Fantasy News & Analysis

Premium Content Sign Up

Fantasy Football: How mobile quarterbacks affected running back fantasy production in 2020

Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) rolls out against the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Back in June, I wrote about the fantasy football influence of mobile quarterbacks on running backs to determine whether we should target or fade RBs based on their quarterback's rushing potential. 

The 2020 season offered plenty more data to consider, as the likes of Lamar Jackson, Cam Newton, Kyler Murray and Josh Allen all surpassed 100 rushing attempts, while newcomers like Taysom Hill, Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert flashed the sought-after “Konami Code” ability. 

The mobile QB is here to stay, and we love it for fantasy football we. But the problem is that we don’t necessarily love it for the RBs paired with these super dynamic QBs. The prime example from 2020 was the Alvin Kamara/Taysom Hill corollary. 

My conclusion in June was that mobile quarterbacks limit running backs in fantasy football. In the case of Hill/Kamara, my hypothesis came to fruition. Kamara averaged more than twice as many fantasy points with Drew Brees under center than with Hill (29.2 versus 14.2) in 2020. 

Still, it makes sense to dive back into all the numbers from 2020 to present a retrospective on the mobile QB/running back relationship for 2021. 

QB INFLUENCE ON RBS IN THE RUN GAME

DOMINATE FANTASY FOOTBALL & BETTING WITH AI-POWERED DATA & TOOLS TRUSTED BY ALL 32

Unlimited Fantasy League Sync
Fantasy Start/Sit Line-Up Optimizer & Waiver Wire
WR-CB & OL-DL Matchups, PFF Player Grades, & Premium Stats 2.0 Tools
Nathan Jahnkes Rankings - #1 Most Accurate Last 70 Weeks
PFF Best Bets, Player Props, & Power Ranking Tools
NFL Mock Draft Sim with Trades & Draft Grades

Already have a subscription? Log In

Subscriptions

Unlock the 2023 Fantasy Draft Kit, with League Sync, Live Draft Assistant, PFF Grades & Data Platform that powers all 32 Pro Teams

$31 Draft Kit Fee + $8.99/mo
OR
$89.88/yr + FREE Draft Kit