Football is finally back. You may think the anxiety is gone now that you drafted your team? Wrong, now you have to stress week after week on who to start. Well, the good news is I’m here to help you week by week with my Week 1 RB Rankings.
These rankings will be based on half PPR scoring to meet in the middle with standard and full PPR. Week by week I’ll give you my top 50 running back rankings based on the matchup and position battles.
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Week 1 RB Notes
You’ll notice I left some top draft picks outside of the top 10 of my Week 1 RB Rankings, such as Jonathan Taylor at 13 and Saquon Barkley at 17. I have Taylor just outside the top 10 based on if Carson Wentz is 100% healthy for week 1, and how much Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines play. Taylor may jump up next week, but I don’t have him set for a big week.
On the other hand, Barkley did return to practice this week and participated in full-contact drills. But he will still be on limited snaps. I only have Barkley inside the top 20, just because he has the explosiveness to break for a long touchdown. It is a high risk/reward with him this week against the Broncos.
Some surprises you will see are I have Gus Edwards at 16 against the Raiders and Najee Harris at seven against the Bills. Both these players are on the road too.
I’ll start with Edwards. Not only is J.K. Dobbins out for the season, but now Justice Hill will also miss the season with a torn Achilles. This leaves only Edwards and Lamar Jackson as the primary runners. Le’Veon Bell did just sign with the Ravens, but even then, Bell will not be ready to take many snaps away.
Last season the Raiders gave up 24 touchdowns and rushing 2,013 yards. Edwards and the Ravens will have a field day against this defense on Monday night.
Harris at seven may look like a high ranking for a rookie running back. The Bills have a top defense, but last season they still gave up 21 touchdowns and 1,914 rushing yards. Harris will be the workhorse back this season. But what separates him is his catching ability along with his downhill running.
Expect the Bills secondary to lock down the receivers, only for Ben Roethlisberger to check down. Harris is set to have a huge year, and this game will show he will be a top fantasy back this year.
Week 1 RB Rankings
| Rnk | Player | Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | vs. NYJ |
| 2 | Dalvin Cook | MIN | at CIN |
| 3 | Alvin Kamara | NO | vs. GB |
| 4 | Derrick Henry | TEN | vs. ARI |
| 5 | Austin Ekeler | LAC | at WAS |
| 6 | Aaron Jones | GB | at NO |
| 7 | Najee Harris | PIT | at BUF |
| 8 | Nick Chubb | CLE | at KC |
| 9 | Joe Mixon | CIN | vs. MIN |
| 10 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | at TB |
| 11 | Antonio Gibson | WAS | vs. LAC |
| 12 | James Robinson | JAC | at HOU |
| 13 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | vs. SEA |
| 14 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC | vs. CLE |
| 15 | Chris Carson | SEA | at IND |
| 16 | Gus Edwards | BAL | at LV |
| 17 | Saquon Barkley | NYG | vs. DEN |
| 18 | Mike Davis | ATL | vs. PHI |
| 19 | Miles Sanders | PHI | at ATL |
| 20 | Myles Gaskin | MIA | at NE |
| 21 | David Montgomery | CHI | at LAR |
| 22 | Josh Jacobs | LV | vs. BAL |
| 23 | Raheem Mostert | SF | at DET |
| 24 | Damien Harris | NE | vs. MIA |
| 25 | Kareem Hunt | CLE | at KC |
| 26 | Darrell Henderson | LAR | vs. CHI |
| 27 | D'Andre Swift | DET | vs. SF |
| 28 | Chase Edmonds | ARI | at TEN |
| 29 | Ronald Jones II | TB | vs. DAL |
| 30 | Melvin Gordon III | DEN | at NYG |
| 31 | Trey Sermon | SF | at DET |
| 32 | Javonte Williams | DEN | at NYG |
| 33 | Jamaal Williams | DET | vs. SF |
| 34 | Kenyan Drake | LV | vs. BAL |
| 35 | Leonard Fournette | TB | vs. DAL |
| 36 | James Conner | ARI | at TEN |
| 37 | Nyheim Hines | IND | vs. SEA |
| 38 | David Johnson | HOU | vs. JAC |
| 39 | Zack Moss | BUF | vs. PIT |
| 40 | J.D. McKissic | WAS | vs. LAC |
| 41 | James White | NE | vs. MIA |
| 42 | AJ Dillon | GB | at NO |
| 43 | Devin Singletary | BUF | vs. PIT |
| 44 | Tevin Coleman | NYJ | at CAR |
| 45 | Phillip Lindsay | HOU | vs. JAC |
| 46 | Sony Michel | LAR | vs. CHI |
| 47 | Tony Pollard | DAL | at TB |
| 48 | Giovani Bernard | TB | vs. DAL |
| 49 | Carlos Hyde | JAC | at HOU |
| 50 | Latavius Murray | NO | vs. GB |
Check back next Wednesday for weekly running back rankings.
If you liked Michael’s Week 1 RB Rankings, be sure to check out the rest of our Week 1 Rankings and Analysis!
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