We need more awards.

Well, specifically, we need more awards for RBs. One guy hurdled over a defender without looking earlier in the year. Another was the first to eclipse 1,900 yards at the age of 30. And yet, neither will be the league MVP. Getting Offensive Player of the Year is their best bet. But their accolades are worth more than a YouTube highlight reel we refer back to in the coming years.

So, let’s celebrate some of them. I came up with a few extra RB-specific honors to add to the pool. I’d be willing to debate which rusher should take it home. However, the spirit of each award should give us enough runway to recognize the top performers of the season.

The Mark Jackson Award

“Mama, there goes that man. ”

Every week, there’s a group of runners that are a play away before they make you utter Mark Jackson’s iconic phrase. It’s only a matter of time. Their ability to create chunk gains gives them access to a ceiling, cementing them into our lineups. All of the nominees hit top-10 marks in explosive play rate. But one stuck out.

It’s possible (not likely, but still feasible) that some will focus on Jahmyr Gibbs’ playoff stretch without David Montgomery. Sure, the sophomore was the RB2, RB7, and RB2 in the playoffs. But Gibbs was ripping off big plays throughout the season.

“Sonic” was one of ten ball carriers to average at least one gain of 15 yards or more on the ground each game. Think about that. You could almost pencil in 1.5 points to his box score at the start of every contest. Actually, it might be more than that.

Gibbs also averaged 1.2 receptions per game that picked up 10 or more yards. He was gliding through defenses as a runner and receiver. Accordingly, his hybrid workload made him a walking (running?) highlight reel throughout the 2024 season.

The Dr. Ian Malcolm Award

“Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.” 

I’m also willing to call this the “Eff Around and Find Out” award.

So, we’re just going to pair the most dynamic QB with a human battering ram as his primary rusher? That’s a choice.

The Texans picked up an RB more suited for their blocking scheme? That worked out!

Anyway, I think we can all agree there was just one move that both caught our collective attention and paid off on the hype.

Projecting the addition of a player like Saquon Barkley to an ecosystem like the Eagles seems so simple now. I mean, we talk about this type of scenario every year. How many years have we pined for an elite WR to land in Kansas City? Sure, it’s a different position. But Barkley’s potential was a similar case. Philadelphia’s offensive line was still one of the best in the league. A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert would keep defenses honest. All Barkley would have to do is keep the offense moving. In that area, he was no slouch. 

  • Forced Missed Tackle Rate: 18.0% (2024), 7.8% (2018-2023)
  • Adjusted Yards after Contact per Attempt: 4.7, 3.5
  • Rushing Success Rate:  49.0%, 40.1% 

Barkley will now keep the Rams and John Mara up late at night after notching yet another 200-scrimmage-yard day. We likely won’t see a situation like this again in 2025. But we should always be searching for home-run swings like this in drafts.

The Unsung Hero Award

Vibes can be a component of an RB’s price in drafts. I’ve already mentioned Derrick Henry, but his situation comes to mind. It didn’t matter that Lamar Jackson could steal some of his TDs. Baltimore would simply get into the endzone more, so it wouldn’t matter. That’s just one example, but the idea works in the opposite direction.

“Bad” teams have rushers, too. I put the bad in quotes because we don’t know for sure they’ll be bad. The hallmarks might be there, sure. But volume is king in this game we play. So, if you took a shot on the Carolina backfield, you were patting yourself on the back for the pick.

Chuba Hubbard might not have won you your league. But he sure helped you get there. The fourth-year rusher set career highs in every phase of the game. During all of the Bryce Young hand-wringing, Hubbard averaged 18.8 PPR PPG. And if you think he benefitted from TDs, his down-to-down efficiency had him amongst the top backs in the league.

  • Adjusted Yards After Contact per Carry: 3.8, 3rd out of 16 qualifiers (RBs with min. 50.0% of their team’s carries)
  • Rushing Success Rate: 42.8%, 6th 
  • Forced Missed Tackle Rate: 20.0%, 7th 

In the end, Young’s resurgence is the Panthers’ offseason headliner. Free-agent acquisition and draft storylines will follow soon. Jonathon Brooks’ recovery timeline will be another reminder of the fluidity at the position. But, through it all, Hubbard proved to be the Unsung Hero of 2024.

The Theon Greyjoy Award

“What is dead may never die.” 

I fall victim to this trope, but I take notice when teams cast aside their aging RB. It’s like they’re leaving their best soldier to die on the battlefield alone. But some rise above the situation. Josh Jacobs exemplified this notion.

To be fair, the Raiders weren’t “one Josh Jacobs away” from challenging for the AFC West title. Still, the 26-year-old RB had put up nearly 7,000 scrimmage yards in his five years with the franchise. Jacobs was their first rookie rusher to eclipse 1,000 yards. 

But, hey, I get it. That was years ago. The Raiders aren't in Oakland anymore. They needed someone flashier than an RB who randomly puts up 1,600 rushing yards in between two years of barely mustering 800. However, looking at how the season played out, I’m sure they’d like a ball carrier that could’ve taken on this type of workload.

Ultimately, maybe the nerds were right. The Packers (almost literally) limped into the playoffs and were out after the first round. A takeaway might be Jacobs didn’t materially change anything. However, for fantasy, identifying similar cases can alter your season for the better.

The Best Breakout Performance Award

Maybe this award is the one I should rename to “Eff Around and Find Out.” 

Hold up. Let me make the case.

It’s the “what if we made the whole plane out of …” argument. You see something great that’s part of a larger thing that’s good. So, of course, the entirety should be greatness. We saw a similar situation play out in the fantasy playoffs.

David Montgomery went down in Week 15. Jahmyr Gibbs was a powder keg with the ball in his hands. With a full-time opportunity share, he was a monster, averaging an obscene 32.2 PPR PPG (if you played into Week 18). The Lions, or the injury gods, gave Gibbs the chance to show us what he could do with more touches. Luckily, his situation wasn’t unique.

I (I mean, the judges) couldn’t decide on a winner here. Admittedly, Chase Brown is a deserving candidate, and I could defend the committee’s decision. But, to avoid bias, the people win here.

If anything, and this takes a lot for me to say, Bucky Irving has a stronger case. He didn’t win by default. By Week 9, HC Todd Bowles and OC Liam Cohen had seen enough. Irving was the more efficient rusher, and he matched Rachaad White as a receiver on fewer snaps. Injuries sapped what could have been an even bigger breakout, but the rookie snatched over 50.0% of the snaps from White in five of their last seven games.

The results were as expected.

Irving had three top-6 finishes after Tampa’s bye week. His fifth-overall performance in Week 17 was likely what helped some folks seal the deal on a championship. Brown didn’t make the same amount of noise in the playoffs, but his touch count kept us all looking at someone other than Joe Burrow behind the Bengals’ offensive line.

  • Rushing Attempt Share (from Week 9 – 17): 83.0%, 1st (among all qualifying RBs – min. 200 snaps)
  • Target Share: 13.0%, 5th 
  • i5 Carry Rate: 91.0%, 5th 

One point in Brown’s favor is that the snap tide was turning in his favor before Zack Moss’ injury. After averaging 24.0% of the carries in the first three weeks, Brown’s usage spiked to 50-50 split by Week 6. It’s reasonable to assume Brown would’ve won out. However, the impact (20.9 PPR PPG) might not have been as great.

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