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It’s onto NFL Week 7 and time for my running back rankings for fantasy football.
The offensive line woes of the Dallas Cowboys drop Ezekiel Elliott to the overall RB6 spot—his lowest ranking of the year. With Justin Jackson being revealed as the Los Angeles Chargers’ lead back, the veteran back finds himself of the RB1/2 borderline. Melvin Gordon’s post-DUI “illness” may keep him out another week, making Phillip Lindsay a high-end RB2 for his date with the Kansas City Chiefs. J.D. McKissic has forced our hands with his high-volume passing game workload. He’s a sturdy flex option.
Week 7’s .5PPR Tiered Running Back Rankings
Rank | High Floor/High Ceiling RB1s | Team | Opponent | Breakdown |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | High Floor/High Ceiling RB1s | Team | Opponent | Breakdown |
1 | Alvin Kamara | NO | CAR | Tough to draw up a better match-up. |
2 | Kareem Hunt | CLE | at CIN | Cincy's front-seven is dreadful. |
3 | Derrick Henry | TEN | PIT | Match-ups don't seem to matter for Henry. |
4 | Mike Davis | CAR | at NO | The dual threat should get back on track this week. |
5 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | at WAS | The offensive line is a problem. |
6 | James Conner | PIT | at TEN | Battle of the Backs. |
7 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC | at DEN | Le'Veon Bell shouldn't encroach too much in Week 7. |
8 | Chris Carson | SEA | at ARI | Carson will rip up the Cards' front-seven. |
9 | James Robinson | JAX | LAC | The Chargers' banged up defense should provide a fantasy friendly outing for Jacksonville's bellcow. |
10 | Justin Jackson | LAC | JAX | The Chargers' current lead back faces a talent-deficient Jacksonville front-seven. |
11 | Ronald Jones | TB | at LV | Leonard Fournette's ankle seems to be severely injured and Jones is eating because of it. |
12 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | CLE | The coaching staff already trusted Gio more in the passing game than they did Mixon. Giving Gio 20+ touches with 8 or so being targets should result in a fruitful outing. |
Rank | High Floor/High Ceiling RB2s | Team | Opponent | Breakdown |
13 | Todd Gurley | ATL | DET | Detroit's front-seven has been pulverized by opposing backfields. |
14 | Melvin Gordon | DEN | KC | Great match-up and an opportunity for 18+ touches. |
15 | David Johnson | HOU | GB | Green Bay's been dreadful in its attempts to slow opposing backfields. |
16 | Jerick McKinnon | SF | at NE | Tough match-up but he's the unquestioned lead back in SF for the time being. |
17 | Kenyan Drake | ARI | SEA | Great match-up and Drake likely put some distance between himself and Chase Edmonds last week. |
18 | Jamaal Williams | GB | at HOU | Great match-up for Green Bay's fill-in starter. |
19 | Josh Jacobs | LV | TB | It appears as though Las Vegas is getting 4 of its 5 starters back from the COVID - Reserve List just in time for Sunday's game. |
20 | David Montgomery | CHI | at LAR | Tough match-up but his usage is bulletproof. |
21 | Boston Scott | PHI | NYG | Rock-solid RB2 as Philly's lead back. |
22 | D'Andre Swift | DET | at ATL | Atlanta's front-seven is the featherbed of running back dreamland. |
23 | Antonio Gibson | WAS | DAL | Tough to overstate how bad Dallas' run-stopping personnel looked last week. |
24 | Darrell Henderson Jr. | LAR | CHI | Very tough match-up and there are two backs that can steal his job at any moment. |
Rank | High Floor/Capped Ceiling RB3s | Team | Opponent | Breakdown |
25 | Phillip Lindsay | DEN | KC | 10-12 touches in a great match-up. |
26 | Devin Singletary | BUF | at NYJ | Zack Moss is a week healthier but the 2020 Jets are one of the worst football teams in history. Singletary will return flex value. |
27 | Devonta Freeman | NYG | at PHI | Despite his lack of ability, Freeman's volume forces him into flex-worthy territory. |
28 | J.D. McKissic | WAS | DAL | McKissic is the 4th-most targeted running back in the NFL (31 targets -- sourced below). |
29 | James White | NE | SF | Tough match-up and limited workload. Most of the touches come via the passing game though. |
30 | Adrian Peterson | DET | at ATL | The Lions' backs should both feast on the Falcons. |
31 | Latavius Murray | NO | CAR | His No. 2 role is strong enough to return flex value against such a bad front-seven. |
32 | JaMycal Hasty | SF | at NE | Hasty's the No. 2 back in SF for now. |
33 | Joshua Kelley | LAC | JAX | Hope for 40% of the backfield work. |
34 | Chase Edmonds | ARI | SEA | A decent passing game role against the Seahawks defense could be fruitful. |
35 | Frank Gore | NYJ | BUF | Not a recommended start. |
36 | Leonard Fournette | TB | at LV | If active, he can turn his limited work into flex-worthy production against Las Vegas. |