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The XFL heads into Week 3, and the running back position remains a clear step back from the pass catchers. This is a passing league, and the best running back is several steps back of the best wide receivers. Two games worth of statistics is usually too small a sample size to draw hard and fast conclusions, but with the rules and performances to date, this might be the easiest conclusion to draw for now.
It’s notable that four of the top 16 rushing totals belong to quarterbacks. Jordan Ta’amu, P.J. Walker, Quinton Flowers, and Cardale Jones are all showing off their wheels. Flowers has yet to emerge as a starter, but given the struggles of Aaron Murray and Taylor Cornelius, it could happen sooner than later. The other three quarterbacks are showing what a dual threat quarterback can do, with those three teams arguably the three best in the league to date.
Matt Jones is emerging as a workhorse back, while most every other team prefers to operate with a committee approach. Of course, given Jordan Ta’amu’s scrambling skills, it makes sense the BattleHawks don’t need to focus on another running back.
This is a position where for many of these players, it’s a little more difficult to figure out where usage rates will change. Some players had big Week 1s and slow Week 2s, while otherwise were vice versa. This is a position we’ll need probably two more weeks to figure out if a team is sticking with a committee, or if a single back is emerging.
Below is a rundown of the top running backs, sorted by rating. DKFP stands for DraftKings Fantasy Points.
XFL RB stats through Week 2
PLAYER | POS | TM | DKFP | ATT | YARDS | AVG | TD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PLAYER | POS | TM | DKFP | ATT | YARDS | AVG | TD |
Matt Jones | RB | STL | 11.2 | 37 | 129 | 3.5 | 0 |
De'Veon Smith | RB | TB | 8.3 | 27 | 125 | 4.6 | 0 |
Jordan Ta'amu | QB | STL | 25.3 | 17 | 109 | 6.4 | 0 |
Cameron Artis-Payne | RB | DAL | 18.7 | 16 | 105 | 6.6 | 2 |
Jacques Patrick | RB | TB | 7.1 | 22 | 105 | 4.7 | 0 |
Kenneth Farrow | RB | SEA | 7 | 17 | 84 | 4.9 | 0 |
Elijah Hood | RB | LA | 3.2 | 22 | 74 | 3.3 | 0 |
Lance Dunbar | RB | DAL | 12.1 | 11 | 69 | 6.3 | 0 |
Ja'Quan Gardner | RB | SEA | 3.2 | 19 | 63 | 3.3 | 0 |
Jhurell Pressley | RB | DC | 6.5 | 23 | 63 | 2.7 | 0 |
James Butler | RB | HOU | 14.8 | 16 | 58 | 3.6 | 2 |
P.J. Walker | QB | HOU | 27.5 | 8 | 53 | 6.6 | 0 |
Quinton Flowers | QB | TB | 3.1 | 10 | 49 | 4.9 | 0 |
Darius Victor | RB | NY | 4.7 | 12 | 48 | 4 | 0 |
Trey Williams | RB | SEA | 9.7 | 11 | 45 | 4.1 | 0 |
Cardale Jones | QB | DC | 19.8 | 10 | 42 | 4.2 | 0 |