Breakout – adjective. Suddenly and extremely successful.

Maybe not the textbook definition, but there are several fantasy football running backs that this description could to apply to in 2016 - a season that saw a rookie running back finish second among running backs in standard scoring. This season also saw a resurgence at the running back position. Eight of the top 10 scoring flex-eligible players this season were running backs compared to just three out of the top 10 in 2015. This shift in scoring was spurred by the breakout performances at the position. Here are five running backs that had extremely successful breakout seasons.

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Stud Running Backs From 2016

5. Jay Ajayi, Miami Dolphins

Jay Ajayi exploded for 204 yards against the Steelers in Week 6, then rushed for 214 yards versus Buffalo, becoming only the fourth player to have back-to-back games with 200 yards rushing or more in each. For most of Ajayi’s owners, this sudden burst of production more than made up for the previous five weeks of somewhat modest scoring. Ajayi finished the season with 1,212 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He also caught 27 passes for 151 yards. Ajayi only had six fantasy games where he scored 10 or more standard format fantasy points. The combined score of those games, 124 points, is 70.06% of his total score of 177 points. Roughly translated, just under 30% of Ajayi’s point total came during 68.75% of the games he played, ostensibly making Ajayi one of the most inconsistent running backs on this list, albeit with the highest upside.

4. DeMarco Murray, Tennessee Titans

The 2016 fantasy season started with Demarco Murray as the 16th ranked running back in ADP, mostly likely due to the tumultuous 2015 season Murray had in Philadelphia which led to him being traded to the Tennessee Titans. This season was much more reminiscent of his 2014 season, with Murray rushing for 1,287 yards. With a healthy 4.4 yards per carry and an even healthier 18.3 carries per game, Murray scored consistently and often, finishing fifth among running backs in standard format fantasy points scored. That consistent production made Murray an excellent addition to many a fantasy football championship team.

3. Melvin Gordon, San Diego Chargers

After a 2015 rookie season that saw him rush for 641 yards as part of a very competitive Charger running back committee, Melvin Gordon finally got his chance at lead back duties and he produced, rushing for 997 yards and 10 touchdowns. Gordon also showed off his hands converting 57 targets into 41 catches for 419 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Gordon suffered a strained knee and hip early into his week 14 matchup versus the Panthers which resulted in him missing two more weeks of action. Despite these missed weeks, Gordon still managed to finish eighth among running backs in standard format fantasy scoring.

2. LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots

You know the saying, we all do. You’ve probably said it knowingly to a friend seeking advice, uttering it like a wise old sage imparting knowledge to a younger naive wide-eyed pupil. “Never trust a Patriots running back.” Over the years, the only sure thing about Bill Belichick was that you never knew who would or wouldn't get the most carries in the backfield. Just when it seemed one back had pulled ahead, one mistake would sour Belichick and banish him to the end of the bench. After years of what felt like running back by carousel, 2016 saw LaGarrette Blount finally take charge as he rushed for 1,161 yards and a league-best 18 touchdowns. Blount finished sixth among fantasy running backs with 218 standard format fantasy points. Blount was not only prolific, but he scored consistently as well, registering 10 points or more in 11 out of 16 games. He did all this while starting in only eight of the games he played. Not bad for a player with an positional ADP of 34.

1. Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears

If you drafted Jordan Howard, chances are you didn't do it with high expectations. How could anyone have foreseen Howard, a rookie running back on a bad team, eventually wresting control of the Chicago lead running back position away from Jeremy Langford? But wrest he did, as Howard rushed for 1,313 yards and six touchdowns. The rookie running back had nine games with at least 10 standard format fantasy points or more, and caught 29 passes for 298 receiving yards and two touchdowns. With such an impressive campaign, it’s hard to find much wrong, but it should be noted that Howard was targeted 50 times but only managed to convert 29 of those for a fairly pedestrian 58%. While not all the blame can lay with Howard, there is definitely some room for improvement.

There you have it. Whether or not you agree with the rankings, you have to admit that each of these running back performances defined the term "breakout" in 2016 and hold hope for even more success next season.