1 | Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys vs. Rams. Zeke got back on track in Week 3, and the Rams are allowing the second-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to RBs. This is an easy call. |
2 | Leonard Fournette, Jaguars @ Jets. |
3 |
Jay Ajayi, Dolphins vs. Saints (in London). Last week was a giant letdown, no doubt, but Ajayi returns to the place of his birth this week and won't whiff in a fantastic matchup twice in a row.
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4 | Kareem Hunt, Chiefs vs. Redskins. |
5 | LeSean McCoy, Bills @ Falcons. |
6 | Le'Veon Bell, Steelers @ Ravens. |
7 | Dalvin Cook, Vikings vs. Lions. |
8 | Devonta Freeman, Falcons vs. Bills. |
9 | Todd Gurley, Rams @ Cowboys. |
10 |
Melvin Gordon, Chargers vs. Eagles. A sore knee is a legit concern for Gordon, but he says he's healthy, so as long as he's out there, we can expect good production.
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11 | Ty Montgomery, Packers vs. Bears. |
12 |
Joe Mixon, Bengals @ Browns. After 21 touches and 101 total yards in Week 3, it seems clear the Bengals are going to start riding with the rookie. The Browns actually have decent defensive numbers this year, but we're not buying them as legit just yet. They've allowed a rushing TD in each of the past two weeks against mediocre running teams (Ravens, Colts).
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13 | Carlos Hyde, 49ers @ Cardinals. |
14 |
Jordan Howard, Bears @ Packers. We're not going to pretend Tarik Cohen won't be a thorn in Howard owners' sides this week, but the Bears' bruiser looked healthy and ran hard last week, which is the most important thing. There's always a worry the Bears will fall behind and have to play catch-up, thus limiting Howard's role, but he should get a good amount of touches early.
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15 |
C.J. Anderson, Broncos vs. Raiders. Anderson didn't play any less -- and Jamaal Charles didn't play any more -- than usual, but Anderson did see fewer carries, which made it look like there's a timeshare brewing. We're not sold on that being case, and Anderson will have a similar workload to Weeks 1 and 2 against the Raiders.
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16 |
Chris Carson, Seahawks vs. Colts. Carson didn't do much against a solid Titans run defense in Week 3, but he received 11 carries -- by far the most among Seattle's RBs. He'll do damage against a mediocre Colts defense.
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17 | DeMarco Murray, Titans @ Texans. |
18 |
Jonathan Stewart, Panthers @ Patriots. It feels like Stewart will be the next to go in Carolina's offense after Greg Olsen and Kelvin Benjamin suffered injuries in consecutive weeks, but if he can stay in one piece, he stands a good chance of putting up numbers against the Pats. New England's FPPG allowed against RBs is still inflated because of the Kareem Hunt-led beatdown on opening night, but for the season, they're allowing 5.1 yards per carry and getting burned by RBs through the air. If Stewart gets 15 carries (his average this year) and a couple receptions, he'll pay off.
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19 |
Mike Gillislee, Patriots vs. Panthers. You know the drill by now -- TD or bust for Gillislee. The good news, he plays for the Patriots.
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20 |
Jacquizz Rodgers, Bucs vs. Giants. Things went south in a hurry for 'Quizz and the Bucs offense last week, but he'll get more than five carries this time around. The Giants are allowing a relatively healthy 4.5 yards per carry, and with Rodgers' usual high volume, that could mean big things.
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21 | Isaiah Crowell, Browns vs. Bengals. |
22 | Lamar Miller, Texans vs. Titans. |
23 |
Frank Gore, Colts @ Seahawks. Gore has paid off with short TDs the past two weeks, which seems less likely to happen agains the Seahawks. However, it shouldn't be overlooked that Seattle is allowing a league-leading 5.3 yards per carry this year, so even if Gore can't get into the end zone, he could do enough yardage-wise to be worth a start.
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24 | Marshawn Lynch, Raiders @ Broncos. |
25 | Ameer Abdullah, Lions @ Vikings. |
26 |
Chris Johnson, Cardinals vs. 49ers. Johnson had 12 carries to Kerwynn Williams' one in Week 3, and even though Andre Ellington is rotated in liberally, Johnson should dominate carries again against a 49ers team that's allowed either 100 total yards or a TD to a running back in every game this year.
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27 |
Buck Allen, Ravens vs. Steelers. Terrance West got the start and played much more than Allen early in Week 3, but the latter ultimately finished with more carries and total yards. The Steelers were torn up by Chicago's backs both on the ground and through the air last week, so Allen will have success as a runner or receiver -- or both.
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28 |
Rob Kelley, Redskins @ Chiefs. As long as Kelley (ribs) is active, he's be the "lead dog," according to coach Jay Gruden. That's all we need to hear as he goes up against a Chiefs defense that's struggled against backs in two of three games this season.
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29 |
LeGarrette Blount, Eagles @ Chargers. With Darren Sproles out, is Blount going to get 15-plus touches? Tough to say, but it's also tough to imagine him getting zero touches like in Week 2. The Chargers have been run all over this year (4.7 yards per carry, two 100-yard games allowed), so Blount has upside.
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30 |
Chris Thompson, Redskins @ Chiefs. It's foolish to expect a long touchdown from Thompson every week, but if he can continue to get double-digit touches like last week (14), he's always a threat to put up yards and potentially get into the end zone.
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31 | Tarik Cohen, Bears @ Packers. |
32 | Terrance West, Ravens vs. Steelers. |
33 |
Christian McCaffrey, Panthers @ Patriots. The Patriots have allowed at least 70 yards receiving to backs in every game this year, so perhaps McCaffrey is under valued here. Either way, the rookie has potential given his usage (at least 12 touches every game).
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34 |
Mark Ingram, Saints @ Dolphins. Ingram finally received a good amount of carries (14), but he still saw Adrian Peterson (9) and Alvin Kamara (2) almost equal him, plus he continues to lose passing-down work to Kamara (5 targets). It's tough to count on Ingram as anything more than a flex, as he'll need to score a touchdown to produce higher value than that.
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35 |
Bilal Powell, Jets vs. Jaguars. Matt Forte (toe) might not play, and Powell ran out the clock for the Jets last week. Elijah McGuire will be more of a factor than people think, but Powell is a proven producer who should get first crack at lead-back duties.
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36 | Duke Johnson Jr., Browns vs. Bengals. |
37 | Wendell Smallwood, Eagles @ Chargers. |
38 | James White, Patriots vs. Panthers. |
39 |
Tevin Coleman, Falcons vs. Bills. Coleman remains an explosive, big-play threat every game, but with only eight and nine touches, respectively, the past two games, his ceiling is limited. It doesn't help he's playing a Bills defense allowing the third-fewest FPPG to RBs.
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40 | Giovani Bernard, Bengals @ Browns. |
41 | Derrick Henry, Titans @ Texans. |
42 |
Paul Perkins, Giants @ Bucs. Perkins only saw two more carries than Orleans Darkwa last week, and he once again failed to produce more than 30 total yards. It feels like he should be even lower in the rankings, but he is technically a "starting" running back who could get goal-line touches, so there's that.
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43 | Jeremy Hill, Bengals @ Browns. |
44 | Theo Riddick, Lions @ Vikings. |
45 |
C.J. Prosise, Seahawks vs. Colts. Prosise finally did something last week with a 46-yard reception, but he's still unable to pick up yards on the ground to supplement his receiving output. The Colts are giving up 57 receiving yards per game to RBs, so Prosise has a little more upside than usual, but he's still a low-ceiling option.
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46 | Orleans Darkwa, Giants @ Bucs. |
47 | Jamaal Charles, Broncos vs. Raiders. |
48 | D'Onta Foreman, Texans vs. Titans. |
49 | Andre Ellington, Cardinals vs. 49ers. |
50 | Adrian Peterson, Saints @ Dolphins. |
51 | Mike Tolbert, BIlls @ Falcons. |
52 | Alvin Kamara, Saints @ Dolphins. |
53 | Elijah McGuire, Jets vs. Jaguars. |
54 | Rex Burkhead, Patriots vs. Panthers. |
55 | Kerwynn Williams, Cardinals vs. 49ers. |
56 | Chris Ivory, Jaguars @ Jets. |
57 | Jalen Richard, Raiders @ Broncos. |
58 | Shane Vereen, Giants @ Bucs. |
59 | Charles Sims, Bucs vs. Giants. |
60 | DeAndre Washington, Raiders @ Broncos. |
61 | Branden Oliver, Chargers vs. Eagles. |
