Fantasy RB Rankings Week 1: Who to start, sit at running back in fantasy football

Sloan Piva

Fantasy RB Rankings Week 1: Who to start, sit at running back in fantasy football image

The NFL season is upon us with the Bills and Rams’ opening game kicking off on Thursday, Sept. 8, so the time has come for Week 1 fantasy RB rankings. Despite the fact that the NFL is obviously a passing league, the running back position remains the most important position in fantasy football, and making the right start 'em, sit 'em calls at RB -- from the top players to the sleepers -- is vital to getting your season started right

Not surprisingly, the early storylines revolve around injuries and rotations. Some of the best RBs in football — Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, and JK Dobbins — are coming off huge injuries. Saquon Barkley, Dalvin Cook, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Nick Chubb, and Kareem Hunt have all spent considerable time on the injury reports over the past year. Najee Harris has revealed his training camp injury was actually a sprained Lisfranc in his foot. In Washington, rookie and presumed Commanders RB1 Brian Robinson Jr. was shot during an attempted car-jacking/robbery. That’s a lot to unpack.

Of course, if the top-15 backs are suiting up, they’re auto-starts. Don’t get cute and "ease in" CMC (Browns) or King Henry (vs. Giants) back to your weekly fantasy lineup. Don’t ever bench Jonathan Taylor, especially against the Texans. The real questions that will pop up for most fantasy owners involve RB2s and flex starts and sits.

WEEK 1 FANTASY PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker

Perhaps most intriguing are the backfields of Baltimore and San Francisco, where Dobbins (@ Jets) and Elijah Mitchell (@ Bears) each have mysterious Week-1 statuses. We think both backs should be ready to roll in favorable matchups on opening Sunday, but as we well know, things can change quickly in the days leading up to the regular season. (UPDATE: Mitchell will play, and Dobbins is a game-time decision.)

WEEK 1 STANDARD FANTASY RANKINGS:
QBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker

Committee-wise, there seems to be plenty of ambiguity around the backfields of Green Bay, Philly, Seattle, Miami, and the New York Jets (among others). Our rankings reflect an expected boost in usage for beastly third-year Packers back AJ Dillon (@ Vikings) and a slight distrust in the ability of Eagles RB Miles Sanders to take a step forward despite a favorable matchup (@ Lions). Rashaad Penny (vs. Broncos) should be solid with Kenneth Walker III (hernia) banged up, while Chase Edmonds (vs. Patriots) has a lot of upside -- especially in PPR -- despite a tough matchup.

WEEK 1 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKingsFanDuel | Yahoo

We have been quietly optimistic about rookies Breece Hall (vs. Ravens) and James Cook (@ Rams) in terms of season-long outlook, but tread lightly in Week 1 until we get a look at their actual roles. All rookie RBs carry extra risk in Week 1, though the reward can sometimes be great. Michael Carter (vs. Ravens) and Devin Singletary (@ Rams) are slightly better flex plays than Hall and Cook, but even they come with risk.

WEEK 1 DFS: Best values | Best stacks

Cleveland’s Kareem Hunt highlights our top sleepers for the week, as interim QB Jacoby Brissett should be dumping, dinking, and dunking against Carolina’s improved front-seven. We also like Tony Pollard (@ Buccaneers), as we have all offseason — he demonstrated tremendous efficiency in ‘21, and should see increased touches early and often.

WEEK 1 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em

Similarly, power-runner Rhamondre Stevenson (@ Dolphins) should also see a boost in volume and production in the early going, but it's always tough to know what to expect from the Patriots, which is why we're still being a bit cautious with Stevenson. And don’t forget about Dameon Pierce (vs. Colts), the preseason MVP who looks poised for a massive rookie campaign with a young, run-heavy Houston offense. He's the best bet among all rookie backs.

We'll learn a lot from Week 1, both in terms of matchups and usage, but when in doubt, stick with your studs as long as they're healthy. 

Note: We'll be updating these RB PPR rankings throughout the week, so check back for analysis and the latest player movement. 

Fantasy RB Rankings Week 1: Who to start, sit at running back in fantasy football

Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring

Rank Player
1 Jonathan Taylor, Colts @ Texans
2 Derrick Henry, Titans vs. Giants
3 Christian McCaffrey, Panthers vs. Browns
4 Austin Ekeler, Chargers vs. Raiders
5 Najee Harris, Steelers @ Bengals
6 Alvin Kamara, Saints @ Falcons
7 Dalvin Cook, Vikings vs. Packers
8 Nick Chubb, Browns @ Panthers
9 Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. Steelers
10 Saquon Barkley, Giants @ Titans
11 D'Andre Swift, Lions vs. Eagles
12 Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers @ Cowboys
13 James Conner, Cardinals vs. Chiefs
14 Aaron Jones, Packers @ Vikings
15 Javonte Williams, Broncos @ Seahawks
16 Antonio Gibson, Commanders vs. Jaguars
17 Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys vs. Buccaneers
18 Rashaad Penny, Seahawks vs. Broncos
19 Elijah Mitchell, 49ers @ Bears
20 Cam Akers, Rams vs. Bills
21 David Montgomery, Bears vs. 49ers
22 Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguars @ Commanders
23 Damien Harris, Patriots @ Dolphins
24 Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs @ Cardinals
25 Josh Jacobs, Raiders @ Chargers
26 Miles Sanders, Eagles @ Lions
27 AJ Dillon, Packers @ Vikings
28 Chase Edmonds, Dolphins vs. Patriots
29 Devin Singletary, Bills @ Rams
30 Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons vs. Saints
31 Dameon Pierce, Texans vs. Colts
32 Tony Pollard, Cowboys vs. Buccaneers
33 Kareem Hunt, Browns @ Panthers
34 Michael Carter, Jets vs. Ravens
35 James Cook, Bills @ Rams
36 Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots @ Dolphins
37 Melvin Gordon III, Broncos @ Seahawks
38 Kenyan Drake, Ravens @ Jets
39 Breece Hall, Jets vs. Ravens
40 James Robinson, Jaguars @ Commanders
41 Darrell Henderson Jr., Rams vs. Bills
42 Mike Davis, Ravens @ Jets
43 Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles @ Lions
44 Jeff Wilson Jr., 49ers @ Bears
45 Khalil Herbert, Bears vs. 49ers
46 Jamaal Williams, Lions vs. Eagles
47 Raheem Mostert, Dolphins vs. Patriots
48 Rachaad White, Buccaneers vs. Cowboys
49 Nyheim Hines, Colts @ Texans
50 J.D. McKissic, Commanders vs. Jaguars
51 Rex Burkhead, Texans vs. Colts
52 Alexander Mattison, Vikings vs. Packers
53 Travis Homer, Seahawks vs. Broncos
54 Joshua Kelley, Chargers vs. Raiders
55 Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs @ Cardinals
56 Darrel Williams, Cardinals vs. Chiefs
57 Boston Scott, Eagles @ Lions
58 Damien Williams, Falcons vs. Saints
59 Zamir White, Raiders @ Chargers
60 Mark Ingram, Saints @ Falcons

Sloan Piva

Sloan Piva Photo

Sloan Piva is a content producer for The Sporting News, primarily focused on betting, fantasy sports, and poker. A lifelong New Englander, Sloan earned his BA and MA in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts and now lives in coastal Rhode Island with his wife and two kids.