Week 3 Fantasy Rankings: RB

Matt Lutovsky

Week 3 Fantasy Rankings: RB image

It doesn't take much to inflate stats early in the season. Will the Dolphins continue to allow 29.8 fantasy points per game to RBs? Seems unlikely, but that number could actually go up after they face Ezekiel Elliott this week. That's why he's atop our Week 3 fantasy RB rankings, though he's hardly the only top running back with a favorable matchup. Perhaps more interesting is the movement further down the list, as injuries create new sleepers and usage concerns cause others to drop. 

Alvin Kamara (@ Seahawks) is moving down slightly, but that's no fault of his own. A thumb injury to Drew Brees figures to hurt New Orleans' offense as a whole, limiting Kamara's chances for points. It's possible the Saints feed him the ball more, but defenses will be able to play the run more aggressively and there will likely be fewer touchdown opportunities, so Kamara will really have to work for his points. Chris Carson (vs. Saints) is also dropping because of usage concerns after he lost another fumble last week. Rashaad Penny ran for a 37-yard touchdown and handled most of the late carries for Seattle against Pittsburgh, so this situation could be turning into a full-fledged committee.

WEEK 3 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Injuries to James Conner (@ 49ers) and Devin Singletary (vs. Bengals) open the door for Jaylen Samuels (and possibly Benny Snell Jr.) and Frank Gore to move into starting lineups this week. Even if Singletary is active, Gore has appeal against a Bengals defense allowing by far the most FPPG to RBs. (Update: Singletary is officially out for Week 3.) The Colts (vs. Falcons), Browns (vs. Rams), and Chargers (vs. Texans) have also given up a lot of fantasy points to RBs, but committee situations limit the value of some of their opponents' backs this week.

WEEK 3 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end

We're all-in on Dalvin Cook (vs. Raiders), Josh Jacobs (@ Vikings), and Austin Ekeler (vs. Texans) after their hot starts, and David Montgomery (@ Redskins) looks ready to take over as the Bears' primary back. There are still far too many committees for fantasy owners' likings, but it's just something we have to deal with and monitor closely for trends.

Week 3 DFS Lineups: 
FD cash | FD GPP | DK cash | DK GPP | Y! cashY! GPP

Reminder: These rankings will be adjusted throughout week, so check back often for the latest updates and analysis!

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Week 3 Fantasy RB Rankings

These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues.

Player analysis coming soon

1 Ezekiel Elliott, DAL vs. MIA. Miami is allowing the second-most standard fantasy points per game (FPPG) to running backs at just a shade under 30. Zeke proved with his 23-carry, 111-yard, one-TD outing in Week 2 that he's already back to full speed, so this could get ugly in a hurry. 
2 Saquon Barkley, NYG @ TB.
3 Christian McCaffrey, CAR @ ARZ.
4 Dalvin Cook, MIN vs. OAK.
5 Le'Veon Bell, NYJ @ NE.
6 Todd Gurley, LAR @ CLE. Gurley saw a bigger rushing share (16 carries to Malcolm Brown's six) and more targets (4) in Week 2. He responded with a relatively mediocre 67 total yards and a score, but he should have an easier go of things against a Cleveland defense that was trampled by Derrick Henry in Week 1 and allowed 129 total yards to Le'Veon Bell in Week 2.
7 Aaron Jones, GB vs. DEN.
8 Alvin Kamara, NO @ SEA. Kamara could be in line for more touches with Drew Brees out, but Seattle could just as easily stack the box and key on him more than ever. We think his talent will win out and he'll still put up good numbers, but obviously his ceiling is slightly lower than it was in the first two games, especially against a Seattle defense allowing just 52.5 rushing yards per game to RBs. 
9 Derrick Henry, TEN @ JAX. The last time Henry played in Jacksonville on a Thursday night, he ran for 238 yards and four TDs. We're guessing he doesn't do that again, but based on his first two games (37 touches, 252 total yards, three TDs), he's likely to produce. 
10 Marlon Mack, IND vs. ATL.
11 Mark Ingram, BAL @ KC.
12 Josh Jacobs, OAK @ MIN.
13 Nick Chubb, CLE vs. LAR.
14 Austin Ekeler, LAC vs. HOU. 
15 David Johnson, ARZ vs. CAR.
16 Frank Gore, BUF vs. CIN. Last week, three different 49ers RBs put up big stats while running for almost 250 yards. Gore has dominated carries this year (30 to 10 over Devin Singletary), so he should be started in all leagues with Singletary out.
17 Kerryon Johnson, DET @ PHI. Johnson hasn't impressed running the ball (3.2 yards per carry), but he salvaged his Week 2 with a 36-yard touchdown catch. Johnson owners have been caught off guard by the number of carries he's been ceding to C.J. Anderson and Ty Johnson, but there's no real reason to think that will change soon. However, Johnson has more upside than he's showed, and he's still a threat as a receiver. Philadelphia has allowed a league-high 143 receiving yards to RBs, so Johnson should produce in this one.  
18 James Conner, PIT @ SF. Conner (knee) has said he's confident he'll play in Week 3 against San Francisco, but his fantasy owners might be OK with him taking the week off. He managed a short TD last week, but much like the rest of the Steelers' offense, he's gotten off to a sluggish start. The 49ers got run on by the Bucs in Week 1 and gave up an RB touchdown to the Bengals in Week 2, so it's not a bad matchup, 
19 Joe Mixon, CIN @ BUF. Buffalo has done a relatively good job against two of the league's best backs (Le'Veon Bell, Saquon Barkley), allowing 18.4 FPPG. Mixon has gotten off to a slow start, but he has the talent to produce against anyone. This will be a good measuring stick game for him. 
20 Leonard Fournette, JAX vs. TEN. Fournette has yet to really get going on the ground, but he has slightly padded his stats with eight catches and 68 yards on 12 targets. He's had at least 17 touches in each of the first two weeks, so he should get plenty of opportunities in what shapes up to be a relatively difficult matchup. 
21 Sony Michel, NE vs. NYJ. Michel would be ranked higher if not for the presences of James White and Rex Burkhead. New York has struggled both weeks against RBs, so this could be another game that features a good amount of yards and a couple scoring chances for Michel. 
22 David Montgomery, CHI @ WAS. Montgomery received 18 of 22 running back carries in Week 2, and while the final results weren't great (62 yards), he did get into the end zone and added a catch on three targets. The Bears will likely rotate backs more this week, but it still looks like Montgomery is on the verge of a breakout. With the Redskins giving up almost 125 rushing yards per game to RBs, that could mean big things for Montgomery.
23 Chris Carson, SEA vs. NO. Carson looked well on his way to being a true three-down back, but fumbling problems got him benched for a spell last week. That opened the door for Rashaad Penny, who ran right through it with 62 yards and a TD on 10 carries. C.J. Prosise also stole snaps in the two-minute drill, receiving five touches. Carson is a bit of a wild card this week. If Pete Carroll trusts him, he could be a 20-touch back who's underranked against a so-so Saints run defense; if this has turned into a committee, Carson's ceiling is limited. One positive is on a key fourth-down run to seal the game last week, Carson got the call, so that's something he can hopefully build on. (Update: With Penny not expected to play, Carson has much more upside this week.)
24 Devonta Freeman, ATL @ IND. Freeman is turning into more of a receiving back. He's caught six of eight targets for 54 yards and managed just 41 yards on the ground on 19 carries. He's still getting more touches than Ito Smith, but Smith has looked more explosive and effective. Freeman's saving grace this week is a matchup against a Colts defense that's allowed the third-most FPPG to RBs. Austin Ekeler torched them as a runner and a receiver in Week 1, so Freeman can total yardage his way to a worthwhile day. 
25 Matt Breida, SF vs. PIT.
26 Phillip Lindsay, DEN @ GB.
27 Peyton Barber, TB vs. NYG. Last week we thought Ronald Jones II was about to take over in the Bucs backfield, but Barber went out and ran 23 times for 82 yards and a score. At this point, it's tough to know how things will shake out in the Bucs backfield from week-to-week, but we assume Barber will still get the bulk of the touches this week. If he does, he's in a good spot against a Giants defense that gave up rushing TDs to two different Bills RBs last week. 
28 Carlos Hyde, HOU @ LAC. Hyde widened his share of the backfield touches in Week 2, garnering 20 carries compared to Duke Johnson's six. And once again, he looked good, picking up 90 yards. The Chargers were shredded by Marlon Mack on the ground in Week 1 but mostly shut down Kerryon Johnson in Week 2, so we'll consider this a neutral matchup. Given Hyde's volume, that still makes him a solid FLEX. 
29 LeSean McCoy, KC vs. BAL. McCoy (ankle) isn't expected to dominate RB touches with Damien Williams (knee) out, but he should get a healthy dose of touches. It's a tough matchup and McCoy hasn't done much this year outside of a couple nice runs, but given the offense he plays in, he's always a threat to pop in a touchdown or rip off a few long gains.
30 Raheem Mostert, SF vs. PIT. Matt Breida is the nominal starter and gives you more bang for your buck because of his elusiveness, but Mostert will get 10-plus touches and might be more likely to score. He actually had one carry than Breida last week and received three more targets. He's plenty explosive, too, so even in a mediocre matchup against a Pittsburgh defense that has mostly limited the running games of New England and Seattle, Mostert has value. 
31 Rashaad Penny, SEA vs. NO.
32 Royce Freeman, DEN @ GB. Freeman has received 27 touches (21 carries, six receptions) compared to 32 touches for Phillip Lindsay (24 carries, eight receptions). This is the definition of a committee, and while it's tempting to say Lindsay will win out because he's more talented, Freeman has actually outproduced him this year (163 total yards compared to 131). It doesn't help the stagnant Broncos offense doeson't give either many scoring chances. The Packers were solid against Chicago's backs in Week 1, but Dalvin Cook exposed them in Week 2. In a neutral matchup like this, consider both Lindsay and Freeman standard-league FLEX plays, with Lindsay having a little more value in PPR formats. 
33 Rex Burkhead, NE vs. NYJ
34 T.J. Yeldon, BUF vs. CIN.
35 Adrian Peterson, WAS vs. CHI.
36 Tarik Cohen, CHI @ WAS.
37 Miles Sanders, PHI vs. DET.
38 Duke Johnson Jr., HOU @ LAC.
39 Darwin Thompson, KC vs. BAL.
40 Ito Smith, ATL @ IND.
41 Jordan Howard, PHI vs. DET.
42 Ronald Jones, TB vs. NYG.
43 Kenyan Drake, MIA @ DAL.
44 Jaylen Samuels, PIT @ SF
45 Justin Jackson, LAC vs. HOU
46 Ty Johnson, DET @ PHI.
47 Dion Lewis, TEN @ JAX.
48 Latavius Murray, NO @ SEA.
49 Gus Edwards, BAL @ KC.
50 Malcolm Brown, LAR @ CLE.
51 Chris Thompson, WAS vs. CHI.
52 Nyheim Hines, IND vs. ATL.
53 Kalen Ballage, MIA @ DAL.
54 Jamaal Williams, GB vs. DEN.
55 Mike Davis, CHI @ WAS.
56 Alexander Mattison, MIN vs. OAK.
57 Giovani Bernard, CIN @ BUF.
58 Ty Montgomery, NYJ @ NE.
59 Darren Sproles, PHI vs. DET.

Matt Lutovsky

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Matt Lutovsky has been a writer and editor for The Sporting News since 2007, primarily writing about fantasy sports, betting, and gaming.