Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books and some of us are still staring at players on our squad and wondering what happened. An Atlanta Falcons running back finished Week 1 fourth overall in PPR scoring and it wasn’t Bijian Robinson, although he wasn’t far behind. Roschon Johnson and Kyren Williams made surprise visits to the top 10 in overall PPR scoring for Week 1 while Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs didn’t crack RB2 status for the week. As you look toward setting your fantasy football Week 2 lineup, here are this week’s running back rankings.
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Fantasy Football Week 2 Running Back Rankings
Tier 1: Weekly Winners
1. Christian McCaffrey
2. Austin Ekeler*
3. Nick Chubb
4. Derrick Henry
5. Tony Pollard
6. Saquon Barkley
Christian McCaffrey finished the week as the number three overall running back, reaching the end zone once on 22 carries for 152 yards and three catches for 17 yards. McCaffrey remains a plug-and-play every week. Austin Ekeler managers held their breath late in the third quarter when Ekeler left the field limping, Ekeler quickly returned but is questionable this week as of writing this. Ekeler finished as the second-highest-scoring running back in Week 1 and if he plays is a must-start in your Week 2 roster at running back. If he misses the game, Joshua Kelly is a solid flex option.
Nick Chubb finished the week as an RB1, breaking 100 yards on the ground while averaging 5.9 per carry. Chubb will play a Steelers defense that gave up 188 yards are the ground to the 49ers in Week 1 and is now without defensive tackle Cam Heyward. Derrick Henry was out-snapped by rookie Tyjae Spears in Week 1 but to nobody’s surprise got most of the Titans rushing work and even caught two passes for 56 yards. Without reaching the end zone Henry still finished Week 1 as the number 13 overall running back. Head coach Mike Vrabel said after the game Henry’s usage was “probably” an outlier and “Derrick will be a huge part of that” about making sure the team gets into a rhythm and does things consistently.
It didn’t take Tony Pollard long to jump into the top tier in the fantasy football Week 2 running back rankings. Pollard showed up with 70 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. After posting numbers of RB17 or better in seven of his last nine games in 2022 and coming out firing in a blowout Sunday night game Pollard is a reliable must-start. Saquon Barkley disappointed in that same Sunday night game but there’s no need to overreact. Barkley is still a top running back and had one bad game. He finished Week 1 as the RB31, but in 2022 only had three weeks all season where he wasn’t an RB2 or better.
Tier 2: Low-End Running Back 1
7. Travis Etienne
8. Bijian Robinson
9. Aaron Jones
10. Rhamondre Stevenson
11. Josh Jacobs
12. Joe Mixon
Travis Etienne was used on the ground and in the air, chalking up over 100 total yards and a touchdown. He’ll face a Chief’s team in Week 2 that gave up a lot on the ground to the Lions. Bijian Robinson’s debut was a little rocky with a touchdown saving his fantasy week. However, he saw plenty of snaps and explosiveness, he should continue to get plenty of work in Week 2.
Aaron Jones left Sunday’s game against the Bears in the third quarter after suffering a hamstring injury. Jones still finished the week as the #1 running back. Keep an eye on his status, but if he plays he starts. Rhamondre Stevenson was on the field for 73% of the Patriots’ snaps in Week 1. Stevenson saw lots of work in the passing game catching all six passes thrown his way and still managed an RB13 finish without reaching the end zone. This week he goes against a Dolphins defense that allowed 234 yards on the ground in Week 1.
Josh Jacobs was another Week 1 disappointment. Much like Saquon Barkley, there’s no need to overreact. Jacobs was the third overall running back in 2022 and will face a Buffalo Bills defense in Week 2 that gave up 12.7 yards per carry on 10 carries to Breece Hall on Monday night. Joe Mixon, like the rest of the Bengals offense, was a fantasy football Week 1 dud. For Week 2 the Bengals face a Steelers defense that got torched for 188 rushing yards, the third-worst performer from Week 1.
Atonio Mafi springs Rhamondre Stevenson and No. 38 does the rest. pic.twitter.com/CcDvyz2BDg
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) September 11, 2023
Fantasy Football Week 2 Running Back Rankings
Tier 3: Running Back 2
13. Kenneth Walker
14. David Montgomery
15. Jahmyr Gibbs
16. Brian Robinson Jr
17. Breece Hall
18. James Connor
19. Najee Harris
20. Dameon Pierce
21. Rachaad White
22. Raheem Mostert
23.Alexander Mattison
24. Tyler Allgeier
Kenneth Walker was the brightest spot on a not-so-bright Seahawks team in Week 1. Walker was the number one option on the ground, Seattle just couldn’t get things going against the Rams. Week 2 is a matchup with the Lions, who looked much better on the defensive side in Week 1 but should offer plenty of opportunity for Walker. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs take on a Seahawks team that was one of the worst in the league in 2022 against the run. Seattle gave up three rushing touchdowns in Week 1 against the Rams and both of these running backs proved their worth last Thursday night against the defending champions.
Brian Robinson Jr. could very well be one of the steals of the draft at the running back position. He took the Commanders job and ran with it (pun intended). Antonio Gibson did the one thing he cannot do, fumbling the ball and landing in the doghouse. Look for Robinson’s role to continue to grow in Week 2. Breece Hall ran for 127 yards Monday night against the Bills averaging 12.7 yards per carry. With Aaron Rodgers’s season-ending injury, the Jets are going to lean on Hall and Cook in the rushing game, the Cowboys will be a tough matchup but Hall can deliver.
James Connor faces a Giants defense that gave up 122 yards in Week 1. Connor was the only viable fantasy football option for the Cardinals who will again start Josh Dobbs in Week 2. Najee Harris was not very impressive in Week 1 against a strong 49ers defense. This week he’ll take on a Browns defense he has scored a touchdown against in four consecutive games and averaged 103 yards per game against in those four matchups.
Dameon Pierce went up against a tough Ravens defense in Week 1. Week 2 brings him a Colts defense that gave up 105 yards in Week 1. Rachaad White was highly ineffective in Week 1 against the Vikings. However, his 17 rushing attempts were a promising sign that he is the number one in Tampa. He’ll face a Bears defense that Aaron Jones ran all over early before his injury. Raheem Mostert was in a similar boat last week and will face a tough Patriots defense this week. The Patriots should stay busy trying to slow down Tyreek Hill and Tua Tagovailoa, opening up some rushing lanes for Mostert.
Alexander Mattison checked in as the RB16 for Week 1 getting used in both the rushing and passing games. He’ll face the Eagles defense this week who gave up 11 receptions to the running back in Week 1. Tyler Allgeier earned this spot after his Week 1 performance. Allgeier finished the week as the fourth overall running back getting more carries and yards than Bijian Robinson and scoring two touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 19 yards. The Falcons have made it clear they will stick to the running game as much as possible.
Tier 4: Flex Plays
25. Miles Sanders
26. James Cook
27. Javonte Williams
28. Isiah Pacheco
29. Jamaal Williams
30. Kyren Williams
31. Cam Akers
32. AJ Dillion
33. Joshua Kelly
34. Dalvin Cook
35. Kenneth Gainwell
36. Gus Edwards
Miles Sanders was the featured back in Week 1 for the Carolina Panthers and their lack of weapons at wide receiver led to six targets to go along with his 18 carries. James Cook also got six targets in Week 1 against a tough Jets defense and turned in an RB27 performance. Javonte Williams wasn’t overly impressive in Week 1 but his workload showed he’s back from his knee injury and he’ll be the lead man in Denver. Isiah Pacheco caught all four of his targets in Thursday night’s game against Detroit and has a good fantasy football matchup in Week 2 against the Jaguars.
Jamaal Williams was a bit of a disappointment in Week 1 against a tough Titans defense but this week he gets the Panthers who gave up 130 yards on the ground in Week 1. Kyren Williams and Cam Akers split the carries last week with Akers getting 22 carries and Williams 15. With Cooper Kupp out a few more weeks, look for the Rams to keep relying on this two-headed monster. AJ Dillion was ineffective in Week 1 but still got 13 attempts and three targets. If Aaron Jones is a no-go this week Dillion is a must-start, but either way, he’s a good flex play.
Joshua Kelly earned his way onto this list after his Week 1 performance. In addition to Ekeler’s 117 yards on the ground, Kelly racked up 91 yards on 16 attempts. If Ekeler is out, Kelly’s is a must-start in fantasy football for Week 2. As he proved in Week 1, he can be started alongside Ekeler as well. Dalvin Cook was less effective in more carries than his backfield mate Breece Hall but remains a good option as Hall gets eased back in.
Kenneth Gainwell is another injury question mark. If he plays, he proved to easily be the starting running back for the Eagles in Week 1 and has to be played as so for Week 2. Gus Edwards is a little riskier but worth a dart. Pick your poison between Edwards and Justice Hill for who will take over as the lead back. Hill got the touchdowns but Edwards was the more effective runner after JK Dobbins went down with injury.
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