2020 XFL Running Back Comps From The NFL

Antonio Losada evaluates the final performance of XFL running backs by comparing them to other RBs to feature in the NFL this past season.

XFL football is gone for the 2020 season. In order to get you ready for next season, I have taken on the task of finding some comps for XFL players now that both leagues are over. As you know, the XFL had to close shop after just five weeks, so I'll be doing something not-so-scientific and using per-16-games averages pro-rated stats for both XFL and NFL players in order to find those comps. I am running the statlines of XFL players and NFL players through an algorithm that generates the comps, so they won't be perfect. I'll be cherry-picking those that make the most sense.

While this is not meant to be pinpoint exact and find the perfect comparables between leagues, it will at least give you an idea of who was who in the XFL and who you can relate XFL players with if you're more versed on NFL rosters, which is the case with most football fans around these places.

If you missed the receiver comps article, check it out right here.

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RB Cameron Artis-Payne (Dallas Renegades)

Comparables: Royce Freeman (36% similarity), Le'Veon Bell (32%), Melvin Gordon (30%)

I have picked Artis-Payne as the no. 1 running back to find comps for but you could easily swap him for Dallas' other go-to rusher Lance Dunbar. Both of them logged 27+ targets over the season while no other XFL running back topped 13. They were do-it-all players at the position and finished with 70.6 (Artis-Payne) and 61 (Dunbar) PPR points in their five games.

It is hard to compare running backs between the XFL and the NFL because no rusher truly played the bell-cow role in the former to the extent of those playing in the latter. Even with that, though, think of Artis-Payne as a pass-catching back with abilities on the ground too. He wasn't used a lot on a per-game basis when it came to rushing attempts, but he was quite efficient with those opportunities. He excelled at catching the ball, although his production wasn't as great as that of the NFL tailbacks he got compared with, averaging 20.2 receiving yards per game with Freeman (16.0) and Gordon (24.7) being his closes comps there.

RB James Butler (Houston Roughnecks)

Comparables: Rashaad Penny (33% similarity), Latavius Murray (32%), Gus Edwards (31%)

Here you see how hard it is to find exact comparables for XFL rushers. Butler was a pure rusher in his five games (46 rushing attempts against just 11 targets) but he was the most efficient running back in the league going 11-for-11 in receptions for 42 yards on the year. Instead of looking at his comps to the letter, it's better to just take a glance and see how they are bunched in similar ranges.

For example, Butler ranked just in the middle of what Edwards and Murray did on receiving yardage per game. At the same time, when it came to rushing yards all four players were close to each other with averages ranging from 37 (Penny) to 44 (Butler and Edwards) yards per game. None of the players found was targeted a lot, and the comparison in receptions per game with Murray is pinpoint accurate.

RB DeVeon Smith (Tampa Bay Vipers)

Comparables: Phillip Lindsay (36% similarity), Joe Mixon (33%), Derrick Henry (31%)

DeVeon Smith was the rushing champion of the XFL in its inaugural season... yet he couldn't score a single rushing touchdown! As ridiculous as it sounds, he rushed the ball a league-leading 90 times for 365 yards (Matt Jones finished second with 314) but he was negated a touchdown all season long. He also added 62 receiving yards in just seven receptions, limiting his usage mostly to work on the running game.

Not surprisingly, Henry appears as a comp. Obviously, the NFL rusher was out of his mind in 2019 getting the rushing crown himself too and averaging a monster 102.7 yards per game, far more than Smith's 73. Other than that, though, there were similar in that they lead all rushers in yardage through the season in their respective leagues. In terms of player-profile, Smith's aligns well with Mixon's on the ground though the latter was a tad better receiving passes. Lindsay's combination of rushing/receiving abilities makes for another good comparison all things considered.

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