The fantasy football season is mere days away. Preseason Week Four\u00a0games have concluded and the fantasy football\u00a0draft season is coming to an end. It’s\u00a0time to start lining up the Week One fantasy rankings. Regardless of the format,\u00a0determining the optimal Week One starting lineup should now be the primary focus. After examining wide receivers last week, here are the top fifteen fantasy football running back plays in standard scoring leagues for Week One.<\/p>\n
The Bears<\/strong> open the season in Houston<\/strong> against a tough Texans<\/strong> defense. Houston ranked third against the pass in 2015 (210 passing yards allowed per game), and tenth against the run (99.8 rushing yards allowed per game). The Bears ranked 11th in the league with 115.7 rushing yards per game. The key here is game script. The Bears will not win big in Houston. It will either be a close game or Houston will win big. Either way, Langford will get the majority of the work just as he has in the preseason.<\/a>\u00a0A very comfortable running back play for Week One.<\/p>\n The Packers<\/strong> travel to Jacksonville<\/strong> to start the season. Lacy enters the season in a contract year and this the first chance to see the results of his much discussed\u00a0off-season workout regimen<\/a>. Jacksonville was middle of the pack in run defense last season, ranking 15th overall (106.8 rushing yards allowed per game). Lacy was a dominant fantasy running back in 2014. That season he ranked third at the position in evaded tackles (103), and fourth in juke rate (35.8 percent). When in shape, Lacy is a perfect balance of strength and quickness. Temper expectations on the road, but Lacy still should produce solid running back fantasy production. (PlayerProfiler.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n When Mathews gets work, he produces. Last season, when he received at least six carries, Mathews averaged 75.1 total yards and 12.7 fantasy points per game. The problem historically has been lack of workload caused by\u00a0injuries. Mathews is healthy and is the undisputed number one running back in Philadelphia. He gets to open against a\u00a0Cleveland Browns<\/strong> defense that was 30th against the run in 2015. Philadelphia may not be a top overall team, but Mathews will have a quality week one fantasy line.<\/p>\n The number three running back in rushing yards per game (87.6) has a very favorable Week One match-up in Atlanta<\/strong>. The Falcons<\/strong> only ranked 14th overall last season against the run. Martin finished with the second most rushing yards in the league with 1,402. However, the emergence of fellow running back Charles Sims<\/a><\/strong>, particularly in the passing game, keeps him as a low-end RB1 this week. This will be another game script dependent pick, but Tampa should keep the game close (or win) in Atlanta.<\/p>\n As soon as this news broke<\/a>, Ware became a must start as a top-twelve running back. The San Diego<\/strong> Chargers were 27th against the run last season, and Ware gets them at home in Week One. \u00a0Little known statistic: Ware ranked fourth among all running backs in 2015 with a 5.6 yards per carry average. He will split time with Charcandrick West<\/a><\/strong>, but Ware is the definitive goal line running back. This is an easy top-twelve running back play.<\/p>\n Gore is a solid fantasy football running back play for Week One. Many critics doubt his production potential\u00a0based solely on Gore’s age (33 years old). Ironically, Gore’s streak of four consecutive 1,000 yards rushing seasons ended by just 33 yards last season. His work ethic is only matched by his offensive situation, which is that of the primary and goal line running back in a high powered offense. Gore is a lock for roughly 100 total yards and a touchdown.<\/p>\n Elliott was very impressive in preseason Week Three against the first-string Seattle Seahawks<\/strong> defense. The NFL’s<\/strong> top offensive line will line up at home against a New York<\/strong> Giants<\/strong> run defense that ranked 24th last season. \u00a0Las Vegas has this game at a robust 47.5 over\/under total. \u00a0There will be good fantasy production, and Elliott can get it on the ground or through the air.\u00a0Alfred Morris<\/a><\/strong> and Lance Dunbar<\/a><\/strong> will still play a role, but Elliott will get the lion’s share of touches week one. Expect a double-digit fantasy point floor for Elliott against New York.<\/p>\n The number one fantasy football running back from 2015 opens the season at home against the Buccaneers. This should be a prime spot for great fantasy production. The concern here is that Tevin Coleman<\/a><\/strong> will not only steal touches, but also goal line work. Freeman is an outstanding pass-catching running back, and that should carry him in Week One. He is still a top-twelve running back play, but the Coleman presence pushes him further down the list.<\/p>\n Ingram was a top-three fantasy running back before his injury last season during Week Twelve. He saw a\u00a0huge increase in passing game production, with 50 receptions in his\u00a0abbreviated season. The Saints<\/strong> have an incredibly explosive offense, especially at home\u00a0where Ingram scored four of his six touchdowns. Oakland\u00a0head coach Jack Del Rio<\/strong>\u00a0brings in a\u00a0solid run\u00a0defense (13th last season), but expect Ingram to have a strong\u00a0first game in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It’s easier to read Phil Ivey<\/strong> in a poker game than figure out who will be the lead running back in Seattle. The Christine Michael <\/a><\/strong>hype is coming fast and furious<\/a>. The guess here is that Pete Carroll<\/strong> goes back to the guy who averaged 5.6 yards per carry last season. Rawls impressed as an undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan<\/strong>. His broken ankle is fully healed and there should be several goal line touches in a big week one win over the Miami Dolphins<\/strong>. This game will leave no doubt as to who the top running back option in Seattle is.<\/p>\n Williams wasn’t just good when he played last year; he was great. He averaged 110 yards and 1.1 touchdowns in games he\u00a0started. Opening the season on the road is always difficult, but not against a Washington<\/strong> team that finished 26th in the NFL in rushing defense. According to PlayerProfiler.com<\/a>, Williams ranked first among running backs with an 89.1 percent snap share. He will be on the field constantly, and that will directly correlate to production. Williams is a no doubt starting fantasy running back for Week One.<\/p>\n Inter-divisional games are always tough on the road. The Rams will open the season on Monday Night Football<\/strong> in San Francisco<\/strong>. A short trip however, and one that allows Gurley to face the 29th ranked run defense in the league last year. Starting quarterback Case Keenum<\/a><\/strong> may encourage San Francisco to stack the box, but the NFL’s third leading rusher in 2015 (1,108 yards in just thirteen games) should finish the week\u00a0among\u00a0the top-five fantasy running backs.<\/p>\n The Cardinals<\/strong> get the New England Patriots<\/strong> in the “Birds Nest” on Sunday Night Football. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick<\/strong> will have difficulty containing a skilled and aggressive Cardinals offense. Johnson is\u00a0the featured running back, reception vacuum, and gets all the goal-line touches. He scored 12 touchdowns despite\u00a0only having a 44.1 percent snap share (PlayerProfiler.com<\/a>). That percentage\u00a0will rise significantly, and so will Johnson’s production. A Week One top-three running back lock.<\/p>\n Murray is in great position to have a huge fantasy Week One. Besides finishing third among all running backs with 267 carries, Murray also grabbed\u00a041 receptions. He is one of the few “three down” running backs in the NFL. Similar to Eddie Lacy, he is the primary running back on a team with a good passing attack. The running lanes will be wide open against a New Orleans run defense that finished 31st last season. There is a significant argument to be made that Murray should be the top Week One fantasy running back<\/p>\n Miller finished ninth among all running backs with 14.9 fantasy points per game in 2015, despite playing on a team (Miami) that attempted the fewest rushes (342) in the league. He is now in Houston, behind a conservative Bill O’Brien<\/a><\/strong> offense, and should feast on the Chicago Bears, who finished\u00a022nd against the run last season. Miller is the prime free agent acquisition of the Texans off-season. A true multi-down threat, Lamar Miller\u00a0will be the number one fantasy football running back in Week One.<\/p>\n Main Photo:<\/p>\n14. \u00a0Eddie Lacy<\/a><\/strong> (Green Bay Packers)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
13. \u00a0Ryan Mathews<\/a><\/strong> (Philadelphia Eagles<\/strong>)<\/h3>\n
12. \u00a0Doug Martin<\/a><\/strong> (Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/strong>)<\/h3>\n
11. \u00a0Spencer Ware<\/a><\/strong> (Kansas City Chiefs<\/strong>)<\/h3>\n
10. \u00a0Frank Gore<\/a><\/strong> (Indianapolis Colts<\/strong>)<\/h3>\n
9. \u00a0Ezekiel Elliott<\/a><\/strong> (Dallas Cowboys<\/strong>)<\/h3>\n
8. \u00a0Devonta Freeman<\/a><\/strong> (Atlanta Falcons<\/strong>)<\/h3>\n
7. \u00a0Mark Ingram<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(New Orleans Saints<\/strong>)<\/h3>\n
6. \u00a0 Thomas Rawls<\/a><\/strong> (Seattle Seahawks<\/strong>)<\/h3>\n
5. \u00a0DeAngelo Williams<\/a><\/strong> (Pittsburgh Steelers<\/strong>)<\/h3>\n
4. \u00a0Todd Gurley<\/a><\/strong> (Los Angeles Rams<\/strong>)<\/h3>\n
3. \u00a0David Johnson<\/a><\/strong> (Arizona Cardinals<\/strong>)<\/h3>\n
2. \u00a0Latavius Murray<\/a><\/strong> (Oakland Raiders<\/strong>)<\/h3>\n
1.\u00a0Lamar Miller<\/a> <\/strong>(Houston Texans<\/strong>)<\/h3>\n