The whole season comes down to this, and fantasy football's most important position has never been more important. Having the right running backs -- whether they're studs you've been riding all year or sleepers you picked up off the waiver wire last week -- is key to taking home a championship. Our Week 17 fantasy RB rankings for standard leagues can help you discern between the contenders and pretenders.
As has been the case for the past few weeks, it's all about the players with the best matchups. The player's name doesn't matter, nor where you drafted him last August. That was a long time ago, and we've learned a lot since then. Injuries have taken some players out of commission and opened the door for others, and we saw a few such instances of that last weekend (Isiah Pacheco being the most notable), creating more unlikely Week 17 heroes (Clyde Edwards-Helaire, anyone?).
Let's get into it and break down our Week 17 RB rankings so you can take home a championship.
Who are the best fantasy RBs in Week 17?
Christian McCaffrey (@ Commanders in Week 17) once again tops our list, and he's followed Kyren Williams (@ Giants), Travis Etienne (vs. Panthers), Jonathan Taylor (vs. Raiders), and Kenneth Walker III (vs. Steelers), all of whom are facing defenses that entered last week in the top 12 in fantasy points allowed to RBs.
WEEK 17 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Raheem Mostert (vs. Ravens), Austin Ekeler (@ Broncos), Josh Jacobs (@ Colts), Saquon Barkley (vs. Rams), and D'Andre Swift (vs. Cardinals) round out the top 10. Ekeler bounced back with 18 touches last week and 86 total yards last week, and he has the second-best RB matchup possible, so even though there are concerns about L.A.'s offense, he should have success this week. We're also banking on Jacobs (quad) returning to his usual high-volume ways against a Colts' defense that was just decimated on the ground by the Falcons.
WEEK 17 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Who are the best fantasy RB sleepers, waiver pickups in Week 17?
Ty Chandler (vs. Packers) and Jerome Ford (vs. Jets) are both committee backs who are always on the start-sit bubble, but with top-10 matchups this week, they both deserve starting spots in 12-team leagues. The same goes for both Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris (@ Seahawks), who face Seattle's bottom-five RB defense.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (vs. Bengals) could see 20-plus touches with Isiah Pacheco in concussion protocol and Jerick McKinnon (groin) on IR. CEH is a must-start in all formats. Chris Rodriguez Jr. (vs. 49ers) isn't quite at that level because of his matchup, but he's a solid deep-league plug-and-play if he's over his ankle injury and Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) remains out.
Going deeper, "change-of-pace" backs Tyjae Spears (@ Texans), Kenneth Gainwell (vs. Cardinals), Tyler Allgeier (@ Bears), and Kareem Hunt (vs. Jets) all have favorable matchups this week and could be worth using as deep-league flexes. Gainwell is particularly interesting in the best possible RB matchup, as he's been seeing over 40 percent of snaps over the past month.
WEEK 17 FANTASY ADVICE:
Start 'em, sit 'em | Sleepers | Busts | Projections
Who are the biggest potential RB busts in Week 17?
It's tough to sit guys like Tony Pollard (vs. Lions), Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery (@ Cowboys), De'Von Achane (vs. Ravens), Gus Edwards and Justice Hill (vs. Dolphins), Aaron Jones (@ Vikings), and James Conner (@ Eagles) in championship matchups, but all have matchups against defenses that entered last week in the bottom 12 for fantasy points allowed to RBs. All still have high ceilings, especially Gibbs, but their floors are lower than usual, especially since most share carries. In deep leagues, most are likely still must-starts, but in shallow leagues, you might be able to do better.
Chicago's RBs (vs. Falcons) will be tough to trust no matter how deep your league and no matter what your format is. The matchup is brutal, and the usage is simply too unpredictable if D'Onta Foreman (personal) returns.
WEEK 17 DFS:
Main slate DK/FD lineups | DET-DAL lineup | Best values
What are the biggest RB injuries in Week 17?
Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) and Josh Jacobs (quad) missed their second straight games last week, and Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) missed his third straight contest. At this point in the season, it seems unlikely that either Robinson Jr. or Stevenson will return, but they both bear monitoring in practice. Jacobs was reportedly a legit game-time decision last week, and with the Raiders still technically in the playoff hunt, we think he'll return this week.
Isiah Pacheco (concussion) and Chris Rodriguez Jr. (ankle) both exited their games early. Pacheco could have a tough time clearing protocol on a short week, and with Jerick McKinnon (groin) already on the IR, Clyde Edwards-Helaire would dominate touches against Cincinnati.
We'll be updating these standard RB rankings all week, so check back for the latest player movement.
Fantasy RB Rankings Week 17: Who to start, sit at running back
Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring
Rank Player
1 Christian McCaffrey, 49ers @ Commanders
2 Kyren Williams, Rams @ Giants
3 Travis Etienne, Jaguars vs. Panthers
4 Jonathan Taylor, Colts vs. Raiders
5 Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks vs. Steelers
6 Austin Ekeler, Chargers @ Broncos
7 Saquon Barkley, Giants vs. Rams
8 D'Andre Swift, Eagles vs. Cardinals
9 Breece Hall, Jets @ Browns
10 Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs vs. Bengals
11 Ezekiel Elliott, Patriots @ Bills
12 Javonte Williams, Broncos vs. Chargers
13 Alvin Kamara, Saints @ Buccaneers
14 Bijan Robinson, Falcons @ Bears
15 Rachaad White, Buccaneers vs. Saints
16 Zamir White, Raiders @ Colts
17 Derrick Henry, Titans @ Texans
18 Ty Chandler, Vikings vs. Packers
19 De'Von Achane, Dolphins @ Ravens
20 Devin Singletary, Texans vs. Titans
21 Joe Mixon, Bengals @ Chiefs
22 James Cook, Bills vs. Patriots
23 Najee Harris, Steelers @ Seahawks
24 Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions @ Cowboys
25 Chuba Hubbard, Panthers @ Jaguars
26 Jerome Ford, Browns vs. Jets
27 Jaylen Warren, Steelers @ Seahawks
28 Tony Pollard, Cowboys vs. Lions
29 Aaron Jones, Packers @ Vikings
30 David Montgomery, Lions @ Cowboys
31 Gus Edwards, Ravens vs. Dolphins
32 James Conner, Cardinals @ Eagles
33 Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders vs. 49ers
34 Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles vs. Cardinals
35 Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs vs. Bengals
36 Tyler Allgeier, Falcons @ Bears
37 Tyjae Spears, Titans @ Texans
38 Khalil Herbert, Bears vs. Falcons
39 Justice Hill, Ravens vs. Dolphins
40 Jeff Wilson Jr., Dolphins @ Raiders
41 Kareem Hunt, Browns vs. Jets
42 Chase Brown, Bengals @ Chiefs
43 Antonio Gibson, Commanders vs. 49ers
44 Elijah Mitchell, 49ers @ Commanders
45 AJ Dillon, Packers @ Vikings
46 Alexander Mattison, Vikings vs. Packers
47 Joshua Kelley, Chargers @ Broncos
48 D'Onta Foreman, Bears vs. Falcons
49 Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks vs. Steelers
50 Isaiah Spiller, Chargers @ Broncos
51 Dameon Pierce, Texans vs. Titans
52 Miles Sanders, Panthers @ Jaguars
53 Chase Edmonds, Buccaneers vs. Saints
54 Roschon Johnson, Bears vs. Falcons
55 Dalvin Cook, Jets @ Browns
56 Jaleel McLaughlin, Broncos vs. Chargers
57 Deuce Vaughn, Cowboys vs. Lions
58 Jamaal Williams, Saints @ Buccaneers
59 Trey Sermon, Colts vs. Raiders
60 Kevin Harris, Patriots @ Bills
61 Samaje Perine, Broncos vs. Chargers
62 Leonard Fournette, Bills vs. Patriots
63 Ronnie Rivers, Rams @ Giants
64 Ameer Abdullah, Raiders @ Colts
65 D'Ernest Johnson, Jaguars vs. Panthers
66 Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons @ Bears
67 Matt Breida, Giants vs. Rams
68 Boston Scott, Eagles vs. Cardinals
