by Vincent Verhei

And now, a quick update on the status of one Alvin Kamara. Three weeks ago, we noted that the Saints running back was having one of the best rookie seasons on record. Now, we are very close to removing the "one of" qualifier from that sentence. With two weeks still to play, Kamara is up to 265 DYAR rushing and 223 DYAR receiving. That's 488 combined DYAR, the second-best total for a rookie running back in our database. Clinton Portis' rookie mark of 501 DYAR, set in 2002, is in serious jeopardy. Assuming opponent adjustments and league-wide baselines remain stable, Kamara needs only 14 DYAR against the Falcons and Buccaneers to break Portis' record. The last time Kamara failed to get 14 DYAR in back-to-back games was in Weeks 2 and 3 -- when Adrian Peterson was still on the Saints and Kamara was fighting for playing time.

Kamara's season will likely finish as the best for a rookie runner most of us have ever seen, and one of the best for any running back, period. Only 23 times has a running back topped 500 combined DYAR in a season; that includes Edgerrin James doing it twice, Priest Holmes doing it three times, and Marshall Faulk doing it four times, including the all-time mark of 846 DYAR in his MVP season in 2000.

In addition, Kamara will likely join the 200-200 club. Only seven runners -- Faulk (four times); Holmes (twice); and Thurman Thomas, Charlie Garner, Tiki Barber, Steven Jackson, and Le'Veon Bell (once each) -- have ever had 200 rushing DYAR and 200 receiving DYAR in the same season. Barring a sudden surge of fumbles, Kamara should become the eighth name on that list. Todd Gurley of the Rams has 221 rushing DYAR and 173 receiving DYAR, so he could make it nine with a big finish in the passing game.

Finally, Kamara goes into Week 16 leading all running backs in both rushing and receiving DYAR. Only three times has a player done that over the course of an entire season: Thurman Thomas in 1991, Faulk in 2000, and Brian Westbrook in 2007. As a rookie, Kamara is already one of the most versatile, efficient, and explosive backs on record. If he can make any significant improvement as he develops, he could become a generational talent.

But then, we had already established what a great year Kamara was having back in Week 12. The point of this essay is to show that many other rookie running backs are having good seasons too. In fact, the running back leaderboards are just loaded with rookie players. The top 20 running backs by rushing DYAR include five rookies: Kamara, Kansas City's Kareem Hunt (fifth with 197 DYAR), Jacksonville's Leonard Fournette (14th, 124), and Green Bay's duo of Aaron Jones (10th, 137) and Jamaal Williams (15th, 91). Going a little deeper, we find several more rookies shining in part-time roles. Philadelphia's Corey Clement, an undrafted free agent, is 21st with 68 DYAR even though he hasn't started a game. Other successful part-timers include Cincinnati's Joe Mixon (22nd, 63 DYAR, five starts), Minnesota's Dalvin Cook (29th, 43 DYAR, only four starts before he got injured), San Francisco's Matt Breida (31st, 37 DYAR, no starts), and Seattle's Chris Carson (33rd, 28 DYAR, three starts).

And that's just the rushing data. Several rookie runners have made excellent receivers as well. As mentioned, Kamara leads all running backs in this category, but Carolina's Christian McCaffrey (fourth, 146 DYAR), Hunt (seventh, 97), and Willams (ninth, 89) also make the top 10. The top 20 also includes Washington's Samaje Perine (14th, 73) and Clement (17th, 62).

Combine the rushing and receiving numbers, and you'll find the names of eight rookies in the list of most valuable running backs this year. Those eight players: Kamara (first), Hunt (third), Williams (eighth), McCaffrey (13th), Fournette (16th), Clement (17th), Jones (28th), and Mixon (30th).

It shouldn't come as a surprise to see so many first-year running backs playing this well. Our BackCAST projections before the draft said this would be "an amazing class of running backs." (Of course, we also labeled Kamara as a potential bust, but that was based in part on a Tennessee Volunteers coaching staff that didn't give Kamara nearly enough opportunities in college.) The question, then, is not whether this rookie class is living up to expectations -- the question is, is this the best group of rookie runners we have ever measured?

Since 1989, the best rookie class of running backs hit the league in 2006. That group set the high-water marks for total rushing DYAR (837), receiving DYAR (647), and combined DYAR (1,483). The 2017 rookie runners have already broken the records for receiving DYAR (751) and combined DYAR (1,536). They also have 785 rushing DYAR, which would be the fourth-best total for any rookie class. Using the simplest possible method of projecting that over a full season (dividing by the 14 games each team has already played and then multiplying over a full 16-game slate), we can guess they will finish with 897 rushing DYAR. So that mark is also in serious jeopardy.

Counting that 2006 class, there have been five other seasons in which rookie running backs totaled at least 1,000 combined DYAR. In chronological order:

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Only three rookie classes have failed to amass even 100 combined DYAR, and two of them came in a three-year stretch from 1990 to 1992. (The 1991 class was sixth-worst; clearly, the early 1990s were a bad time to need a running back.) The best rookie runner in either of those years, Blair Thomas of the New York Jets, had just 90 combined DYAR. Even Dallas' Emmitt Smith got off to an inauspicious start with just 74 DYAR for the 1990 Cowboys. Meanwhile, Cleveland's Leroy Hoard was dragging everyone down with his -138 combined DYAR. The other stinker of a rookie class came in 1999. Yes, that group included Edgerrin James and his 300 combined DYAR for the Colts. But James and Denver's Olandis Gary (180) were the only rookie runners to top 100 DYAR. Meanwhile, seven rookies had -50 combined DYAR or worse, "led" by the -148 DYAR of New Orleans' Ricky Williams.

That discussion brings up an interesting point -- considering DYAR can be negative, is totaling the DYAR for a given class really the best way to measure its strength? If we're looking for the draft class with the most good players, would it be better to count the rookies with least 100 (or 150, or 200) DYAR? Also, should we be counting what each player did in their entire careers, not just in their first seasons?

Those are fair questions to ask, but given its strength at the top and its depth at the bottom, its clear that the 2017 class of running backs would be among the best by any measure.

Quarterbacks Rk Player Team CP/AT Yds TD INT Sacks Total

DYAR Pass

DYAR Rush

DYAR Opp 1. Blake Bortles JAC 21/29 326 3 0 1 171 171 0 HOU Bortles definitely picked his spots against Houston. Only eight of his passes traveled more than 6 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. But he made those plays count, with six completions and a DPI totaling 223 yards and two touchdowns. He also got a lot of help from his receivers, with a league-high 9.6 yards after the catch per completion this week. 2. Eli Manning NYG 37/57 434 3 1 1 155 155 0 PHI Remember, DYAR is a counting stat, and Manning had a league-high 58 chances to rack up DYAR this week. Here's some fun with cherry-picked stats: On passes that traveled 7 to 9 yards downfield OR 12 to 20 yards downfield, Manning went 12-of-13 for 208 yards. Yes, that one incompletion was an interception, but all 12 completions picked up first downs. 3. Cam Newton CAR 20/31 242 4 0 1 149 140 9 GB Newton had his struggles in the first half. At one point he had one completion for 4 yards in a stretch of eight passes. In the second half, though, he went 10-of-12 for 133 yards and three touchdowns. A 13th throw resulted in a 3-yard DPI, and he was also sacked once. 4. Jameis Winston TB 27/33 299 3 0 2 130 130 0 ATL 5. Alex Smith KC 23/30 231 2 0 1 113 120 -7 LACH Smith only threw one pass this entire game that traveled more than 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. It was completed for a 64-yard touchdown on third-and-2. He made those short completions count, though, by making the most of his short-yardage plays. With 3 yards or fewer to go for a first down, he went 7-of-9 for 104 yards and six conversions, including both of his touchdowns. He only had three first downs with more than 3 yards to go. 6. Case Keenum MIN 20/23 236 2 0 2 110 101 9 CIN Keenum threw six passes that traveled 10 to 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Five were completed for 118 yards and a touchdown; the sixth resulted in a DPI for 13 more yards. 7. Brock Osweiler DEN 12/17 194 2 0 1 110 97 13 IND Osweiler entered the game in the second quarter, and most of his action came before halftime. He didn't throw many passes in the second half, but then, he didn't have to. After falling behind 13-7 midway through the third quarter, Osweiler went 5-of-6 for 120 yards and two touchdowns. 8. Kirk Cousins WAS 18/26 196 2 0 1 108 113 -5 ARI Cousins made a lot of good throws in this game, but didn't have much success on third downs: 3-of-6 for 12 yards with one conversion and one sack. One of those completions was a zero-yard gain on third-and-23. 9. Jimmy Garoppolo SF 20/29 201 1 0 1 85 85 0 TEN Garoppolo, on the other hand, made a lot of plays on third down, going 7-of-10 for 79 yards and six conversions, including a touchdown. He also had a 17-yard completion on third-and-18. 10. Tom Brady NE 22/35 298 1 1 2 78 78 0 PIT On throws to receivers not named Rob Gronkowski, Brady went 13-of-22 for 130 yards and only six first downs. 11. Nick Foles PHI 24/38 237 4 0 1 70 69 1 NYG Foles practically spent the entire game in the red zone. Inside the New York 20, he went 9-of-13 for 56 yards and all four touchdowns. Jacoby Brissett has started 13 games and has only thrown four red zone touchdowns all year. 12. Tyrod Taylor BUF 17/29 224 1 0 2 68 46 22 MIA It may be time for the Bills to give up on the long ball. Taylor threw five passes against Miami that traveled at least 25 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. All five were incomplete. Rk Player Team CP/AT Yds TD INT Sacks Total

DYAR Pass

DYAR Rush

DYAR Opp 13. Drew Brees NO 26/36 295 2 1 0 67 67 0 NYJ Brees threw for 13 first downs in this game. Five of them came on five straight passes over the first and second quarters, and four more came on four straight passes in the fourth quarter. His streakiness rating (the percentage of passes that were either back-to-back successes or back-to-back failures) was 63 percent. 14. Marcus Mariota TEN 17/24 203 1 0 1 57 60 -3 SF Passes to receivers within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage: 7-of-10 for 32 yards and only one first down. Any deeper than that: 10-of-14 for 171 yards and 10 first downs. 15. Matthew Stafford DET 25/33 237 2 0 4 57 57 0 CHI Stafford's accuracy was nearly perfect when throwing to his right: 13-of-15 for 129 yards and a touchdown. In full disclosure, only six of those completions picked up first downs. 16. Ben Roethlisberger PIT 22/30 281 2 1 2 55 55 0 NE The controversial non-touchdown at the end of the game was just one example of Pittsburgh's troubles at tight end. Throwing to that position, Roethlisberger went 3-of-6 for 15 yards and only one first down. 17. Derek Carr OAK 21/38 171 2 0 0 53 52 2 DAL Maybe it's because they fell behind early, but the Raiders threw a ton of passes on first down. It didn't work -- on first downs, Carr went 8-of-17 for 50 yards, with only two first downs. 18. Aaron Rodgers GB 26/44 290 3 3 3 51 31 20 CAR The magic range for Rodgers was on passes that traveled 10 to 13 yards downfield: 6-of-8 for 110 yards and two touchdowns. The cursed range for Rodgers was on passes that traveled 18 or more yards downfield: 1-of-5 for 24 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. 19. Matt Ryan ATL 17/31 212 1 0 1 42 25 17 TB 20. Jacoby Brissett IND 17/30 158 0 0 1 31 22 9 DEN Brissett did not complete a pass that traveled 10 yards or more beyond the line of scrimmage, going 0-for-6 on throws of that distance. 21. Joe Flacco BAL 26/42 288 1 0 1 21 10 11 CLE Flacco lost 62 DYAR due to opponent adjustments, most of any quarterback this week. Not that it mattered, but he was dreadful in the red zone, going 2-of-6 for 9 yards and no first downs. 22. Jared Goff LARM 14/21 120 2 1 2 -11 -11 0 SEA The average pass thrown to a receiver behind the line of scrimmage this season has gained 5.1 yards. Goff threw four such passes, completing all of them for 47 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown and two other first downs. Rk Player Team CP/AT Yds TD INT Sacks Total

DYAR Pass

DYAR Rush

DYAR Opp 23. Bryce Petty NYJ 20/39 179 1 2 1 -15 -17 2 NO Petty had some success throwing to his right (10-of-21 for 94 yards, plus a 22-yard DPI), but not so much up the middle (2-of-6 for 10 yards) or to his left (8-of-12 for 75 yards, but only two first downs, plus a 15-yard DPI and two interceptions). 24. T.J. Yates HOU 12/31 128 1 1 4 -46 -46 0 JAC Yates gained 89 DYAR due to opponent adjustments, most of any quarterback this week. With 6 minutes and change left in the third quarter, he completed a pass for a 9-yard gain on third-and-4. That would be his last completion of the day. From that point forward, he went 0-for-8 with two sacks. On third downs, he went 5-of-11 for 77 yards with three conversions, four sacks, one fumble, and one interception. On throws to his backs and tight ends, he went 3-of-9 for 4 yards. No, that is not a typo. 25. Dak Prescott DAL 18/27 212 0 2 2 -53 -75 22 OAK Third-down passing: 4-of-9 for 45 yards with as many conversions (two) as interceptions. 26. Trevor Siemian DEN 5/9 67 0 1 2 -55 -55 0 IND All of Siemian's passes came in the first quarter. 27. Philip Rivers LACH 20/36 227 1 3 2 -58 -58 0 KC On L.A.'s first drive of the second half, Rivers threw a 10-yard touchdown to Antonio Gates that put the Chargers up 13-10. From that point forward, Rivers went 6-of-13 for 30 yards with no first downs and three interceptions. He did pick up a first down on a 14th throw, which resulted in an 8-yard DPI. 28. DeShone Kizer CLE 20/37 146 0 2 2 -73 -75 2 BAL Kizer gained 69 DYAR due to opponent adjustments. His first three completed passes were a 5-yard loss on first-and-10, a 6-yard loss on second-and-15, and a 1-yard loss on second-and-8. On throws up the middle, he went 1-of-5 for 15 yards with two interceptions. 29. Mitchell Trubisky CHI 31/46 314 1 3 2 -77 -63 -14 DET Inside the Detroit 30, Trubisky went 4-of-9 for 22 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. 30. Russell Wilson SEA 15/30 145 1 0 7 -89 -98 8 LARM Wilson gained 59 DYAR due to opponent adjustments. He spent a good chunk of the day trying and failing to dig out of long-yardage situations. With more than 10 yards to go for a first down, he went 4-of-11 for 27 yards and three sacks. His average pass play came with 12.1 yards to go for a first down. Even his vaunted fourth-quarter magic failed him against the Rams. In the final frame, he went 2-of-7 for 11 yards, plus an intentional grounding foul for a safety. On passes to his wide receivers, he went 7-of-16 for 62 yards and none, zero, nada first downs. (He would have had one, but Tanner McEvoy fumbled the ball away on what would have been a third-down conversion.) 31. Jay Cutler MIA 28/49 274 0 3 3 -133 -130 -3 BUF Red zone passing: 2-of-6 for 11 yards with no touchdowns and one sack. The Dolphins lost this game by eight points, you'll recall. Cutler was shockingly effective throwing to the middle, going 7-of-10 for 74 yards and five of his 13 first downs. In addition to his three interceptions, he fumbled the ball twice on sacks. 32. Andy Dalton CIN 11/22 113 0 2 3 -142 -142 0 MIN Dalton only threw for five first downs in the whole game. His first came on his first pass of the second quarter; by that time, he had already thrown a pick-six and the Bengals trailed 17-0. He did not convert a third down until they trailed 27-0 in the third quarter. He never did pick up a first down in Vikings territory. 33. Blaine Gabbert ARI 16/40 189 0 1 5 -153 -170 17 WAS Gabbert gained 54 DYAR due to opponent adjustments ... and still finished in last place. On five separate drives in the red zone, he went 1-of-8 for 9 yards with no touchdowns, one interception, and two sacks. He had four plays with 1 or 2 yards to go for a first down, and only converted one of them, going 1-of-3 for 8 yards, plus an aborted snap.

Five Best Running Backs by DYAR (Total) Rk Player Team Runs Rush

Yds Rush

TD Rec Rec

Yds Rec

TD Total

DYAR Rush

DYAR Rec

DYAR Opp 1. Todd Gurley LARM 21 152 3 3/3 28 1 94 68 26 SEA This was the second-best game for a running back so far in 2017. The only game better was Ezekiel Elliott's against San Francisco in Week 7, which is up to 103 DYAR with updated opponent adjustments. Gurley had only two hits for no gain or a loss, but five runs for 10 yards or more, including a 57-yard touchdown on third-and-20. Speaking of touchdowns, he had a pair of 1-yard scoring runs that dinged his average but boosted his DYAR. His receiving touchdown was a 14-yard gain on third-and-10. 2. Kareem Hunt KC 24 155 1 7/9 51 1 76 57 19 LACH Ten first downs on the ground, including runs of 23, 21, 17, and 13 yards, while being hit for no gain or a loss just once. His biggest receptions were a 3-yard touchdown and a 21-yard gain on fourth-and-3. 3. Christian McCaffrey CAR 12 63 0 6/7 73 1 71 26 45 GB Every one of McCaffrey's runs gained at least 1 yard, and he had four first downs, including gains of 10, 11, and 15 yards. Five of his receptions produced first downs, including a 7-yard touchdown. 4. Mark Ingram NO 12 74 2 5/6 77 0 53 36 17 NYJ Ingram had a 54-yard catch in the first quarter, and a 50-yard touchdown run in the fourth. He had three other first downs on the ground, while being hit for no gain or a loss twice. 5. C.J. Anderson DEN 30 158 0 0/1 0 0 45 52 -8 IND Only two of Anderson's 30 carries -- 17 of them killing a lead in the second half -- went for no gain or a loss. He ran for nine first downs, including four gains of 10 yards or more.

Five Best Running Backs by DYAR (Rushing) Rk Player Team Runs Rush

Yds Rush

TD Rec Rec

Yds Rec

TD Total

DYAR Rush

DYAR Rec

DYAR Opp 1. Todd Gurley LARM 21 152 3 3/3 28 1 94 68 26 SEA 2. Kareem Hunt KC 24 155 1 7/9 51 1 76 57 19 LACH 3. C.J. Anderson DEN 30 158 0 0/1 0 0 45 52 -8 IND 4. Buck Allen BAL 13 70 0 1/3 4 0 26 44 -18 CLE Allen gains 19 rushing DYAR due to opponent adjustments. He had five first downs on the ground, including three runs of 10-plus yards, while being hit for no gain or a loss just once. 5. Mark Ingram NO 12 74 2 5/6 77 0 53 36 17 NYJ

Worst Running Back by DYAR (Total) Rk Player Team Runs Rush

Yds Rush

TD Rec Rec

Yds Rec

TD Total

DYAR Rush

DYAR Rec

DYAR Opp 1. Alex Collins BAL 12 19 0 5/8 33 0 -32 -9 -23 CLE Collins gains 16 rushing DYAR due to opponent adjustments, and yet here we are. His longest run gained just 6 yards, he only had three first downs on the ground, and he was hit for no gain or a loss five times, including on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1. Only of of his recpetions -- a gain of 14 on first-and-10 -- was a successful play.

Worst Running Back by DYAR (Rushing) Rk Player Team Runs Rush

Yds Rush

TD Rec Rec

Yds Rec

TD Total

DYAR Rush

DYAR Rec

DYAR Opp 1. Carlos Hyde SF 13 19 0 1/1 8 0 -25 -28 3 TEN A long run of 8 yards, only one first down on the ground, and seven hits for no gain or a loss.

Five Best Wide Receivers and Tight Ends by DYAR Rk Player Team Rec Att Yds Avg TD Total

DYAR Opp 1. Rob Gronkowski NE 9 13 168 18.7 0 62 PIT Eight of Gronkowski's receptions produced first downs, including a fourth-down conversion. DYAR also accounts for the 23-yard DPI he drew to convert a third-and-3. 2. Keelan Cole JAC 7 9 186 26.6 1 61 HOU Only four of Cole's receptions produced first downs, but those four plays came on gains of 31, 42, and 73 yards, plus a 9-yard touchdown. 3. Jaydon Mickens JAC 4 5 61 15.2 2 45 HOU Mickens came into this game with one career catch for 11 yards. He had 5- and 14-yard touchdowns against Houston, plus a gain of 41, and a 13-yard DPI to convert a third-and-11. Not bad for a guy who was sleeping in his car earlier this year. 4. JuJu Smith-Schuster PIT 6 6 114 19.0 0 42 NE Four of Smith-Schuster's receptions produced first downs, including a pair of third-down conversions. He also had a 69-yard catch-and-run to give Pittsburgh a chance to win the game at the end. Alas. 5. Tavarres King NYG 2 3 70 35.0 2 42 PHI Only two catches, but they were touchdowns of 57 and 13 yards.