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NFL Week 5 is here and as such, it’s time to talk running backs. Here are my tired running back rankings for fantasy football this week.
The running back crop has thinned with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers going on bye in Week 5. Mike Davis, Chris Carson, and James Robinson storm their way into the position’s Top 12. Kyle Shanahan has no fear of Jerick McKinnon’s injury history, making him a high-end RB2. Miles Sanders and Joe Mixon tumble to the mid-tier of the RB2 rankings with brutal match-ups against the Steelers and Ravens, respectively. Antonio Gibson has arrived. Chase Edmonds’ passing game usage is now more valuable than Kenyan Drake’s rushing work and Latavius Murray appears to carry standalone value.
Week 5’s 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 | LAC | Kamara is this year's CMC. He's a head and shoulders above the competition. |
2 | Dalvin Cook | MIN | at SEA | The King of Minnesota's usage is bulletproof. Seattle's D-Line is as bad as it gets. |
3 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | NYG | Dallas will want to put a stamp on a victory over their division rival. |
4 | Mike Davis | CAR | ATL | Atlanta is paradise for pass-catching running backs and Carolina has directly transfered CMC's workload to Davis. |
5 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC | LV | Kansas City should have no issue leveling Vegas' D. |
6 | James Conner | PIT | PHI | Conner's 2 weeks off have him in outstanding shape. |
7 | Chris Carson | SEA | MIN | Seattle's living in opponent red zones. |
8 | Kareem Hunt | CLE | IND | Tough match-up but Hunt has a 20+ touch floor with heavy receiving game usage. |
9 | James Robinson | JAX | at HOU | Robinson should rock the house against Houston's hapless front-seven. |
10 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | at CLE | Unimposing match-up but Taylor's usage hasn't been what we though it would be. |
11 | Derrick Henry | TEN | BUF | If this game actually happens, we're still in the dark as to the state of the Titans. |
12 | Josh Jacobs | LV | at KC | Gruden should fall prey to Kansas City's invitation to run. |
Rank | High Floor/High Ceiling RB2s | Team | Opponent | Breakdown |
13 | David Johnson | HOU | JAX | Outstanding match-up. |
14 | Todd Gurley | ATL | at CAR | Carolina's Fountain of Youth defense could yield multiple scores to Gurley, ATL's red zone king (sourced below). |
15 | Devin Singletary | BUF | at TEN | Singletary has the lead backfield duties locked up for now and Tennessee's front has been underwhelming. |
16 | Ronald Jones | TB | at CHI | Chicago's run-funnel defense should serve Jones well this week. |
17 | Melvin Gordon | DEN | at NE | Touch match-up but Gordon is the team's focal point for the time being. |
18 | Raheem Mostert | SF | MIA | Jerick McKinnon played well enough to deserve 1B duties. It's a great match-up though so both should eat. |
Rank | High Floor/Capped Ceiling RB2s | Team | Opponent | Breakdown |
19 | Miles Sanders | PHI | at PIT | Brutal match-up for the flailing Eagles. |
20 | Joe Mixon | CIN | at BAL | Mixon finally has a redemption game in Week 4 but has to turn around and face Baltimore's vaunted defense in Week 5. |
21 | Darrell Henderson Jr. | LAR | at WAS | Henderson remains the nominal starter, which could pay off in a good match-up. |
22 | Joshua Kelley | LAC | at NO | Kelley should inherit 1A duties with Austin Ekeler likely headed to Injured Reserve (sourced below). |
23 | Antonio Gibson | WAS | LAR | After last week's explosion against the Ravens, Gibsion should see a solid increase in usage against an unimposing Rams' front-seven. |
24 | Myles Gaskin | MIA | at SF | Miami's lead back should have game script in his favor this week. |
Rank | High Floor/Capped Ceiling RB3s | Team | Opponent | Breakdown |
25 | Jerick McKinnon | SF | MIA | Great match-up but he's no longer the lead back with Raheem Mostert now ready to play. |
26 | Chase Edmonds | ARI | at NYJ | Arizona's passing game weapon should have himself a day against the Jets' hapless defense. |
27 | David Montgomery | CHI | TB | 20 touches are in order, against an albeit tough defense. |
28 | Mark Ingram | BAL | CIN | Great match-up for Ingram to turn 12-15 touches into a touchdown. |
29 | James White | NE | DEN | A weekly flex with PPR-upside. |
30 | D'Ernest Johnson | CLE | IND | Another DJ with fantasy value. |
31 | Kenyan Drake | ARI | at NYJ | The Cards' rush-only back has a great shot to rebound against the Jets but can only be trusted as a flex option for now, given his complete lack of production. |
32 | Le'Veon Bell | NYJ | ARI | The team's theoretical lead back returns this week. Gase's hatred of him -- and inability to run an offense -- complicates things. |
33 | J.D. McKissic | WAS | LAR | The coaching staff much love him because he keeps getting work despite ho-hum results. |
34 | Travis Homer | SEA | MIN | Great match-up for the pass catcher to make some low-end flex noise. |
35 | Justin Jackson | LAC | at NO | Jackson takes on Kelley's former 1B role with Ekeler out. |
36 | Latavius Murray | NO | LAC | Murray's role in this offense is undeniable now. He's a lightweight 1B rusher. |
Rank | Shaky Floor/Capped Ceiling RB4s | Team | Opponent | Breakdown |
37 | Damien Harris | NE | DEN | Harris assumes the rush-only role with Michel on IR. |
38 | Malcolm Brown | LAR | at WAS | Brown's still a factor in this backfield. |
39 | Nyheim Hines | IND | at CLE | Cleveland's offense is humming so Hines should be a factor. |
40 | Reggie Bonnafon | CAR | at ATL | Another spot where both Bonnafon can pick up enough scraps for flex-appeal. |
41 | K'Shawn Vaughn | TB | at CHI | Assuming Leonard Fournette and LeSean McCoy can't go on Thursday, Vaughn is the No. 2 back in TB. |
42 | Devonta Freeman | NYG | at DAL | Dallas' front-seven is dreadful and the Giants' coaching staff is intent on shoehorning Freeman into the starting role. |
43 | Jalen Richard | LV | at KC | Jacobs isn't the team's passing game back when the Raiders have to pass. |
44 | J.K. Dobbins | BAL | CIN | A match-up good enough for everyone to get involved. |
45 | Frank Gore | NYJ | ARI | He'll see enough work to do "something" against the Cards' terrible offense. |
46 | Tony Pollard | DAL | NYG | A match-up good enough for both backs to appear in the box score. |
47 | Wayne Gallman | NYG | DAL | Should see 8-10 touches. |
48 | Dion Lewis | NYG | DAL | Zero floor but could see passing work as Dallas blows them out. |