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

(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.