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I see the "RB's don't matter" argument a lot. Maybe I've been spoiled by Melvin Gordon + Jonathan Taylor but I've never 100% bought in. This argument implies that your starting and backup RB's should have similar production (same OL + opponents). Decided to take a look: (1/5)
I looked at this question through the lens of yards per rush (YPR) and EPA (expected points added). From 2014-19, I labelled the player with the most carries the "starter", and the 2nd-most the "backup" (QB's/garbage time excluded + 30 min rushes). Here's what we see: (2/5)
It's pretty clear that there is no major difference between starting RBs and their backups in either category (mean diff is ~0.2 YPR/0.03 EPA)! Looking at the Badgers, I see having Melvin Gordon/Jonathan Taylor in your backfield tends to skew your opinion on RB's! @B5Q (3/5)
Finally, we can look at the Top 10 YPR differences between starters/backups. No surprise to see some names (Brown/Hubbard). Biggest surprise was Anthony McFarland, who didn't come close to his backup's production for Maryland (-3.2 YPR) @testudotimes @BSDtweet @CowboysRFF (4/5)
Shoutout as always @cfbscrapR + @CFB_Data! Comparing teammates allows for control of some factors that influence performance (teammates, opponents, etc). Also allows us to ask the time-honored question: Is the backup better than the starter? @SolidVerbal (5/5)
