James Flanders is a Explosive Back for Tulsa. James's 2016 season ranks in the 68th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 244 plays — a average rate for the RB.
Elite per-carry efficiency — breaks big runs and creates chunk plays at a top rate while in a limited role.
Players from 2014–2024 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.
| Player | Team | Yr | Plays | WEPA/play | Line val | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2017 | 240 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 98.4 |
| Nick Wilson | Arizona | 2014 | 250 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 102.5 |
| Ameer Abdullah | Nebraska | 2014 | 262 | 0.380 | 5.3 | 99.6 |
| LeVante Bellamy | Western Michigan | 2019 | 269 | 0.400 | 5.4 | 107.6 |
| Royce Freeman | Oregon | 2015 | 275 | 0.360 | 5.1 | 99.0 |
Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | Car | Rush Yds | Avg | Rush TD | Rec | Rec Yds | Rec TD | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsSan José State | W45-10 | -13.6 | 14 | 82 | 5.9 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.24 |
| 2 | @Ohio State | L3-48 | 22.4 | 15 | 43 | 2.9 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.43 |
| 3 | vsNorth Carolina A&T | W58-21 | — | 7 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
Chart shows per-game EPA (bars) and rolling 5-game average (line). Season breaks marked with dashed lines. Line value = est. points over replacement per game.
Car 17 · Rush Yds 100 · Avg 5.9 · Rush TD 1
| 32 |
| 4.6 |
| 2 |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| 0.26 |
| 4 | @Fresno State | W48-41 | -16.9 | 13 | 101 | 7.8 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.77 |
| 6 | vsSMU | W43-40 | -10.8 | 13 | 132 | 10.2 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.78 |
| 7 | @Houston | L31-38 | 10.1 | 19 | 70 | 3.7 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 0.04 |
| 8 | vsTulane | W50-27 | -14.6 | 22 | 190 | 8.6 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.48 |
| 9 | @Memphis | W59-30 | 7.7 | 33 | 249 | 7.5 | 5 | — | — | — | 0.40 |
| 10 | vsEast Carolina | W45-24 | -9.0 | 28 | 181 | 6.5 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.36 |
| 11 | @Navy | L40-42 | 6.8 | 19 | 89 | 4.7 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.08 |
| 12 | @UCF | W35-20 | -2.2 | 19 | 163 | 8.6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.25 |
| 13 | vsCincinnati | W40-37 | -3.6 | 39 | 197 | 5.1 | 2 | — | — | — | -0.03 |
| 1 | vsCentral Michigan | W55-10 | -6.1 | 17 | 100 | 5.9 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.45 |
