James Conner is a Featured Back for Pittsburgh. James's 2016 season ranks in the 0th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 241 plays — a developing rate for the RB.
The centerpiece of the run game — high carry volume, used in early downs and goal-line, true workhorse 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 | 2016 | 288 | 0.340 | 3.9 | 97.9 |
| Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 2016 | 292 | 0.340 | 4.3 | 99.3 |
| Breece Hall | Iowa State | 2020 | 301 | 0.340 | 4.5 | 102.3 |
| Donnel Pumphrey | San Diego State | 2016 | 344 | 0.320 | 4.2 | 110.1 |
| Eno Benjamin | Arizona State | 2018 | 316 | 0.330 | 4.6 | 104.3 |
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 | vsVillanova | W28-7 | — | 17 | 53 | 3.1 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 0.07 |
| 2 | vsPenn State | W42-39 | 19.0 | 22 | 117 | 5.3 | 1 | 4 | 29 | 1 | 0.24 |
| 3 | @Oklahoma State | L38-45 | 16.4 | 24 |
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 8 · Rush Yds 32 · Avg 4.0 · Rush TD 0
| 111 |
| 4.6 |
| 1 |
| 2 |
| 60 |
| 0 |
| 0.07 |
| 4 | @North Carolina | L36-37 | 15.9 | 16 | 66 | 4.1 | 1 | 4 | 64 | 0 | 0.33 |
| 5 | vsMarshall | W43-27 | -12.7 | 11 | 34 | 3.1 | 1 | — | — | — | -0.05 |
| 6 | vsGeorgia Tech | W37-34 | 7.8 | 14 | 60 | 4.3 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.30 |
| 7 | @Virginia | W45-31 | -3.8 | 20 | 90 | 4.5 | 2 | 2 | 28 | 0 | 0.29 |
| 9 | vsVirginia Tech | L36-39 | 15.2 | 19 | 141 | 7.4 | 3 | — | — | — | 0.43 |
| 10 | @Miami | L28-51 | 18.6 | 12 | 40 | 3.3 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.04 |
| 11 | @Clemson | W43-42 | 28.7 | 20 | 132 | 6.6 | 1 | 3 | 57 | 1 | 0.34 |
| 12 | vsDuke | W56-14 | -2.8 | 14 | 101 | 7.2 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.58 |
| 13 | vsSyracuse | W76-61 | -2.7 | 19 | 115 | 6.1 | 2 | 2 | 45 | 1 | 0.43 |
| 1 | vsNorthwestern | L24-31 | 2.9 | 8 | 32 | 4.0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | -0.70 |