On Your Mark, Get Set; Backups for the Win!

pWeek 8 in PML is just about to come to an end and that sparks the midway point of the season. As the end of the season creeps up, there are a few statistics that each coach in PML has to monitor. PML has a usage rate for starting halfbacks and for those that aren’t familiar, your starting halfback cannot have more than 80% of your team’s total carries. I wanted to help those teams that are currently over and those that are riding the cusp of that line at the moment.p

Team	Starter	Backup(s)	Usage
49ers	Trey Sermon (126 Carries)	29 Carries	81%
Bears	David Montgomery (74 Carries)	88 Carries	46%
Bengals	Joe Mixon (77 Carries)	5 Carries	94%
Bills	Matt Breida (94 Carries)	27 Carries	78%
Broncos	Javonte Williams (95 carries)	56 Carries	63%
Browns	Nick Chubb (104 Carries)	48 Carries	68%
Buccaneers	Leonard Fournette (100 Carries)	45 Carries	69%
Cardinals	Nyheim Hines (100 Carries)	14 Carries	88%
Chargers	Austin Ekeler (85 Carries)	88 Carries	49%
Chiefs	Phillip Lindsay (138 Carries)	9 Carries	94%
Colts	Jonathan Taylor (125 Carries)	28 Carries	82%
Cowboys	Ezekiel Elliot (118 Carries)	45 Carries	72%
Dolphins	Salvon Ahmed (115 Carries)	23 Carries	83%
Eagles	Miles Sanders (91 Carries)	42 Carries	68%
Falcons	Breece Hall (116 Carries)	10 Carries	92%
Football Team	Antonio Gibson (133 Carries)	11 Carries	92%
Giants	Saquan Barkley (94 Carries)	22 Carries	81%
Jaguars	Travis Etienne Jr. (74 Carries)	11 Carries	87%
Jets	Michael Carter (94 Carries)	20 Carries	82%
Lions	Ty Johnson (107 Carries)	30 Carries	78%
Packers	Aaron Jones (95 Carries)	32 Carries	75%
Panthers	Christian McCaffrey (122 Carries)	13 Carries	90%
Patriots	Damien Harris (159 Carries)	39 Carries	80%
Raiders	Kareem Hunt (80 Carries)	22 Carries	78%
Rams	Cam Akers (97 Carries)	22 Carries	82%
Ravens	J.K. Dobbins (62 Carries)	27 Carries	70%
Saints	Alvin Kamara (156 Carries)	37 Carries	81%
Seahawks	Chris Carson (70 Carries)	77 Carries	48%
Steelers	Najee Harris (144 Carries)	46 Carries	76%
Texans	Tyler Allgeier (54 Carries)	55 Carries	50%
Titans	Derrick Henry (134 Carries)	33 Carries	80%
Vikings	Dalvin Cook (44 Carries)	64 Carries	41%

pThere are a total of 14 teams that are over the 80% ratio. Some teams are only over the ratio by a few carries, but the Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Washington Football Team, and the Carolina Panthers are at or over 90% usage for their starting halfbacks. All of these teams have several weeks to plan accordingly and get their backup halfbacks more reps throughout each game. It’s better to plan ahead now than to have to worry about sitting your starting halfback and then it impacts your chances of winning the game. The Minnesota Vikings have the lowest usage rate in the league, however, Dalvin Cook was suspended for the first four games this season due to the team overusing him last season.p