Accumulated Impact Score (AIS)

A cumulative workload metric that quantifies how much physical toll a running back has absorbed over their career.

Category: Running Back · Status: Active

What it measures

AIS measures the total career workload burden on a running back by combining rushing attempts, receptions, and other touch-based inputs into a single cumulative number. Higher AIS values indicate a player who has absorbed more punishment over time, which correlates with increased injury risk and potential decline in future production. The metric is designed to flag backs who may be approaching or past their peak usage window.

Inputs

  • Career rushing attempts: Total carries across all professional seasons, weighted by recency.
  • Career receptions: Total receptions, counted at a lower weight than rushes to reflect reduced physical toll.
  • Seasons played: Number of active NFL seasons, used to normalize pace.
  • Games played: Total regular-season games, used as the denominator for per-game workload rate.

Scale

  • 0 – 400: Fresh legs. Low mileage back with significant productive runway remaining.
  • 400 – 800: Moderate wear. Normal career usage for a mid-career starter.
  • 800 – 1200: Heavy usage. Dynasty managers should monitor closely for decline signals.
  • 1200 – 1600: High mileage. Elevated risk of production cliff; consider selling in dynasty.
  • 1600+: Extreme workload. Historically, backs in this range show sharp declines.

Thresholds

  • 1600+ cumulative impact: Red flag - backs crossing this threshold have historically experienced sharp, often irreversible production declines within 1–2 seasons.
  • 200+ touches/season pace: Warning - a back averaging 200+ touches per season accumulates AIS faster and reaches danger thresholds earlier in their career.

How to use it

  • Before trading for a veteran RB in dynasty, check his AIS to assess remaining productive lifespan.
  • Compare AIS between two similarly-ranked backs to break tiebreakers - the lower-AIS player has more runway.
  • Use AIS alongside Injury Risk Score and Availability Rating for a complete durability picture.
  • In redraft, AIS is less relevant for single-season value but still useful for identifying late-career decline candidates.

Limitations

  • AIS does not account for playing style - a between-the-tackles bruiser accumulates physical toll differently than a receiving back despite similar touch counts.
  • The metric treats all carries equally and does not weight for contact intensity or yards after contact.
  • AIS is only applicable to running backs. It should not be used to evaluate QBs, WRs, or TEs.
  • College workload is not included due to inconsistent data availability across programs.