Top 10 Running Back Studs - Best Fantasy Football RB Performances from Week 5

Running back rankings for half-PPR fantasy points scored in Week 5. Kyle reacts to the best fantasy football RB performances and projects them moving forward.

The only constants that we can count in the universe are taxes, Tom Brady getting phantom calls from the referees, and Nick Chubb finishing in the top 10 each and every week. Some familiar faces also returned to the top 10 with Austin Ekeler, Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara, and Christian McCaffrey giving robust RB drafters a moment of solace for one week anyway.

D'Andre Swift was still out with an injury in Week 5 and the Lions are on a bye in Week 6. Should we expect him back for Week 7? Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been near the top in running backs so far in 2022, but he is off of the list for this week since he plays tonight on Monday Night Football versus the Raiders. Rashaad Penny suffered an unfortunate leg injury that will likely leave him sidelined for the remainder of the season. If you have Kenneth Walker on your bench he is a must-start each and every week from here on out.

Here are the Top 10 running back from Week 5 (excluding MNF) based on fantasy points scored in half-PPR formats. Make sure to bookmark our live fantasy football scoreboard so you can see all the live scoring and top fantasy football performances each week, during the games, and afterward as well.

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Top 10 Running Backs - Fantasy Football Week 5

Here are the top 10 running back from Week 5 of the NFL season in half-PPR scoring:

1. Austin Ekeler

While he started off slow to begin the season and had fantasy managers everywhere worried, Awesome Excellence had himself a monster game yesterday where he cut through the Browns' run defense like a hot knife through butter. Ekeler carried the rock 16 times for 173 yards and a TD while adding 4 receptions for 26 yards and a TD. If you were worried about him for fantasy, those concerns should be alleviated.

As mentioned last week, injuries have started to pile up in a big way on the Chargers roster this season (surprise, surprise), but we should still look at them as a Top 10 unit offensively for fantasy this year.

The past few seasons the Chargers have tried very hard to get another running back involved in their offense to should some of the weight from Ekeler, but it simply hasn't happened. While we shouldn't expect Ekeler to go over 100 yards rushing each week, he is involved too much in the passing game to be a bust for fantasy.

The only way you are really moving on from Ekeler right now is if you are likely rebuilding in a dynasty or keeper league and don't have a realistic shot at contending this year. Otherwise, he should be considered a top 5 RB each and every week he is out there, although it's not going to always be as pretty as yesterday was. The Chargers' offense is simply too potent and there isn't anyone else in their backfield good enough to take away any meaningful snaps from Ekeler.

2. Leonard Fournette

After a rough Week 4 outing where he rushed just 3 times for minus-3 yards in a tough loss to the Chiefs on SNF, Uncle Lenny bounced back in a big way yesterday rushing 14 times for 56 yards and a TD while catching all 10 of his receptions for 83 yards and another score.

Much to the chagrin of fantasy managers who have been holding Rachaad White (like yours truly), Fournette feels firmly entrenched as the lead back in Tampa even though his weekly snap shares have been dialed back the last two weeks to 61 and 62 percent.

While it wasn't aesthetically pleasing, Brady and the Bucs scored 21 points in a victory over the Falcons to put them at 3-2. With Chris Godwin, Julio Jones, and some other pieces on this offense getting healthy we should expect this Tampa offense to get better as the season goes along. Uncle Lenny is a top-10 start every week he is out there even though he is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry and has a long of just 17 yards so far this season.

Fournette like Ekeler may not always look great out there every game, but they are both on solid offenses and will see 60 percent or more of their team's offensive snaps at running back. Given how far and far between the bell cow running backs are becoming we should be more than happy with Fournette's performance yesterday, but he certainly hasn't looked explosive at all in doing so.

3. Breece Hall

After a slow start to the season, Breece Hall has begun a hostile takeover of the Jets backfield as his offensive snap shares have risen from 51, 66 to 69 percent yesterday in a 40-17 victory over the Dolphins. While he did get vultured by Michael Carter twice in the red zone, Hall showed some league-winning upside in what is quickly looking like an entertaining Jets offense featuring a trio of talented wideouts in Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, and Corey Davis.

The Jets have a favorable matchup against Green Bay, whose defense hasn't been as good as advertised, but then they play the Broncos and Patriots in Weeks 7-8. Yesterday against Miami, Hall rushed 18 times for 97 yards and a TD while catching 2 passes for 100 yards including a long of 79 where he was tackled close to the 1-yard line.

Right now the Jets currently sit at 3-2 and have been one of the big surprises on the season so far. While it is still early, quarterback Zach Wilson looked better in his start against the Dolphins yesterday.

Wilson's problem during his rookie season in 2021 was trying to force too many throws and put the team on his back. Now that he is stocked with a cavalcade of young weapons around him, Wilson just needs to play within the game and let his supporting cast make plays while not turning the ball over.

Zach Wilson's growth in year two is big for Hall's fantasy value. If they can continue to score points and move the ball like they did yesterday, both of the Jets' running backs are going to feast for the rest of the season in real life and for fantasy. While we need to see more on a weekly basis, Hall is very talented and looks like he could be a league-winning running back for fantasy the rest of the way. He needs to be in your lineup every week.

4. Derrick Henry

Like a true bell cow running back, Derrick Henry seems to get stronger as the game goes longer. Henry rushed for 100 yards for the second week in a row with 28 carries for 102 yards and 2 rushing TDs.

He also continued to see more work than usual in the passing game with 2 receptions for 30 yards. While that may not seem significant, as I mentioned last week Henry has never had more than 19 receptions in a single season for his career. In 2022 he already has 10 receptions, which is huge for his value in full PPR formats!

Head Coach Mike Vrabel has righted the ship in Tennessee guiding the Titans to three straight victories after they started in an 0-2 hole. Given the lack of other weapons on the offense as well as Treylon Burks being sidelined with turf toe, the Titans are going to have to rely heavily on Henry for the rest of the season whether they like it or not.

If you drafted Henry in the first round of your fantasy draft you have to be thrilled with how well he is performing in lieu of how many top running backs are either underperforming like Najee Harris or got the injury bug like D'Andre Swift and Javonte Williams did.

Henry is likely a Top 5 RB every week and should always be in your lineup regardless of opponent. Like Tom Brady, many keep writing them off each and every season thinking that the end is near only that it never does. If you have Henry on your roster he is your chariot to victory each and every week. If he continues to see an uptick in receiving work it is only going to help increase his fantasy output this season.

5. Nick Chubb

Speaking of Derrick Henry, we probably would think the same of Nick Chubb as we would Henry had he been on any other team but the Browns. While Cleveland no doubt has one of the best offensive lines in the league, Chubb has been delegated to sharing a backfield with Kareem Hunt, although the gap between Chubb and Hunt has widened so far this year as Chubb has been practically unstoppable. On Sunday against the Chargers, Chubb rushed 17 times for 134 yards and 2 scores.

What's incredible about Chubb so far this season is he's gone over 100 yards rushing in 4 of his 5 games and has 7 TDs. With Deshaun Watson suspended for 6 more games, the Browns have and will continue to rely heavily on Chubb to stay in games this season.

While they are currently 2-3, the Browns have lost their three contests by a combined 6 points. Many had expected Kareem Hunt to take away some of Chubb's production this season, but it has been Chubb who has been outperforming Hunt by a country mile.

There is some concern about the Browns staying in contests against the better quarterbacks in the NFL until Watson returns, but with Chubb running the way he is they are likely going to remain competitive and find a way to stay in those games. If Watson is able to return to form by the time the fantasy playoffs are here, Chubb will be running through lanes as wide as a semi-truck. Chubb is in your lineup every week regardless of the opponent.

6. Dalvin Cook

Separated shoulder, no problem. On Sunday versus the Bears, Cook rushed 18 times for 94 yards and 2 TDs. He also caught both of his targets for 27 yards and the Minnesota Vikings are currently 4-1 and atop the NFC North.

So far this season their offense has been difficult for teams to stop except for Week 2 as Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson have become killing it through the air together. The addition of Kevin O'Connell as the new head coach in Minnesota has been great for the Vikings' offense as a whole.

While Cook has had his share of injuries the last few seasons, he is running hard and has shown no signs of slowing down. As long as Minnesota continues to pass the ball as well as they have, they are going to be a sneaky opponent in the NFC and the fantasy value for Cook will be there.

Cook has three very favorable matchups coming up against the Dolphins, Cardinals, and Commanders. While he has yet to eclipse 100 yards rushing so far this season, he has three games of 90+ rushing yards.

The concerns about Alexander Mattison eating into his snap share have been unfounded as well as Cook has played 65 percent of the offensive snaps this year. It's safe to say that we can feel bullish about many of the running backs in the top 10 this week for the rest of the season. We should be feeling as good about Cook as any.

7. Alvin Kamara

A potential legal issue caused Kamara's draft stock to drop quite a bit over the summer, but it isn't expected to impact his playing status for 2022 as the legal matter will likely be decided in the 2023 offseason.

So far this year Kamara has been slow out of the gates as he has been hobbled with injuries that caused him to miss Week 2 as well as Week 4. He was a late scratch in Week 4 where the Saints played the Vikings in London, which caused many fantasy managers who were still sleeping to earn a goose egg from Kamara that week.

The Saints' offense has looked anything like the juggernaut of old since the Hall of Famer Drew Brees retired, but they have been putting up points this year. In Week 5 versus the Seahawks, Kamara rushed 23 times for 103 yards and also had 6 receptions for 91 yards.

The bulk of Kamara's fantasy value in years past has come from his tremendous ability as a receiver as well as his receiving consistent receiving volume. With starting quarterback Jameis Winston sidelined with an injury and Andy Dalton playing QB while Taysom Hill appears in sub packages in the red zone, can we expect the same kind of receiving volume for Kamara each week?

Winston has typically been the kind of quarterback who likes to throw downfield, which is great for rookie Chris Olave's skill set but doesn't benefit Kamara all that much. Kamara is a very talented running back who is as good as any in the league when he is healthy, as well as for fantasy, but we need to see more from Kamara and the Saints' offense to pencil him in as a top 5 start every week.

Right now, he is in your lineup regardless of matchup and you are hoping for the same kind of upside that Kamara has provided in previous seasons. However, we need to see a little more of it to feel confident that it will continue.

8. Tevin Coleman

What more can be said about 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan other than that he is the ultimate running back whisperer? After a lackluster 2021 season on the Jets, Coleman returned to San Francisco where he shined in 2019 before injuries derailed his 2020 season.

On Sunday against the Panthers, Coleman rushed 8 times for 23 yards and a TD while catching 3 passes for 44 yards and a TD as well. The 49ers demolished the Panthers 37-15 and Coleman saw the bulk of his work with the game already in hand.

Jeff Wilson Jr. appears to be the starting running back for the time being in San Francisco and we know that Kyle Shanahan loves to ride the hot hand. While he could be a solid bench stash until Elijah Mitchell returns from injury, Coleman is not startable in any leagues at the moment unless an injury should happen to Wilson Jr. or he would do something that would cause him to fall out of favor with Kyle Shanahan *coughs* as Brandon Aiyuk did in 2021. While it was nice to see Coleman bounce back in Week 5, he is nothing more than a stash in deeper leagues at this time.

9. Christian McCaffrey

While many were concerned with drafting CMC as high as they did, often the 1.01 in drafts we should not be concerned given how well he has performed this season. Through the first 5 games, CMC has played 85% of the team's offensive snaps.

Given his strong receiving floor, it is difficult for McCaffrey to have a bad week for fantasy when he is playing so many snaps and seeing such a high amount of targets. On Sunday versus the talented 49ers defense, McCaffrey rushed 14 times for 54 yards and a TD but saw 13 targets of which he hauled in 7 of them for 50 yards and a TD.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield looks to be sidelined for several weeks with a high-ankle sprain and either Sam Darnold or PJ Walker could be coming in to play quarterback, which could either be really good or bad for McCaffrey.

Given how bad the Panthers' offense has been so far this season, any changes are likely going to be positive ones. As mentioned last week, there really isn't much more you can do right now besides holding and starting McCaffrey. He is a dynamic playmaker with the opportunity to go off on Sundays and win you your weeks.

Head coach Matt Rhule was fired this morning and rumors have been circling that some contending teams have begun making calls to the Panthers to see who is available. Could CMC end up being moved? It is possible that the Bills, Chiefs, or Rams may be interested, but the Rams' offensive line is so bad right now I am not sure that would be enough of an upgrade. Nonetheless, it is a situation you should be keeping an eye on if you are a CMC manager.

10. Jeff Wilson Jr.

Wilson had his fourth consecutive solid game in a row on Sunday rushing 17 times for 120 yards and a TD in a 37-15 win over the Panthers. The 49ers' offense appears to be clicking after solid performances in consecutive weeks. Quarterback Jimmy Garapoolo practiced without the team for the entire summer as the 49ers began making the transition from Jimmy G. to Trey Lance.

However, Lance was injured in Week 2 for the rest of the season and the 49ers went back to Jimmy G. after being unable to find a trade partner for him. He was undoubtedly rusty in his first few games getting back in sync with the offense, but for now, the 49ers appear to be a well-oiled machine on offense.

We know that Kyle Shanahan loves to run the football and that should be expected to continue while their defense has been one of the better units in the league. While Elijah Mitchell was named the starting running back when the season began, there is no guarantee he will come back to take Wilson's job if Wilson continues to play like this.

If some of your fantasy managers in your league think they are going to sell high on Wilson and you need help at the position, he is a candidate worth trading for as others are dismissing the fact that Shanahan won't just simply go back to Mitchell if Wilson continues playing like this.

As long as Wilson continues this torrid pace he should be considered a solid RB2 with upside every week. So far Wilson has played 65 percent of the offensive snaps in the last 3 games and that number would likely be higher if the 49ers hadn't had their last two contests well in hand. The 49ers have three good matchups coming up where they play the Falcons, Chiefs, and Rams in the next three weeks. Wilson should be in your lineups for the time being unless anything changes.

Looking Forward

How did you fare in Week 5? It has been a tough year overall for early-drafted fantasy running backs, but the good news is many of the old familiar faces made their way back into the top 10 this week and will likely continue for the rest of the season. If Kenneth Walker is available in one of your leagues he is worth your entire remaining FAAB budget. According to Yahoo, he is rostered in just 44 percent of leagues and only 47 percent of ESPN.

A lot can change throughout the course of the season and it's important to stay up to date on all team injury reports and news so that you can use your waivers and FAAB priority wisely. Having running back depth can be crucial for your team over the full grind of a fantasy season and we should always be looking to find value at RB whenever possible.

Are there any running backs not on this list who you expect to bounce back in Week Six? If you have any FAAB or waiver questions as well, feel free to get at me on Twitter.

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