Running back rankings: Which backs are the most reliable TD scorers?

When it comes to moving backmost phantasy production, touchdowns are paramount.

Last season, 24% of the position's phantasy scoring came from touchdowns. The apical 8 moving backs successful PPR phantasy points besides comprised the position's apical 8 successful touchdowns. And each but 1 of the position's single-game 30-point performances were multi-touchdown efforts.

That said, year-over-year touchdown accumulation astatine the presumption tin beryllium notoriously hard to predict. Twelve moving backs scored double-digit touchdowns successful 2023, but lone 7 of them did truthful again successful 2024, with the twelve averaging 3.2 less touchdowns and 29.9 less PPR phantasy fantasy points.

It's a class of prognostication, of analyzing subordinate skills and carnal traits and, yes, adjacent immoderate guesswork. That's wherever we're present to help, breaking down the position's astir apt sources of touchdown production. The pursuing lists instrumentality into relationship moving backs' size, strength, speed, situational statistic and past history.

Let's commencement with the position's precise champion successful this department.

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Our 8 champion RB touchdown bets

1. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions: He's some velocity demon and goal-line dynamo, starring the league successful explosive play complaint (15.7% of his carries went for 10-plus yards), portion besides placing 3rd successful touchdown conversion complaint wrong the 3-yard enactment (72.2%, oregon 13 of 16). No moving backmost has a greater operation of touchdown-generating skills. -- Cockcroft

At 5-foot-9, 202 pounds, Gibbs doesn't person the carnal illustration of a classical goal-line back, but helium tin run successful choky quarters, utilizing his lateral quickness to dart done creases of daylight, portion dropping his pad level astatine the doorstep of the extremity zone. Plus, with his short-area burst, Gibbs tin bounce the shot extracurricular to portion done pursuit angles connected the extremity enactment oregon retired successful the unfastened field. He is electrical with the shot successful his hands. -- Bowen

2. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams: Williams lacks the abrupt question traits of an elite portion strategy runner, but with his imaginativeness and interaction balance, helium tin find the extremity portion astatine a precocious rate. Williams has capable little assemblage wiggle to sift done traffic, and his quality to bounce disconnected defenders leads to touchdown production. Williams is simply a accordant and reliable phantasy starter. -- Bowen

Only 3 moving backs had much than Williams' 21 touchdowns successful goal-to-go situations the past 3 seasons, and helium converted 40% of those tries into scores, a testament to his ascendant quality erstwhile successful scoring position. -- Cockcroft

3. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens: If not for his property and 2,529 vocation touches, he'd fertile higher, but Henry is arsenic bully a stake to pb the league successful touchdowns arsenic anyone. Within 3 yards of the extremity line, helium led successful touchdowns (22) and archetypal downs implicit anticipation (5.6) from 2022 to '24, and his 7 scores from extracurricular the reddish portion were 2nd to lone Saquon Barkley's nine. -- Cockcroft

Still 1 the league's champion astatine property 31, Henry's 6-foot-2, 247-pound framework and lower-body powerfulness are some crippled changers connected the extremity line. Henry runs down his pads, which allows him to autumn guardant connected contact, portion besides forcing defenders to marque immoderate concern decisions astatine the constituent of attack. A agelong strider successful the unfastened tract with a lethal stiff limb to driblet antiaircraft backs into the turf, Henry tin deed location runs, too. Time to onslaught up the set erstwhile Henry gets rolling. -- Bowen

4. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers: I felt that Jacobs was 1 of the apical runners successful the debased reddish portion past twelvemonth based connected the tape. He tin play with some powerfulness and ft quickness wrong of a telephone booth, and helium has thunder successful his pads. An casual acceptable for the Packers' goal-line tally schemes, Jacobs' carnal play benignant creates scoring opportunities successful your lineup. -- Bowen

Only 2 players with astatine slightest 5 specified attempts had greater than Jacobs' 71% touchdown conversion complaint wrong the 3-yard enactment past season. -- Cockcroft

5. James Cook, Buffalo Bills: He's arsenic apt to interruption disconnected a agelong summation for a people arsenic anyone, his 7 touchdowns from extracurricular the reddish portion the past 3 seasons matching Henry's second-place fig (Barkley led), but Cook was besides an fantabulous 5-of-8 converting his goal-line carries past season, swiftly adapting to the relation helium inherited to statesman 2024. -- Cockcroft

Cook's 16 rushing scores past play tied for the league pb with Henry. He's a decisive runner with small wasted question connected the extremity line. Pick a north/south moving lane to accelerate done oregon onslaught the perimeter. It's quick, now. And a mediocre antiaircraft space is going to pb to six points. Plus, Cook tin people from anyplace connected the field, ripping disconnected explosive plays arsenic a runner. -- Bowen

6. David Montgomery, Lions: A downhill runner with fantabulous interaction equilibrium and little assemblage control, Montgomery is simply a hammer connected the extremity line. Whether Montgomery is moving from shotgun sets oregon I-back alignments, helium keeps his shoulders quadrate and uses a speedy leap chopped to get retired of trouble. Part of the champion backfield combo successful the league with Gibbs, Montgomery volition get his touches successful scoring position, making him a coagulated RB2/Flex successful the lineup. -- Bowen

It's singular that the Lions person two of the game's champion moving backs astatine uncovering the extremity zone, but present we are. Montgomery was 18 of 29 (62%) converting for scores wrong the 3 from 2022 to '24. -- Cockcroft

7. Joe Mixon, Houston Texans: I loved this signing for the Texans a twelvemonth ago, arsenic Mixon has been 1 of the league's astir softly reliant successful scoring position, his 16 scores wrong the 3 from 2022 to '24 tied for sixth astir successful the league. -- Cockcroft

A savvy runner successful scoring position, Mixon blends patience, imaginativeness and powerfulness connected goal-line plays. Mixon has the limb spot to propulsion the heap connected interior schemes, and helium volition onslaught the perimeter connected extracurricular portion concepts. Plus, Mixon tin redirect rapidly to evade defenders and make a caller way to the extremity zone. -- Bowen

8. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons: Sudden and elusive, with a originative constituent to his game, Robinson is simply a dynamic runner successful scoring position. Robinson tin deed the accelerator connected perimeter schemes, play with unit connected a downhill way and his quality to alteration directions is high-level. Robinson has each the traits of a difference-maker with large play potential. -- Bowen

Robinson is arsenic apt to interruption disconnected a agelong tally for a people arsenic anyone, arsenic Next Gen Stats has clocked his mean velocity astatine 13.4 mph crossed his 2 NFL seasons, second-fastest among moving backs with astatine slightest 100 carries. -- Cockcroft

Four RB touchdown sleepers, and the teammates they impact

1. Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars: Bigsby has the illustration to run connected the extremity enactment successful Jacksonville, which could instrumentality distant scoring opportunities from Travis Etienne Jr. and rookie Bhayshul Tuten. Bigsby scored 7 touchdowns successful 2024, utilizing his 5-foot-11, 215-pound framework to tally done contact, and helium has much big-play foodstuff than you think. There's open-field quality here, too. -- Bowen

Bigsby is 5-for-9 converting his chances wrong the 3-yard line, and helium has forced a missed tackle connected 3 of those plays. He should statesman 2025 arsenic the Jaguars' archetypal prime erstwhile successful scoring position. -- Cockcroft

2. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots: Early phantasy drafters look to emotion rookie moving backmost TreVeyon Henderson, but Stevenson's way grounds arsenic 1 of the league's much reliable goal-line backs could marque him 1 of 2025's apical touchdown vultures. Stevenson is 9-of-17 converting wrong the 3 from 2022-24. -- Cockcroft

There has been a batch of offseason hype for the Patriots' rookie RB, fixed his versatility and pass-catching accomplishment set. But don't hide astir Stevenson here. At 6-foot, 207 pounds, helium is built for the extremity line: powerfulness and pad level to get six. -- Bowen

3. J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos: Dobbins looked much explosive connected portion successful 2024, which translated to immoderate big-play touchdown runs. On the extremity line, helium tin travel the roadworthy representation to the extremity portion connected spread schemes. Physical with the ball. RJ Harvey figures to beryllium the pb runner successful Sean Payton's backfield, but Dobbins has the traits to bargain touches connected the extremity line. -- Bowen

Dobbins' 57% missed tackles forced complaint (four connected 7 plays) wrong the 3-yard enactment from 2022-24 led the league, and helium scored 7 times connected 18 goal-to-go plays. He could beryllium a imaginable headache for Harvey's managers. -- Cockcroft

4. Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: I'm arsenic pro-Bucky Irving arsenic anyone entering 2025, but White scored 9 times connected 12 tries wrong the 3 the past 3 seasons, a occurrence complaint the squad mightiness beryllium incapable to overlook. -- Cockcroft

Irving should participate campy arsenic the No.1 successful Tampa, but White volition inactive get his touches. He has the assemblage power to slither done cracks of daylight erstwhile the tract shrinks adjacent the extremity line. -- Bowen

Other RBs worthy of mention

Gus Edwards was 19 of 39 (second-best 49%) converting his goal-to-go carries into touchdowns from 2022-24, coating the representation of a short-yardage backmost for immoderate squad that considers signing him successful the coming weeks. ... Ezekiel Elliott, presently a subordinate of the Los Angeles Chargers' signifier squad, is 16 of 38 (second-best 42%) scoring successful goal-to-go situations implicit the past 3 seasons.