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Week 1 Running Back Rankings & Matchups Analysis

Below you will find our Week 1 running back rankings, to help determine your RB starts/sits for this week, brought to you by Edward Gorelik (@EdwardGorelik) and Zach Wilkens (@LopsidedTrades).

Lead fantasy football editor Edward Gorelik also highlights some RB rankings and matchups analysis for Week 1, and draws some matchup conclusions. He tells you who he likes, who he doesn't, and most importantly who he thinks you should be starting in Week 1. You can also check out our 2015 fantasy football ranking dashboard, for more in depth rankings analysis on all positions including rookies and dynasty leagues.

Editor's Note: Our friends at FantasyFeud are hosting Survivor and Seasonal Leagues perfect for the non-DFS fantasy manager, and you can enter for as little as $1. If you sign up and deposit now, you'll receive a 100% bonus AND a get free full season of RotoBaller's NFL Premium Tools & DFS Lineups Picks ($39.99 value).

 

Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings - Running Backs

RotoBaller
Staff Ranks
Player Name
(Team - Position)
Zach Wilkens
Rankings
Ed Gorelik
Rankings
1 Eddie Lacy GB at CHI 1 1
2 Adrian Peterson MIN at SF 2 2
3 DeMarco Murray PHI at ATL 3 4
4 Jeremy Hill CIN at OAK 6 3
5 Matt Forte CHI vs. GB 4 6
6 Marshawn Lynch SEA at STL 7 5
7 Jamaal Charles KC at HOU 5 10
8 Lamar Miller MIA at WAS 10 7
9 Justin Forsett BAL at DEN 9 8
10 C.J. Anderson DEN vs. BAL 8 9
11 Jonathan Stewart CAR at JAC 13 12
12 LeSean McCoy BUF vs. IND 11 15
13 Frank Gore IND at BUF 18 11
14 Mark Ingram NO at ARI 12 17
15 Christopher Ivory NYJ vs. CLE 14 16
16 Andre Ellington ARI vs. NO 15 18
17 Latavius Murray OAK vs. CIN 20 14
18 Doug Martin TB vs. TEN 16 20
19 Carlos Hyde SF vs. MIN 17 22
20 Ameer Abdullah DET at SD 29 13
21 T.J. Yeldon JAC vs. CAR 22 21
22 Alfred Morris WAS vs. MIA 19 26
23 Joseph Randle DAL vs. NYG 28 19
24 Melvin Gordon SD vs. DET 24 23
25 Tevin Coleman ATL vs. PHI 21 28
26 Rashad Jennings NYG at DAL 26 25
27 Giovani Bernard CIN at OAK 25 27
28 Isaiah Crowell CLE at NYJ 23 31
29 Shane Vereen NYG at DAL 27 29
30 Alfred Blue HOU vs. KC 34 24
31 DeAngelo Williams PIT at NE 31 33
32 Joique Bell DET at SD 30 35
33 Danny Woodhead SD vs. DET 37 32
34 Bishop Sankey TEN at TB 40 30
35 Tre Mason STL vs. SEA 33 38
36 Darren McFadden DAL vs. NYG 38 34
37 Dion Lewis NE vs. PIT 32 44
38 Ryan Mathews PHI at ATL 39 37
39 Devonta Freeman ATL vs. PHI 41 36
40 Duke Johnson CLE at NYJ 36 41
41 Darren Sproles PHI at ATL 35 45
42 Benny Cunningham STL vs. SEA 42 39
43 Reggie Bush SF vs. MIN 45 40
44 Denard Robinson JAC vs. CAR 44 46
45 Matt Jones WAS vs. MIA 50 42
46 David Johnson ARI vs. NO 61 43
47 Roy Helu OAK vs. CIN 43 53
48 Chris Polk HOU vs. KC 46 55
49 Chris Johnson ARI vs. NO 63 47
50 Knile Davis KC at HOU 47 52
51 Fred Jackson SEA at STL 48 61
52 Damien Williams MIA at WAS 56 48
53 James White NE vs. PIT 49 56
54 Brandon Bolden NE vs. PIT 49
55 Khiry Robinson NO at ARI 60 50
56 Charles Sims TB vs. TEN 51 51
57 Anthony Dixon BUF vs. IND 52 69
58 James Starks GB at CHI 53 65
59 Andre Williams NYG at DAL 54 54
60 Ronnie Hillman DEN vs. BAL 55 58
61 Dri Archer PIT at NE 66 57
62 Branden Oliver SD vs. DET 57 63
63 Zac Stacy NYJ vs. CLE 58 59
64 Lance Dunbar DAL vs. NYG 59 64
65 Cameron Artis-Payne CAR at JAC 65 60
66 Theo Riddick DET at SD 62
67 Karlos Williams BUF vs. IND 62
68 Josh Robinson IND at BUF 64 71
69 Christine Michael DAL vs. NYG 66
70 Chris Thompson WAS vs. MIA 67
71 Javorius Allen BAL at DEN 67
72 Jerick McKinnon MIN at SF 68 72
73 Jonathan Grimes HOU vs. KC 68
74 Jeremy Langford CHI vs. GB 69
75 Toby Gerhart JAC vs. CAR 70
76 Terrance West TEN at TB 70
77 Bilal Powell NYJ vs. CLE 73

 

Week 1 Quick Hit Running Back (RB) Rankings Analysis

By Edward Gorelik (@EdwardGorelik)

Chris Ivory is just sitting on a great matchup against the Browns, who are unlikely to deliver an offensive performance on the road that would inspire the Jets to throw heavily.

The Browns were amongst the worst last year in rushing defense, and although Danny Shelton will help them improve, that improvement is only at one position that happens to coincide with the Jets best run blocker, Nick Mangold.

Alfred Morris against the Miami defense is a matchup I don't want any shares of. The Redskins offense has enough struggles. And although it's likely Morris sees some volume as they try to balance the game plan to keep Kirk Cousin's from being relied on too much, it shouldn't take long for the Dolphins to get so far ahead that they shelve the run game entirely.

There's also the factor of Matt Jones, who's hype has only kept growing and the potential carries he might take away.

 

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Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Cam Davis

Making First Appearance At TPC Craig Ranch
Lance McCullers Jr.

To Make Season Debut On Sunday Against White Sox
Griffin Conine

Expected To Miss Rest Of The Season
Bryce Miller

Battles Through Back Injury On Tuesday
Green Bay Packers

Devonte Wyatt's Fifth-Year Option Exercised By Packers
New York Jets

Quarterback Jordan Travis Retires From Football
Taylor Ward

Sitting On Wednesday
Pittsburgh Steelers

Montravius Adams Released By Steelers
Sam Burns

Could Be Due For A Great Week At TPC Craig Ranch
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Picking Up Fifth-Year Option On Jordan Davis
Minnesota Vikings

Myles Price Lands With Vikings As UDFA
Cleveland Browns

NFL Hands Out Fines To Falcons, Jeff Ulbrich For Leak Of Shedeur Sanders' Phone Number
Tyler Glasnow

Shut Down For 10-14 Days
Cleveland Browns

Shedeur Sanders Has A Lot Of Work To Do
Pittsburgh Steelers

Calvin Austin III Has Inside Track On Slot Role
Pittsburgh Steelers

Kaleb Johnson To Be Co-Starter For Steelers?
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Won't Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Tyler Linderbaum
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Exercise Kyle Hamilton's Fifth-Year Option
Minnesota Vikings

Vikings Agree With Andrew Van Ginkel On One-Year Extension
Atlanta Falcons

Nick Nash Has An Opportunity With Falcons
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Exercise Fifth-Year Option On Drake London
Ketel Marte

Likely To Return This Weekend
A.J. Puk

Won't Need Surgery, Won't Throw For 2-3 Weeks
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Could Be Forced To Injured List With Oblique Injury
Jeimer Candelario

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Spine Strain
Patrick Rodgers

A Solid Value Play At TPC Craig Ranch
Jamal Murray

Explodes For 43 Points In Game 5
Carson Young

Looking To Recapture Form At CJ Cup
Jayson Tatum

Fires In 35 Points In Series-Clincher
Matt McCarty

An Intriguing Value Play At CJ Cup
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Logs Massive Triple-Double In Game 5
Maxi Kleber

Listed As Questionable For Game 5
Will Zalatoris

Searching For Putting Form At CJ Cup
Rob Dillingham

Out On Wednesday
Jae'Sean Tate

Still Out On Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Listed As Probable For Wednesday
Jack Eichel

Notches Two Assists In Game 5 Victory
Sam Stevens

A Risky Play With Upside At CJ Cup
PGA

Sungjae Im Riding Momentum Into CJ Cup
Sebastian Aho

Sends Hurricanes To Round 2
Ben Griffin

Looking To Stay Hot After First Career Win
Jake Knapp

Looking For More Success At TPC Craig Ranch
Linus Ullmark

Records Shutout In Elimination Game
Brady Tkachuk

Extends Point Streak To Four Games
Mackenzie Hughes

Is An Interesting Option At CJ Cup
Pavel Dorofeyev

Doesn't Finish Game 5
Filip Gustavsson

Exits Early Due To Illness
Aaron Ekblad

Slapped With Two-Game Suspension
Aldrich Potgieter

Trending Downward For CJ Cup
Taylor Pendrith

Plays Well In Houston Recently
PGA

Niklas Norgaard May Not Be Cut Out For Texas
Rasmus Hojgaard

Could Be Up Or Down In Texas
Ben Rice

Smacks Two Homers To End Slump
Jorge Polanco

Hits Two More Homers, Drives In Five
Scottie Scheffler

The Untouchable Favorite At CJ Cup
Tom Kim

A Popular Name To Avoid At TPC Craig Ranch
Austin Eckroat

Looking To Find Success Again At TPC Craig Ranch
Cristopher Sánchez

Cristopher Sanchez Set To Start Wednesday
Shota Imanaga

Exits With Leg Cramps
Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59th At Corales Puntacana Championship
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For Second At Corales Puntacana Championship
Beau Hossler

Finishes Tied For 60th At Valero Texas Open
George Kirby

"Feeling Great," Could Throw Again On Sunday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Returning To Starting Nine
Josh Lowe

Progressing Well, Could Play In Rehab Games On Saturday
Shane McClanahan

Begins "Throwing-Like" Activities
Patrik Laine

Remains Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi

On Track To Return Wednesday
Brandon Hagel

Ruled Out For Game 5
Marcus Johansson

Returns To Action Tuesday
Cole Ragans

Won't Start On Wednesday
Dylan Moore

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Hip Inflammation
Jonas Siegenthaler

Considered A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Brett Pesce

A Game-Time Call Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Back In Tuesday's Lineup
Frederik Andersen

Unavailable Tuesday
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Las Vegas Raiders

Jack Bech A Strong Candidate To Be An Immediate Starter
Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White Competing For Depth Role
New York Jets

Mason Taylor To Immediately Be Atop Jets Tight End Depth Chart
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid Setting Up As Post-Hype Sleeper In 2025?
Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Seattle Seahawks

Sam Darnold To Take Over 90% Of The Snaps
Tennessee Titans

Titans In No Rush To Trade Will Levis
Daulton Varsho

Reinstated From Injured List And Starting On Tuesday
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Records Third Consecutive Double-Double
Brandin Podziemski

Hits Six Treys During 26-Point Performance
Jimmy Butler III

Leads Warriors In Scoring Monday Night
Jarrett Allen

Has Double-Double, Six Steals In Blowout Win
Brandon Boston Jr.

Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Kelly Olynyk

Undergoes Heel Procedure
Aaron Nesmith

Probable For Tuesday's Action
Nathan MacKinnon

Has Two Points In Losing Effort
Martin Necas

Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss
Mikko Rantanen

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Wyatt Johnston

Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Returns To Winning Ways
Anton Lundell

Earns Two Points Monday
Brandon Hagel

Departs Loss Early
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF