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Alas, we find ourselves on the cusp of the start of the season. There is a good chill to the air—a feeling of excitement—and inevitably we will all put too much weight on the results of Week 1. The good news is this is about as healthy as the core of running backs will be all season!
Yesterday was a special day in history, back in 1813 when Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker, would stamp barrels of beef with “U.S” for United States but soldiers referred to the barrels as “Uncle Sams.” Well, I’m stamping these picks as US for “Untimely Successes”.
A few notes for Week 1:
- As much as I can, I’m trying to avoid Indianapolis vs. Seattle, that’s an offensive & defensive line nightmare for both squads.
- Injuries to Saquon Barkley, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Darrell Henderson don’t have me completely scared off, but I’m monitoring them.
- A gut feeling tells me Tennessee, Miami, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh all go run-heavy in Week 1.
- We should see some tandem work with Raheem Mostert/Trey Sermon and Ronald Jones II and Leonard Fournette.
- Who Baltimore uses at running back at this point seems very much up in the air.
Running Back Rankings Week 1 (2021)
| Rank | Name (PPR .5pt) | Team | Opponent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name (PPR .5pt) | Team | Opponent | Notes |
| 1 | Dalvin Cook | Min | Cin | Cincinnati was one of the worst rush defense last year |
| 2 | Alvin Kamara | NO | GB | New Orleans might relay on their main weapon out of the gate |
| 3 | Christian McCaffrey | Car | NYJ | Healthy McCaffrey will a good option for the Panthers to use early on |
| 4 | Derrick Henry | Ten | Ari | About as safe a player as you have |
| 5 | Nick Chubb | Cle | KC | This game means a lot to Cleveland for redemption from the playoffs |
| 6 | Aaron Jones | GB | NO | Rushing will be tough but he should catch a few balls |
| 7 | Austin Ekeler | LAC | Was | Herbert will utilize Ekeler in passing game |
| 8 | Ezekiel Elliott | Dal | TB | Tough draw for week 1, otherwise I'd be higher |
| 9 | Jonathan Taylor | Ind | Sea | The Colts line should hold well for Taylor against a tough Seattle rush defense |
| 10 | Najee Harris | Pit | Buf | Healthy line and a rookie looking to start strong |
| 11 | Saquon Barkley | NYG | Den | I'm cautious for a few weeks to see how he's running |
| 12 | Joe Mixon | Cin | Min | Healthy Burrow and string of WR gives him some breathing room on defensive blitzes |
| 13 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC | Cle | Very optimistic about Clyde, just not this week |
| 14 | Antonio Gibson | Was | LAC | Watching closely in week 1-2 to see if he picks up where he left off |
| 15 | Chris Carson | Sea | Ind | Tough matchup for Carson |
| 16 | James Robinson | Jax | Hou | Real favorable week 1 schedule for Robinson |
| 17 | Chase Edmonds | Ari | Ten | Great skill, not used enough in Redzone |
| 18 | Miles Sanders | Phi | Atl | Tough matchup for Miles; but he makes a lot of his opportunities |
| 19 | Kareem Hunt | Cle | KC | Kareem and Chubb look to be a big part of week 1 |
| 20 | David Montgomery | Chi | LAR | One of many tough rush defenses that Chicago faces |
| 21 | Myles Gaskin | Mia | NE | Coach Brian Flores states he trusts Gaskin more |
| 22 | Mike Davis | Atl | Phi | Mike Davis has TD upside but won't be used every down |
| 23 | Darrell Henderson Jr. | LAR | Chi | A lot of eyes on the potential upside play here |
| 24 | Raheem Mostert | SF | Det | Favorable matchup for Raheem |
| 25 | Gus Edwards | Bal | LV | Not sure who Baltimore trusts at RB right now |
| 26 | Leonard Fournette | TB | Dal | Fournette draws a weak rush defense from last year |
| 27 | Ronald Jones II | TB | Dal | Same as Fournette just don't know which back gets the heavier workload |
| 28 | Trey Sermon | SF | Det | Trey will be sitting right behind Mostert waiting for his opportunity |
| 29 | D'Andre Swift | Det | SF | I'll admit I'm not as bullish as most on Swift this season |
| 30 | James Conner | Ari | Ten | Will Conner get enough reps with a lot of talented players on Arizona |
| 31 | Devin Singletary | Buf | Pit | Devin saw a good amount of targets last season - he will need them |
| 32 | Josh Jacobs | LV | Bal | Baltimore is stingy on allowing rushing TDs |
| 33 | Damien Harris | NE | Mia | Damien could be heading up the charts with Mac at the helm; upside potential here |
| 34 | Jamaal Williams | Det | SF | Jamaal caught 31 of 35 targets last season |
| 35 | J.D. McKissic | Was | LAC | J.D. is one of the higher 'backup' reception plays |
| 36 | Phillip Lindsay | Hou | Jax | Lindsay has a chance to prove himself and step into a bigger role |
| 37 | Giovani Bernard | TB | Dal | Gio has a chance to vault up the rankings over the course of this season |
| 38 | Nyheim Hines | Ind | Sea | The line vs. line matchup that is Colts vs. Seahawks |
| 39 | Melvin Gordon III | Den | NYG | After week 1, I think Melvin has a chance to shine |
| 40 | Ty'Son Williams | Bal | LV | Backup waiting |
| 41 | Javonte Williams | Den | NYG | Potential long term solution but likely eases his way into use |
| 42 | Zack Moss | Buf | Pit | Backup waiting |
| 43 | Boston Scott | Phi | Atl | Backup waiting |
| 44 | David Johnson | Hou | Jax | Houston won't be high on many things this year |
| 45 | James White | NE | Mia | Backup waiting |
| 45 | Carlos Hyde | Jax | Hou | Backup waiting |
| 46 | Darrel Williams | KC | Cle | Backup waiting |
| 47 | Mark Ingram II | Hou | Jax | Backup waiting |
| 48 | Kenyan Drake | LV | Bal | Backup waiting |
| 48 | Malcolm Brown | Mia | NE | Had real strong moments last season |
| 49 | Michael Carter | NYJ | Car | NFL Debut alert |
| 50 | AJ Dillon | GB | NO | Backup waiting |