{"id":122460,"date":"2021-09-30T07:16:57","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T11:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=122460"},"modified":"2021-09-30T07:16:57","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T11:16:57","slug":"fantasy-football-week-4-running-back-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/09\/30\/fantasy-football-week-4-running-back-rankings\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy Football Week 4 Running Back Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With three weeks of action in the books, the fantasy football landscape is starting to take form. Roles are being established, trends are coming to fruition, and everybody still has the chance to win their respective league. It&#8217;s the best time of the fantasy football year, so let&#8217;s take a look at the Week 4 running back rankings.<\/p>\n<p>[pickup_prop id=&#8221;12709&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Fantasy Football Week 4 Running Back Rankings: What to Do With Chuba Hubbard<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h4><strong>Tier 1: Week Winners<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Derrick Henry<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Alvin Kamara<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Austin Ekeler<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Joe Mixon<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Aaron Jones<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> D\u2019Andre Swift<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Derrick Henry is starting to catch passes, A.J. Brown and Julio Jones are both battling injuries, and Tennessee is going up against an atrocious Jets team. He\u2019s the RB1 by a comfortable margin. Alvin Kamara is the Saints offense, and the touchdowns started to come his way last week. Brandon Staley is using Austin Ekeler like a true three-down back and should be an elite fantasy option as long as he is on the field.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Joe Mixon has one of the highest snap shares in football and should have a favorable game script against the lowly <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/jaguars\/\" target=\"_self\">Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a>. Aaron Jones has absorbed the Jamaal Williams role and is now owns a 70% snap share in one of the NFL\u2019s best offenses. D\u2019Andre Swift has already exceeded all expectations, and head coach Dan Campbell said <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lionswire.usatoday.com\/2021\/09\/29\/lions-dandre-swift-dan-campbell-starting-rb-status\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he will earn a bigger role<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> now that he\u2019s back to full health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This D&#39;Andre Swift run was so fast I had to get it in slo-mo.   My take; such a small crease like the block from hock and swift is through it.   He\u2019s literally one block (Kennedy it looks like could have made)  from taking this one for 6.    It\u2019s coming.   <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/onepride?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#onepride<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZZHkOcLpcl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/ZZHkOcLpcl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; and I never slice. (@bushwood_c) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bushwood_c\/status\/1442960520718413825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 28, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Tier 2: Low-End RB1<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ol start=\"7\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Nick Chubb<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Najee Harris<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ezekiel Elliott<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Alexander Mattison*<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Jonathan Taylor<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Chris Carson<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Browns-Vikings matchup has a chance to turn into a shootout, so Nick Chubb should see plenty of touches and scoring opportunities. Najee Harris isn\u2019t going to be too efficient on the ground, but his snap share is unparalleled and Ben Roethlisberger funnels passes to his running back since he cannot stretch the field anymore. Tony Pollard is going to be a thorn in Elliott\u2019s side all year, but he\u2019s still the top option in one of the NFL\u2019s better offenses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These fantasy football running back rankings assume that Dalvin Cook will not play in Week 4. If he does, then Alexander Mattison will not be my RB10 on the week. Jonathan Taylor is bound to find the endzone eventually, even though he is playing in a subpar offense. The Seahawks should bounce back after their ugly loss to the Vikings, which means Chris Carson should have a good week.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Chris Carson goes untouched for the 30-yard TD! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Seahawks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Seahawks<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SEAvsMIN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SEAvsMIN<\/a> on FOX<br \/>\ud83d\udcf1: NFL app <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Wei7VXaG5w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Wei7VXaG5w<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NFL (@NFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL\/status\/1442234298023641089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 26, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Tier 3: RB2<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ol start=\"13\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Antonio Gibson<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Clyde Edwards-Helaire<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> David Montgomery<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Miles Sanders<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Kareem Hunt<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Javonte Williams<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> James Robinson<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Chuba Hubbard<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Myles Gaskin<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Sony Michel*<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Chase Edmonds<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Zack Moss<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Antonio Gibson is a great player, but the high-volume passing work simply isn\u2019t coming his way. Last week\u2019s 73-yard touchdown was impressive, but it was one of just two targets on the day for him. Clyde Edwards-Helaire started his season against two great run defenses and proved that he can be very effective against non-elite competition. Look for that to continue in Week 4. David Montgomery owners better hope Andy Dalton comes back next week. Justin Fields could very well be the long-term answer under center, but he\u2019s clearly not ready for the starting job now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hot take: I think Miles Sanders will get more than three carries in Week 4. Javonte Williams is clearly better than Melvin Gordon, and I think he\u2019ll get the starting role sooner rather than later. James Robinson is the clear starter over Carlos Hyde, but Jacksonville\u2019s terrible offense puts a cap on his ceiling. Mike Davis proved in 2020 that Carolina\u2019s starting running back will carry fantasy value, and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/09\/29\/fantasy-football-week-4-stream-team-sam-darnold-chuba-hubbard\/\" target=\"_self\">now it\u2019s Chuba Hubbard\u2019s turn<\/a> to roll in the fantasy points.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[pickup_prop id=&#8221;6895&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sony Michel barely left the field in Week 3, and that usage should continue if Darrell Henderson can\u2019t play. Once again, these fantasy football running back rankings assume Henderson won&#8217;t play. Chase Edmonds is the clear lead back in Arizona\u2019s offense, although James Conner will steal red zone touches. The Bills hate running the ball, but Zack Moss will get most of the targets and red zone touches this offense produces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Tier 4: Decent Flex Play<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ol start=\"25\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ty\u2019Son Williams<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Damien Harris<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Nyheim Hines<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Cordarrelle Patterson<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Mike Davis<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Leonard Fournette<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Melvin Gordon<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Trey Sermon<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Tony Pollard<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Kenyan Drake<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Devin Singletary<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Jamaal Williams<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ty\u2019Son Williams had a rough go in Week 3, but I\u2019m predicting a bounce back. Despite the low touch total, he still played 50% of the snaps. Damien Harris didn\u2019t receive any additional passing work with James White sidelined, and I don\u2019t see that changing moving forward. Nyheim Hines probably can\u2019t keep being <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">THIS<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> efficient with his touches, but his passing volume ensures some kind of fantasy relevance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cordarrelle Patterson and Mike Davis have a relatively even opportunity share, but Patterson is making far more out of his opportunities than Davis. Giovani Bernard probably won\u2019t play in Week 4, so Leonard Fournette should get the pass-catching role against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/patriots\" target=\"_self\">New England Patriots<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even with all his other running backs injured, Kyle Shanahan did everything in his power to stop Trey Sermon from seeing the field. Sermon will get some touches, but he\u2019s a long way from being an ideal start. It\u2019s hard to keep up with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/chargers\" target=\"_self\">Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> offense, which means plenty of targets for Kenyan Drake. If Dan Campbell is serious about D\u2019Andre Swift getting a larger role, then that means Jamaal Williams isn\u2019t going to do too much for fantasy this week.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Main photo:<br \/>\n<a id=\"lXMM4oKISF9FA1ZZ0NBM8w\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1343072555\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'lXMM4oKISF9FA1ZZ0NBM8w',sig:'F3EhbtsptMFsWLWu5Hprkj9GdJAapLxZiA3aJhPYatc=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1343072555',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fantasy Football Week 4 Running Back Rankings: Chuba Hubbard has the starting role, but where does he rank in the fantasy landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2376,"featured_media":122463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[4758,7995,935,349],"class_list":["post-122460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fantasy","tag-alexander-mattison","tag-chuba-hubbard","tag-cordarrelle-patterson","tag-fantasy-football-rankings"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}