Rex Burkhead

Rex Burkhead

32-Year-Old Running BackRB
 Free Agent  
Free Agent
2022 Fantasy Outlook
Nine seasons into his NFL career and playing for his third team, Burkhead put up a career-high 613 scrimmage yards in 2021. That was mostly thanks to a Week 16 clash with the Chargers in which he racked up 149 rushing yards and two TDs, as he didn't reach 50 rushing yards in any other game. The 32-year-old has proven an able jack-of-all-trades who can handle snaps in any situation, but he's never going to be any team's first choice as a lead back given his lack of speed and agility, particularly at this stage of his career. The Texans may decide Burkhead is one of the better options the team has, particularly on passing downs, but he's unlikely to repeat his volume from the second half of last season in a backfield where rookie Dameon Pierce now appears to be the lead guy. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
$Signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Texans in January of 2022.
Heads to free agency
RBHouston Texans
January 14, 2023
Burkhead caught one of two targets for one yard in a 32-31 victory over the Colts in Week 18.
ANALYSIS
Burkhead finished the season with zero carries over the final four games. After he toted the ball 14 times in the season opener, the Texans quickly turned to rookie Dameon Pierce (ankle) as the lead back. Burkhead had 26 total rushing attempts for 80 yards while catching a career-high 37 passes on 51 targets for 204 yards and a touchdown. That he was limited to receiving duties following Pierce's season-ending ankle injury should indicate his future with the organization, which will be hiring a new head coach for the third consecutive season. Burkhead, who turns 33 in the offseason, becomes a free agent in March and is unlikely to be back with Houston in 2023.
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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Rex Burkhead's 2022 advanced stats compare to other running backs?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
  • Broken Tackle %
    The number of broken tackles divided by rush attempts.
  • Positive Run %
    The percentage of run plays where he was able to gain positive yardage.
  • % Yds After Contact
    The percentage of his rushing yards that came after contact.
  • Avg Yds After Contact
    The average rushing yards he gains after contact.
  • Rushing TD %
    Rushing touchdowns divided by rushing attempts. In other words, how often is he scoring when running the ball.
  • Touches Per Game
    The number of touches (rushing attempts + receptions) he is averaging per game
  • % Snaps w/Touch
    The number of touches (rushing attempts + receptions) divided by offensive snaps played.
  • Air Yards Per Game
    The number of air yards he is averaging per game. Air yards measure how far the ball was thrown downfield for both complete and incomplete passes. Air yards are recorded as a negative value when the pass is targeted behind the line of scrimmage. All air yards data is from Sports Info Solutions and does not include throwaways as targeted passes.
  • Air Yards Per Snap
    The number of air yards he is averaging per offensive snap.
  • % Team Air Yards
    The percentage of the team's total air yards he accounts for.
  • % Team Targets
    The percentage of the team's total targets he accounts for.
  • Avg Depth of Target
    Also known as aDOT, this stat measures the average distance down field he is being targeted at.
  • Catch Rate
    The number of catches made divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Drop Rate
    The number of passes he dropped divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Avg Yds After Catch
    The number of yards he gains after the catch on his receptions.
  • % Targeted On Route
    Targets divided by total routes run. Also known as TPRR.
  • Avg Yds Per Route Run
    Receiving yards divided by total routes run. Also known as YPRR.
Broken Tackle %
11.5%
 
Positive Run %
80.8%
 
% Yds After Contact
56.3%
 
Avg Yds After Contact
1.7
 
Rushing TD %
0.0%
 
Touches Per Game
3.9
 
% Snaps w/Touch
25.4%
 
Air Yards Per Game
4.1
 
Air Yards Per Snap
0.27
 
% Team Air Yards
1.6%
 
% Team Targets
9.2%
 
Avg Depth of Target
1.3 Yds
 
Catch Rate
72.5%
 
Drop Rate
3.9%
 
Avg Yds After Catch
5.9
 
% Targeted On Route
27.0%
 
Avg Yds Per Route Run
1.08
 
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2022
2021
2020
2019
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2016
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2021 NFL Game Log
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Rex Burkhead lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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2022 Rex Burkhead Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do Rex Burkhead's measurables compare to other running backs?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
5' 10"
 
Weight
215 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.73 sec
 
Shuttle Time
4.09 sec
 
Cone Drill
6.85 sec
 
Vertical Jump
39.0 in
 
Broad Jump
125 in
 
Bench Press
21 reps
 
Hand Length
9.75 in
 
Arm Length
30.88 in
 
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Rex Burkhead See More
Backfield Breakdown: 2022 Running Back Recap and Early 2023 Fantasy Rankings
140 days ago
Jerry Donabedian looks at top performers from 2022 and checks in on players rehabbing serious injuries or potentially headed for free agency.
Box Score Breakdown: Snaps, Routes, Air Yards & Usage Rates from Week 18
142 days ago
James Cook got more snaps and carries than Devin Singletary even with the Bills playing their starters for the entire game Sunday.
Weekly Rankings: Week 18 Value Meter
148 days ago
Christian McCaffrey has another plus matchup in Week 18 against Arizona.
Backfield Breakdown: Week 17 RB Usage and Week 18 Waivers Preview
149 days ago
Cam Akers took on the third-largest snap share of all running backs Week 17, playing more than three-fourths of the Ram' snaps for a third straight week.
Gameday Injuries: Week 17
150 days ago
Juan Carlos Blanco dives into a critical Week 17 injury report and has the latest on who's trending toward starting or sitting for what is championship week in many Fantasy leagues.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
Burkhead joins a crowded Texans backfield that also includes David Johnson, Mark Ingram and Philip Lindsay. In that context it's not clear exactly where the versatile back shakes out in the rotation, but he figures to get some work in passing situations. The nine-year veteran is coming off ACL surgery Dec. 1, and it's unclear if he'll much of a factor out of the gate this season.
From an efficiency perspective, Burkhead is coming off his best season in a Patriots uniform. His 302 rushing yards on 4.6 yards per carry were his most since 2016 with the Bengals, and he set a career high in receiving yards with an eye-popping 10.3 yards per catch. Unfortunately, that efficiency didn't result in a big workload increase. James White continued to be the team's primary receiver out of the backfield, while Sony Michel maintained a firm grasp on the early-down role despite subpar results. In fact, Burkhead didn't get double-digit touches in a game after sustaining a foot injury in Week 4, and most weeks he saw as much action on special teams as he did on offense. The 29-year-old jack-of-all-trades remains valuable to New England, but with second-year back Damien Harris pushing for playing time as well, Burkhead's role could dwindle even further, and the offense as a whole could flounder without Tom Brady at the wheel.
Burkhead's second go-round with New England didn't amount to much. A Week 3 neck injury cost him half the season, and by the time he got healthy, Sony Michel had firmly established himself at the top of the depth chart. With James White dominating action on passing downs, there simply weren't many snaps left over for other running backs, and Burkhead's efficiency suffered with his erratic workload - he saw double-digit touches just once within the last five weeks of the regular season. When he's 100 percent healthy, Burkhead has the ability to make a contribution in almost any situation, but the Patriots made it clear they aren't counting on him when they used a third-round pick on Damien Harris, a back with a similarly versatile skill set and more upside than the veteran. Burkhead should still have a role in New England, but it could increasingly come on special teams in a young, crowded backfield.
Underappreciated and buried on the depth chart in Cincinnati for the first four seasons of his career, Burkhead appeared to be in line for a bigger role in New England after signing as a free agent last offseason, but a Week 2 rib injury put a damper on his sleeper status. Once he was 100 percent healthy, Burkhead showed what he could do by scoring seven TDs in a six-game stretch out of the Patriots' bye before a knee injury cut short his regular season. Burkhead isn't the biggest or fastest back, doesn't have the softest hands or run the sharpest routes, and he doesn't have electric moves in the open field or uncanny vision, but he's at least competent in all aspects, making him a great fit who can step up in any situation. The selection of Sony Michel in the first round presents a significant threat to Burkhead's workload - the signing of former Bengals teammate Jeremy Hill, less so - but Tom Brady finds ways to get the ball to players he trusts, and Burkhead seemed to earn that trust last year.
Injuries to both Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill forced the Bengals to give Burkhead a much larger role in the offense than they expected last season, and he stepped up down the stretch, gaining more than 200 combined yards with two touchdowns over the final two games. An athletic and elusive runner, Burkhead lacks breakaway speed but has proven to be a nearly ideal backup as he can contribute in just about any situation. Now a Patriot, his prospects for significant value didn't really improve with the move, as he's now the jack-of-all-trades running back on a depth chart that features a goal-line option in Mike Gillislee and two pass catchers in James White and Dion Lewis. Coach Bill Belichick's mix-and-match style could provide Burkhead with a big game or two, but don't expect consistent production.
In his third season, Burkhead found himself buried on a Bengals running back depth chart full of young talent. He was only given four rushing attempts last season but became a contributing factor in the passing game, hauling in 10 receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown. While it seems unlikely the fourth-year back sees major carries this season, he'll continue to develop as a pass-catcher, boosting his fantasy value for deeper leagues.
After missing the first month of the season with a knee injury, Burkhead spent most of his time on special teams coverage for the Bengals, getting just 33 offensive snaps compared to 113 on special teams. He's a capable pass-catching back, grabbing seven receptions on 10 targets for 49 yards, but as long as Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard are around, Burkhead is going to be limited to mop-up and change-of-pace duty.
Burkhead is buried on the Bengals depth chart behind Giovani Bernard, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cedric Peerman and rookie Jeremy Hill.
Burkhead, a rookie out of Nebraska, will mostly be a reserve running back for the Bengals.
More Fantasy News
Targeted five times in loss
RBHouston Texans
January 2, 2023
Burkhead caught three of five targets for 10 yards and did not have a rushing attempt in Sunday's 31-3 loss to the Jaguars.
ANALYSIS
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Scores on fumble recovery
RBHouston Texans
December 26, 2022
Burkhead caught both his targets for seven yards and recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown in Saturday's 19-14 win over Tennessee.
ANALYSIS
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Used as target only
RBHouston Texans
December 19, 2022
Burkhead did not have a carry and caught two of four targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 30-24 overtime loss to Kansas City.
ANALYSIS
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In line for more work
RBHouston Texans
December 16, 2022
Burkhead is poised for a bigger role Sunday versus the Chiefs with Dameon Pierce (ankle) ruled out.
ANALYSIS
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Fills in for Pierce
RBHouston Texans
December 12, 2022
Burkhead had two carries for minus-3 yards and caught his lone target for five yards in Sunday's 27-23 loss to the Cowboys in Week 14.
ANALYSIS
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