***Editor's Note*** This article was written by Chat Sports contributor JJ Zakheim
After last week’s QB start ‘em/sit ‘em post, I decided to switch things up a bit. In this week’s column I will rank the top 32 RBs and provide a short rationale for the ranking. Enjoy, and if some of these top 30 guys are available on your waiver wire, go grab ‘em!
RB Rankings:
1) Marshawn Lynch:
In an epic battle on Sunday Night Football in which the Seahawks will look to regain America’s respect as the best team in the NFC, Pete Carroll will turn to his main offensive weapon who should find success against a defense that Matt Forte demolished last week.
2) Eddie Lacy:
On the other side of the Sunday Night Football field, Lacy will get a lot of touches both running the ball and catching it. Seattle had a hard time containing Benny Cunningham last week and Lacy will do more of the same
3) Jeremy Hill:
Coming off a multi TD game, Hill will look to take back the late game touches that Giovani Bernard stole from him in Sunday’s blowout against the Raiders. As the Bengals’ main red zone threat, expect another nice game from Jeremy Hill in a hard fought battle with the Chargers.
4) Adrian Peterson:
Although I am not as bullish on Peterson as most fantasy owners, if he’s going to have a bounce back game it will come this Sunday against a weak Detroit run defense. If it’s not this week for AP, not sure when it will be.
5) Jamaal Charles:
Although it’s a short week for Charles and his Chiefs, I don’t worry about a drop off in performance in a tough division game against Denver. Andy Reid will feature Charles on Thursday night as many times as he has to in order to win the game.
6) Carlos Hyde:
One of my favorites coming into the season, expect this freak of nature to have another nice game against Pittsburgh. With a new head coach who comes from the defensive side of the ball, and a struggling QB with mediocre WR targets, the 49ers have one path to victory and its name is Carlos Hyde.
7) Justin Forsett:
The Bad: Week 1 was ugly The Good: He got a lot of touches, and he plays Oakland this week. Forsett should be in for a nice rebound.
8) Matt Forte:
Arizona boasts a stout D and I expect Chicago to play from behind for most of the game which is why I don’t have Forte higher on the list. Still, Forte will catch a majority of Cutler’s balls so it still makes him a Top 9 back for this week.
9) LeSean McCoy:
Yes, I know he frustrated and scared owners with his underwhelming performance in Week 1, but New England just hosted a #TBT star DeAngelo Williams clinic on opening night and McCoy will have some fun as well.
10) Demarco Murray:
I am aware that if it weren’t for his two touchdowns last week, Eagles fans and Fantasy owners would want this guy dead. However, he’ll be ready to rock and roll against the team who didn’t show him the Benjamins after a career year last year.
11) CJ Anderson:
A short week and a tough first game means that Denver will need a whole lot of Anderson against an underrated Chiefs team. Anderson will touch the rock a lot on Thursday night and should put in a nice effort.
12) Chris Ivory:
One of Week 1’s finest surprises, Ivory should have another good performance against the Colts on Monday Night. Todd Bowles has no reason to change the recipe that worked so well last week.
13) Ameer Abdullah:
Another Week 1 surprise, Abdullah showed off his blazing speed and talents on Sunday and left the Lions with no choice but to give him the starting job over Joique Bell. Abdullah should be in for a treat against a team that allowed Carlos Hyde to run for over 180 total yards.
14) Alfred Morris:
One of the more underrated performances last week, Morris was a touchdown away from being a top fantasy performer. The Rams have a great run D, but Coach Gruden has made it clear that the Skins will pound the rock every game and Morris is the man who will do it.
15) Mark Ingram:
Showing off some of his heretofore unknown pass catching skills, Ingram rounds out the Top 15 Backs going into week 2. Ingram should have a much easier time running the ball against Tampa, and hopefully will continue to catch balls as well.
16) Lamar Miller:
After not being featured in the first half of the Redskins’ game, Miller emerged in the second half and the Dolphins’ fortunes turned. I expect Coach Philbin to be more consistent with his running attack this week, and Miller should put up pretty good numbers.
17) Tre Mason/Benny Cunningham:
This goes out to whichever one gets the starting nod. Presumably Mason, unless his injury holds him out another week. A good game is in store for whomever St. Louis’s starts at tailback.
18) Doug Martin:
Martin turned in a pretty nice game last week despite the fact that the game got quickly out of control which led to a significant decrease in touches for Martin. I’m not saying this week will be any different for Tampa, but there’s always a chance. It all depends on Famous Jameis.
19) Danny Woodhead:
Especially in a PPR league, Woodhead will be a very intriguing play all year. He got the red-zone touches over Melvin Gordon last week and took advantage of it by turning in a score. Woodhead can catch a lot of balls and will be featured in on the ground. He should perform very nicely against a leaky Cincy run defense.
20) Frank Gore:
As a rule, I like Gore and he will usually be higher up in my rankings. But the Jets run D is terrific and it’s hard to put a guy any higher than this while facing the Jets.
21) Joseph Randle:
After a pretty good Week 1, Week 2 will have to be even better. Randle is going to be a big part of the showdown with Philly. Lance Dunbar will get involved on 3rd down but I still think Randle should have a solid performance. He out touched every other RB last week on the ground by a significant margin.
22) David Johnson:
I’m becoming a big fan of this guy. He flashed a lot of potential last week when Ellington went out and I can’t imagine a genius like Bruce Arians not giving Johnson a more significant role over CJ?K . The Bears Defense is horrible but I just haven’t seen enough of this guy to put him higher. I wont be surprised, though, if David Johnson finishes as a Top 10-12 back this week. Plug him in your lineups!!
23) Tevin Coleman:
Another solid rookie RB. He is the clear cut #1 back on his team and faces a really bad Giants Defense. Coleman will turn in his first good fantasy game on Sunday.
24) Bishop Sankey:
After a lot of uncertainty regarding Sankey last season, he finally turned in the performance people have been waiting for even though it probably looks a little better then it actually was (Due to two TD’s). Mariota will help Sankey’s case and since he’s facing a weak Cleveland D, he should be in your lineup as a flex, maybe even a low end RB2.
25) TJ Yeldon:
After a mediocre opening game, things should start to ease up for Yeldon in his second NFL game. The Miami D gave up 161 yards to the Redskins on the ground last week and Yeldon “might’ be able to exploit that weakness. That is, however, a big “might.”
26) Jonathan Stewart:
Don’t expect great results from Stewart since he is facing the best defensive front in football. It’s going to be a rough outing for the one legged Carolina.
27) Latavius Murray:
Although Murray is a good back and talent wise is probably a RB2, his lack of supporting cast will continue to be a thorn in his side. The Ravens will roll against the Raiders and Murray won’t get the touches he needs to be valuable.
28) Dion Lewis:
Yes, I am aware that the Bills probably have the best defense in the league but how can you not love this guy after taking 2 years off from the league and then doing what he did last Thursday night? Lewis might have some difficulties this week but ultimately he will get his touches as Brady’s wingman.
29) Deangelo Williams:
Williams did have a great week against the Patriots, but I think it says more about the Pats D then about a Williams resurgence.
30) Rashad Jennings:
The Giants have a crowded backfield that is playing against an Atlanta defense that played Philly’s Legion of Zoom well last week. Jennings is the lead guy but if he doesn’t have a hot hand at first then I’m sure he will be on a short leash. Plus, how can you like a guy that threw his team under the bus?
31) Darren Sproles:
I love Darren Sproles and the only reason he isn’t higher is due to the unpredictability of the Philly backfield. He has the potential to catch a ton of balls in this weekend’s game vs Dallas and this ranking might prove to be my biggest mistake.
32) Isaiah Crowell:
Crowell completes my list. He’s not a bad back but its clear that his coaching staff doesn’t like him. One mistake and he will be benched for Duke Johnson. Buyers beware!
****** Notice nobody from Houston’s backfield is here. Don’t play any of them! Hard Knocks made it pretty obvious that Bill O’Brien is counting down the days until Foster comes back.
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