In this article, we are going to look at the bell cow running backs of Premier Madden League. What is a Bell Cow? The lead cow, especially the lead cow of a herd. For football purposes, the lead running back, especially the running back of a committee. I will define a Bell Cow as the running back receiving 80% or more of the team’s carries.
Jaguars – James Robinson
The Jaguars don’t run very much. They are the 5th worst team in terms of rushing yardage across the league. Although James Robinson is considered a rising star in the league, and he’s on the field for over 90% of the offensive snaps, the Jaguars simply don’t like to run. But when they do run, James Robinson sees the majority of the carries. He’s ranked in the top 15 of broken tackles and has played in every game thus far. Robinson averages about 52.2 yards a game and currently makes up over 81% of the team’s rush attempts. Robinson has had a whopping 5 games where he’s had less than 10 carries – including games where the Jaguars have won by multiple scores. The Jaguars seem to be confident in Robinson enough to give him the majority of the carries, but they simply don’t factor him into the game plan. The Jaguars are just above .500 in a tough division, and Robinson’s usage may be just a hint of trouble in Jacksonville.
Giants – Saquon Barkley
Superstar running back Saquon Barkley is in his 3rd year with the New York Giants. Aside from sitting out Week 1 with a minor injury, Barkley has played in every other game this season for the Giants. In fact, he’s been on the field for 92% of the offensive snaps even though he missed a game – the Giants know Barkley is considered an “x-factor”. Still yet, the Giants are the worst team in the league when it comes to running the ball. When they do run the ball, Saquon makes up almost 82% of the rush attempts and averages just over 51 rushing yards a game. The Giants run game needs a lot of work and it doesn’t look hopeful that they will be able to figure it out by the end of the season. It’s going to be interesting to see how the Giants use Barkley for the remainder of the season. At 3-10 in a tough division, it is worth wondering if they are going to give some of the younger running backs a chance to work for a roster spot heading into the offseason – because they may be playing a lot next season if Barkley misses time.
Eagles – Miles Sanders
The Eagles are another NFC East team that isn’t very good at running the ball. They are 3rd worst in the league currently. On a team where there’s not a lot of consistency, Mile Sanders has been the one of the few things consistent with the Eagles offense this season – but he hasn’t been very efficient. Sanders has played in all 13 games for the Eagles this season, yet he’s finished 7 of the games with less than 10 carries. Sanders is only averaging just over 45 yards a game on the ground while making up over 82% of the team’s rush attempts. It’s hard to say how the Eagles feel about Sanders – they seem to have confidence in him to use him as the bell cow running back, yet they forget to use him in a lot of games. Things are not good in Philly and it’s not hopeful that they will figure out how to use Sanders more efficiently the rest of the season.
Seahawks – Chris Carson
Chris Carson has had a great season. The often-injured running back has been healthy the entire year and the Seahawks have really benefitted from his presence. The Seahawks have not been concerned with the Star running back’s health this year. Carson sees 75% of the offensive snaps and almost 83% of the rushing attempts. Eliminated from the playoffs already, in a year where Carson could potentially be Pro Bowl bound, it is going to be interesting if the Seahawks allow Carson to continue to play at this rate. Carson has proven his worth – he’s been efficient when his number has been called. Is it finally time to get some of the other running backs on the roster some action? If not, it says a lot about how much the Seahawks value a proven running back.
Bills – Matt Breida
Breida is another running back who’s made the most of his majority use this season, but the Bills are an interesting team. Josh Allen accounts for the majority of the team’s touchdowns through the air AND on the ground. Breida has only 5 rushing touchdowns despite having over 200 carries – Josh Allen has 16 rushing touchdowns on 65 attempts. Breida accounts for over 87% of the teams carries for running backs. The star speedster has played in every game this year for the Bills and has been in for almost 95% of the offensive snaps. With the Bills in a race with the Dolphins for 1st place in the AFC East, it is going to be interesting to see if the Bills continue with this usage through the remainder of the year or if they are going to spell Breida a bit more ahead of the playoffs. The Bills are the favorite to win their division this season, but they could be without their primary ball carrier if they continue using Breida at the current rate.
Vikings – Dalvin Cook
Dalvin Cook IS the Vikings offense this season. He makes up for over 92% of the teams rushing attempts. Star running back Alexander Mattison and Kene Nwangwu total only 15 attempts through 13 games. Cook averages over 100 yards a game so it’s easy to see why it’s hard for the Vikings to allow another running back to carry the ball. Cook is the reason the Vikings are still alive in the playoff race this year despite losing all of their division games and suffering through a 4-game losing streak. Cook has rushed for over 110 yards in 5 of the Vikings 6 wins this season, and it’s easy to make the assumption – if Cook is running the ball, the Vikings are going to have success. However, with his 92% usage rate, it would be a miracle for the Vikings not to be ill-affected due to the over usage of Dalvin Cook going into next season or even the playoffs if they make it.
