS or a season-long lens – your beloved prophet, NostraDomUs, will offer a few predictions for the week to come at the running back position. In each following edition, we will reflect upon the previous predictions and keep a running tally across the season, termed “prophetic percentage.” Now without further ado… I give you NostraDomUs!

How’d we do last week?

Prediction #1: Isaiah Crowell has started and seen double-digit carries in each game so far this season. This week that will not happen. Right

Prediction #2: Aaron Jones emerges as the Packers lead back by racking up over 80 rushing yards and by getting into the end zone at least once. Wrong

So the prophetic percentage is moving in the right direction! Hopefully the Crowell insight helped you from making a mistake, while it took every ounce of discipline that I had to not give myself credit on the Aaron Jones prediction as well. While I was technically wrong on the complete prediction, Jones did manage to emerge as the Packers lead back and he got into the end zone. He finished just 15 yards shy of completely fulfilling my prophecy.

Season-Long Prophetic Percentage: (25%)

Right: 2

Wrong: 6

WEEK 5 BOLD PREDICTIONS

Prediction #1: After scoring 22 or more DraftKings points in the first four games of his career, Saquon Barkley will fail to make it five in Week 5.

While the Panthers defense has struggled a bit more than usual in stopping the run this season, according to Pro Football Focus, they are the second best tackling team in the NFL. That is a stat that cannot be underestimated when facing a back like Saquon Barkley , who has broken more tackles than anyone else in the league, save for Marshawn Lynch and Kareem Hunt . Beyond this stat, I don’t love road running backs as it is in fantasy football, and the Giants offense has been anemic no matter where they play. With Carolina coming off of a bye, they have now had an extra week to prepare for what Barkley does so well. For those who question this and claim that he can get 22+ DK points through receptions alone, understand that this defense faces off against Christian McCaffrey – maybe the best receiving back in the game – every single day in practice. They will be more than prepared for the rookie Barkley and his gameproof skillset.

Prediction #2: For the first time since November of 2014, Marshawn Lynch will rush for 100 or more yards in consecutive weeks.

Last week, Beast Mode looked like his old self in Week 4 as he rumbled for 130 yards against the Browns. Now if you have been paying attention to anything in this article so far, you will know that the advanced statistics say that Lynch has actually been a great running back for the last two seasons. He currently leads the NFL in broken tackles, elusive rating, and overall rushing (according to Pro Football Focus). This week he faces a very getable Chargers defense, albeit on the road, but at least in the same time zone that he’s used to. While the sharps like the Raiders to keep this one close, I’m willing to take a chance that Lynch will be a big reason as to why. They don’t call these “Bold Predictions” for nothing!

-- If you like what you read, feel free to follow me on twitter (@Nostra_Dom_Us) and make sure to tune in next Wednesday for the newest edition of “The Running Back Workloads.” --