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Fantasy Football Week 1 Running Back Rankings

Fantasy Football Week 1 Running Back Rankings

We’ve waited all off-season, and now it’s NFL regular season Week 1! Fantasy football drafts are done or getting finished up in these last few days before kickoff. Preseason is over, rosters have been cut down to 53 players. Now it’s time to set your starting lineups. Let’s look at the fantasy football Week 1 running back rankings and be sure to check back each week for an updated list.

Read More: Week 1 Wide Receiver Rankings | Week 1 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em

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Fantasy Football Week 1 Running Back Rankings

Tier 1: Weekly Fantasy Winners

1. Christian McCaffrey
2. Austin Ekeler
3. Saquon Barkley
4. Nick Chubb
5. Derrick Henry

These are the running backs you can plug and play each week with little to no worry about their production no matter who is on the schedule. Of course, for Week 1 it’s going to be close to ADP because, well that’s the reason they were drafted where they were. Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler are Mr. Do it All’s. They’ll run the ball, catch the ball, make the big plays before and after contact, and deliver stellar performances week in and week out.

Saquon Barkley and Nick Chubb should get the bulk of the work from their teams. With Kareem Hunt out of Cleveland, Chubb will share the backfield less than he did before. Barkley is back on a one-year deal wanting to show off for another contract, James Robinson was released from the team and Barkley appears to be another running back who should dominate the carries.

Derrick Henry returns for another season and looks ready to run over the competition as he has in the past. Henry, now 29 is right on the edge of that running back age cliff, but until he proves otherwise he’s a lock in fantasy lineups. Rookie Tyjae Spears will likely see plenty of snaps but shouldn’t cut into the heavy workload King Henry will take on.

Tier 2: Low-End RB1

6. Bijan Robinson
7. Josh Jacobs
8. Rhmondre Stevenson
9. Tony Pollard
10. Jahmyr Gibbs
11. Joe Mixon
12. Aaron Jones

Everyone in the fantasy community knows about Bijian Robinson and knows what he can be for fantasy football. Let’s not crown him before Week 1 in these fantasy football running back rankings. It won’t take much for him to make the top-tier list in week 2. Carolina had a middling defense last year settling in at 18th on the season for rush yards allowed per game. Bijian of course is a must-start, and like everyone else, I’m excited to see what he brings to the NFL game.

Josh Jacobs’s holdout and time missed concerns me a little but he’s facing a team he had a lot of success against in 2022. The Raiders head to Denver to take on the Broncos. In week four Jacobs had 28 carries for 144 yards, two touchdowns, and also caught 5 passes. In week 11 Jacobs again broke 100 yards on 24 attempts for 109 yards and 3 catches for 51 yards.

Rhmondre Stevenson now has Ezekiel Elliott backing him up, but as the Patriots made roster cuts and left these two as the only running backs on the 53-man roster it shows their confidence in them to get the job done. Stevenson had Damien Harris in the backfield with him last year and that didn’t slow down his production ending the season as a #1 running back seven different times and finishing 14th on the week twice.

Tony Pollard was the main beneficiary of Ezekiel Elliott leaving town and takes over the top job in Dallas. Even with Elliott last year Pollard finished the season as the eighth overall fantasy running back and is now poised to take on more of the workload. Both games against the Giants last year were heavy Elliott games but Pollard made the most of his chances rushing for 105 yards on just 13 carries in their week three matchup.

Jahmyr Gibbs is a rookie I’m very high on this year. It’s a rough matchup right out of the gate playing the defending Super Bowl champions on the Thursday night opener. What better time for Dan Cambell to play with his new toy than on the opening night of the NFL season? With Williams suspended, look for Jared Goff to toss some extra passes Gibbs’ way. There were a lot of questions about Mixon during the off-season, but the job in Cincinnati remains his and his running mate Samaje Perine is off to Denver. Joe Mixon is always one of the quietest to do it but he can be an RB1 for you.

Aaron Jones may be the biggest surprise on this list as an RB1 in week 1 but he finished week 2 last year against the Chicago Bears as the second overall running back on the week. He ran for 132 yards on 15 carries with three catches and both a rushing and receiving touchdown. In quarterback Jordan Love’s first game as the full-time starter, Dillion could prove to be a safety blanket that pans out nicely for your fantasy team.

Fantasy Football Week 1 Running Back Rankings Tier 3: Fantasy RB2

13. Najee Harris
14. Kenneth Walker
15. JK Dobbins
16. Cam Akers
17. Travis Etienne
18. Isiah Pacheco
19. James Connor
20. Rachaad White
21. Brian Robinson Jr
22. Miles Sanders
23. Khalil Herbert
24. Jamaal Williams

Najee Harris isn’t going to have too many weeks where he’s the top rimming back on the week. He will give you plenty of RB2 weeks though even against a tougher 49ers defense. Kenneth Walker had mixed results against the Rams last year, breaking off a 30-yard rush on his first touch of the week 13 game before leaving for injury. He came back to finish as RB17 in the week 18 matchup. JK Dobbins whose been drafted at 57.8 ADP could be a surprise good back in week 1. Dobbins faces the Texans defense, who ranked last in average rush yards allowed per game at 170.2 in 2022.

Cam Akers faces a Seahawks defense in week 1 that he ran all over in 2022 scoring 19.0 fantasy football points in week 13 and 15.8 in the week 18 matchup. Travis Etienne is a back who slips a little this week because of his matchup. In week 2 against the Colts last year Etienne had nine attempts for just 20 yards on the ground. He was a little more productive in week six with 10 carries for 86 yards. Etienne was only an RB1 four times in the season.

Isiah Pacheco gets the pleasure of facing one of the worst defenses in the league from 2022 on the opening evening game. Pacheco finished 2022 with seven RB2 performances. James Connor’s team may be tanking but he also may be one of the only viable weapons on the team. When healthy, Connor is a beast finishing as an RB1 or RB2 in his last eight games played. Rachaad White looks to be the guy in Tampa with no substantial threats to take his job. White had flashes last season and is facing a Vikings defense that ranked in the bottom half in rushing defense in 2022.

Brian Robinson Jr. could be one of the steals in the draft. He looked good last year after recovering from being shot in the leg before the season. Robinson will split work with Antonio Gibson but they were lucky enough to draw the Cardinals for week one. Miles Sanders got paid in the off-season by the Panthers and should get the bulk of the work for the team. The Falcons are another team in the bottom half of the league last year in rush defense and a rookie quarterback may lean heavily on an experienced back.

Khalil Herbert takes over as the main man in Chicago and gets the opportunity to face a Packers defense that ranked in the bottom seven of the league in 2022 in rushing defense. In his week two playing time against them last year, Herbert averaged 9.5 yards per carry on his four attempts. Jamaal Williams will fill in for the suspended Alvin Kamara, likely sharing time with rookie Kendre Miller. Williams produced nine RB2 or better finishes in 2022.

Tier 4: Decent Flex Plays

25. Dameon Pierce
26. Alexander Mattison
27. D’Andre Swift
28. David Montgomery
29. James Cook
30. Dalvin Cook
31. Breece Hall
32. AJ Dillion
33. Antonio Gibson
34. Javonte Williams
35. Damien Harris
36. Raheem Mostert

Damien Pierce should get a majority of the Texans’ work but faces a tough Baltimore defense.  Alexander Mattison takes over as the lead man in Minnesota, he did well in a fill-in role, time to see what he does as the starter. James Cook should be the lead guy in Buffalo, but it’s hard to put full trust in that backfield until we see it. His brother Dalvin in New York may be on a pitch count, but he’s the main reason Breece Hall is in this group as well. The Jets usage of running backs is the big question for Breece Hall, along with easing him back from injury, but he should get enough work to be a flexible player.

AJ Dillion should continue his solid 1B role to Aaron Jones’s 1A role. Antonio Gibson will split time with Brian Robinson but should get a fair amount of passing work especially if Terry McLaurin isn’t 100% healthy for week 1. Javonte Williams is a roll of the dice. The fantasy football upside is massive, his recovery from a week 4 ACL tear has been quick. He could be on a pitch count but looks ready to rock for week 1. Damien Harris should share time with James Cook in Buffalo much like he did in New England with Stevenson. Raheem Mostert is hard to trust long-term, but with Jeff Wilson going on IR Mostert and rookie De’Von Achane should split the work.

 

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