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Similar to this week’s quarterback rankings, there are a ton of solid-to-great options until we find ourselves at a suddenly steep cliff. There’s little-to-no separation beyond the tail end of the RB3s.
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Rank | Running Back | Team | Opponent | High-Floor/High-Ceiling RB1s |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Running Back | Team | Opponent | High-Floor/High-Ceiling RB1s |
1 | Todd Gurley II | LAR | at NO | Gurley's got a good shot to outscore his quarterback against the Saints. |
2 | Alvin Kamara | NO | LAR | The Rams run-D is chartitable. |
3 | Kareem Hunt | KC | at CLE | Gregg Williams taking over as CLE's HC should result in more stupid defensive schemes that can't stop the run. |
4 | Melvin Gordon III | LAC | at SEA | Gordon's workload and usage in the Chargers offense keeps him as a weekly candidate to be the RB1. |
5 | James Conner | PIT | at BAL | Conner's been playing at an All-Pro level. Keeping him this low almost feels insulting. |
6 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | TB | A golden matchup for CMC. |
7 | Sony Michel | NE | GB | If Michel's back this week, he'll be needed to keep Aaron Rodgers off the field. |
8 | Ezekiel Elliot | DAL | TEN | Let's hope Dallas' replacement of their O-line coach helps. This is a volume-based workload. |
9 | Adrian Peterson | WAS | ATL | WAS will look to feed AD early and often against the Emergency Roomed Falcons defense. |
10 | Tarik Cohen | CHI | at BUF | Cohen is now a featured part of the explosive Chicago offense. BUF can't stop running backs. |
11 | Phillip Lindsay | DEN | HOU | Lindsay's a matchup-proof RB at this point. |
12 | Latavius Murray | MIN | DET | If Murray gets the start, he'll smash the Lions Snacks-improved run D. |
High-Floor/High-Ceiling RB2s | ||||
13 | Nick Chubb | CLE | KC | KC's biggest vulnerability is their run defense and Chubb should get plenty of opportunities. |
14 | James White | NE | GB | Shootout. |
15 | Kerryon Johnson | DET | at MIN | The Vikings defense is banged up and Kerryon's balling. |
16 | Lamar Miller | HOU | at DEN | Houston has leaned on Miller as of late and the Broncos run D has been charitable to opposing RBs. |
17 | Aaron Jones | GB | at NE | Now's the time for Jones to show his reported-but-seldom-seen receiving prowess. TyMont's exit clear the way for Jones to takeover the Packers' backfield. |
18 | Matt Breida | SF | OAK | His shaky health is all that keeps him from being an RB1 in a stellar matchup. |
High-Floor/Capped-Ceiling RB2s | ||||
19 | Chris Carson | SEA | LAC | Carson's been playing well and the Chargers have been vulnerable on the ground. |
20 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | at MIA | This is a great matchup for Crowell. Let's hope he's back to full health and that the Jets ease Elijah McGuire back into the rotation. |
21 | Mark Ingram | NO | LAR | Ingram will likely see 10+ touches in a good matchup. |
22 | Kenyan Drake | MIA | NYJ | Drake has produced as of late. |
23 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | at WAS | Washington has been very good against opposing RBs this year. |
24 | Jordan Howard | CHI | at BUF | A great matchup for Howard to find the endzone in. |
Solid-Floor/Low-Ceiling RB3s | ||||
25 | Austin Ekeler | LAC | at SEA | The guy just gets it done. |
26 | Alex Collins | Bal | PIT | It's a tough matchup but Collins has been able to find the endzone 3 times in the last 3 weeks. |
27 | Peyton Barber | TB | at CAR | The workload is there for him to potentially work his way into the RB2 range as the week progresses. |
28 | Devontae Booker | DEN | HOU | Assuming Freeman misses more time, Booker should continue turning his limited touches into solid flex production. |
29 | Doug Martin | OAK | at SF | The workload should be there for Martin to be flex-worthy. |
30 | Ito Smith | ATL | at WAS | It could easily be Tevin in this slot if Ito continues to play as well as he has of late. |
31 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | CHI | Workload keeps him relevant. |
Low-Floor/Low-Ceiling RB3s | ||||
32 | Jalen Richard | OAK | at SF | If Oakland falls behind it'll be Richard in the backfield. |
33 | Dion Lewis | TEN | at DAL | Lewis likely retains the starting role in the Titans backfield. |
34 | Ty Montgomery | GB | PIT | He's an upgrade over Buck Allen in the passing game. |
35 | Frank Gore | MIA | NYJ | Gore has been outplayed by Kenyan Drake but the coaches still love him. |
36 | Elijah McGuire | NYJ | at MIA | McGuire should see a few touches this week to knock off the rust. It's possible he makes a splash play given his explosive playing style. |