Fantasy Football rankings: Week 2 running back rankings
By Leo Howell
Week 1 is in the books, and you’re either on top of your league with one win, or you’re at the bottom looking to rebound. That means you need to get your lineup in order, so every week Fansided will bring you rankings to set your lineups with.
This week, the rankings were established by establishing an average of the rankings of myself and Zachary Thompson. Let’s take a look at the running backs and how they rank for Week 2:
1 – Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
Every week until something drastic changes, you should consider Peterson your number one option.
2 – LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
A one week example showed that McCoy is the perfect fit in Chip Kelly’s new offense. With San Diego on the schedule for Week 2, there’s no reason to see the Eagle offense slowing down. McCoy is a great play as long as the Philly offense is running at full speed.
3 – Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens
The Browns have a decent defense, so don’t get this confused for a good matchup. But Ray Rice is the entire Baltimore offense, and he’ll be relied upon heavily even with Bernard Pierce taking carries away.
4 – Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Carl Nicks might not be back for Week 2, and the Buccaneers certainly missed their All-Pro guard in Week 1. But the Saints aren’t as sturdy on defense as the Jets, and Martin will continue to get the ball to balance the Bucs offense. Don’t hesitate to play him this week.
5 – Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs
Jamaal Charles faces the Dallas Cowboys this week, and while their defense seems a bit sturdier than it was last year, the Chiefs will be sure to include Charles as much as they can.
6 – Arian Foster, Houston Texans
Foster is going to split carries with Ben Tate, but that shouldn’t stop you from using him if you invested a first round pick in him. This week the Titans are on the schedule, which means Foster will likely be playing with a Houston offense that’s running down the clock with a lead. He’ll get his touches, and he showed on Monday night that he’s healthy enough to get decent numbers per carry.
7 – Reggie Bush, Detroit Lions
The Arizona Cardinals aren’t an great defensive matchup for fantasy production, but it’s clear after Week 1 that Bush is a primary focus of the Detroit offense.
8 – Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins
Morris might have coughed up the football during his debut, and that led to some suspicious carries from Roy Helu, but don’t panic just yet about using Morris in fantasy. His Redskins take on the Packers this week, which means there will likely be room to run. He’s still worth playing under any circumstances, and this week is a pretty good matchup.
9 – Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
Forte found the end zone and approached 100 total yards during Week 1 against a touch Cincy defense, and he and the Bears get Minnesota in Week 2. Forte has tons of upside if he remains healthy, and matchups against Minnesota will be two of his best chances to score good points for your team.
10 – Trent Richardson, Cleveland Browns
The Browns take on the Baltimore Ravens during Week 2, and while the Baltimore defense seemed to stop the Denver running game pretty well in Week 1, they don’t have a runner like Trent Richardson. The Browns have no one else to gain yards on offense besides Richardson, so he’ll have every opportunity to get points during Week 2.
11 – Steven Jackson, Atlanta Falcons
Jackson only carried the ball 11 times during Week 1, but that was against the high-powered Saints. Week 2 brings a slightly better opportunity for the Falcons to stay in the game against St. Loius, although the Rams’ run defense will pose a decent challenge for the Falcons’ running game.
12 – Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders
He’s playing the Jaguars.
13 – DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have a decent matchup against Kansas City, and Dallas will want to continue to involve Murray in the offense. He had a decent game Week 1, and the Cowboys need to keep pressure off of Tony Romo to make sure he doesn’t continue to take shots to the ribs every single week.
14 – Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks
Lynch has a very tough matchup with the San Francisco 49ers this weekend, but he has historically done fairly well against the Seahawks’ division rivals. He’s not a great play, but if you have him, you should still start him (unless you have Darren McFadden as your RB3, then you have a tough decision on your hands).
15 – Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers
The Packers are playing the Redskins. And while Green Bay doesn’t run the same “Chip Kelly” offense as Philly used to torch the Redskins on Monday, it’s clear that there’s room to run against Washington.
Honorable Mention – Stevan Ridley, New England Patriots and Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
Ridley has fumble concerns, but there’s no one else who can run the football effectively in New England at the moment.
Jones-Drew has a favorable matchup against the Raiders this weekend, and he’s seemingly healthy. His Jaguars can’t possibly have as bad of a week as they did against the Chiefs.