It has been quite the year for the running back position, both in fantasy football and in real life. Many backs went into the season feeling undervalued, several high-profile runners have already been hurt, and others have been largely ineffective. Let's navigate the ever-changing landscape of the position and break down our Week 4 fantasy RB rankings for standard leagues.
Let's start by pouring some out for the Browns' Nick Chubb (knee), an all-around good guy and one of the most perennially dependable RBs in the NFL and in fantasy. Chubb can't be replaced, but we believe Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt will do a damn good job trying. Cleveland's offensive line remains stellar, so Ford and Hunt should be owned in leagues of all sizes, though it's a bit troubling for Ford owners that he ceded so many touches to Cleveland's other runners.
The Saints' Jamaal Williams (hamstring) went from "OUT" to "IR" between Friday and Saturday, which all but guarantees Alvin Kamara will have little competition to worry about upon his return from suspension this weekend.
WEEK 4 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
With the bad news, there is always some good, and with trials and tribulations often come diamonds in the rough. All the fantasy managers rostering Chubb and Williams who had picked up the Dolphins' De'Von Achane ahead of Week 3 probably forgot all about the agony of losing stars as the rookie raced to 51.3 PPR points. The Jonathan Taylor and Cam Akers owners who also rostered Zack Moss and Kyren Williams as handcuffs have proven time and again that you can never be too prepared in fantasy football.
WEEK 4 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
With that sentiment in mind, let's get to our Week 4 RB rankings for standard leagues. We'll discuss the upper-echelon options, high-upside sleepers, potential busts, and injuries of note. Good luck, have fun, check back often, and enjoy the ride!
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Who are the best fantasy RBs in Week 4?
Surprise, surprise: Christian McCaffrey (vs. Cardinals) remains the best of the best, but Bijan Robinson (vs. Jaguars), Tony Pollard (vs. Patriots), and Travis Etienne Jr. (vs. Falcons) have joined CMC as elite, borderline matchup-proof bell-cows. All four of these home matchups should produce big numbers for this week's cream of the crop.
Only the aforementioned Achane (@ Bills this week) racked up more ground yards in Week 3 (vs. Denver) than Pollard did against the Cardinals, and while New England will likely pose a tougher challenge for Pollard than Arizona did, let's not forget that Achane's teammate Raheem Mostert put up 121 yards and two TDs on the ground against the Pats in Week 2. Pollard, Mostert, and Achane all make our top 25 in Week 4.
Kenneth Walker III (@ Giants) balled out against the Panthers, amassing 156 yards and two scores. New York has surrendered 268 rushing yards and three TDs to RBs over the past two weeks, so giddy up if you're a KW3 owner. We're also very intrigued by Isiah Pacheco (@ Jets) with the Chiefs starting to put the pieces together. Pacheco has looked effective as a runner and receiver, and he found the end zone in Week 3 against the Bears.
We mentioned them earlier, but it bears repeating: the Rams' Kyren Williams (@ Colts) and Colts' Zack Moss (vs. Rams) have been awesome — two of the top waiver goldmines in fantasy this season — and this week, they get to square off against each other. With Cam Akers shipped out of L.A. and Jonathan Taylor still on PUP in Indy, let the strong stat lines continue for these two young studs.
WEEK 4 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Who are the best fantasy RB sleepers, waiver pickups Week 4?
We told you last week that the Browns' Jerome Ford (vs. Ravens) was a must-roster and must-start, and thankfully he didn't make us look dumb. Ford put up 19.1 PPR points against a tough Titans run D, making him a legit starter this week against Baltimore, though we are a bit worried about rushing performance, both in terms of carry share and output. John Harbaugh's squad allowed the aforementioned Moss to rack up 122 ground yards in Week 3, though, so Ford's versatility and explosiveness give him a high ceiling.
We've got the Steelers' Jaylen Warren (@ Texans) just outside our top 25 and just ahead of running mate Najee Harris. To put it bluntly, Warren is better at football. He runs more assertively, catches the ball better, reads his blocks more clearly, and averages more yards before and after contact. Houston is a gift that keeps on giving, but we're thinking Warren comes away with more in his goodie bag than the consistently underwhelming Harris despite the latter's advantage in touches.
Diving a bit further down the rankings, we like what we've seen lately from Seahawks rookie Zach Charbonnet (@ Giants). He's no Kenny Walker, but he's still quite effective with his opportunities, which seem to increase each week. Charbs racked up 46 yards in just nine rushes against the Panthers, and he should see a decent number of touches against the Giants. He's tough to trust in 12-team leagues, but he's still worth owning.
The same goes for the Cowboys' Rico Dowdle (vs. Patriots), who seems like a must-roster asset in deep leagues. He's the clear No. 2 behind Tony Pollard, and his vision and burst are obvious nearly every time he has the ball in his hands. We're similarly enthused by Jaguars rookie Tank Bigsby (vs. Falcons), who has emerged as a very dependable short-yardage and goal-line back for Doug Pederson's Jags. Both are best kept on benches this week, but make sure they're owned in your league.
WEEK 4 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks
Who are the biggest potential fantasy RB busts Week 4?
We're starting to develop honest-to-goodness concern for both Derrick Henry (vs. Bengals) and Josh Jacobs (@ Chargers), who look like shells of their former rushing-champion selves. You might want to consider trading these guys for higher-upside options or packaging them in a deal for a top-five stud. King Henry and JJ remain in our top 10, for now, but we're tempering our expectations even with decent matchups.
The Patriots' Rhamondre Stevenson (@ Cowboys) has been awful, and we don't think we can blame his struggles entirely on New England's porous offensive line. He's been dropping passes, dancing aimlessly behind the line, and not fighting through tackles. 'Mondre's floor has dropped big time ahead of a tough matchup with Dallas.
Speaking of low floors, the Panthers' Miles Sanders (vs. Vikings) didn't look great with Andy Dalton under center, and if Carolina has to play from behind like it did in Seattle last week, Sanders could once again see his role diminish. Both Joe Mixon (@ Titans) and Brian Robinson Jr. (@ Eagles) have very difficult road matchups this weekend, with their respective offenses enduring rollercoaster rides through three weeks.
What are the biggest RB injuries Week 4?
Injuries, injuries — how we hate you so. The Giants' Saquon Barkley (vs. Seahawks) could be out for another week or two with his high-ankle sprain. We're not overly excited about Matt Breida, but it's worth noting that Breida cracked double-digit PPR points against his old Niners squad despite limited touches last week.
Austin Ekeler (vs. Raiders) would be an awesome play this week against a Vegas squad that just got roughed up by Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, but alas, Ek remains out with a mysterious ankle injury that he and Chargers coach Brandon Staley have given us mixed signals about for two weeks now. Day-to-day became week-to-week, and "soon" became "sooner than later." As Arnold Schwarzenegger might say, "all bad." With the Chargers scheduled for a bye in Week 5, it wouldn't be a shock to see Ekeler remain out another week.
Aaron Jones (hamstring), David Montgomery (quad), Justice Hill (toe), and the aforementioned Jamaal Williams (hamstring) all missed last week (and Williams will be out until at least Week 7). Jones seems the most likely to return while Montgomery seems likely to miss another week, but both bear watching. Hill's injury takes on extra importance this week with Gus Edwards in concussion protocol. If both remain out against Cleveland, Melvin Gordon would start.
It's also worth watching Salvon Ahmed (groin), whose injury paved the way for De'Von Achane's breakout last week. It's tough to imagine Ahmed staying ahead of Achane on the Dolphins' depth chart even if he does return this week, but you never know what Mike McDaniel will do.
Stock up on your handcuffs now that more of them have become clear. If you grab Jaylen Warren (@ Texans), Rico Dowdle (vs. Patriots), Tank Bigsby (vs. Falcons), or Samaje Perine (@ Bears), it will take a lot of the sting out if Najee Harris, Tony Pollard, Travis Etienne, or Javonte Williams suffer injuries.
We'll continue to update our standard RB rankings throughout the week, so check back for updates.
Fantasy RB Rankings Week 4: Who to start, sit at running back
Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring
Rank Player
1 Christian McCaffrey, 49ers vs. Cardinals
2 Bijan Robinson, Falcons vs. Jaguars
3 Tony Pollard, Cowboys vs. Patriots
4 Travis Etienne, Jaguars vs. Falcons
5 Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks @ Giants
6 Raheem Mostert, Dolphins @ Bills
7 Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs @ Jets
8 Derrick Henry, Titans vs. Bengals
9 Josh Jacobs, Raiders @ Chargers
10 Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots @ Cowboys
11 James Cook, Bills vs. Dolphins
12 Alvin Kamara, Saints vs. Buccaneers
13 Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions @ Packers
14 Aaron Jones, Packers vs. Lions
15 Joe Mixon, Bengals @ Titans
16 Miles Sanders, Panthers vs. Vikings
17 Javonte Williams, Broncos @ Bears
18 Kyren Williams, Rams @ Colts
19 Zack Moss, Colts vs. Rams
20 Breece Hall, Jets vs. Chiefs
21 Jerome Ford, Browns vs. Ravens
22 Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders @ Eagles
23 James Conner, Cardinals @ 49ers
24 De'Von Achane, Dolphins @ Bills
25 Dameon Pierce, Texans vs. Steelers
26 Jaylen Warren, Steelers @ Texans
27 Najee Harris, Steelers @ Texans
28 Tyler Allgeier, Falcons vs. Jaguars
29 Khalil Herbert, Bears vs. Broncos
30 Rachaad White, Buccaneers @ Saints
31 Alexander Mattison, Vikings @ Panthers
32 D'Andre Swift, Eagles vs. Commanders
33 Joshua Kelley, Chargers vs. Raiders
34 Kareem Hunt, Browns vs. Ravens
35 Gus Edwards, Ravens @ Browns
36 Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks @ Giants
37 Dalvin Cook, Jets vs. Chiefs
38 Rico Dowdle, Cowboys vs. Patriots
39 Tank Bigsby, Jaguars vs. Falcons
40 Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs @ Jets
41 Antonio Gibson, Commanders @ Eagles
42 Ezekiel Elliott, Patriots @ Cowboys
43 AJ Dillon, Packers vs. Lions
44 Matt Breida, Giants vs. Seahawks
45 Jordan Mason, 49ers vs. Cardinals
46 Justice Hill, Ravens @ Browns
47 Tony Jones Jr., Saints vs. Buccaneers
48 Samaje Perine, Broncos @ Bears
49 Kendre Miller, Saints vs. Buccaneers
50 Latavius Murray, Bills vs. Dolphins
51 Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles vs. Commanders
52 Roschon Johnson, Bears vs. Broncos
53 Craig Reynolds, Lions @ Packers
54 Trey Sermon, Colts vs. Rams
55 Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs @ Jets
56 Melvin Gordon, Ravens @ Browns
57 Tyjae Spears, Titans vs. Bengals
58 Damien Harris, Bills vs. Dolphins
59 Rashaad Penny, Eagles vs. Commanders
60 Sean Tucker Buccaneers @ Saints
Week 4 RB fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks
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