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Week 3 Running Back Rankings - PPR Leagues

Examining the best matchups for week three running backs from a point per reception-league standpoint.

By Matias Wodner
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Well, that was not good. Adrian Peterson, Ameer Abdullah, Doug Martin, Danny Woodhead, Rashad Jennings, Arian Foster, Jonathan Stewart, Thomas Rawls. Those are the running backs that went down in week two. Some for short periods of time, some for multiple weeks and one for the whole season. The NFL is officially back! For those who weren't sure why people went ZeroRB and avoided spending too many early-round picks on running backs: THIS IS WHY! Still, we must recollect ourselves and get the right running backs into our lineups. Let's do this.

Rank Player Team Opponent Analysis
1 DeAngelo Williams PIT @PHI Usage monster for one more week. Enjoy it while you can fantasy owners. Unless you have Le'Veon Bell also; then you can celebrate.
2 C.J. Anderson DEN @CIN The Bengals have been getting gashed on the ground and workhorse Anderson gets the next crack at them.
3 David Johnson ARI @BUF He's the real deal and is matchup proof due to his receiving ability.
4 Matt Forte NYJ @KC I don't see any way that Forte keeps getting this workload for the whole year, but until that slows down he's a top-5 weekly play.
5 Melvin Gordon SD @IND With Woodhead out for the year, this backfield is all Gordon's as he looks to continue a so-far resurgent second year.
6 DeMarco Murray TEN OAK He's an RB1 again and his schedule is very soft.
7 Lamar Miller HOU @NE Has not been efficient, but that's mostly due to his offensive line. His every-week usage makes him a must start in every league.
8 Mark Ingram NO ATL Prime(time) matchup for the Saints to get Ingram more touches. I think he has a big game on Monday night.
9 Ezekiel Elliott DAL CHI Fumbled twice last week and now has a 3.3 ypc average through two games. Concerning, but he's also scored in two consecutive weeks.
10 Todd Gurley LA @TB You just have to bank on his talent providing blow-up games some weeks. This looks like it could be one, although the Bucs are an underrated run defense.
11 LeGarrette Blount NE HOU Will be given carries until he can't feel his body. Probably the best bet for a rushing touchdown every week.
12 Tevin Coleman ATL @NO Has outproduced Freeman for two straight weeks. Great matchup to keep that up.
13 Jeremy Langford CHI @DAL Can he get into the end zone for a third straight week? Good bet for it against a weak Cowboys run defense.
14 LeSean McCoy BUF ARI Every-down workhorse backs are not easy to find anymore. Shady is still one.
15 Frank Gore IND SD The Chargers run defense is leaky and Gore was able to find the end zone against the stout Denver defense last week.
16 Charles Sims TB LA Assuming that Doug Martin sits out, Sims will be in line for a huge workload.
17 Devonta Freeman ATL @NO Plenty of fantasy points will be there for the taking against the Saints defense.
18 Jay Ajayi MIA CLE With Arian Foster out, Ajayi has the perfect set-up for his first blow-up game.
19 Theo Riddick DET @GB Abdullah going down means more touches for Riddick in a matchup where he was going to be used heavily anyway.
20 Latavius Murray OAK @TEN His low usage is baffling, but his efficiency is as good as it's ever been.
21 Eddie Lacy GB DET Finally gets to go home to the friendly confines of Lambeau Field, looking to get his first touchdown of the year.
22 Jerick McKinnon MIN @CAR While Asiata might get more carries, this matchup suits McKinnon's style better.
23 Giovani Bernard CIN DEN The Denver defense can be attacked with pass-catching backs, setting up Gio for a nice game.
24 Shane Vereen NYG WAS Jennings is banged up and Vereen is better than him. Great matchup for Vereen to exploit.
25 Isaiah Crowell CLE @MIA Hue Jackson loves him some Crow and Isaiah has delivered with back-to-back great fantasy performances.
26 Derrick Henry TEN OAK Got 10 touches last week and went 12 for 49 and a touchdown against them in the preseason.
27 Jamaal Charles KC NYJ IF he plays, don't expect a full allotment of touches. Could still be a useful flex option.
28 Chris Ivory JAX BAL His return will be a welcome sight to a Jaguars offense that can't get anything going through two weeks. He'll be the lead back.
29 Matt Jones WAS @NYG Got into the end zone last week, but this is a much tougher matchup. It's touchdown or bust for him.
30 Christine Michael SEA SF Has been more efficient and explosive than Rawls and has made this a legit timeshare.
31 Duke Johnson CLE @MIA Rookie quarterback Cody Kessler might check down very often to Duke.
32 Ryan Mathews PHI PIT Has scored three times already, but the Eagles intend on using ALL of their running backs and the Steelers are very tough to run on.
33 Spencer Ware KC NYJ The return of KC's prodigal son will knock a big dent in Ware's fantasy value.
34 Justin Forsett BAL @JAX I guess he's the lead back. Just avoid this situation altogether if you can.
35 T.J. Yeldon JAX BAL The return of Ivory will hurt an inefficient Yeldon badly.
36 Carlos Hyde SF @SEA I hope you didn't overreact to his week one and tempered expectations for week two. I'm not sure how you can start him in another brutal matchup.
37 Darren Sproles PHI PIT Negative game script could lead to a lot of Sproles touches.
38 Thomas Rawls SEA SF He's gotten outplayed by Michael and he picked up a knock last week. Can't be trusted right now.
39 Matt Asiata MIN @CAR As good a bet as any to stumble his way to a one-yard touchdown.
40 Jeremy Hill CIN DEN Starting to think he's not good at football.
41 Chris Thompson WAS @NYG Has legit PPR upside in games that turn into shootouts. This could be that type of game.
42 Terrance West BAL @JAX Will get about 10 carries, but he doesn't offer much upside.
43 Bilal Powell NYJ @KC Has been rendered useless by Forte, but they have to lighten Forte's load at some point.
44 James White NE HOU The Pats would be wise to feed him on some screens to help their rookie quarterback.
45 Dwayne Washington DET @GB Will get most of the early-down work with Abdullah hurt, but this game could be a tough one to do damage in.
46 Rashad Jennings NYG WAS Is banged up and did absolutely nothing with his touches against the Saints last week.
47 Jordan Howard CHI @DAL Was explosive on Monday night and will demand more carries if Langford keeps struggling.
48 Devontae Booker DEN @CIN Actually got a good amount of work last week as Anderson's spell-back. He's talented, but he won't get too many touches.
49 DeAndre Washington OAK @TEN The Raiders have been using ALL of their backup running backs, so it's tough to say which backup to Latavius will get more work this week.
50 Alfred Morris DAL CHI Might start to get more carries as Zeke has been struggling with fumbles and efficiency.