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NFL DFS: Five Advanced Stats You Need to Know This Season

By Dan Palyo

Wide Receiver: GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 09: Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons lines up for a play in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 09, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Wide Receiver: GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 09: Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons lines up for a play in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 09, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 30: Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants reacts after scoring during the fourth quarter of the game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on December 30, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 30: Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants reacts after scoring during the fourth quarter of the game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on December 30, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

NFL DFS: Juke Rate

Juke rate is a metric that allows us to try and quantify a running back’s elusiveness and tackle-breaking power.  It is calculated by taking the number of broken, missed, and otherwise avoided tackles and then dividing by the total number of touches (both carries and receptions). In layman’s terms, it attempts to measure how difficult a running back is to bring down by defenders once they have the ball in their hands.

Why Does It Matter?

Juke rate shows us which backs have the ability to be the most dynamic with the touches they get. Some running backs are going to be valuable on volume alone, especially if they are getting goal-line carries. But backs with a high juke rate have the ability to break tackles, make defenders miss and break big plays. It’s a measure of efficiency that is not tied to a player’s volume of touches. It’s not really a surprise that “Beast Mode” leads the NFL in this category as he is one of the most punishing runners we’ve seen in the NFL in the last 20 years.

The rest of this list is a mixture of guys who possess great shiftiness or power, or in some cases both. Dalvin Cook is a guy who is getting a lot of preseason buzz and rightfully so, as he showed the ability to be dynamic with the ball in his hand last season. One example of a back with a low juke rate would be Jordan Howard who had only a 10.7% juke rate last season and is pretty limited to what he can do on his own to get yards.

Top 10 Last Season (minimum 100 touches)

  1. Marshawn Lynch (48.5%)
  2. Dalvin Cook (38%)
  3. Derrick Henry (36.5%)
  4. Alex Collins (36.4%)
  5. Melvin Gordon (35.1%)
  6. Chris Carson (34.8%)
  7. Kenyan Drake (34.7%)
  8. Damien Williams (34.2%)
  9. Frank Gore (33.3%)
  10. Saquon Barkley (32.4%)