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Week 3 Running Back Rankings - Standard Leagues

Your guide to the top running back plays in standard leagues for Week 3.

By Matias Wodner
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

As the weeks pass by, we are reminded that we truly have no idea what is going to happen in the National Football League. The top two running back scorers for Week 2 were Deangelo Williams and Matt Jones. Dexter McCluster was the RB9. Devonta Freeman was the RB11. Lorenzo Taliaferro was the RB14. Nothing really makes sense, but I will continue to attempt to guess correctly every week because it's fun to do so, no matter the outcomes. Fantasy football is a crapshoot, but it is so rewarding to hit on the right guys at the right time.

Rank Player Team Opponent Analysis
1 Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings SD The Chargers just got gashed by Gio Bernard to the tune of 123 yards, while Peterson is coming off a vintage 192 total yards performance.
2 Marshawn Lynch Seattle Seahawks CHI Seattle's offensive line is a problem, but Marshawn should get back on track against a really bad Bears defense.
3 Le'Veon Bell Pittsburgh Steelers @STL The return of Le'Veon Bell will be the main storyline in Week 3, and he should produce immediately, despite a hard matchup.
4 LeSean McCoy Buffalo Bills @MIA Shady looked back to his old self last week and gets a nice matchup against a Dolphins defense that hasn't been that good in any aspect so far.
5 Jamaal Charles Kansas City Chiefs @GB The Packers shut down Marshawn, but Charles plays behind a much better offensive line and is more involved as a pass catcher.
6 Frank Gore Indianapolis Colts @TEN After two nonexistent fantasy weeks, I think this is the week Gore announces his presence as a Colt.
7 Eddie Lacy Green Bay Packers KC Lacy should be ready to roll against the Chiefs at home after spraining his ankle on Sunday Night Football.
8 Jonathan Stewart Carolina Panthers NO Hasn't done much through two games, but gets a prime matchup against a terrible Saints defense.
9 Matt Forte Chicago Bears @SEA With Jay Cutler out and Alshon Jeffery questionable to play next week, Forte will be the Bears entire offense in Seattle, which is both good and bad.
10 Latavius Murray Oakland Raiders @CLE The Browns run defense has been poor, which is good news for Murray, who is the Raiders' every-down back.
11 Justin Forsett Baltimore Ravens CIN The Bengals gave up a lot of yards to Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead last week, so Forsett should have a very good week.
12 Isaiah Crowell Cleveland Browns OAK Coming off a promising performance against the Titans, Crowell gets another good matchup against the Raiders.
13 Demarco Murray Philadelphia Eagles @NYJ The Eagles offensive line is so awful, but Chip Kelly will find a way to fix it and get his talented running back the ball in favorable situations.
14 Lamar Miller Miami Dolphins BUF Concerns about his usage and the offensive line are real, but the talent will shine through.
15 Jeremy Hill Cincinnati Bengals @BAL Look for him to come back strong after a two-fumble, benching debacle.
16 LeGarrette Blount New England Patriots JAX Blount barely got any run in his return, but this game should shape up nicely for him.
17 Mark Ingram New Orleans Saints @CAR Hasn't been very effective, but will get all the touchdown opportunities.
18 David Johnson Arizona Cardinals SF Bruce Arians has said Johnson's role will increase as the weeks go on. Johnson has 100 yards and two touchdowns on only seven offensive touches.
19 Carlos Hyde San Francisco 49ers @ARI The 49ers bad defense may cause for bad game flow, limiting Hyde's fantasy potential, but he is still a dependable RB2 with upside for more each week.
20 Alfred Morris Washington Redskins @NYG Matt Jones is a viable concern for Morris, but he is still the starter for an elite run game.
21 C.J. Anderson Denver Broncos @DET Look for C.J. to get on track against a Lions defense that just got demolished by Danny Woodhead and Adrian Peterson in consecutive weeks.
22 Chris Ivory New York Jets PHI After being a little banged up for Monday Night Football, Ivory should be full-go against the Eagles.
23 T.J. Yeldon Jacksonville Jaguars @NE Yeldon has looked spry as the Jaguars every-down back, and the Patriots have been coughing up running back production.
24 Dion Lewis New England Patriots JAX Lewis looks like a juggernaut Shane Vereen and Belichick is making full use of his talents.
25 Danny Woodhead San Diego Chargers @MIN Gets all the red-zone and passing game work, ahead of Gordon.
26 Doug Martin Tampa Bay Buccaneers @HOU Martin has looked really good through the first two weeks, but just hasn't been able to get into the endzone. It's coming.
27 Melvin Gordon San Diego Chargers @MIN Looked awesome last week, but won't be a great fantasy option until he starts getting red-zone work.
28 Giovani Bernard Cincinnati Bengals @BAL Got all the carries after Hill fumbled twice, but is still the backup. Is making things interesting by playing so well, though.
29 Joseph Randle Dallas Cowboys ATL Hasn't exactly mad people forget about Demarco. Has left a lot of meat on the bone, and might start losing more carries to DMC and Dunbar soon.
30 Todd Gurley St. Louis Rams PIT On track to make his NFL debut. A game-changing running back, he should be on a pitch count, but can do damage with any amount of carries.
31 Rashad Jennings New York Giants WAS Is the starter, but will find it tough to find room against the Redskins defense.
32 Devonta Freeman Atlanta Falcons @DAL With Tevin Coleman out, he will handle most of the work at running back.
33 Ameer Abdullah Detroit Lions DEN Already becoming the main back, but their offense is in shambles right now and is coming up against a very tough defense.
34 Bishop Sankey Tennessee Titans IND The Titans running back situation isn't as clear as it looked after Week 1. What a surprise!
35 Shane Vereen New York Giants WAS The running game will probably struggle against a stout Redskins front seven, meaning more Vereen.
36 Matt Jones Washington Redskins @NYG Dominated the Rams and outcarried/outplayed starter Alfred Morris. Still the backup, for now.
37 Chris Johnson Arizona Cardinals SF Rookie David Johnson is better than him, but he will still get a good amount of work.
38 Ronnie Hillman Denver Broncos @DET Looks better than Anderson right now and should continue to get 10-12 touches per game as the change of pace guy.
39 Duke Johnson Jr. Cleveland Browns OAK Seems to be in a timeshare with Crowell, but hasn't done much with his carries yet.
40 Darren McFadden Dallas Cowboys ATL Has looked good as a change-up to Randle, and will continue to get around 10 touches per game.
41 C.J. Spiller New Orleans Saints @CAR His role will gradually increase as he gets closer to full health, but can't be fully counted on just yet.
42 Darren Sproles Philadelphia Eagles @NYJ Has been getting more work than Ryan Mathews and should continue to as the Eagles passing game specialist/change of pace back.
43 Lorenzo Taliaferro Baltimore Ravens CIN Got a lot of work in the red-zone and vultured Forsett on a 7-yard touchdown in Week 2.
44 Deangelo Williams Pittsburgh Steelers @STL Might be rendered useless with Le'Veon back, but he has been outstanding through two weeks.
45 Damien Williams Miami Dolphins BUF Lamar might be a bit hobbled, so he should get some more work.
46 Karlos Williams Buffalo Bills @MIA Has scored in two straight games. Can that continue in Week 3?
47 Charles Sims Tampa Bay Buccaneers @HOU Has some explosive ability as the Bucs passing down back.
48 Lance Dunbar Dallas Cowboys ATL Cowboys should be in a lot of passing situations with Tony Romo and Dez Bryant out.
49 Tre Mason St. Louis Rams PIT Did nothing with his carries last week, and the debut of Gurley should keep his touches low.
50 Dexter McCluster Tennessee Titans IND Has earned more carries after a great performance in Week 2.